Granite Shoals sets stage for eclipse with extra staff, paid parking
A road sign on RR 1431 westbound entering the city of Granite Shoals advertises eclipse parking spaces for $20 at Quarry Park by City Hall. The city is in the final days of preparation leading up to the April 8 total solar eclipse and hopes parking space rentals can help offset the costs of paying overtime for first responders and other assets. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
The city of Granite Shoals is offering $20 parking spaces at Quarry Park on the day of the eclipse, Monday, April 8, to recoup some of the cost of safety preparations. Fire Chief Tim Campbell hopes the parking spaces will also draw people off of the main road to reduce traffic and trespassing.
Granite Shoals and the rest of the Highland Lakes communities are in the direct path of the eclipse, meaning the area is a prime destination for visitors from nearby Williamson and Travis counties.
“I’ve said all along what’s going to get us is Williamson and Travis (counties), the several millions of people that decide to get in their vehicle and drive over here for the day,” Campbell said.
The fire chief gave his final presentation on eclipse preparations during the Granite Shoals City Council’s regular meeting on March 26. Additional first responders will be on shift and extra fuel staged to supply emergency service vehicles.
The city will begin adding supplemental firefighters and police officers to standard shifts starting Friday, April 5, then nearly doubling staff on Monday and Tuesday. The additional staff will assist with emergency responses, which might be heavily delayed due to traffic from day-tripping eclipse watchers.
Campbell referred to after-action reports from rural cities that were in the path of the 2017 total solar eclipse, such as Madras, Oregon, a town of roughly 7,000, which had over 90,000 visitors on the day of the eclipse.
Granite Shoals originally budgeted $16,000 for firefighter overtime and $25,000 for police overtime, which it had hoped to fund by renting out 200 RV spots at $500 each for the four days surrounding the eclipse. The RV spots were posted in June 2023, but little came of it. As of April 1, only two of the spots had been rented out. The city has since reduced its budget for those four days to $8,500 for firefighter overtime and $2,500 for police overtime.
Extra helicopters will be staged across the Highland Lakes for emergency medical transports, landlines have been established in case cell service goes down, and Granite Shoals will have a dedicated tow truck on hand for accidents and stranded vehicles.
“I think we’re ready,” Campbell said. “I think we’ve got it handled.”