MERRILLVILLE | Town Council members are still concerned about the safety issues associated with throwing candy at town parades and continue to contemplate ways to deal with the issue.

Councilman Shawn Pettit brought up the topic Wednesday at a Town Council workshop, saying there were some potentially dangerous situations at the town's Fourth of July parade when children were running out to grab candy thrown from parade participants.

Council President Ron Widing said he saw a problem firsthand when a piece of candy landed on the running board of a public works truck he was driving during the parade and parents urged a child to snatch up the candy while the truck was moving.

According to Merrillville parade guidelines, candy can't be thrown from moving vehicles.

Previous procedures stated no candy could be thrown from any vehicles, even if they weren't moving, Councilman Joe Shudick said. He suggested the town go back to the previous rules.

This year's parade also was in a different location on Broadway than previous years because of the state's construction project on the street, and the parade route traveled through a more constricted area, town officials said.

Merrillville Police Chief Joseph Petruch said there weren't as many issues when the town had the parade in a more open area of Broadway.

Town officials hope the construction will be completed by next year's parade so the event can take place in an area with more space to alleviate some of the problems.

There is no rush to make a decision about the topic since the town has about a year until its next parade, Councilman Richard Hardaway said.