Mayor Explains Decision to Cancel Smyrna Birthday
The fireworks show has been rescheduled for Saturday, Sept. 15.
Smyrna Mayor Max Bacon shed some light on why the city decided to cancel its 140th Birthday Celebration at Monday’s Smyrna City Council meeting.
The event was scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 4, but city officials made the decision to cancel the event earlier that same day because of the threat of thunderstorms.
“We’re sorry we had to do that, but we had a very short window to make a decision based on the fireworks,” Bacon said. “I want to say that if we had not canceled it, it would have cost $30,000 to cancel things later so we didn’t spend that much money to cancel. So that’s great.”
Smyrna's City Administrator Eric Taylor explained further after the meeting.
"There are a lot of costs that figured in that can be foregone," he said. "If we cancel things early enough we don’t have to set up. For instance had the fireworks team shown up and set up and then we canceled, we would have incurred some additional charges. Whereas catching it earlier enough and postponing it before they had a chance to set up we wouldn’t get charged. In other words they haven’t put in any work for the day."
Taylor said this same reasoning was applied to the bands and city staff who would have been paid to set up the event and collect trash.
There were reports of would-be partygoers gathering in Smyrna’s Village Green waiting for the birthday to begin. One Smyrna-Vinings Patch reader commented that she would have liked the city to place signs at key intersections notifying residents that the event was canceled. The fireworks show has been rescheduled for the city’s Taste of Smyrna event, Saturday, Sept. 15.
Those who paid to reserve tables at the Smyrna birthday will be reimbursed, said Ward 5 Council Representative Susan Wilkinson. Those who paid by credit card will be reimbursed electronically while those who paid with cash or check will receive a check in the mail from the city.
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R. Anderson
3:51 pm on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
He plays fast and loose with those millions but acts as Smyrna's savior because of the 30 thousand.
504ATL
10:26 pm on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Can't have it both ways -- If he did not cancel the event; then he would be accused of wasting taxpayers money. He postponed the event and now he is fast and loose.
Thanks for not wasting money -- See you on the 15th.
Neal Dow
11:11 pm on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
It was called off but it wasn't because of the weather.
Chris Long
11:37 pm on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Then by all means tell us why.
Chris Long
2:10 pm on Saturday, August 11, 2012
Still waiting, Neal.
Inside-Out
11:41 pm on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Can't wait to hear this one Neal ? Keep spending those millions Max and making Smyrna a better city. You keep winning elections that way. You just continue to win those elections by large numbers and it keeps the others in a fit. We got your back Mayor.
Keith Cordell
11:49 pm on Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Now if he'd stop screwing up our roads and access by spending millions on medians that congest traffic, we'd have some actual savings.
Inside-Out
12:46 am on Wednesday, August 8, 2012
But he is adding trees and that is a big concern to some residents. We need to look like Woodstock and Brookhaven according to some. I would have mowed a lot more trees down and widened the roadway myself.
Oscar G.
12:48 am on Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Yea but the real Million Dollar question is..Who Cares?
Blow up something now..Blow up something later.
As long as something eventually gets blown up, that will appease the Good People of Smyrna.
So yea, if not today, tomorrow. Big whoop.
C L
7:44 am on Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Wow where's the love?
Donna Seifter
9:33 am on Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Since I had an idea there was a chance the event would be canceled due to the weather I checked the Smyrna City website. Cancellation of the event was posted as soon as they knew.
Miss Philly
8:46 am on Thursday, August 9, 2012
I can understand both sides, but was still very disappointed. I've had reserved a table for this event for quite a few years in a row. I wish they would still have the tables available for the rescheduled date. I think it would have been a good consolation prize and would have glady kept my table as opposed to the refund. :-)
Mike - Smyrna
4:04 pm on Friday, August 10, 2012
Q2 my 401K took a -4% hit. The Mayor canceled the fireworks on the 4th. Q2 + Q2 = Q4. How does he do it? I bet he buried in mason jars in one of the new medians.
Mike
1:53 am on Saturday, August 11, 2012
With all the lawsuits from concerts where weather has caused injuries, I don't think it would have been wise to hold it. I was out of town for work, so consolation for me is that I will get to see it.
Jasmin-Alice Scott
2:11 pm on Monday, August 20, 2012
So, did it rain?