Fight to move fireworks sparked

Jenny Marder

Fourth of July is still more than four months away, but it looks as

if sparks could start flying early this year.

Residents who would like to see the festivities return to the

beach will go head to head with those opposed to the idea at

Tuesday’s City Council meeting, where council members will vote on

whether to change the fireworks venue.

The idea to change locations was presented last year, but

postponed when the council directed the Fourth of July Commission to

take some time to gather more information on costs, parking and

safety concerns.

The commission, chaired by Pat Stier, has been working since last

July on plans to move the celebration from Huntington Beach High

School, where it has been held for nearly 20 years, back to the

beach.

It was originally moved from the beach due to excess fog that used

to roll in and obstruct the view, Stier said. But the fog clears up

much earlier these days and is no longer a concern, she said.

“I think [moving the fireworks back to the beach] is what most

people want,” said Stier. “I think everybody really has their heart

in it.”

If successful, the event would feature a fireworks display shot

from a barge stationed offshore.

But memories of rowdy thrill-seekers, heavy drinking and

widespread pandemonium that led to hundreds of arrests in the past

have triggered concern from residents and city officials.

“The potential, once it gets dark, for problems is immense,” said

Councilman Dave Sullivan.

In the mid-1990s, Fourth of July celebrations spun out of control

year after year. Illegal firecrackers were accompanied by couch

burnings, flying bottles, fires on residential streets and the

swinging police batons. Arrests climbed from 40 people in 1993 to 257

in 1994. In 1995, a 21-year-old man was shot to death.

Police finally cracked down in 1996, when arrests peaked at 546

and Downtown streets were barricaded to curb the mayhem.

Stier said she thinks that the community has changed since the

last Fourth of July disturbance.

“Since then, the city has calmed down,” she said. “The city’s

become more of a family.”

But Sullivan is skeptical. At a time when Surf City is trying to

make money through tourism, a bad night could be damaging to the

city’s goals, he said.

“The up side is a nice event,” said Sullivan. “The down side is

sliding back and striking a body blow to our tourism. The problem is,

in my view, that the downside has too much risk to it.”

But the fireworks will need a new home this year because the field

is being re-sod, Stier said. The high school is no longer an option.

The City Council and the commission will have several obstacles to

overcome before the event can occur at the beach.

If the council votes to move forward with the project, funds will

have to be raised. Holding the event at the beach will be more costly

than it was at the high school.

Costs will include increased law enforcement, larger fireworks and

rental of the barge for the fireworks display. Councilwoman Pam

Julien Houchen, staff liaison to the firework’s committee, estimated

the total cost to be as much as $100,000 -- $40,000 to $45,000 for

police and $15,000 for the barge.

Stier said the daytime events would include the parade, fair and

farmer’s market Downtown as well as a patriotic concert at the pier

plaza. Stier said she is optimistic and confident that the community

is behind the idea.

Some of the City Council is also behind the idea.

“I think our community’s grown up quite a bit,” Houchen said. “Our

police enforcement has gotten really tough. They took the control

back and sent a message to people who wanted to destroy Downtown.”