WINSLOW — A consumer fireworks advisory committee will present its findings to the Town Council during its regular meeting at 7 tonight at Town Hall.
The four-person committee — composed of the police chief, the fire chief and two town councilors — was formed in response to a high number of noise complaints filed by residents after the recent opening of fireworks store Pyro City Maine on China Road. Since June 1, Winslow police have responded to more than 75 fireworks-related complaints and issued more than 10 summonses for misuse.
On Jan. 1, a new law authorized the sale, possession and use of consumer fireworks in Maine for the first time in decades. The law also allows municipalities to draft their own ordinances to regulate sales and use of fireworks.
All the committee members have said they favor a compromise solution rather than an outright ban on use.
One member, Town Councilor Jerry Quirion, said he favors increased restrictions on fireworks use among intoxicated people; otherwise, there’s no need to do anything, he said, because fireworks use probably will occur earlier in the evening as the daylight hours grow shorter, and he thinks use will decline once the novelty wears off.
On June 15, the committee watched a fireworks presentation by two representatives from Pyro City Maine.
In Waterville, the City Council banned use of fireworks within city limits beginning June 18. A resident circulated a citizen petition to repeal the ban but wasn’t able to gather 1,506 signatures from registered voters in time to get the issue on the November ballot. Despite the ban, Waterville police responded to about 30 complaints of fireworks and issued two summonses on July 3 and 4.
In Fairfield, the Town Council will hold a public hearing on the issue of consumer fireworks use at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Fairfield Community Center.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office maintains a list of municipalities that have enacted ordinances to regulate the sales or use of firework. State law requires consumer fireworks stores to display the list prominently.
Ben McCanna — 861-9239
bmccanna@centralmaine.com
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