Should Pierce Stop July 4 Fireworks?

As Labor Day approaches, some West Valley community members are thinking more about Independence Day now that the new Pierce College president has announced his intention to end the annual fireworks show.

The fireworks display, sponsored by the Woodland Hills Chamber of Commerce, has been a tradition in the West Valley for two decades, but President E. Bing Inocencio said last week that the event costs the college perhaps more than it is worth. Inocencio added that although he could still be talked out of his decision, he is concerned about the damage the school sustains by fireworks watchers who climb onto and damage school building roofs.

Should the annual fireworks show continue at Pierce College?

Inocencio:

“It looks like every year it causes problems for the campus. . . . In a recent year we sustained $60,000 in vandalism damage. This year we netted only $6,000 plus. . . . When you have an annual event that creates more expenses for you and you are in a deficit situation, I don’t see how we can keep doing it. . . . I haven’t totally closed the door, but I’m also very clear in what I see. . . . I don’t see any [positive side].”

City Councilwoman Laura Chick:

“I am hopeful there is still a door open for the Woodland Hills Chamber of Commerce and the college to resolve the problem. That might include the college receiving a bigger financial compensation for allowing the facility to be used. . . . I don’t know that there is a city facility where this can safely occur and meet the liability concerns of the city, but I am certainly going to look into that.”

Thomas DeLong, treasurer of the Woodland Hills Chamber of Commerce and 1996 event chairman:

“We’ve been able to provide a safe and sane Fourth of July fireworks show for the community. It’s just that in recent years the cost of the event has continued to increase. . . . It costs us $70,000 to put it on every year. . . . I think it would be a shame to destroy a 22-year tradition on the basis of a handful of people that complained about it. . . . It does give the college exposure and brings people on campus, and does create a relationship with the community. It’s a benefit to the college. . . . I don’t see any downside.”

Gordon Murley, president of Woodland Hills Homeowners Organization:

“We have been voicing our concerns in the past two or three years over the way [the show] has been handled. . . . We have to honor how the president feels. . . . One of the problems we have is there is really no large space available on which you could do it. . . . Pierce offers the best location, but I’m not here to suggest how it could be done. . . . He’s trying, from what I gather, to make this [college] what it’s supposed to be, an educational institution. . . . Now we have nine months to figure out what has to be done, and now is the time to sit down and see if we can figure it out.”

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