PORT TOWNSEND — The July Fourth fireworks display, which faced cancellation for financial reasons, will continue this year with city sponsorship.
The Port Townsend City Council voted unanimously Monday night to allocate $10,000 to the display at Fort Worden State Park.
“If there are no fireworks, this becomes a public safety issue because people will look for potentially dangerous activities,” said City Manager David Timmons, who brought the resolution to the council.
“Besides the enjoyment benefit of a public display, this provides an outlet for people who want to see fireworks but cannot use them because the city has banned use by individuals.”
City funds will come from money saved through recently approved interlocal agreements with Jefferson County for jail, substance abuse and animal control services, Timmons said.
The Sunrise Rotary Club, which had sponsored the fireworks display since 2001, lacked the money to continue after it had to dip into $3,500 of club funds to put on the 2010 exhibition, said club member John Eissinger.
Although the club is no longer funding the event, Eissinger, who is a pyrotechnist, will supervise the fireworks show.
Last year’s fireworks cost $1,600 — $1,000 for materials and $600 to rent the barge from which the fireworks were launched.
This year, there is an automatic price decrease.
The fireworks will be land-based, and there will be no need to rent a barge.
Setting off fireworks requires a 600-foot perimeter for safety reasons, so the display will be on Battery Way between the Port Townsend Marine Science Center and the Point Wilson Lighthouse at Fort Worden State Park.
“Having that extra room will give us a lot more flexibility,” Eissinger said.
“On the barge, there wasn’t anywhere to go if something went wrong.
The fireworks will start at 10 p.m. July 4. They should be visible throughout the region, Eissinger said.
The item was on the consent agenda for Monday’s meeting, which means it was to be approved along with several other measures, but was pulled out for discussion by Timmons.
His original proposal was for the city to foot the bill for the 2011 display while setting up a fundraising mechanism for future years that allocated half the money raised for fireworks and the remainder to support community programs.
This idea met resistance from council members Laurie Medlicott, Kris Nelson and Catharine Robinson, who said that using the city to raise funds for one service group was unfair to other groups.
When the motion was made, it did not include the stipulation to contribute half the funds to service groups, after which time Mayor Michelle Sandoval moved for the creation of a committee consisting of Medlicott, Nelson and Robinson to explore future fundraising options.
Nelson opposed the creation of the new committee because “we have enough committees, and one of them could address this.”
Sandoval charged the committee with “finding the proper methodology for future fundraising” by the city that would assist service groups.
The city is not obligated to provide ongoing support for the fireworks program. The City Council has approved this year’s expenditure only.
An estimated 6,000 to 7,000 people attended the fireworks celebration in 2010.
Eissinger will be assisted by four people for the fireworks display and several volunteers for the setup.
“It has been really nice to see the collaboration between the club, the city and Fort Worden State Park to keep this alive.” Eissinger said.
“This is an important family event.”
________
Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
