Chief
06-17-2008, 01:57 PM
http://columbian.com/news/localNews/2008/06/06172008_Vancouver-to-ban-July-5-fireworks-starting-in-2009.cfm
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
By JEFFREY MIZE, Columbian Staff Writer
Beginning next year, Vancouver will ban the sale and use of fireworks on July 5, shaving one day from the eight-day season.
The city council unanimously approved that change Monday night, after rejecting a more sweeping proposal that would have cut the summer fireworks season in half.
Councilman Pat Campbell proposed restricting fireworks sales and use to four days, July 1-4, but he failed to find a second backer on the council.
“You can’t stop a train immediately ... but I would like to slow down things a bit,” Campbell said about fireworks.
Fireworks go on sale at noon June 28. They can be used from that time until 11 p.m. on June 28 and from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily through July 5, except for July 4, when the pyrotechnic revelry can go on until midnight.
Those are the times allowed by state law, but cities and counties have the ability to further restrict fireworks or ban them altogether.
Vancouver and Clark County already have prohibited New Year’s fireworks, which state law allows to be used from 6 p.m. Dec. 31 to 1 a.m. Jan. 1.
Most of Washington’s biggest cities, including Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, Bellevue and Everett, have banned fireworks. Other cities and counties allow fireworks only on the July 4 holiday itself or restrict fireworks to so-called “safe and sane” devices that don’t fly through the air.
State law requires a one-year grace period before any changes to fireworks laws take effect, which means fireworks can be used on July 5 this year.
The change will affect only the Vancouver city limits, not other cities or unincorporated Clark County. Unless the county or other cities follow Vancouver’s lead, fireworks could still be purchased and used outside the city on July 5.
Edward “Dominic” Rinck, a fireworks vendor who has a seven-year contract to support the July 4 fireworks-music festival at the Vancouver National Historic Reserve, isn’t opposed to losing July 5.
“It’s a common sense thing,” he said. “You can see their point on something like that.”
Rinck’s contract with the Vancouver National Historic Reserve Trust requires him to provide $287,500 to the event this year. The contract, which trust officials declined to release when it was announced in October 2004, reportedly contains a provision for Rinck’s contribution to be reduced if there is a change to local fireworks law.
But the man who operates “Bomber Brothers” stands said he has no plans to request a reduction.
“There’s really no reason to,” he said. “If I went into this to make money, I would have never done this contract.”
If the city council had approved Campbell’s proposal to cut the fireworks season to four days, Rinck said he would have been forced to “revisit” his contract.
Several city council members said Monday they would like to see the season shortened, but they don’t want to jeopardize funding for the July 4 fireworks show.
“I don’t want to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs,” Councilman Larry Smith said. “Eventually we need to wean ourselves of the fireworks stands.”
Rinck, however, said he intends to renew his contract when it expires at the end of 2011.
“Just as a matter of pride for Vancouver, I will never let that go ... unless something drastic happens,” he said.
**SCHNIPP**
I realize that there exists in the City of Vancouver, a small minority of older people who would like nothing better than to ban fireworks all together. The 5th of July ban makes good sense, and I support that...but I can see the outraged letters to the editor now, from the usual suspects, demanding an outright ban instead, and denouncing this move as not enough.
But there also exists in the City of Vancouver a majority of people who use legal fireworks legally, and want to continue to do so on and around the Fourth of July. We supervise our kids in a block party setting, and clean out the neighborhood gutters and lawns the next day.
The members of C.A.V.E. (Citizens Against Virtually Everything) roll out their anti-fireworks Brigade this time of year, regular as clockwork, and Stephanie Turlay led the charge at City Council last night. She and her ilk will settle for nothing less than a total ban on fireworks, and that is simply not going to fly here in America's The 'Couv. Stephanie can compare her neighborhood to "Little Beirut" all she wants but, (1) She's never been to Beirut so she doesn't know what it looks like at night and (2) I on the other hand HAVE been to Beirut and her neighborhood isn't anything like it! She should be glad I'm not her neighbor...
It never ceases to amaze me how those who crow loudly about "Liberty and Justice" at City Council end up being the ones who advocate the loudest for taking away other people's rights!!
There are those in this community who will break the law no matter what, and that is unfortunate, but condemning an entire group of people simply because they make a loud racket for the County's Independence Day celebration is just wrong.
Legal fireworks, used legally, and for goodness sake organize a July 5th cleanup of your neighborhood!
We do here after our Neighborhood block party...
Stout Hearts...
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
By JEFFREY MIZE, Columbian Staff Writer
Beginning next year, Vancouver will ban the sale and use of fireworks on July 5, shaving one day from the eight-day season.
The city council unanimously approved that change Monday night, after rejecting a more sweeping proposal that would have cut the summer fireworks season in half.
Councilman Pat Campbell proposed restricting fireworks sales and use to four days, July 1-4, but he failed to find a second backer on the council.
“You can’t stop a train immediately ... but I would like to slow down things a bit,” Campbell said about fireworks.
Fireworks go on sale at noon June 28. They can be used from that time until 11 p.m. on June 28 and from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily through July 5, except for July 4, when the pyrotechnic revelry can go on until midnight.
Those are the times allowed by state law, but cities and counties have the ability to further restrict fireworks or ban them altogether.
Vancouver and Clark County already have prohibited New Year’s fireworks, which state law allows to be used from 6 p.m. Dec. 31 to 1 a.m. Jan. 1.
Most of Washington’s biggest cities, including Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, Bellevue and Everett, have banned fireworks. Other cities and counties allow fireworks only on the July 4 holiday itself or restrict fireworks to so-called “safe and sane” devices that don’t fly through the air.
State law requires a one-year grace period before any changes to fireworks laws take effect, which means fireworks can be used on July 5 this year.
The change will affect only the Vancouver city limits, not other cities or unincorporated Clark County. Unless the county or other cities follow Vancouver’s lead, fireworks could still be purchased and used outside the city on July 5.
Edward “Dominic” Rinck, a fireworks vendor who has a seven-year contract to support the July 4 fireworks-music festival at the Vancouver National Historic Reserve, isn’t opposed to losing July 5.
“It’s a common sense thing,” he said. “You can see their point on something like that.”
Rinck’s contract with the Vancouver National Historic Reserve Trust requires him to provide $287,500 to the event this year. The contract, which trust officials declined to release when it was announced in October 2004, reportedly contains a provision for Rinck’s contribution to be reduced if there is a change to local fireworks law.
But the man who operates “Bomber Brothers” stands said he has no plans to request a reduction.
“There’s really no reason to,” he said. “If I went into this to make money, I would have never done this contract.”
If the city council had approved Campbell’s proposal to cut the fireworks season to four days, Rinck said he would have been forced to “revisit” his contract.
Several city council members said Monday they would like to see the season shortened, but they don’t want to jeopardize funding for the July 4 fireworks show.
“I don’t want to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs,” Councilman Larry Smith said. “Eventually we need to wean ourselves of the fireworks stands.”
Rinck, however, said he intends to renew his contract when it expires at the end of 2011.
“Just as a matter of pride for Vancouver, I will never let that go ... unless something drastic happens,” he said.
**SCHNIPP**
I realize that there exists in the City of Vancouver, a small minority of older people who would like nothing better than to ban fireworks all together. The 5th of July ban makes good sense, and I support that...but I can see the outraged letters to the editor now, from the usual suspects, demanding an outright ban instead, and denouncing this move as not enough.
But there also exists in the City of Vancouver a majority of people who use legal fireworks legally, and want to continue to do so on and around the Fourth of July. We supervise our kids in a block party setting, and clean out the neighborhood gutters and lawns the next day.
The members of C.A.V.E. (Citizens Against Virtually Everything) roll out their anti-fireworks Brigade this time of year, regular as clockwork, and Stephanie Turlay led the charge at City Council last night. She and her ilk will settle for nothing less than a total ban on fireworks, and that is simply not going to fly here in America's The 'Couv. Stephanie can compare her neighborhood to "Little Beirut" all she wants but, (1) She's never been to Beirut so she doesn't know what it looks like at night and (2) I on the other hand HAVE been to Beirut and her neighborhood isn't anything like it! She should be glad I'm not her neighbor...
It never ceases to amaze me how those who crow loudly about "Liberty and Justice" at City Council end up being the ones who advocate the loudest for taking away other people's rights!!
There are those in this community who will break the law no matter what, and that is unfortunate, but condemning an entire group of people simply because they make a loud racket for the County's Independence Day celebration is just wrong.
Legal fireworks, used legally, and for goodness sake organize a July 5th cleanup of your neighborhood!
We do here after our Neighborhood block party...
Stout Hearts...