The Jaffrey Select Board has expressed safety concerns about a fireworks show proposed to celebrate the town’s anniversary, while members of the organizing committee say the board’s potential restrictions would make it difficult to have a show at all.
Steve Pelkey, chair of the 250th Committee, appeared before the board Monday to discuss the possibility of a fireworks event to commemorate the town’s 250th anniversary. Pelkey said fireworks had always been part of the plan for town celebrations, but the feedback from the Select Board had the committee scaling back the event to the extent that it may no longer go forward.
While members of the Select Board maintained that they had never seen an official plan from the committee on a fireworks event, and had taken no vote on it, Pelkey said proposed requirements, particularly for ending the event before nightfall, were tantamount to disallowing the event.
Chair Frank Sterling said the board had not yet received an event permit or proposal to vote upon, and would not take a vote until that proposal was in front of the board.
“Up to this point, we have never said no to this event,” he said.
Pelkey said that fireworks had been part of the discussion since anniversary planning began five years ago. While the planning committee has been in agreement that an event the size and scope of the former Festival of Fireworks, which drew up to 25,000 people to Jaffrey, would be too large, the committee had originally planned a significant event with elements such as a skydiving air show and a popular music act.
Those elements were eliminated, Pelkey said, following feedback regarding safety and the need to limit crowd size.
The committee still hoped to include a fireworks show in August, on the same weekend as the anniversary parade, with the most recent proposal to hold a 15-minute, class C firework show on Humiston Field. However, the Select Board maintained concerns about parking around the field, crowd control, people walking on the roads after dark, fire danger from the larger class of fireworks and strain on public services, particularly if the event were the same day as the anniversary parade.
One of the main points brought up during Monday’s meeting was parking and crowd control.
“Our big concern is safety of people getting there, and getting them home,” Sterling said.
Selectman Kevin Chamberlain asked about ending the event before dark, saying it did not necessarily prevent fireworks, just that they might not be “as brilliant” as a nighttime show.
Chamberlain also had concerns about the condition of the fields, particularly if there was wet weather.
“This board has to look at a bunch of things, besides the scope of the event,” Chamberlain said.
Even with a scaled-back event, Pelkey was estimating about 3,000 people attending the show, which the board said was too much traffic for the small amount of parking around Humiston Field.
Pelkey noted that while parking estimates suggest a particular formula for calculating how many cars accommodate 3,000 people, which would suggest needing over 1,000 parking spaces, he anticipates far less than that. During the Festival of Fireworks, for example, though 25,000 people attended, there were only about 1,300 cars parked, with many people carpooling and 7,500 walking in.
The board expressed a desire for crowd control elements, such as pre-sold tickets or a maximum capacity.
Police Chief Todd Muilenberg, who is also a representative of the 250th Committee, told the board that he had expressed some concerns with the Humiston Field plan, but he said no plan for a large event has zero risks, just risks that can be mitigated.
“We can work with it,” he said.
Both Muilenberg and Fire Chief David Chamberlain said they would work to support any plan approved by the Select Board. Muilenberg said the main thing is to confirm whether the event is going forward or not, saying the town would likely need to call for mutual aid and plan for coverage.
Pelkey said the 250th Committee is not scheduled to meet again until July, but said he would discuss alternate venues with Town Manager Jon Frederick. Committee members told the board that the process for submitting an event permit was underway.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.