South Alexander resident Scott Chaloner approached city council members with a request to extend the time fireworks can be displayed an extra day. His reasoning. Independence Day is on Friday this year.
“I've been putting on fireworks for 20 years in the city,” Chaloner began. “Even before we were in the city, you (sic) never had a problem.”
“Even with the city pass ordinance (sic), the only time I received the citation was last year,” Chaloner continued. “And that's fine. I had no problem paying that citation.”
Chaloner lives in the Don Parker Dr. area of south Alexander.
The ordinance allows for the discharging of fireworks from 12:00 PM (Noon) until 10:00 PM on July 3 and July 4. The ordinance was adopted June 17, 2019.
“The fourth falls on a Friday this year,” Chaloner continued. “I have my parties on Saturday. We have kids, adults, neighbors, people just show up. They have a good time. The year before last, we were not aware of the ordinance, but we were in violation of it when the fire department showed up.”
By 2023 the ordinance had been in effect for five years.
“[M]ost of us work on the fourth,” He said.
“So I'm here to ask y'all just for one amendment,” Chaloner said. “And that's to give us, ... that Saturday (after July 4) under the same timeline.”
Council Member Angela Griffin asked, “So if it falls on a Monday, then that Saturday, four days later?”
“Well, technically on that, we would probably have it on that Saturday before,” Chaloner responded. “[B]ut we're still going to be in violation of the ordinance because the ordinance only says you can shoot on the third and the fourth.”
Council Member Joy Gray recounted a conversation she and Chaloner had after the April council meeting when he requested to be on the May agenda.
Gray asked Chaloner in April, “What about if you have such a big event with so many people, why don't we just let you sponsor an event in the park for the whole city? And you said no. Why did you not want to do it in the park?”
“Because you're not allowed smoking,” Chaloner responded in May. “You're not allowed drinking.”
“No,” Gray said. “We do not allow smoking and alcohol in the city park, which according to you, it's only going to be a two hour event, which if you cannot go two hours without smoking or drinking, that's a separate issue.”
Gray noted that Alexander is the only city in the area that allows fireworks.
“We're it. We're the only one,” she said.
“My argument today is we're not a city the size of Bryant,” Chaloner responded.
“It doesn't matter,” Gray snapped. “We're a city with a mayor and a city council and we make these rules and ordinances.”
Gray suggested the celebration be moved out of the city and into an unpopulated area of an unnamed county. She also noted Chaloner has an entire year to plan how to deal with the calendar.
“[I]t's not a big deal to go rent a cabin on a river out in some county and blow up everything and blow up,” Gray said. “So we cannot write an amendment to a city ordinance because it inconveniences people.
“We're on a 365 day calendar from the time of the Fourth of July happens from the Fifth forward,” she continued. “You've got 365 days to decide where you would want to go blow stuff up that isn't within the city.”
“So I think to amend an ordinance, we can't amend an ordinance every time it's inconvenient for someone in the city or else we would never have an ordinance,” Gray said.
“I don't really think you use a word inconvenience because we're not asking for an inconvenience,” Chaloner explained. “It's not, we're not saying it's inconvenient. It's on the, it's on the, we're just asking for a Saturday. That's all we're asking for.”
Mayor Crystal Herrmann chimed in, “I have had multiple citizens actually call me about the fireworks and they were in favor to move it to the Saturday past the Fourth because they felt like it would give them more time ... (inaudible cross talk).”
Gray offered a proposal.
“The only thing the people in the City of Alexander get is the Saturday after the 4th of July,” Gray said. “You can shoot it from 7 to 10, period. Anything outside of those times is an absolute no.”
The mayor suggested council members consult their constituents and report back to her with their results. In order for the amendment to be in effect by July 4 it must be adopted at the June meeting.
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City of Alexander Master Development Plan Submitted to Little Rock for approval April, 2023
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