ES parks commission OKs money for fireworks

Despite having supporting funds from the Eureka Springs City Council and the City Advertising and Promotion Commission already promised, it still took a lengthy discussion at their regular meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 17 before parks and recreation commissioners approved a contract for a fireworks display this year at Lake Leatherwood Park.

The parks commission spent nearly 50 minutes discussing the proposal, which will require the department to pay one third of the $21,000 bid to put on the display at the park on Sunday, July 2.

The CAPC and city council have already earmarked $7,500 each to be reimbursed to the parks department for the event.

Steven Dickey, interim parks director, told commissioners that he met with representatives from the city and the CAPC about the event before Tuesday’s meeting, and things were already being discussed to make the event a lot more than just fireworks.

“We’ll have entertainment there,” Dickey said. “Working with CAPC, they have Music in the Park and they’re willing to take the money for Music in the Park and contribute that to that particular event. … So, it will be music, food and artists.”

The parks commission voted 4-0 to approve using reserve or surplus funds for their portion of the cost, since a line-item for that much wasn’t part of a recently approved 2023 budget.

That concerned commissioner Sue Hubbard, who vigorously questioned the logistic of the fireworks event and only voted to approve when assured the vote was only for the $21,000 contract for fireworks.

The contract was approved 4-0 — the minimum amount of affirmative votes necessary — with three commissioners absent.

“I suspect if I vote against this, I’m going to be very unpopular with a lot of people,” Hubbard said. “But it’s just such a vague plan where we’re saying, ‘go ahead with this,’ but we don’t even know that it is…. We have no idea of what expenses.”

Dickey said commissioners were only voting for the fireworks contract for July 2, and “you would have the opportunity to look at the rest as it evolves.”

What could evolve, Dickey said, is a multi-day celebration that includes the live music, vendor booths and fireworks on July 2 and then events in the downtown Eureka Springs area on Monday, July 3, and Tuesday, July 4, to celebrate both Independence Day and Eureka Springs’ birthday.

“The whole idea is kind of have a three-day event,” Dickey said of the meeting he had with other city officials, which included having events at Basin Spring Park.

“Nothing fully decided, but there was talk of building a team … let them come up with some ideas and plans and go from there.

“I think for fireworks is kind of squared away, but how we want to do Monday and Tuesday is still something to be discussed.”