First Night fireworks back on

SARATOGA SPRINGS — There will be fireworks at First Night after all.

Saratoga Arts announced Thursday afternoon that after cancelling the fire- works amid concerns from the city’s Public Safety Department, local business leaders and police officials worked to get the popular New Year’s Eve attraction back on track.

“There’s no New Year’s without a countdown, and there’s no countdown with- out fireworks,” Saratoga Arts Executive Director Joel Reed said. “The way this has unfolded also reminds us that there’s no First Night Saratoga without generous support from the community.”

Local developer Sonny Bonacio said he didn’t know the fireworks had been canceled until he read it in The Saratogian Tuesday. At that point, he said he immediately started making phone calls and sending emails to solicit help.

Bonacio reached out to some prominent city residents: the Waits, the Dakes, Ron and Michele Riggi and the Caroline Street Association led by John Baker of Gaffney’s.

“The money took no time to raise,” he said of the thousands of dollars necessary to pay for the event. He said after sending out an email to the city leaders, “they all came back in under three minutes.”

Bonacio said the fireworks, logistical planning and security will cost about $10,000.

The fireworks were canceled by Saratoga Arts after Public Safety officials said there were not enough officers to staff the event.

The Saratoga Springs Police Department is operating with 54 officers, fewer than it has had in recent memory.

When coordinating the staffing for First Night, the Public Safety Department said it couldn’t handle both policing the city’s bar district and the midnight fire- works at the same time.

“It’s a major safety issue that needed to be addressed,” Saratoga Springs Police Chief Christopher Cole said Thursday, adding that he worked with Saratoga Arts “literally around the clock” to come up with a solution.

Cole said he worked with civil service to reclassify seasonal positions in the department used to handle traffic during track season. The reclassification will allow the department to hire temporary employees to assist on First Night.

Meanwhile, Bonacio will provide staff and funding to fence off Congress Park to keep people a safe distance from the fireworks and to control the crowd.

“In doing so, this has enabled police resources to be re-allocated to other necessary locations,” Public Safety Commissioner Christian Mathiesen said, thanking Bonacio. “Historically, New Year’s Eve tends to be an extremely labor- intensive night, requiring a significant increase in police services throughout the city.”

Last year, there were 60 police calls for service between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. on New Year’s Eve, more than half of which were assaults, disputes and alcohol- related disturbances, including a stabbing at The Metro club on Maple Avenue.

This year, the fireworks will be launched in addition to a new First Night feature: five laser shows at 40 minutes past the hour, starting at 7:40 p.m.

Saratoga Arts had already made alternative plans to put on the laser shows at the Saratoga Springs City Center, and reported that without the financial assistance of the Saratoga leaders, the fireworks couldn’t have happened, even with Public Safety backing.

“Saratoga Arts is extremely grateful to the community leaders who worked together to make this possible,” Reed said.

Bonacio, meanwhile, thanked Cole, whom he said, “worked diligently to get the coverage needed.”