SOUTH JERSEY

No fireworks in Cherry Hill this Fourth of July

Laura Pollack

Courier-Post;

If Cherry Hill residents see fireworks this Fourth of July, it won't be in the township.

Officials have canceled the annual display due to safety concerns.

With more people attending the fireworks each year, the field at Cherry Hill High School West can no longer hold the crowd, officials said.

"In the last few years, we've seen it grow to the thousands," said Bridget Palmer, township director of communications. "It just reached the point where we felt we couldn't get people out safely if we needed to."

Palmer said the stadium only has one entrance and exit, which would make it difficult to evacuate a large crowd in a timely manner.

"It's just really not a good setup," she said. "When you factor everything together, you really weigh whether it's worth it in the interest of safety. In this case, it unfortunately wasn't."

Safety became a greater concern two years ago, when a fight broke out in the crowd and two police officers were assaulted. An 18-year-old township man was charged in the incident.

Police Chief William Monaghan said the crowds and location make it difficult to guarantee public safety.

First responders would have a difficult time getting in or evacuating the crowd in the residential area, he added.

"It's not designed for maximum traffic flow," Monaghan said. "They're all back roads and side streets, and in recent years other towns have canceled or eliminated their fireworks shows, which has caused the attendance at ours to increase."

Camden County, for one, no longer holds its show at Cooper River Park in Pennsauken.

Township officials said they looked at other venues, but no private or public one would be able to accommodate the growing number of attendees.

During these discussions, Monaghan recommended the town cancel the fireworks.

"The chief basically said we shouldn't do it, and when your public safety official makes that recommendation, you need to take it seriously," Palmer said.

Cherry Hill has hosted July 4 fireworks for more than 20 years. In recent years, no money from the township's budget has gone toward the fireworks. Instead, the show has been paid for through business sponsorships.

Last year's fireworks were sponsored by the Cherry Hill Mall. The sponsors for this year's summer events still are being finalized, Palmer said.

Other South Jersey towns have also seen an increase in attendance. Collingswood officials were forced to modify their street and parking lot closures to accommodate a growing crowd.

No cars will be allowed in Knight Park on July 4. Cass Duffey, director of community development for Collingswood, said the closure will ensure the safety of families who sit in the park to watch the fireworks.

Collingswood will provide alternate free parking at the Scottish Rite and LumberYard garage parking lots.

In Cherry Hill, no other events are planned for July 4. Instead, officials planned new summer events, including a Cherry Hill restaurant week in August and a longer concert series running throughout July.

The money from sponsors that would have gone toward the fireworks now will be spent on other Cherry Hill summer events.