Tinley Park, Park District to restore July 4 fireworks at McCarthy Park
Loading...
Summary
Village and Tinley Park Park District officials said they worked with police and staff to restore the annual Independence Day fireworks at McCarthy Park, with site walks and multiple planning meetings completed ahead of the July 4 event.
President Glotz and Tinley Park Park District leaders told the Village Board on May 20 that the village and park district have agreed to restore the annual July 4 fireworks show at McCarthy Park and have completed coordination and safety planning ahead of the event.
The village’s police chief said planning has included “some really productive meetings with our partners at the Park District” and that the two agencies expect to “employ some new techniques and some new technologies” to deliver a safe celebration. Park District Board President Marie Ryan said the event has been a summer highlight for more than 40 years and that the district and village had clarified that “McCarthy Park is a safe space to hold this event.”
Why it matters: The fireworks show has been a long-running community tradition that had not been scheduled the last few years. Restoring the event affects public-safety planning, park operations and traffic-management needs on a holiday that draws families from across Tinley Park.
Officials said the two organizations held multiple planning meetings in April and May and walked the site the day before the May 20 meeting to review details. Participants named in the meeting included the park district executive director Sean Roby; Park District Board President Marie Ryan; Park District Commissioner Lisa Butler; village staff and command-level police personnel, including Chief Tom Tilton and Commander Sullivan; and several village marketing and operations staff. The police chief said he had “absolutely no doubt” that village and park-district staff could deliver a safe event.
Board members and park-district leaders emphasized interagency cooperation and repeated that additional planning meetings will continue in the weeks before July 4. There was no formal ordinance or resolution tied to the announcement at the May 20 meeting; the discussion recorded in the minutes and at the meeting reflected planning and coordination rather than a separate vote to authorize expenditures.
