The Habersham County Commission discussed at Monday afternoon’s work session providing a Fourth of July celebration similar to what used to be done many years ago in front of Habersham Bank at Midway Crossing.
Commissioner Dustin Mealor had asked to have this item added to the work session agenda for discussion purposes. He explained to the commission that he had numerous citizens approach him about the idea to see if the commissioners would be interested in such an event. He stated that he had enough people discuss it with him that he had brought the idea forward to County Manager Alicia Vaughn.
Mealor stated that from his recollection, that past event was never held on the Fourth of July so as not to interfere with Demorest’s historical Glorious Fourth celebration.
He stated that he was not recommending that the event be at the same location as it was in the past due to the increased traffic over the years. He expressed the event could be anywhere.
Venues and sponsorships
Commissioner Bruce Harkness asked if Mealor had reached out to Cornelia to see if they would be interested. Mealor stated that he had not, but he had discussed the idea with Vaughn to see if Cornelia would be interested in partnering with the county. He also stated that it would not just be exclusive to Cornelia but open to all of the cities to see if they were interested in partnering with such an event. He stated, “That’s the kind of thing that brings the community together.”
Commissioner Bruce Palmer suggested having the event at the fairgrounds. Palmer explained that there was already an area inside or outside that could be used for a band, traffic was lighter in that area, and fireworks could be launched from the shop area.
Mealor suggested the possibility of local businesses being sponsors for the event. He stated that the fireworks alone would be “pricey.” It was discussed that the cost for the fireworks would be at least $30,000 to $40,000 alone.
Commission Chairman Ty Akins brought up that the cost of the event is one issue, but it would also include a lot of staff time as well. He stated it would require a group of volunteers or possibly the cities helping with the event.
“We don’t want to blow the budget, and we are short-staffed. I hate to give a whole lot of work to tackle that,” Akins stated.
Akins suggested partnering with the Chattahoochee Mountain Fair. He stated that staff were already there and you have people already attending the event.
South end of county
Harkness stated that Commissioner Jimmy Tench has pointed out numerous times in the past, “People in the south end many times feel left out. We got a lot of people, the bulk of the population below Demorest.”
Vaughn stated that timing is an issue with fireworks vendors because they schedule out way in advance. She suggested using the property where the new animal shelter will be built off of Old Athens Road.
Habersham Central High School is another venue that was suggested because of its abundant parking, stadium, and close proximity to many of the cities.
“We definitely need some partners. I know we are trying to do something fun to bring our people together, and I think that’s a great thing,” said Akins. He reiterated the idea of partnerships, “If we can partner with a city or another organization like the school system, we have to be careful with how we spend taxpayers’ money.”
The commission made no indication whether they were moving forward with the Fourth of July celebration. Commissioners did not take any action.
