City releases parking strategy for event

By Steve Moyer

Nevada Daily Mail

Bushwhacker Days is a big production. The Bushwhacker Committee estimates more than 35,000 visitors for this year's celebration, and city departments are working overtime on preparing for the parking and crowd control issues that always entails.

"We've looked at previous years and this year we drove around making sure we accounted for every alley to prevent some of the problems we've had in the past," Carol Branham, Nevada Parks and Recreation director said. "We've had people come into the alleys and then out into blocked off areas causing safety concerns. We want to provide a fun, safe community event."

Locations of barricades and handicapped parking areas have been carefully considered to make access easy for those who have mobility problems.

"Handicapped parking will be available at the corner of Walnut and Ash as well as in the Health Department parking lot on Hunter and Washington," Branham said. "Any one who needs to be dropped off should come to Cherry and Main where someone will be there to help them."

Assistant Chief of Police Gary Herstein said that the police asked for the public's cooperation during the event.

"We ask the public to stay behind the cones during the parade, we don't want anyone getting hurt and there have been instances in the past where that almost happened," Herstein said. "Also if people see cones, please don't move them, they are there for a reason; plus moving them is a violation."

Parking around the Square will be closed off in different patterns on different days.

On Wednesday and Thursday the south side of the Square will be closed to parking at 5 p.m. and those streets will close at noon on Friday.

The entire Square will be closed to parking from 5 p.m. Friday until midnight Saturday.

Streets in surrounding areas will also be closed during the event for safety's sake.

"We also want to stress that Washington will be closed off from Hunter to Cherry every evening for the carnival," Herstein said. "It will be a walkway for people to get from one part of the carnival to the other."

The city hall parking lot will be closed to the public to allow city workers to park Saturday. "We will have approximately 60 city employees working Bushwhacker Days in addition to the police," Branham said.

Branham wanted to stress that city employees from all departments are cooperating with each other and with the Bushwhacker Committee to provide the best experience possible to visitors during the event.

"Everyone is pitching in," Branham said.

"Craig (City Manager Craig Hubler) has just given everyone extra assignments for Bushwhacker Days to make sure it goes well," Branham said.