Salem Lakes poised to extend fireworks sales from tents one more season

/Photo by Tim Zänkert on Unsplash

The Salem Lakes Village Board appears ready to extend the ability of two fireworks retailers — and perhaps a third — to sell their product from tents through this season.

The board discussed the issue at a committee of the whole meeting Monday.

The board passed a fireworks sales ordinance allowing sales from tents through the 2018 season, but requiring a permanent structure meeting specific safety specifications including a sprinkler system after that.

However, both of the companies that have been operating in Salem Lakes from tents had difficulty moving to a permanent structure for this season. In one case in March 2018, the board denied issuing a conditional use permit to sell fireworks from a building on Antioch Road in the Cross Lake neighborhood after residents turned out to a village meeting to object to the permit.

Expressing support for extending tent sales for another year were Trustees Ron Gandt, Ted Kmiec, Bill Hopkins and Mike Culat along with village President Diann Tesar. Opposing the extension were Trustees Dennis Faber and Dan Campion.

The village requires a permit for individual fireworks sales, which is issued by the retailers on the village’s behalf. Last year, those permits generated about $10,000 for the village. That permit allows someone to possess and transport fireworks, not use them. Use of aerial fireworks such as bottle rockets, roman candles, mortars, firecrackers and others that leave the ground is illegal in Wisconsin unless a permit allowing their use has been issued by a proper authority.

Salem Lakes Fire/Rescue conducts inspections of any fireworks sales operation to make sure safety regulations are followed. Salem Lakes Fire/Rescue Chief Mike Slover said there have been no safety problems with the tent sales operations in the past, but he added that he questioned allowing any fireworks sales in the village.

“It’s illegal to light fireworks off in Wisconsin,” Slover said. “I don’t know why we would want to sell them.”

Two years ago his department responded to a fireworks related injury in which a patient suffered a severe hand injury requiring a medical transport helicopter to Milwaukee for treatment, Slover said.

No formal vote was held at Monday’s meeting since it was a committee of the whole.

0 Shares

Comments are closed.

  • Follow us on

  • Archives