Independence Day fireworks display won't take place in Tarentum this year after public support fizzled

People looking for fireworks in the sky over Tarentum this Independence Day will see only stars and darkness.

After 29 years of sponsoring the annual holiday pyrotechnics, Summit Hose Company members told borough council they no can longer sponsor it. Summit had held the fireworks display every July 3.

“We didn’t ask them to fund it, we just went to them to let them know we could not afford to do it anymore,” said Summit Fire Chief Joshua Fox. “The amount of time and commitment and the cost to the company, we just can’t afford to do it anymore.”

He said borough officials floated the possibility of the borough finding $15,000 to pay for the fireworks and asked if it did, would the 18-member fire company still be willing to do the work necessary to hold the display. Fox said the company was willing to do that.

However, when council discussed contributing the money for the display at its Feb. 10 meeting, the proposal was voted down unanimously.

“I am definitely opposed to devoting $15,000 for 15 minutes of ‘oooh’ and ‘aaah’,” Mayor Bob Lang said. “That is money that can be used for other things, like EMS.”

Councilwoman Louann Homa noted that communities around the Alle-Kiski Valley have halted annual Fourth of July fireworks shows.

“It isn’t helping our residents,” Councilman Ray Kerr said. “Tarentum does it and everyone outside of Tarentum benefits from it.”

Council President Scott Dadowski acknowledged the difficulty Summit’s members faced in sponsoring the display. He said Summit has been fighting a losing battle in trying to get public financial support for the fireworks display.

“They sent out 8,000 letters asking for donations and they get 150 or 200 back,” Dadowski said.

“We’re grateful for the donations we receive, but it’s nowhere near enough to offset the cost of the fireworks,” Fox said.

He said the cost of the fireworks alone is about $10,000. And then another $5,000 is needed to cover other costs such as the printing of the solicitation letters and raffle tickets for fundraisers and postage to mail the letters.

At one time, Fox said the fireworks was actually a good fundraiser for Summit Hose. But declining donations, increasing costs and the time needed to raise funds and do the planning for the event with a membership that has also declined, poses too many obstacles.

Fox said Summit actually hesitated in deciding to hold a display two years ago because finances were becoming too tight.

“We just squeaked by,” he said.

Company vice president Sam Johnson said the company made between $1,000 and $2,000 on the event. Then last year, he said the company ended up in the red and had to come up with $500 in its own funds to cover the costs.

“We said if we did not make any profit, or at least break even, then we are done,” Fox recalled.

Fox said with equipment costs such as turnout gear for just firefighter costing $4,000, losing money on an event is just not an option.

“We appreciate them (council) being willing to work with us, but financially it just wouldn’t be a good decision to do on our part,” he said

Borough officials said that while the fireworks draw people to the borough, the only economic benefit they provide is some increased business for bars in town.

They noted, also, that the crowds create issues for the borough.

“It’s an EMS event for us,” said Brad James, chief of Eureka Fire Rescue EMS. “It’s a stressful event for your borough emergency services, including the police.”

Said Lang: “It creates a lot of work for the police department, it creates a lot of work for the public works department.”

Editor’s note: An earlier online version of this story incorrectly stated that Summit Hose officials asked the borough to pay for the fireworks event. It also misstated the number of Summit Hose firefighters.