CINCINNATI — So far, city funds are not being requested to save the Ault Park fireworks, but city council said Monday community involvement is the key in keeping the annual celebration around.
During a budget and finance committee meeting Monday, council members reviewed the report submitted by City Manager Sheryl Long on May 8 that evaluated the feasibility of solutions to save the fireworks display.
"What's gone on with this event is it's been run by the same group of volunteers for decades and the next wave just hasn't had the opportunity to step up yet," said Councilman Seth Walsh during the meeting. "This, hopefully, was the call to action for them to do so."
Walsh then addressed the live stream of the committee meeting, urging anyone watching who has interest in helping the Ault Park fireworks continue to reach out to his office.
At this point, however, Walsh said community members already involved feel they can still fundraise for the event, though Walsh acknowledged that time is running short. Because of that, Walsh said there is not yet any request from the planning committee for city funding.
As it currently stands, the plan is for the Cincinnati Parks department to help the community hold the event through the "bridge year," Walsh said. Then, there's a long-term plan in the works to hand the full planning and execution of the fireworks show back to community volunteers for future years.
"Glad to hear that," said Councilman Reggie Harris. "Also glad to hear that Park's bandwidth won't be strained."
The feasibility report drafted by Long with the help of Cincinnati Parks detailed three pathways the event could take in order to successfully happen moving forward, after Cincinnati Parks announced organizers didn't believe the event could continue without help.
The issues at hand highlighted by event organizers are a lack of adequate security availability each year to guarantee safety and success, and a lack of time to sufficiently fundraise since the event is staffed by volunteers with limited free time and energy.
The three possible outcomes for the Ault Park fireworks show, as highlighted in the feasibility report, are:
- Community members solve the issue themselves by coming together "to resume producing the event, effectively forming an Ault Parks Fireworks Organizing Committee" with Cincinnati Parks continuing to operate as a partner. The report says following the cancellation announcement, Cincinnati Parks heard from community members who expressed interest in being involved. Long highlights this options as "the most sustainable path forward" because it continues what event planners have done for over 50 years.
- Cincinnati Parks self-produces the event with its own staff. The report says if this becomes the path taken, "this would de facto become the location for a City hosted and sponsored 4th of July event," which likely means the All-American Birthday Bash held each year at Sawyer Point would no longer happen. If this is the route chosen, the city will also need to allocate funding for the event, which the report estimates would cost around $32,495 and require commitment from CPD that officers would be available in adequate amounts. This is because Parks staff wouldn't have the bandwidth to fundraise for the event like the community has in the past, according to the report.
- A hybrid solution that involves the community stepping forward to take on fundraising efforts to support the event, while Cincinnati Parks takes over producing the fireworks. Under this option, CPD support is still necessary, the report says.
The report also points out the second option, which would effectively replace Cincinnati's annual fireworks show with the Ault Park Fireworks event, is not as equitable an option, since the All-American Birthday Bash at Sawyer Point is more centrally located and serves the entire community in a way the Ault Park event could not.
"In thinking through City sponsored event selection, consideration should be given to ensuring residents from across the city have the opportunity to participate," reads the report.
Walsh indicated to council that the current plan being enacted by community members is the first one, though he did not guarantee there would never be a need for support from the city; He highlighted a narrow fundraising window in which organizers are operating to successfully fund the event by July 4.
"The timeline is very tight, but hopefully we'll be back to you with what the next steps are," said Walsh.
The Ault Park fireworks show has been an annual tradition for more than 50 years; if successfully executed, this year's show will be the 58th annual Independence Day fireworks show held at the Mt. Lookout park.
Watch Live:
