Huntingburg Council: Excessive fireworks has city considering an ordinance, plus an update on senior center
Huntingburg — Several residents of Hunters Crossing brought their concerns to the council Tuesday evening about fireworks being launched nearly weekly in a residential area of Huntingburg.
Hunters Crossing resident Cama Stillman gave the council a list of dates the fireworks were set off between 8:30 and 9:20 p.m.; Feb. 7, Feb. 10, Feb. 19, Feb. 21, Feb. 25, Feb. 27, March 2, and March 7.
Stillman told the council she met with a Huntingburg Police Officer in the Huntingburg Event Center parking lot one evening while the fireworks were going off. “He said that he has a minimum of 20 calls a night every time they go off. It is between two addresses; one on Leland Drive and one on Cherry Street,” she said.
Huntingburg does not regulate fireworks. Therefore, it falls under the state statute, which allows fireworks to be set off on private property at any time except between 11 p.m. and 9 a.m. Certain holidays, like the Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve, are exempted from those hours under the state statute.
Due to this, the officer told Stillman he could not do anything about the fireworks as long as they were not going off before 11 p.m. and after 9 a.m.
“He recommended coming to you all,” Stillman told the council.
Mayor Neil Elkins explained that officers had visited the two families to speak to them about the disruption they were causing “and asked them not to do so.”
He told Stillman the city couldn’t do much to eliminate the noise but could regulate the time in which fireworks could be set off.
“The council could consider an ordinance that would limit that,” Elkins said.
Stillman recommended that they consider an ordinance that regulates the hours more stringently than the state statute but also adds exemptions for additional holidays reflecting the culture in Huntingburg and exemptions for special community festivals and sporting events.
Stillman was joined by former Huntingburg Councilman Glenn Kays and another Hunters Crossing resident to exhort the council to do something.
Kays, a combat veteran, noted the explosions were startling to him and likely others in the neighborhood. “It’s really tough,” he said. “When it is expected, I can tolerate but I can’t tolerate it very well.”
He added he wouldn’t expect them to be set off on a Monday evening as they did on February 19.
Kays also told the council that he felt the size of the fireworks indicated they were of a professional grade.
City Attorney Phil Schneider noted that the Indiana Department of Homeland Security requires a special license to set off professional-grade fireworks. “We don’t police those permits,” he said but added they may be able to refer the permit violations to the prosecuting attorney’s office.
Councilman Glen Kissling stated the permit-holders for professional fireworks are listed on the Indiana Department of Homeland Security website.
After the meeting, City Attorney Schneider stated Mayor Elkins was considering exploring a fireworks ordinance specifically or potentially a broader ordinance that covered noise levels that would include fireworks.
Additional items:
In addition to the fireworks discussion, Mayor Elkins notified the board that he would like to amend the spending for the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to allocate more funding to the planned new senior center.
In 2022, the council approved purchasing the 3,150-square-foot storage building located at 1801 Leland Drive on the west side of the former St. Joseph’s Hospital property for $110,000 to be used for the new senior center.
The city has previously wanted to seek a Community Block Grant from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs to help pay for the senior center. According to Mayor Elkins, due to the additional costs involved in procuring the grant–he estimated about an additional $150,000 in administering the grant as well as the city being required to match it with 30 percent to be competitive to receive the grant–he would rather utilize the ARPA funds for the center.
Elkins explained to the council that some of the projects in the ARPA spending plan came in under estimates (“Hard to believe,” he said), and the city also used other funding sources to complete some projects in the plan. This left ARPA funds available for other projects.
In making the request, Elkins stated that he projected it would save the city at least $100,000 compared to going through the grant process.
The council approved adjusting the ARPA spending plan. The council previously approved $100,000 from the ARPA funds for the center. The decision on Tuesday added $376,144.61 to that amount for a total of $476,144.61 for the Senior Center project.
Elkins said they would like to see work on the project begin in 2024.
The council also heard that “The Sky’s the Limit” will be held on April 6 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Huntingburg Event Center. The event is designed to provide a fun, sensory-sensitive friendly festival for individuals with special needs. In addition to fun games and food trucks, there will be speakers for various topics and information on employment for those with special needs and disabilities. It also features information on support groups, educational resources, and specialized medical equipment.
