Fargo, N.D. – Fargo’s new vehicle barrier system, which includes vertical steel barricades intended to protect pedestrians from vehicle attacks during downtown street events, was not deployed during a Juneteenth celebration this month.
Flag Family News Director Ken Duffy first noticed the absence of the bollards while walking past the event that took up Broadway Square and a portion on 2nd Avenue North on Saturday June 21st.
The city recently completed the installation of eleven mounts, also called sleeves, that can hold the bollards.
The poles can be inserted and removed at the intersection of 2nd Avenue and Broadway North.
Six of the mounts were placed near the crosswalk along the west side of 2nd Avenue, while another five were installed along a crosswalk on the east side of the intersection.
The bollard project was launched following a deadly vehicle attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day when a person drove a truck into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street.
The bollard installation work in Fargo, which lasted more than a week, was completed on May 28th.
The Juneteenth event, which took place more than three weeks after the bollard project was finished, had closed off a section of roadway on the west side of 2nd Avenue North for attendees.
Instead of using bollards, photos and images showed “ROAD CLOSED” signs with thin metal legs and stands that were placed in front of the empty mounts.
There were several vendors with booths, as event-goers made their way through Broadway Square and the closed block.
The event ran from 3pm to 9pm.
Flag Family News reached out to the Downtown Community Partnership, which is involved in planning for various downtown events.
In written responses, DCP executive director Rocky Schneider says he did “not believe they [the bollards] were requested for the Juneteenth event” adding there “probably wasn’t any organic trigger point where it came up.”
Schneider noted that the bollards have been used at one event so far since the bollard installation was completed.
That was on June 4th for the Broadway Summer Music Series which featured Mason Jennings.
At that time, Schneider said the bollards “had just been delivered and there was no process established yet” plus “the locks for them had not been delivered.”
But Schneider says he was “pretty insistent they be put in for the [June 4th] event because, ironically, I had been in the news talking about them and I really did not want to look silly by hosting an event and then not have them in place.”
The city has two protective systems: the newly-installed bollards, and the usage of police mobile barricades.
The modular vehicle barrier system was displayed during the Fargo Police Community Picnic on Wednesday June 18th.
For that event, Schneider says people “all got a chance to see them set up, deployed, and moved around.”
Schneider explained that there is “no formal process established yet” as far as how and when the barrier system is activated but adds “that process should be worked out soon.”
“While they are fairly straightforward devices [the bollards], there are a number of nuances we all have to learn and work through,” wrote Schneider. “We are still working with the city on both of these to develop a process for when they are used and how they are installed.”
There also appears to be an issue about providing access for first responders.
“We are coordinating with Fire and EMS support so that we can be sure that emergency vehicles still have the ability to get both in, and out, given an emergency,” said Schneider.
“These barricades are great because they are so mobile, but they are also secure and we don’t want everyone to be able to just move them at will either.”
Schneider says they’re planning on relying “heavily on their [the bollards] use and placement for the Street Fair.”
The Downtown Fargo Street Fair will take place from July 17th to July 19th this summer.
Flag Family News also asked the city to comment on how it makes the call when it comes to authorizing and using security measures like the new bollards at the Juneteenth event, and other outdoor downtown summer happenings going forward.
The city initially offered to set up an interview, but later sent over a written statement.
“The City of Fargo staff work across departments to support event organizers in planning for safety and security when an event receives a permit to utilize The City right-of-way,” the statement read in part.
“For each event, staff assess potential needs for road closures and protective measures where appropriate.”
“These tools (2nd Ave. N. bollards and portable barriers) are relatively new to The City’s closure and safety approach and have been used at select events for evaluation,” the statement went on to say.
“Staff are currently developing formal processes to guide when and how they’ll be deployed moving forward.”
Correction: The original version referred to bollards being on display at the Fargo Community Picnic. The city says it the modular vehicle barrier system.
