Happy Holidays!
In a short and sweet meeting on Tuesday, December 22nd, the occupancy tax board heard a special request from Ocracoke Civic and Business Association regarding the fireworks proposal detailed below.
OT board members present were Frank Brown (chair), Marlene Mathews, Trudy Austin, and Clayton Gaskill. (Absent was David Styron.) Clayton made a motion to fund the $20,000 fireworks display on July 3, 2016; it was seconded by Trudy Austin and passed with all in favor.
Several members of the community attended the meeting, and some asked questions and/or gave comments. No one at the meeting made a statement against the proposal.
The next step is to get the occupancy tax funding approved by the Hyde County commissioners at their January 4th meeting. (All OT appropriations are officially approved by the commissioners.)
Wish us luck!
ORIGINAL STORY, posted 12/14/15
You’ve heard of Christmas in July – this is 4th of July in December!
OCBA voted on Monday to support fireworks on Ocracoke for July 2016. The request will now go to the Occupancy Tax board, which will decide yay or nay on the $20,000 price tag.
The pyrotechnic proposal involves contracting with Pyrotecnico, Inc. (of Columbia, SC) for an 18-minute fireworks display on Sunday, July 3, 2016.
While the rest of the island was preparing for Thanksgiving and Christmas, a small group of concerned citizens (Teresa O’Neal, Darlene Styron, and – full disclosure – me) met with Cape Hatteras National Seashore officials to scope out a possible location for a pyrotechnic display to celebrate Independence Day 2016.
Thanks to the efforts of Supt. Dave Hallac and Ocracoke’s head ranger, Ed Fuller, the group was able to explore all the scenarios for using Park property. After much consideration and discussion of safety, setbacks, logistics, law enforcement, and spectator enjoyment, the group agreed that the big parking area by the boat ramp is the most feasible site for fireworks. (See aerial map below.)
With safety zones in place, the fireworks can be launched 300’-500’ into the air, making them two to three times higher than the water tower and visible from all over the harbor area and village.
“Fire prevention was our number one concern,” said Ranger Ed. “This spot works the best.”
The Park Service will close down the boat ramp and empty the parking lot prior to the fireworks show. They will also need to temporarily evacuate their Park Service housing, but that's "no problem."
Teresa reported on behalf of Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department, in place of her husband, Albert O’Neal, who is fire chief. “OVFD is happy with this,” she said. “They can get at the location from all sides.”
Darlene reiterated that the Park Service was in support of the fireworks proposal. “They want to help the community,” she said. “We all know the economy around the 4th of July has been going down.”
She also explained the need to have the pyrotechnic display on the 3rd in 2016. The same crew will shoot Ocracoke’s show on the 3rd and Avon’s on the 4th. There are no more crews available for the actual holiday, but the pro-fireworks group and OCBA members were confident that a July 3rd show would kick off the celebration in style.
The group also has confidence in Pyrotecnico’s ability to deliver a safe and spectacular event. The company has an excellent safety record, carries more liability insurance than is required by law, and uses larger setbacks than are required.
The Hyde County board of commissioners voted unanimously at their August meeting to sponsor and act as certificate holder for fireworks on Ocracoke in 2016.
We have a place, a date, a pyrotechnic crew, a sponsor, and a committee. All we need is money.
At yesterday’s meeting, OCBA passed a motion to support the fireworks proposal, and also agreed to pitch the request for funding to the Occupancy Tax board. A former request for $37,000 for fireworks on July 1, 2015 was denied last spring; the OT board felt that the amount of money (which included $13,000 to use a barge) was too much and the date was too early. The funding request for 2016 is more in keeping with the previous approved expenditures for fireworks in 2009 and before.
Stay tuned to the Current calendar for a date and time for the OT meeting.
I spoke to county manager Bill Rich last Friday, as he was skipping town for a week’s well-earned vacation. He was “thrilled” about the fireworks proposal, and sorry to miss Monday’s meeting. “It’s a perfect location, and at a cost we can justify. As county manager, I’m all for it,” he said.
OCBA board members present at Monday's meeting were: Rudy Austin, Justin LeBlanc, Connie Leinbach, and Jim Borland.
