For Now, Fourth of July Planning in Limbo After Appeals

For Wilmington’s Fourth of July planners, it isn’t a matter of if high school construction changes the structure of the town’s annual celebration. It’s just a matter of when.

Fourth of July Committee chairman Scott Garrant said that though the festivities , he and other planners will soon begin working on 2013. But the could make planning efforts a bit more difficult for the committee.

“The appeals are leaving us in limbo a little bit as to when we have to make adjustments to our celebration,” said Garrant. “We have a pretty good idea of what we hope to be able to do during construction years and once the new school is completed. It’s just a matter of when we will have to implement those plans in light of the appeals.”

Garrant admitted that due to high school construction, it’s likely that some parts of the annual celebration will need to be eliminated. However, Garrant said that the items that will be removed are simply some of the games from Family Fun Day, and not any of the centerpiece activities.

Town Manager Michael Caira said he thinks the area that will be most effected by the new school is the carnival. If construction is underway next summer, the area of the high school grounds where the carnival normally sets up shop will be unusable because of the work, and when the school is completed the footprint will change and it will be unlikely the carnival sets up at the new facility.

Garrant said the Fourth of July Committee does not have any plans to eliminate the carnival, and that finding a different space for it may be another option. Garrant did, however, say that is not final, and added that planners will likely have that discussion with town officials in the future.

“As far as the essence of the celebration, I don’t think that will go away,” said Caira. “By that I mean the real family oriented activities that people from Wilmington have come to enjoy. From Family Day to the activities that happen each night, to the concert on the commons and daily meals, all of that kind of activity I think will continue and perhaps become even more meaningful.

August is the only month out of the year the Fourth of July Committee takes off from planning. When the group gets back to work in the next few weeks, Garrant said they will have to decide if the school appeals will change the way they begin to approach next year’s Fun on the Fourth.

“It’s somewhat disconcerting,” said Garrant. “We next meet in September and we will see where the high school construction process stands at that point.”

For Caira, the potential holdup for Fun on the Fourth planning is the latest example of the impact the appeals are having on the town.

“In my judgement, the appeals have had a devastating effect on a wide variety of community and educational activities,” said Caira. “Not to mention a cost that did not have to be.”