By KALIN KROHE
Panhandle Post
At its Sept. 20 meeting, the Alliance City Council approved municipal code amendments for fireworks on second reading. On Aug. 2, the council tabled the second reading.
This ordinance would amend the dates and times fireworks can be legally discharged in the city.
Kevin and Roxane Foster spoke before the council with their thoughts and concerns. They operate the Foster Fireworks Stand every year in Alliance.
"We have several points that we'd like to be made to continue the ten-day sales and lighting of fireworks in Alliance," Roxane Foster said. "First of all in Nebraska, the Nebraska State regulations allow ten days of sales and lighting the fireworks. The City of Alliance currently grants that same right, which allows its citizens to celebrate and enjoy fireworks with family and friends for only those ten days of the year. The fireworks stands in Alliance provide a service to the community of Alliance so that they may purchase fireworks locally. If the firework season for Alliance is shortened, the people in Alliance will shop out of town for their fireworks, which will most definitely affect the local sales. The fireworks enthusiasts will continue to light off fireworks during the usual period of ten days as they have done for years, which will become a nightmare for local law enforcement. This community loves their fireworks. We're all aware, however, that some people don't enjoy fireworks for various reasons, but tolerance of others differences, their likes and dislikes is a virtue that should be practiced by all. Some people might not like the smell of the fire pits at night when they would like to have their windows open, or the sound of the loud trucks late at night or early morning...or having to clean someone else's dog business out of their yard. But, they don't ask the city council to replace regulations on these issues. They just tolerate it."
Foster then spoke to the council about the business side of their fireworks stand.
"So, prior to the fireworks season, the company that provides the tents will give notification and when they will be delivering tents along their routes," Foster said. "They deliver all of the tents at least four days prior to the opening day of June 25. That means we would pay rent for the tent as well as the lot rent that the tent sets on for an entire season...regardless of how many days the city would allow for sales. They won't make a separate delivery just for Alliance's at a later date."
Foster also said having a shorter fireworks season will affect families.
"If the firework season is shortened, they will not always include a weekend and many Alliance families won't be able to have their large family and friends celebrations during their work week", Foster said. "But the 10-day season, at least one weekend is always included in that stretch of time, which allows those gatherings to take place...and of course it's always a boost in sales as well. Weather is always a factor during fireworks season for both the fireworks enthusiast and the firework stands. Stormy weather can and has closed down the fireworks stands for part of a day or an entire evening...at least three to four times each season. This of course causes a drop in sales and shortens the time for lighting them off as well. We are in favor of maintaining a ten-day firework season in Alliance and hope that you can see the benefits to the community and the local firework stands in agreeing to do so. Please show your support to the local families, youth groups and school that brings the service to Alliance. Independence Day celebrates freedom. Let's continue to allow our community the freedom to celebrate and enjoy their fireworks during a ten-day fireworks season."
Councilman John McGhehy thinks having the fireworks ordinance three or four days is too short.
"And then one of the things they [Fosters] pointed out is that some years that wouldn't include a weekend at all," McGhehy said. "And I just don't think that's fair to the families that don't have adjustable schedules. So last time we talked about this, I suggested a compromise of seven days. I think that takes into consideration the people that it bothers to have a long period of time, but gives a little bit more time for people to enjoy the fireworks. So, I still am in favor of no less than seven days for the period."
"For me, the reason why we discussed tabling at the last meeting was to give the community a chance to contact council members and staff with their viewpoints be heard," Councilwoman Annora Bentley said. " I did not hear from one person in favor of leaving it for ten days. I have heard from countless number of people to curtail it down to four days and that they thought that was enough. And so, considering the fact that I felt like we did our due diligence and asking people to come forward...and no one did to me anyway."
Residents in the Alliance community can still voice their concerns to council members and the City of Alliance. The next city council meeting is Tuesday, Oct. 4 where the council will decide how many days the fireworks ordinance will be changed to.
"I never heard from anyone that wanted to leave it," Alliance Mayor Mike Dafney said. "And everybody I've heard for wanting to cut it down...and four was the majority of that choice."
"I never heard from anyone that wanted to leave it," Alliance Mayor Mike Dafney said. "And everybody I've heard for wanting to cut it down...and four was the majority of that choice."
Councilman Earl Jones said he had no one from the community talk to him about the fireworks ordinance, but a person asked if the City of Alliance could add to "streets" to the ordinance so people would not be able to light fireworks off in the streets.
Currently, you can not light fireworks off on recreational properties within the city.
"They said people are just militant on the streets," Jones said. "Kids are running out [in the streets]. And they feel like they have the right to close the street to set fireworks off. And some of them are major streets. They said when they were coming back from the fireworks display at the park [Laing Lake] that literally people stopped traffic to set fireworks."
Councilwoman Bentley said, "I can attest to that, 12th Street was closed for fireworks."
Councilman McGhehey asked Alliance Police Chief Philip Lukens, "How difficult would it be if we added a restriction on setting off fireworks in the street?"
"The entire fireworks in general is going to be incredibly difficult to enforce," Chief Lukens said. "We had about 20 something calls for service on fireworks that were outside of normal hours over the entire Fourth of July timeframe between June 1 and and July 31. That was when people were lighting outside of the time. During time, there are so many people lighting fireworks in the community. And remember we have two officers on. So just imagine, if we take the time to do the report on one call, which is going to be a report and confiscating property. That's an average of 60 minutes. So, if we do that, in an evening, we can handle three per officer, if you go from nine o'clock to midnight, we would be only able to handle the fireworks during those hours. If there are any other high priority calls that come in, those calls cannot be handled. And so in essence, this is a voluntary compliance ordinance because we would not have the ability to get all of the community to get that under control. So whether they're in the street or in their driveways or whatever, the sheer volume of calls that increased during the fourth of July season anyway with animals and just routine family events and disturbances it is not...it is not easily policed."
Mayor Dafney, Councilwoman Bentley, Councilman Jones voted yes on the second reading of this fireworks ordinance. Councilman McGhehy and Mischnick voted no.