Optimistic there could be some form of July 4th celebration this year, Palm Desert board members on Thursday approved a $ 20,000 fireworks deposit and gave staff the green light to start planning an event.

The deposit is due to Pyro Spectaculars by April 15, if the city wants to host an event on July 4, said Vanessa Mager, a management analyst in the city’s economic development department.

If state guidelines prevent the city from hosting the Independence Day celebration, the bond will be applied to a future fireworks event, Mager said.

The city has held an annual community Independence Day celebration for over 30 years, but had to cancel the 2020 event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The annual events draw around 10,000 people to Civic Center Park for an afternoon and evening of family activities and music, capped off by the fireworks display that can be seen for miles.

The city is budgeting $ 60,000 per year for the July 4 celebration – $ 40,000 to Pyro Spectaculars for the fireworks and about $ 20,000 for ancillary vendors such as food and entertainment, Mager said. .

To host an event this year, staff need to start organizing by May 1, Mager said.

“As July 2021 approaches, decisions regarding the city’s Independence Day celebration must be made in order to meet the looming deadlines,” Mager said.

Governor Gavin Newsom announced this week that the state will fully reopen its economy on June 15, provided the downward trend in COVID-19 cases continues.

The ad, however, did not offer guidelines for large-scale outdoor events, which state health officials say they are still working on.

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City Councilor Gina Nestande said planning an event for July 4 “offers hope for the future. … It looks like things are starting to get back to normal and I for one think that would be a vote of optimism and give the whole community something to look forward to. “

Other council members echoed his comments.

“Let’s do it. Huge benefit, no downside,” said board member Sabby Jonathan.

Board member Karina Quintanilla joined the other four board members in the unanimous vote to post bail and allow staff to start planning an event on July 4th.

However, she said, there is a downside to pets who are bothered by fireworks.

“I can anticipate that we will receive emails from pet owners in distress, so we will recognize, or at least I want to recognize, that this is something fun for the whole town, but it is not. without realizing that it will have an impact and will make some animals very sad, ”said Quintanilla.

“But we hope that maybe this year you will look at the sky and recognize that there is a lot to celebrate,” she said.

Mayor Kathleen Kelly said the filing of the repository leaves the city with many options and opportunities to adjust plans as needed.

“We will have the option of providing fireworks without a rally or event if that is not appropriate,” Kelly said, adding that in recent years many have been able to view the fireworks from several miles away. .

“So we’ll have that option and a fallback option of just applying the deposit to a future event, if that turns out to be the right thing to do,” Kelly said.

Desert Sun reporter Sherry Barkas covers the towns of La Quinta, Indian Wells, Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert. She can be reached at sherry.barkas@thedesertsun.com. Follow her on Twitter @TDSsherryBarkas