In an effort to increase safety at public events like the Durango Farmers Market and the Snowdown Light Parade, the city has purchased 18 portable metal barriers.
According to a January news release from the city, the barriers were purchased ahead of the 2024 Snowdown celebration. Since then, according to city spokesperson Tom Suis, they have been used at the Durango Farmers Market, Snowdown, San Juan Brewfest, the Autumn Arts Festival, the Cowboy Parade and other events in which Main Avenue or other thoroughfares are closed to traffic.
The Archer 1200 Barriers, built by Meridian Rapid Defense Group, are “Drop and Stop” anti-ram portable vehicle barriers designed to protect people and critical infrastructure. They can be deployed by one person, do not need to be anchored to the ground, require no heavy equipment to move other than a truck and trailer, and include a gate to allow emergency vehicles into a gathering. They have been tested to stop vehicles weighing up to 15,000 pounds in simulations, according to the company’s website.
Sluis said that as events in Durango have seen increasing numbers of participants, the city wanted to acquire more equipment to help ensure public gatherings are secure.
“Our events downtown and throughout the city have continued to grow in popularity,” Sluis said. “Our draw is not only just for locals, but it is increasingly having more of a regional draw, which is why we need to integrate and stay up to date on all the latest techniques on how to make sure these events are conducted safely.”
Sluis wrote in an email to the The Durango Herald that 6,000 people are expected to attend the Autumn Art Festival this weekend; 1,500 people for a Sepp Kuss event Sept. 26; 1,500 for the Cowboy Gathering on Oct. 4; and 3,000 for the Oct. 11 farmers market, Apple Days and Fire Safety Days celebration. The barricades will be deployed at each event, he wrote.
Sluis said that in 2024, the city purchased eight barriers, a trailer and miscellaneous accessories for $99,102. In 2025, the city bought 10 more barriers, a second trailer, accessories and two “rapid gate kits” for $149,630. In 2026, he said, an additional $115,000 was requested.
“All barrier expenditures are from the portion of the lodgers’ tax that is determined by council, which oversees how to spend 11% of the total Lodgers’ Tax collected,” Sluis wrote. “Council has not decided on how they want to allocate their portion of the lodgers’ tax for 2026.”
When and where the barriers are deployed depends on event location and how many people are expected to attend. Smaller gatherings will see yellow tape and traditional barriers, he said, while big gatherings will be bordered by barriers.
“They’re not going to be rolled out for every single event or activity that we host, because it’s going to be dependent on the numbers,” Sluis said.
The barriers are part of a larger strategy to improve event safety and traffic flow before and during major gatherings, the release said.
sedmondson@durangoherald.com
