The bridgefest fireworks are seen in this photo courtesy of Bridgefest. For the past two-plus decades, the fireworks have been launched from a site on Navy Street in Hancock. The use of that location for future fireworks launchings is on hold. (Photo Courtesy of Bridgefest)

HANCOCK — The Hancock City Council at Wednesday’s regular Feb. meeting tabled a motion to consider the approval of the launching of Bridgefest fireworks at Navy Street, where they have been launched for the past 25 years.

Mayor Kurt Rickard said he had concerns over risks the fireworks pose to nearby properties after two Lake Avenue residents addressed the council earlier.

Earlier in the meeting, one resident presented a large of debris he had taken from his front yard after last year’s fireworks display, adding that debris also landed on the roofs of his and neighboring homes.

The other resident spoke of hot ashes landing on their roofs and in their yards, saying that during the displays residents keep their garden hoses nearby. She said a friend was watching the fireworks while visiting her home when debris fell, burning her leg.

“So, they do come down hot,” she said. “If by chance, something happens to our houses, do our insurances pay? Do you guys pay? There’s got to be something, because I can sit at my house, and (the fireworks) are right above my roof. I have to sit almost laying down to watch them. They’re pretty darned close. And we’ve watch many of them go off prematurely, right into the woods, so my next question is maybe the DPW could go down and brush it out a little bit for us?”

When the consideration for approval was discussed, Rickard was hesitant.

“I’ve got a lot of concerns about this, myself,” Rickard said. “It does seem like it’s not a good idea to have burning pieces of fireworks falling down on people’s houses. That’s my opinion.”

City Manager Mary Babcock said that there are differences in the safety perimeter measurements between computer-aided design (CAD) and Google.

“CAD is used when anything is done for the city,” she said, “and I don’t know if it is accurate or not.”

In Michigan, a safety perimeter: 35 feet for ground-based fireworks and 150 feet for aerial fireworks. While the perimeter considers base distance, it does not take elevation into account. Lake Avenue is at a significantly higher elevation than Navy Street.

Mayor Pro tempore Whitney Warstler said that one of the residents used a range finder to take measurements and determined the perimeter was short, adding that it seems more like an issue of elevation than of distance.

The location used for launching the fireworks seems to be too close when elevation is considered, she said.

“That point (of land near shore) isn’t that big,” Warstler said, “so if they’re not all the way out to the very end of the point –.”

Council members discussed a more accurate way to measure distances, including elevations, to determine safe distances from neighboring homes.

Babcock said that there really is nowhere else in Hancock or Houghton to safely launch.

Rickard said he preferred to table the item until further study on it could be conducted. The motion to table it was passed.