Supporters line up to revive Suisun City fireworks show
SUISUN CITY — Suisun City’s ad hoc committee is beginning to gather supporters willing to fund a Fourth of July fireworks show and is reaching further into the community to see who else is willing to help make the city’s most popular public event happen.
Suisun City staff members plan to ask the City Council at its Feb. 7 meeting if the council wants to push to have a fireworks show this year or wait until 2013.
The city’s ad hoc committee spent the last few weeks putting out feelers to see if it can get enough financial support to pay for the July 4 fireworks show with an initial goal of raising at least $50,000. The city hopes to raise between $80,000 and $100,000 by summer to pay for the festival’s costs.
“The committee has been talking to people we know to see if there is an interest in pledging money to make this happen,” Suisun City Manager Suzanne Bragdon said.
So far, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. committed to giving $10,000 to fund the fireworks while The Kroc Center, Potrero Hills Landfill and Solano Garbage all indicated they are interested in helping out, according to Bragdon.
Late last year, the council eliminated the entire budget for public events on the waterfront because nearly all of the costs were borne by the city’s redevelopment agency budget, which is being eliminated by the state. This spelled the end for nearly all of the city’s events, from the Fourth of July fireworks and Christmas on the Waterfront to the summertime concerts and movies, unless other sources of funding are found.
Suisun City Hall also wants to find funding for the Christmas event, but is concentrating its efforts on Fourth of July since it is only six months away.
City staff will also ask the council on Feb. 7 if it is willing to allow Safe and Sane fireworks to be sold by local nonprofit organizations in town in July. A portion of the sales would go to the nonprofits, while the city also takes a cut. Bragdon estimates Suisun City could raise about $100,000 to support public events.
Among Solano County’s cities, only Dixon and Rio Vista allow Safe and Sane fireworks to be sold in city limits.
Suisun City Chief Mike O’Brien said he is among a minority of fire chiefs who believe selling Safe and Sane fireworks will not pose a fire safety problem.
“I know of no fires caused by Safe and Sane fireworks in our city,” O’Brien said. “If people are able to buy Safe and Sane fireworks, we won’t have so many illegal fireworks going off in our city.”
O’Brien said his firefighters have had to deal with illegal fireworks brought into town that, in some cases, ”were bigger than the fireworks done at the fireworks show.”
Community Services Director Mick Jessop said he has talked with Solano Community College’s theater officials about doing theatrical productions in Harbor Square this summer, but is waiting to see what the ad hoc committee will come up with before doing anything formal.
“They want to continue to do Shakespeare in the Park. They also want to do some other performances on the stage during the summer,” Jessop said.
Ways to bring musical performances back to the Harbor Square are also being investigated.
Anyone interested in donating to support the Fourth of July fireworks show is asked to contact Scott Corey at 421-7333 or email scorey@suisun.com.
Reach Ian Thompson at 427-6976 or ithompson@dailyrepublic.net.
Short URL: http://www.dailyrepublic.com/?p=130202
Posted by Ian Thompson
on Jan 26 2012.
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You don’t have to wait for the 4th of July to see fireworks around here. I’m looking at video of last night’s Assocc. of Bay Area Govts MTC meeting . I wasn’t there but the people attending tore into local leaders over the UN Agenda 21 plan to strip private property right from the people and build high density, low income packed and stacked mixed use housing for the tax slaves.
I don’t think state and local bankrupt government should be doing that or spending money on fireworks.
If PG&E and Solano Garbage are contributing to this from their operating profit, that is a generous gesture. However if their contribution is classified a business cost which in essence is calculated in their customers utility rate, that would be unacceptable.
Does Suzanne Bragdon really believe that they could raise $100k selling fireworks?
The IRS doesn’t allow much leeway on that expense. It will be classified as Promotions & Advertising and come out of those budgets.
Maybe Ian can clarify the $100,000 figure. Is it just from the sale of Fireworks or is that the total they are trying raise from all sources?
From the BID meeting last night, they want to find donations of $50k by Monday for a total of $100k which is what the fire works is supposed to cost to put on. I hope it works out. It’s a great draw to Suisun City and is great for businesses in Suisun and Fairfield.