County pulls permit for Whitewater Center’s July 4 fireworks display
MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. (WBTV) – Mecklenburg County confirms it has rescinded the permit for the U.S. Whitewater Center’s Fourth of July fireworks display.
Records obtained by WBTV show the county notified the Whitewater Center of its decision late Friday afternoon. Staff said the permit for the center’s July 3 fireworks display is approved.
WBTV obtained a copy of this letter sent to the U.S. Whitewater Center stating the permit for its July 4 fireworks display has been pulled following concerns from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. (Source: Mecklenburg County)
This comes after CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings wrote in a June 29 letter to county officials that the plan for the Whitewater Center’s fireworks display as submitted, “creates a significant public safety concern.”
Specific concerns Jennings outlines in his letter include:
Not addressing the large influx of vehicles and the lack of contingencies for blocked or stalled traffic
Listing Hawfield Road as an emergency egress route, despite it being a private road that is currently blocked by residents who live on the street
A crowd management staff for 7,500 attendees when 10,000 are estimated based on previous years
The center hiring on-site private security, but the exact number is not documented
Only 1,500 parking spaces at the center while an estimated 4,500 vehicles are expected
The chief also said that CMPD will have a small contingency of staff to assist with monitoring the event, but will not provide any planned traffic control with on-duty staff.
“As always, we will address 911 emergency calls as appropriately as we can,” Jennings wrote in his letter. “Any major response to the Whitewater Center will require pulling staff from patrol working across our jurisdiction, which jeopardizes our responsibility to our citizens.”
Jennings ended the letter by saying he hopes all involved can come to “some amenable solution” that ensures a safe event at the Whitewater Center with minimal impact on area residents and visitors to the center.
The Whitewater Center said it has no comment on the chief’s letter.
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Source: WBTV
