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Alpena council approves downtown New Year’s Eve fireworks display
Summary
The Downtown Development Authority will contract a five‑minute fireworks show downtown for New Year’s Eve; council authorized the mayor to sign the permit and the DDA to sign indemnification paperwork after sponsors agreed to cover the cost.
The Alpena City Council on Oct. 6 authorized a Downtown Development Authority contract for a New Year’s Eve fireworks display and directed the mayor to sign the event permit.
Jen Pria, executive director of the Downtown Development Authority, told the council the DDA recommended approving a contract with Small Town Saturday Night Fireworks LLC for what Pria described as the company’s “minimum show,” a $5,000 package that would provide about five minutes of fireworks. Pria said a property owner along the riverfront has given permission to use vacant land between the depot and the Fletcher Street paper mill as the shooting site and that city police and fire had no safety concerns about that location.
The DDA secured sponsorship funds from two downtown businesses and listed HBC Credit Union as a sponsor of last year’s downtown New Year’s event. Pria said the DDA would sign any required hold‑harmless and indemnification agreement for the firing site and asked the council to authorize Mayor Johnson to sign the required city permit. “Their minimum show is $5,000, which would provide a 5‑minute display,” Pria said.
Council members moved and seconded a motion to approve the display as proposed and to authorize Mayor Johnson to sign the permit. The motion passed; members recorded as voting in favor included Mayor Johnson, Council member Mitchell, Mayor Pro Tem Walczak and Council member Hamilton. Council discussion on the item was limited to logistical clarifications; Pria said the DDA had provided the permit application, contract, the proposed firing location and a certificate of insurance.
The council and Pria said the display is intended to draw people downtown as part of the DDA’s planned New Year’s Eve activities. Pria said the DDA will work with police, fire and public works on final safety and traffic arrangements and that the DDA would ensure the contract references the DDA (not the city) as the contracting client where required.
No public safety objections were raised during the meeting. The council did not set a fireworks budget beyond the vendor’s minimum and relied on the DDA’s sponsorships to cover the cost.
