Fourth of July Fireworks

In the best case scenario, the City of Newport’s Fourth Of July Fireworks Display will be postponed until August, September, or this fall. In the worst case scenario for firework admirers, they will be cancelled.

In a memorandum to Newport City Council, City Manager Joe Nicholson requested the Council’s direction with regard to holding or rescheduling the City’s 4th of July fireworks. The Council and City Manager discussed the fireworks display, and all were in agreement that holding such an event in July will not be possible with current social distancing and event guidelines.

Possible dates that it could be rescheduled to later this year include Victory Day in August and Labor Day.

Nicholson plans to check in with the company awarded the fireworks contract to check on availability of their services on dates later in the year. Of course COVID-19 and social distancing guidelines will also play in to the decision on when and if to hold them this year.

City Council voted in February to award a contract for a multi-year July 4th fireworks display to Pyrotecnico Fireworks, Inc., for a 20 minute (minimum) display, to be held on Saturday, July 4,2020 at approximately 9:15 pm at Fort Adams State Park with a rain date of Sunday, July 5, 2020. The final award amount is to be determined by the level of donations received ($30,000 / $35,000 / $40,000).

Back on April 29th, Governor Raimondo said large events that concerts, festivals, parades, large gatherings, weddings, and any event with more than 50 people cannot happen this summer. “It’s just not safe,” she said.

Last week, the City of Newport released its proposed FY2021 budget. The $96.4 million spending plan represents a roughly 3.5 percent reduction from the current fiscal year with the City anticipating over $3.5 million in lost revenue as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. 

According to its most recent estimates, the City is projecting General Fund revenue for the upcoming fiscal year to total $96,424,097, with roughly $79.8 million coming from local property and motor vehicle taxes. By comparison, the current fiscal year’s adopted budget, which is due to expire on June 30th, totaled $99,981,982. 

More From What'sUpNewp

Loading...

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.