By Terry Karkos
Sun Journal
RUMFORD, Maine — A special town meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 18, to consider enacting a 180-day moratorium on the use of consumer fireworks in town.
Should the moratorium be enacted, it will be illegal to set off fireworks in Rumford, Town Manager Carlo Puiia said Tuesday afternoon.
On Jan. 1, Maine legalized consumer fireworks statewide.
The moratorium would allow selectmen time to draft an ordinance for town meeting vote in June 2013 that could restrict personal fireworks from being set off except on certain days or holidays like the Fourth of July, Puiia said.
Voters at town meeting this past June OK’d an ordinance that regulates businesses that sell consumer fireworks in town. An impact fee is required to ensure that department budgets aren’t adversely affected and services jeopardized.
However, rather than draft and adopt an ordinance like many towns did in banning the use of fireworks altogether prior to Jan. 1, Rumford selectmen gave residents the benefit of the doubt, Puiia said. They wanted to learn whether there would be problems, he said.
“Most communities took a wait-and-see approach and they have experienced what we have: sporadic use and inconveniences, and then concerns for safety,” Puiia said.
Selectmen saw how quickly fireworks became popular in Rumford, whether they were illegal ones or not.
“And this is only the first year,” he said.
Since Jan. 1, Puiia said he and selectmen and police Chief Stacy Carter have fielded numerous complaints, many of which have tied up police resources.
“We continue to receive complaints of debris that ends up on the neighbor’s lawns and roofs, and also the noise that is causing disruptions with not only individuals, but also their pets, but it seems to be very random,” Puiia said.
Rumford doesn’t allow fireworks to be shot off after 10 p.m.
“Although there are some incidences of targeting where people know if there have been complaints, they wait until 15 minutes before the time frame is up, and then they shoot them off,” he said.
“It’s become a nuisance. We’re just a very congested town and neighborhoods are very tight, and it doesn’t lend itself for responsible or convenient fireworks.”
Fire Chief Bob Chase presented the board with concerns last winter that fireworks could cause fires in town due to the close proximity of a lot of old houses and apartments.
That hasn’t happened yet, but Puiia believes it’s only a matter of time.
“You could safely drive your car down the street 99.9 percent of the time, but at some point in your lifetime, you’ll be in an accident,” he said.
Both Carter and Chase again advised selectmen Thursday night of the problems and inherent dangers associated with consumer fireworks use.
Based on past board discussions since problems arose, Puiia said he believes selectmen will attempt to limit use of consumer fireworks in town as a compromise rather than ban them outright.
“There was some talk at a prior meeting that would allow usage a certain number of days per year, but we aren’t there yet,” he said.
“This way, like during the Fourth of July, people will know there will be some usage and be understanding of that, but then there will also be understanding that it won’t be when someone just wants to blow off fireworks,” he said.
“We don’t know what will be proposed to go on the ballot in June, but I expect there will be an ordinance,” he said.
The board will hold a public hearing on the moratorium ordinance prior to a future board meeting. Both the hearing and the special town meeting will be held in Rumford Falls Auditorium.
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