STAFF REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
DATE: Regular Meeting of March 14,2023
TO: Mayor and Members of the City Council
VIA: Dante Hall, City Manager SUBMITTED BY: Christopher Roke, Parks and Recreation Director SUBJECT: Fourth of July Celebration Show
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the City Council receive information on the status of the Fourth of July Celebration scheduled for July 4, 2023, and approve a fireworks celebration for the City of Hercules.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
During the June budget meetings in 2022, the Hercules City Council allocated $50,000 towards a July 4, 2023, fireworks or drone celebration show. Staff has been working on the event for the past several months and is here to share plans for the event. The largest portion of the funds will go toward the actual products in the show as well as production fees, show operator, cleanup, permits and public safety needs. The City of Pinole has opted to run their own event this year.
BACKGROUND:
In 2022, the Cities of Hercules and Pinole reached an agreement to work together to create one large Fireworks Celebration show. A task force was formed with that objective in mind. After researching options, both separately as well as together, the two cities agreed to launch the joint Fireworks Celebration Show from the back corner of block M of the Hercules Bayfront. At the time, both cities believed that this may be the last opportunity to have a land launch in either city. The end result was a spectacular aerial show that lasted a little over 20 minutes, to a delighted crowd of a few thousand people along the Bayfront.
ANALYSIS:
For the past several months, staff has again been researching possibilities for a July 4, 2023, show. At the request of City Council, staff researched the possibility of offering a drone show versus a fireworks show. Staff has put together a few pros and cons for each option.
The pros and cons for a drone show include...
Pros: Drones run on batteries, so they are environmentally friendly. A drone show could be held just about anywhere. A drone show presents no concern for fire danger which means less need for emergency personnel at the event. Additional shows can be performed with the swap out of batteries. Often times drone operators will offer a second show at a fraction of the cost of a first show. So you could have a group come in, watch a show, then reset for a second show an hour later.
Cons: Drone operators require a minimum of 100 drones per show. Each drone costs on average $400. The battery life for drones is limited, so show operators typically hold 10 minute shows. Synchronizing 100 drones to move into a formation can take time. Some of the more sophisticated maneuvers can take up to a minute. Thus, a 10 minute drone show would cost $40,000, and spectators would expect to see approximately 20 different formations and/or shapes.
The pros and cons for a fireworks show include...
Pros: Fireworks are visually pleasing and provide an immediate wow factor. A fireworks show typical runs 20 minutes. Multiple fireworks can be launched at the same time, or in rapid succession. Fireworks come in a wide variety of shell sizes and do different things: some are loud; others are colorful. A thousand fireworks can be discharged in a show and provide immediate results.
Cons: Fireworks can be dangerous. Often times small fires can break out from embers returning to the ground, so emergency personnel need to be at the ready to minimize issues.
After looking at the pros and cons for drones versus fireworks, it is clear to staff that fireworks are still a better choice at this time. And given the land constraints of Hercules, this may be the last time a fireworks show could be launched from land within City limits.
FISCAL IMPACT OF RECOMMENDATION:
The Hercules City Council has already allocated $50,000 towards a July 4, 2023, fireworks or drone celebration show. Staff has already secured use of the same location from 2022. Staff recommends the Hercules City Council approves the decision to move forward with a fireworks show from block M of the Hercules Bayfront with or without our neighboring city.
ATTACHMENTS:
None
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