Fireworks could go up in smoke for annexation area

For some, the Fourth of July is full of excitement with loud bangs and bright colorful explosions.

For some, the Fourth of July is full of excitement with loud bangs and bright colorful explosions. For others, it is full of anxiety about house fires, injuries and the mental state of family pets.

The potential annexation of Finn Hill, North Juanita and Kingsgate into Kirkland would mean new laws for those neighborhoods – including Kirkland’s fireworks ban. The vote on annexation could take place during this year’s general election on Nov. 3.

Currently, the Proposed Annexation Area (PAA) is a part of unincorporated King County, which allows fireworks sales from June 28 through 11 p.m. on July 4. The use of fireworks is only legal from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. on the Fourth of July in the PAA.

But not for the area’s neighbor.

The Kirkland City Council voted 4-3 in 1998 to ban fireworks within the city limits. Fireworks bans always raise great debate and Kirkland was no different.

“I voted against the ban but there were compelling reasons on both sides. I think the effect has been fewer accidents, less complaints about noise and calmer animals,” said Deputy Mayor Joan McBride, who is the only current member who was on the council in 1998. ” An issue for me was how do you police it on a holiday when there are a lot of other issues to deal with.”

One group that gave compelling testimony against the ban to the council in 1998 were seniors in the two local high schools. As a result of the ban, Lake Washington no longer uses the sale of fireworks as a fundraiser.

Juanita High School seniors, however, still use fireworks sales as a fundraiser with their tent in the Rite Aid parking lot on the corner of N.E. 132nd Street and 100th Ave. N.E. Most of the proceeds goes to bring down ticket prices for prom and make it so all students can attend. Some schools pay as much as $70 a ticket, whereas Juanita High School students pay as little as $10 with the help of fireworks sales.

“About half or more of our money is made from selling fireworks,” said Juanita High School student Jasmine Isaac, who was working at the fireworks stand Monday morning.

If annexation is approved and the ban is imposed on the PAA, an alternative for Juanita High School students would be to move the stand to Bothell, where fireworks are legal. But that would bring more controversy.

“Bothell High School has their own fireworks stand,” said Juanita High School student Takoda Wolf, who was working at the fireworks stand. “It would mean more car washes and other events that there just isn’t enough of.”

There are six fireworks stands open in the PAA and all are run by TNT Fireworks, including the Juanita High School stand.

“This is the thumb of oppression taking our fun away,” said Mike Diamond, who works at one of the stands.

Kirkland Fire Department spokesperson Robin Paster said one of the effects of the ban has been that some Kirkland residents go to schools or parks in the PAA to use fireworks.

“Our goal is to educate not arrest,” said Paster. “And we have many confiscations. We did see a decline of incidents after the ban.”

The only exception to the fireworks ban in Kirkland is if a group of citizens hires a licensed pyrotechnic expert and gets a permit from the city. CelebrateKirkland.org will hold its 10th anniversary fireworks display on the Fourth of July this year at Marina Park – the only public display within Kirkland city limits.

One issue surrounding the ban and annexation is a state law, which makes it mandatory that a one-year notice be given before implementing the ban. The law is in place to give enough time to notify vendors and citizens of the change. The difference could be a ban starting as soon as 2009 after the November election or as distant as 2012.

Kirkland City Attorney Robin S. Jenkinson said that it is unclear if the PAA would have to wait for a year after the effective date if annexation is passed. Ultimately, the city may have to consult with State Attorney General Rob McKenna to figure out if the law applies to annexations.

The council has not yet determined an effective date to incorporate the PAA into Kirkland if the measure is passed.

When the ban was passed in Kirkland, it did not go into effect until March 1, 1999. But that was not the first time that Kirkland had a ban on fireworks. A water shortage in 1992 led to a one-year ban in many cities in western Washington, including Kirkland.

Redmond was the first city to pass a law in King County to ban fireworks. Currently 21 of the 36 cities in King County ban fireworks.

Some of the larger incidents in Kirkland that led to the ban was a fatal fire at the Yarrow Bay Apartments in 1980, a 1993 fire in the Juanita High School science building and a 1995 fire at the Juanita Creek Apartments that caused about $900,000 in damage.