Eton debates $10,000 fireworks show

Published 11:03 pm Tuesday, April 3, 2007

ETON — City Council members may be spending $10,000 to give the community a fireworks display on July 4 this year.

Council members had already budgeted $5,000 to spend on fireworks this year, but council member Billy Cantrell said he doesn’t think that is enough money to give the community a good show. The city has never sponsored a fireworks display before.

“Fireworks are not cheap,” Cantrell said. He proposed allowing Pyro Show, which does several fireworks shows in the area including Dalton’s, do the fireworks show on July 7. Chatsworth schedules fireworks the Saturday before the Fourth, Dalton on the Fourth and having them on the 7th would mean there would be no competition.

City attorney Terry Miller said the fireworks display would be funded mostly from franchise taxes the city receives and not from property taxes.

Not all council members liked the idea of spending $10,000 on fireworks or having the display on July 7.

“I don’t know how the people of Eton would feel about spending $10,000,” council member Judy Bostic said. “That’s a lot of money. I think we should go $5,000.”

“I think we don’t do anything then,” Cantrell said.

Council member Joan Dooley said she wouldn’t mind coming to a compromise of $7,500.

“I don’t think we need to look at it like that,” Dooley responded to Cantrell.

Mayor Greg Hogan said he doesn’t care how much the council decides to spend because he sees both sides of the argument.

“It is a lot of money to watch something go up and go ‘boom,’” Hogan said. “But at the same time it gives people something to do.”

Hogan suggested seeing if the display could be done on July 4, instead of July 7. Council members agreed to spend $10,000 if the show could be done on the Fourth. If not, they plan to discuss other options.

Also at the meeting:

* Cantrell said his motorcycle cruise-ins will begin again for the summer on April 14 at 5:30 p.m. at the city park off CCC Camp Road. There is no admission, but vendors will be set up selling food and other items. Cantrell said the Harley Davidson Shop will have a booth April 14 and bands will be performing. Cruise-ins are every second Saturday of the month from now through the fall.

* City officials said “pickin’ in the pavilion” will begin again this year April 28 at 6 p.m. There is no admission, but vendors will be selling food. Anyone who sings or plays an instrument or just likes to listen are invited to attend the event. Pickin’s are the fourth Saturday of every month from now through the fall.