Fourth of July parade getting a tune-up

The city’s next Fourth of July parade is set to have a makeover.

It won’t be for a better or hotter look, just a simpler one.

Council members opted Monday to streamline the Fourth of July parade celebrations following difficulties retaining volunteer board members and a $31,000 operating loss for this year’s parade. Organizers for the 102nd Fourth of July parade, a city icon, raised about $311,000 but ended with a net loss.

The vote came after city staff presented a report recommending doing away with the parade gala; breakfast for parade participants; bleachers at Lake Park; and the home decorating contest on Main Street to make it easier for board members to cope with organizing the biggest Fourth of July parade west of the Mississippi.

“It’s been a challenge to attract more members,” admitted Jim Engle, community services director for the city.

In order to revitalize the board and curb future losses, the Community Services Department suggested several others changes as well.

Those changes include restructuring and expanding the board; increasing the beach parking rates to $20 on the Fourth of July and using those extra funds to offset event costs; and subsidizing the celebration by $30,000 from the city’s Fourth of July reserves.

Although the vote was unanimous, there was debate about how best to handle changes to the parade.

Councilman Gil Coerper was worried about eliminating too many of the different events generally associated with the parade.

But simplifying the event and providing a subsidy would give board members time to train new members without worrying about getting sponsors, Councilman Keith Bohr said.

Council members also debated the option of putting on the Fourth of July fireworks show back at the Huntington Beach High School, which would save the board about $100,000 in costs.

A staunch supporter of fireworks at the beach, Councilman Don Hansen said there’s overwhelming support among residents for the beach fireworks. About 50% of people who show up for the fireworks are Huntington Beach residents, according to a study done by True North Research.

About 77% of 400 residents interviewed for the study said they preferred the pier to the Huntington Beach High School location. But when they were told about the extra $100,000 involved in putting on the fireworks at the pier, a majority changed their minds.

Councilwoman Cathy Green and Mayor Dave Sullivan called the question misleading, saying respondents thought the city had to pay the extra money to hold it at the pier when that was not the case.

“If we are to remain committed to being a tourist destination, the Fourth of July will be our signature event,” Hansen said.

The three hotels coming to downtown could also profit from the fireworks event by offering rooms with a view of the beach or attracting tourists for the parade, Hansen added.

Expanding the seven-member board to include four more members was supported by Pat Stier, chairman of the board, and three other members.

To attract new members who could carry on the tradition means making sure the new ones are “grandfathered in instead of being dumped,” Coerper said.