Fireworks return to SMP, under certain terms

The St. Mary Parish Council heard some strong opinions from their own members at their meeting Wednesday regarding an ordinance amendment that would allow some types of fireworks to be sold and used during the Fourth of July holiday.
Part of the ordinance allows fireworks “specifically authorized. Such authorized fireworks shall consist solely and exclusively of United States Department of Transportation codes…and include ‘consumer fireworks’” as defined by The Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Specifically excluded were cherry bombs, tubular salutes, two-inch American-made salutes, firecrackers with casings more than 1½ inches in length or a quarter inch in in diameter, repeating bombs, aerial bombs, torpedoes over three-eighths of an inch in diameter, roman candles larger than 10 balls and sky rockets larger than six ounces.
Fireworks can be used from noon June 25 until 10 p.m. July 5, and noon Dec. 15 to 10 p.m. Jan. 1. Other details on the sale, storage and further details are included in the ordinance. There are also provisions for permits and penalties.
Before the actual meeting took place, the council held a public hearing on the matter with one council member adamant that fireworks not be allowed and one with a differing opinion on the matter. Councilman Steve Bierhorst said the issue was a matter of safety.
“If everyone had a four acre piece of property to shoot off fireworks, I’d be for it,” Bierhorst said. “But that’s not the case. People are going to shoot off fireworks on their property but they (fireworks) aren’t going to stay on their property. People have gotten hurt. Houses have caught on fire on numerous occasions. I think it’s a step backwards. It’s a safety issue with me. I don’t want to see anyone’s child get injured by fireworks.”
Bierhorst also added that he had spoken with fire officials in the parish who were against the ordinance allowing the sale and use of fireworks.
Councilman Gabriel Beadle had a different opinion on the matter. Beadle said he thought it was the public’s duty to behave responsibly.
“I’m for the ordinance allowing our citizens the freedom to use fireworks in our parish,” Beadle said. “I think we can use a common sense approach to the ordinance. I think, as a councilman, we have to put the responsibility on our citizens to be responsible.”
The council eventually decided to allow the sale and use of some types of fireworks within the parish. Voting in favor of the ordi-nance were Councilmen Rev. Craig Mathews, J Ina, Dale J. Rogers, Glen Hidalgo, James Bennett, Beadle, and Chairman Kevin Voisin. Opposed to the ordinance were Councilmen Steve Bierhorst, Sterling Fryou Sr. and Ken Singleton.
St. Mary Parish President David Hanagriff said he also was in favor of allowing fireworks. Hanagriff said the primary issue for him was over-reaching regulation.
“For me, this is a quality of life issue,” Hanagriff said. “It is a balance. We cannot legislate ignorance. People are going to do ignorant things. I am a true believer in limited government. However, if it (ordinance) doesn’t work, we can always look at the situation at a later date.”
Hanagriff also said he had conferred with several law enforcement and fire officials in the parish and he said the majority of them were neutral as to the sale and use of fireworks.
In other business, a resolution presented by Councilman Paul Naquin Jr. requesting that the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Indian Affairs deny an application for the placement of over 67 acres of land into federal trust by the Chitimacha Tribe was passed.
Naquin was not in attendance at Wednesday’s meeting. When asked why the council would want to pass the resolution, St. Mary Parish Chief Administrative Officer Henry “Bo” LaGrange said the issue at hand was the loss of tax revenue to the parish.
“This would affect St. Mary Parish and other units such as the school board, the sheriff and even the town of Baldwin,” LaGrange said. “The Chitimacha Tribe owns the property but it’s not in federal trust. It’s on the parish tax rolls. We currently collect property taxes and local sales taxes are generated as well. If it’s put in trust, we would no longer receive that. So that’s why we are asking the bureau (U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs) to deny the request.”
Other resolutions passed included two regarding the quality of water within the parish. The first was a resolution requesting funds to replace filters at the Water Treatment Plant for No. 5 District of the St. Mary Parish Waterworks. The second requested funds to replace a hydro-pneumatic tank at the Water Treatment Plant for the St. Mary Parish Water and Sewer Commission No. 5.
New business for the council included a discussion in regards to a permit to purchase a “Full Liquor License” that was “inadvertently issued” to a local business in Bayou Vista. The council was asked to consider revoking the permit because the business was within 300 feet of a church, synagogue, school or playground which is a violation of an ordinance within the parish code. The permit was revoked by a unanimous council vote.
Other new business included a request for $10,000 from Wards 5 and 8 from the sales tax fund for “operating expenses” for the Hospital Service District No. 3.