Lakewood residents press council to curb fireworks after July 4 trash and noise at Edgewater Park

Dozens of Lakewood residents urged the City Council on Monday to limit or ban consumer fireworks after extended July 4 celebrations that they say left trash, noise and safety hazards at Edgewater Park and nearby neighborhoods.

The appeals came during the council’s public-comment period and included multiple accounts of persistent noise, debris in and around Edgewater Park and incidents that residents called dangerous. “July 4 week got very intense with the trash disposal onto the ground and into the water,” said Haley Ivy, a long-term visitor who teaches near Lakewood. “I had to clean up the trash every day, sometimes twice a day.”

Residents described loud, prolonged firework displays that continued past midnight, piles of spent fireworks and single-use plastic littering park areas and shorelines. “Please eliminate the risks of fireworks in Lakewood,” said Christina Monetti, a Lakewood resident representing the Gary Oak Coalition, who cited concerns for nesting birds, pets and wildfire risk.

Council members acknowledged the complaints but said an outright ban is difficult to enforce under current practices. “For us to ban fireworks, there’s no way we can control it because unless the police are right there to see them do it, even though it’s banned, there’s nothing we can do about it,” Deputy Mayor Moss said. Moss noted the council had narrowed code allowances in prior years to limit use but said enforcement remains challenging.

Mayor Whelan, who also lives near Edgewater Park, urged the city to meet promises to keep newly acquired park spaces safe and clean. “We promised this community that if we were going to invest and open up Edgewater Park to more activities, that we would make it safe, and we would keep it clean,” Whelan said, adding that the city should consider larger trash containers and signage at the site.

Not all public commenters supported a ban. Mark Hare, a Lakewood resident, said fireworks are part of community tradition. “Things like fireworks matter. It’s one day a year,” Hare said.

Council member Laura Sella suggested the council convene a public forum or hearing to collect broader community input before advancing code changes. “Maybe after things have cooled down … we can have a discussion, maybe a public forum or a public hearing,” Sella said. Several council members also suggested targeted measures — for example, more trash containers at Edgewater Park — as near-term responses while the council considers policy options.

The council did not take immediate legislative action Monday. Staff said the police department will provide a calls-for-service report and that the council can schedule further discussion and public outreach on the topic.

The public comments also included several accounts residents said reflected safety risks: one speaker described being a corner-house neighbor who repeatedly found spent fireworks and ash on cars and roofs; another said an explosive projectile came within 20 feet of their head on a public street the day after July 4. Those incidents were presented as anecdotal observations during public comment; the city said it will compile department data and follow up with a formal service report.