BERLIN – The Town of Berlin has partnered with Worcester County to relocate the annual fireworks display to the athletic complex at the south end of town.
Both municipal and county officials this week approved a plan to move the town’s July 3 fireworks show to the Northern Worcester Athletic Complex on Buckingham Lane.
“The idea was there’s a lot of green space down there, a lot of nice looking grass fields, so the idea would be to detonate the fireworks down there where you could have more of a family atmosphere,” Town Administrator Jeff Fleetwood said.
Fleetwood asked the town council to approve the plan to relocate the fireworks at a meeting Monday. He credited Ivy Wells, the town’s economic and community development director, with reaching out to Tom Perlozzo, the county’s director of recreation and parks, tourism and economic development, about moving the event.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Fleetwood said, adding that there was more green space at the complex and that it would allow space for vendors.
He said he and Wells had met with Perlozzo and the county fire marshal at the athletic fields to go over the plan and had not identified any concerns. He said he’d also asked Perlozzo about the county providing some funding for the fireworks.
“He didn’t say no,” Fleetwood said.
Following the council’s approval of the relocation of the fireworks, Perlozzo asked the Worcester County Commissioners to sign off on the move at their meeting Tuesday.
“We think it’s a great opportunity to promote a new community event,” Perlozzo said.
Commissioner Chip Bertino asked about the cost of getting involved. Perlozzo said the town would pay for the fireworks and the only cost to the county would be what it paid its parks and recreation staff to attend the event and host some family-oriented activities.
“Are we opening ourselves up for other communities to ask for the same thing?” Bertino said. “Would we be able to say yes or accommodate them if we do it for Berlin?”
Perlozzo, who pointed out that he’d organized similar festivities during his time working for the Town of Ocean City, said that if there were similar requests from other communities the county would be able to handle those.
