Last night, June 7, at their regular Tuesday evening meeting, the Pagosa Springs Town Council voted unanimously to cancel the Fourth of July fireworks show.
The show might be rescheduled for a future date, but the Council gave no clear indication what time of year they might find appropriate.
The Town — along with various other government jurisdictions including the the San Juan National Forest, the Southern Ute Tribe, and Archuleta County — is currently under a Stage I fire restrictions, due to the abnormally dry conditions. Those restriction prohibit a number of fire-related activities, including the setting off of fireworks unless performed by the Town or other government agency.
The Town has a $32,000 contract with Acme Pro Pyro, located in Preston, Idaho, to handle the traditional July 4th show, and the contract requires the Town to provide at least three days notice if the show is going to be canceled, according to Town manager Andrea Phillips. Council members agreed that giving Acme notice now, in early June, might allow the company to schedule a July 4th show in another community.
The Acme contract expires on December 31, 2022, so it would appear the Town could reschedule the show for any date up to and including New Years Eve.
During last night’s discussion, the Town staff noted that the fireworks displays have been held in previous years when Stage I or Stage II fire bans have been in place, with the cooperation of the Pagosa Fire Protection District, and no wildfires have resulted from those events.
The Council expressed no doubts about the professional abilities of Acme and local agencies to stage a safe fireworks show, but recognized that — by holding a very public government-sponsored display during a period of heightened fire danger — the Town might be encouraging private groups to ignore the fire restrictions and shoot off their own at-home fireworks, or build outdoor fires.
Several wildfires have already occurred in the region this year, including the 720-acre Plumtaw Fire seven miles north of downtown Pagosa, the 89-acre Bear Dance Fire in nearby Ignacio, and the 100-acre Perkins Peak Fire near Durango. In the case of the Plumtaw Fire, the cause is still under investigation, but some evidence points to a human-caused incident.
We heard general agreement on the Council that their desire to “set a good example” was the central reason for canceling this year’s show.