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Oshkosh parks board recommends moving July 4 fireworks from Monkey Island to Ames Point
Summary
The advisory Parks Board recommended the Common Council approve relocating the city's July 4 fireworks show from Monkey Island to Ames Point, citing contractor logistics, safety and visibility. The recommendation will go to the council for final approval.
The Oshkosh Advisory Parks Board recommended on March 10 that the city forward a request to relocate the July 4 fireworks show from Monkey Island to Ames Point for final approval by the Common Council.
The recommendation was driven by logistics and public safety concerns raised by city staff and the fireworks contractor. Ray (parks staff) said the city's longtime contractor logged nearly 500 staff hours last year just to move product to and from Monkey Island and that moving the shoot site would reduce that burden.
Craig Heatherington, a contractor with J and M Displays, told the board he could stage equipment on Ames Point using palletized shipments and a paved path, reducing manual handling: "All of our equipment comes on pallets ... we can pallet jack right down that blacktop path, which makes life so easy." Heatherington also said large shells are costly and that most municipal shows now use shells in the 3- to 8-inch range.
Board discussion cited safety distances and boating congestion. Staff explained that the industry guidance the board used for planning requires roughly 70 to 75 feet of safety zone per inch of shell size, and that a move to Ames Point would allow much of the safety zone to be placed over water rather than park hardscape. City staff said the contractor's setup could be fenced and staged on the park pathway and that the sheriff's office, police and fire departments had reviewed the location and preferred the change.
A motion was made and seconded to recommend the relocation to the Common Council; the motion was approved by voice vote and will be placed on a future council agenda for final decision.
The board's recommendation does not itself change the location; the Common Council must approve any relocation. Staff said the city has contracted with a fireworks provider for nearly 20 years and that the show budget has been about $40,000 in recent years.
The Parks Board also discussed public-access plans for the event if moved, including pedestrian-only areas along Oaks Trail, food trucks along the pathway and water buoys to help mark and enforce the contractor's safety zones.
