The fireworks will have to wait a year, at least at Smith Lake. Exercising caution to mitigate the spread of coronavirus, the Cullman County Commission has pulled the plug on the planned fireworks show and day of celebration for July 4th at Smith Lake Park.

The commission agreed Wednesday to call off the annual celebration and roll its current agreement with entertainment company Pyro Shows of Alabama for a year, locking in the same cost to the county to fund the elaborate fireworks display viewed by thousands from the banks (and beyond) at Smith Lake Park. 

This year’s show was set to take place on Saturday, July 4th, with the weekend-long celebration at the park also planned to include food vendors, music, and patriotic-themed activities. The celebration routinely packs the park’s adjoining campground and RV spaces through the 4th, with the fireworks visible from vantage points in south and western Cullman County far removed from the lake itself. 

In other business at its regular meeting Wednesday, the commission:

Approved a change of voting precinct location for Dodge City, in order to accommodate COVID-19 social distancing guidelines. The change is a small one: Instead of voting upstairs at the Dodge City Town Hall, voters in the July 14 Republican primary runoff election will simply enter the building’s basement, which serves as the community center, where booths can be spread out and offer a more controlled flow of pedestrian traffic.

Adopted a new zero-tolerance drug testing policy for CARTS employees, in compliance with updated state and federal guidelines. 

Rescheduled a public hearing to vacate a portion of County Road 2101, to Tuesday, June 23.

Authorized commission chairman Kenneth Walker to sign an agreement with the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office for federal inmate housing under a newly revised contract, which was approved at the last commission meeting. 

Approved the sale of a small piece of county property located at 2506 U.S. Highway 231 South in Arab, which a recent survey revealed was encroaching on the buyer’s property. The buyer will pay the county the land’s appraised value of $1,300.

Approved the purchase of a 10-foot rotary cutter for mowing at a cost of $11,000. 

Authorized Walker to execute a contract with Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood, Inc. for coordinating and administering the airport taxiway project at Cullman Regional Airport. 

Approved the budgeted $26,071 purchase of a Ford truck to replace an outgoing vehicle at the revenue office.

Declared surplus a pontoon boat from the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office, to be sold at govdeals.com.

Approved bids for corrugated pipe and concrete for the Cullman County Road Department.

The next regular commission meeting will be held Tuesday, June 9 at 10 a.m. in the commission meeting room of the Cullman County Courthouse. A public work session will precede the meeting at 8:30 a.m. in the commission conference room.

Benjamin Bullard can be reached by phone at 256-734-2131 ext. 234.