The traditional Book Week parade down Parker Street will instead take place at Fisher Park next Friday.
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Cootamundra Public School will walk along Parker Street on their way to the park and will be joined by both EA Southee Public and Sacred Heart Central schools for the parade.
Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council’s civil works manager Mark Ellis said there were obligations required under “Australia’s Strategy for Protecting Crowded Places from Terrorism” for large public events.
That strategy was released in August last year in response to terror attacks overseas involving vehicles driven into crowded areas.
Next Friday’s Book Week event was moved due to the challenges in meeting those obligations.
The strategy determines what measures are required to be taken by event organisers, state and local government and police.
The same strategy was implemented during Anzac Day this year, when several streets and side streets were blocked to traffic by trucks.
Mr Ellis said the cost to council for blocking the streets for Anzac Day with 20 heavy vehicles was $12,000.
“If it was just council which needed to give approval, we’d find another way,” he said.
Council will be footing the bill for the Wattle Time parade set for August 25, the day after the Book Week parade at Fisher Park.
Cootamundra Development Corporation chairman John Stephens said the requirements for blocking streets put extra pressure on council’s staff.
In years past, all that was required was approval from the transport committee which included representatives from police and council.
“Council is trying to absorb the pressure which is commendable. If council hadn’t come on board, the Wattle Time parade would be around Fisher Park,” Mr Stephens said.
With council staff manning the barricades for the Wattle Time Fair, it’s meant that additional volunteers are needed to marshal the parade, a job council staff would have normally done.