Safety concerns limit staging area

FARMINGTON -- City space to build floats for the annual Festival Days celebration will not be so available to outside groups in the future.

This year, as in the past, some church groups were allowed to build floats for the city’s annual celebration, using city space for the staging. The practice has raised some security concerns, according to City Manager Dave Millheim.

Millheim said he recently went to the city’s public works facility to put gas in his city vehicle and found kids playing hide and seek in an area that houses a lot of expensive equipment. The kids were reportedly in the area to help build a church float.

Millheim suggested the city tighten security with additional security cameras and also limit the open practice of open access for outside groups.