Anti-fireworks e-mails flood Assembly; repeal considered

By ROSEMARY SHINOHARA
rshinohara@adn.com

(01/04/11 07:26:26)

After the first New Year's Eve when private fireworks were legal in Anchorage, there's already a movement on the Anchorage Assembly to repeal the law permitting them, or at least to outlaw the noisiest fireworks. And maybe to limit fireworks to neighborhoods where houses aren't too close together.

Dick Traini, Anchorage Assembly chairman, thinks the city's new law letting people set off their own New Year's Eve fireworks, which he sponsored, was a success.

"This town was just lit up with people using fireworks," Traini said. Thousands of people brightened the skies with colorful displays in neighborhoods from Chugiak to Sand Lake.

But afterward, many residents who didn't enjoy their evening sent complaining e-mails and phoned Assembly members and the mayor's office to tell them so. One person, Airman 1st Class Zach Stewart, 21, was seriously injured in a fireworks accident, Anchorage police said. Police said that could happen any year -- fireworks are always set off, whether they are legal or illegal.

But everyone agrees that this year the number, duration and noise level of neighborhood fireworks surpassed any other year in Anchorage.

"It was like a war zone," Sigrun Robertson of East Anchorage wrote to four Assembly members. "It was the worst New Year's I have ever spent in Anchorage." She spent the night holding her miserable, freaked-out golden retriever, Hunter, she said in an interview.

Jon Nauman, owner of the Horse Drawn Carriage Co. that provides rides to people, said his horses downtown were so tensed up by sidewalk fireworks that the drivers couldn't take a break all night -- they had to stay in their seats and in control. The drivers shut down early.

Assembly members also heard from people who loved the night -- though they were in the minority of those who sent e-mails on the topic.

"There are very few things the city does all together, spontaneously," said Marc Bond, who lives off Rabbit Creek Road and Goldenview Drive, and wrote a letter to the editor complimenting the Assembly. "There were fireworks everywhere. Everybody was having fun."

Caper, his Swiss mountain dog -- an Entlebucher -- didn't like the noise, but recovered, said Bond.

A BLAST OF COMPLAINTS

The law as approved by the Assembly in December permits fireworks on private property only from 9:30 p.m. New Year's Eve to 1 a.m. New Year's Day. The law expires after New Year's Eve 2011.

Assemblywoman Harriet Drummond said she hopes to have a proposal to repeal the law right now ready to introduce at the Jan. 11 Assembly meeting. She voted against the law last month.

"I got over 30 e-mails New Year's Eve and the next morning, and they continue ... It's overwhelmingly against the fireworks," said Drummond. "I'm getting reports of people whose dogs were terrified for five hours."

Assemblyman Patrick Flynn said he got 70 to 100 e-mails, and they continue to arrive. They are overwhelmingly against legalizing fireworks, he said.

"Most were just, 'What are you guys, a bunch of lunatics?' " he said.

Judging by comments from other Assembly members, there may not be enough votes on the 11-member Assembly to repeal the law outright. It passed 7-4. Besides Drummond, Flynn, Debbie Ossiander and Chris Birch voted against enacting the law.

CHANGES CONSIDERED

But some Assembly members who voted to allow the fireworks said they'd like to modify the law to make it less objectionable to its opponents.

"My guess is if there are not some changes made, it might not survive" after New Year's Eve 2011, said Assemblyman Ernie Hall, who lives in Sand Lake. "There were some that sounded kind of like a howitzer going off. Others were kind of pops. We might look at limiting the size of fireworks."

Assembly member Jennifer Johnston, who lives on Upper O'Malley Road, got a good view of the Anchorage Bowl.

"I could see it was a much bigger group of fireworks than in the past," she said. "It's kind of like we released a monster."

She said she'd like to discuss keeping the prettier fireworks but not the ones that go "kaboom." And maybe the fireworks shouldn't be allowed in denser neighborhoods, she said. "There was definitely an unleashing of pent-up pyromania."

Robert Hall, owner of Gorilla Fireworks in Houston, said the city has options if it wants to limit the type of fireworks allowed in neighborhoods. But, he said, the aerials that shoot flower-like stars across the sky include an explosion. A burst causes the noise and throws the stars out. "There's no simple solution."

Hall said he'd help figure out some alternatives, if asked.

SHOULD PETS RULE?

Mayor Dan Sullivan said in his neighborhood, off Wisconsin Street and Northern Lights Boulevard, the fireworks experiment seemed to go well. "One thing I did notice: At one o'clock it all came to a stop in my area."

Sullivan said he doesn't have strong feelings about the law; if the Assembly decided to end the experiment, "I doubt I would weigh in one way or the other."

Traini said there clearly needs to be better information about the law. This year, many people started early after a TV station reported fireworks were OK after 6 p.m., he said.

But he said most of the complaints were about stress on pets.

"Do we control what we do just for the pets?" he asked. "I think the vast majority of people enjoyed the fireworks."

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