Potential cost to babysit fireworks put an end to plans the July 4 show
by Jim Boyle
Editor
Fireworks for a city celebration are expensive and explosive. Baby-sitting them can be almost as costly, members of the Elk River City Council learned on Monday, July 1.
With the long-range forecast for July 4 and 5 calling for rain and thunderstorms, Elk River city officials asked them to consider their options.
The options crystallized when an $11,000 price tag hung on the idea of holding off for a day in the face of potentially inclement weather on Thursday, July 4, only to have the backup date be a washout as well.
The Elk River City Council directed Assistant City Administrator Joe Stremcha to make a call by 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 3, whether to move forward on July 4 or 5, or postpone the show entirely until Elk RiverFest on July 27. Stremcha did just that on July 3, and social media posts went out that afternoon.
The show is being rescheduled for the conclusion of Elk RiverFest on Saturday, July 27.
Monday’s dialogue
Elk River Mayor John Dietz got the conversation rolling on Monday.
“I see there’s a 90% chance of rain on the Fourth of July,” he said. “So my question is, if it rains, what day are we moving it to? And how are we going to let the citizens know?”
Stremcha, who is also the business services director, broke the question into two parts.
“The first part is, if it is postponed, our backup date within the contract is Friday, July 5,” he said. “The weather forecast for that (day) is also questionable.”
Stremcha said the fireworks are to be delivered Thursday at 1 p.m.
“If we were to make that call, on Wednesday, July 3, prior to the delivery, we would have the option, potentially, of lower cost for rescheduling to a later event, whether it be on Elk RiverFest or a Concert Series Night,” Stremcha said. “If we do accept delivery on July 4 and we postpone on the Fourth, hoping for July 5th, we will need to staff it with 24-hour coverage from a police officer to ensure that there is no tampering or theft or anything related to the explosives that would be on site.
“And that would come with a fairly substantial cost.”
Stremcha said the advantage of postponing the fireworks show until late July or into August could potentially have the contract rewritten to have that delivery charge for a later date.
“If we’re going to try to shoot for the 4th or 5th, they’re going to keep to the delivery schedule of the 4th,” Stremcha said, adding that if they were to cancel on the July 3, “we will not have fireworks on the 4th or 5th, we would reschedule it all together.”
Stremcha said if the city accepts delivery at 1 p.m. on Thursday the Fourth, “we are committed to having fireworks at the cost of an officer watching those. If we do not fire on the 4th, and ... we cannot fire again on the 5th, we will again be covering it with an officer for another 24 hours until they can pick up the delivery on Saturday.”
Council Member Mike Beyer said he heard Stremcha say “significant cost” twice. “So what is the significant cost?” Beyer asked.
Stremcha said the city would be looking at a 10% ($2,000) charge to have them pick up and re-deliver them again later in the month, plus the city would have a police officer guard the fireworks for roughly 24-48 hours.
“So you figure $200 an hour times 48 hours,” Stremcha said. “That plus the 10%, you’re in the $11,000 range.”
Council members saw the wisdom in taking a good, hard look on July 3.
“Sounds like you have a tough call on Wednesday,” Beyer said.
They directed Stremcha to postpone the fireworks to the 5th only if the forecast for the 4th remained grim and the forecast for the 5th improved to clear skies and a limited chance for rain.
If the forecast for both days was still calling for rain and thunderstorms, however, they asked him to choose the more cost-effective route.
“If we cancel the 4th and 5th, I would say we shoot for Elk RiverFest,” Dietz said.
Beyer noted it would be tough if the night that the fireworks is called off turns out to be a great night weather-wise.
Stremcha agreed.
“That would be heart-breaking, and it would be highly unfortunate,” he said. “But I will be blaming the weather man.”
Dietz said the city would use the best weather prognostication available and make a decision. “That’s a lot of money to spend if it doesn’t work out,” the mayor said.
City officials posted this to their Facebook page on Tuesday, July 2: “Due to the anticipated thunderstorms and rain on Independence Day evening, the city will decide whether the Fireworks display will proceed by Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. or if they will be postponed. We understand the importance of planning your Independence Day celebrations in advance, so please stay tuned for updates.”
And here’s the post that went out on the afternoon of July 3:
“The forecast for Independence Day predicts rain and thunderstorms in the evening. As a result, we have decided to postpone our planned fireworks display to July 27 for Elk RiverFest. More details about the fireworks display will be provided closer to Elk RiverFest.
“Please note: The city is postponing the fireworks today, prior to their scheduled delivery tomorrow afternoon. The city incurs significant rescheduling expenses when the fireworks are delivered and unable to be launched as planned.”
The post also noted by doing this the city will only incur a few hundred dollars in fees by postponing the fireworks prior to receipt, calling it a responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars.
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