02-15-2000 - Award of Bid for 4th of July FireworksTO:
FROM:
CitY of West Covina
Memorandum
AGENDA
City Manager and City Council ITEM NO. B - 4
DATE February 115, 2000
PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER
Tom Hatch*
Community Services Director
SUBJECT: AWARD OF BID FOR FOURTH OF JULY FIREWORKS
SUMMARY: This' report requests award of bid to Pyro Spectaculars to provide the
Fourth -of July firework display for'the'next three years and authorize staff
to sign the necessary agreements.,
BACKGROUND:
The City of West Covina in conjunction with the West Covina Elks host an annual Fourth
of July event at West Covina High School Thyberg Stadium and Cameron Park.
Included in the event are a pancake breakfast, art & craft fair,* carnival rides, food booths,
chili cook -off, sky divers, and a variety of entertainment bo , th in the park and in the
stadium. Last year's event was a three-day event'which attracted thousands of people.
The highlight of the annual event is the fireworks display at Thyberg Stadium.'
DISCUSSION:
The July 4, 1999 fireworks show was the final presentation by Fireworks America under
the three-year agreement with the City.' . The City is required to seek competitive bids for
the fireworks display in July 2000. A Request For Proposal (RFP) was prepared and
mailed to Pyro Spectaculars and Fireworks America, the two largest and only known
providers of fireworks shows in our area. Proposals were to be submitted to the City
Clerk's Office by January 17, 2000 at 10:00 a.m. Pyro Spectaculars was the. only
proposal received at an annual cost of $12,000.
Fireworks America, the previous provider of the event in 1997, 1998 and 1999 submitted
a renewal for a three-year agreement at $12,500 per year on September 23, 1999. Since
the City is required to seek competitive bids, the renewal was not processed and the City
proceeded with the development of an RFP. The deadline to provide a sealed bid was
January 17, 2000. Fireworks America failed to submit a bid. Staff called Fireworks
America to determine why they didn't submit a� bid and they acknowledged receiving the
RFP, but assumed that they did not need to submit a bid. This means that the City has
received only one completed bid for consideration.
Pyro Spectaculars, based out of Rialto, California, provided a proposal for a 25-minute
"SKY CONCERT." Pyro Spectaculars provided the display for West Covina in 1995 and
1996. In addition, the' have provided firework displays for San Francisco's Millennium
y
Celebration, the grand opening of the Paris Casino.in Las Vegas, Super Bowl XXXII in
San Diego, The Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta, and world -class events, such as
the Golden Gate 501h Anniversary, Jerusalem 3000, and the Chinese New Year in Hong
Kong. They have provided more public fireworks displays and shows than any other
United States firm. A partial listing of shows is attached.
Locally, Pyro Spectaculars has provided firework shows for the City of Cerritos, City of
Buena Park, and most recently the City -of Diamond Bar New Years Eve Celebration.
Staff has contacted representatives from.each of these cities and all expressed satisfaction
with Pyro Spectaculars in terms of quality and safety. Pyro Spectaculars have also
provided shows for many other local cities and colleges.
WUPITEMMM004th of July\4wardofbidfireworks2OOO.doc
The 1996 firework display that Pyro Spectaculars provided the City of W . est Covina
resulted in two misfires. One display activated much lower than intended and the other
displaywent sideways and activated near the Police Mobile Command unit. One Pyro
Spectaculars technician received a slight bum to the hand. Staff has . discussed these
incidents with Jean Starr, the show producer with Pyro Spectaculars. Ms. Starr stated
that these incidents were isolated incidents and not the norm for Pyro Spectaculars. She
then outlined some of the logistical problems from the show in 1996 and the changes that
have been taken. These include:
I The 2000 show will be fired electronically as specified in the contract. This was not
.---,,!'requested in the� 1996 contract and as a result, a hand -firing method was used and it
lead to the incidents that occurred. The West Covina Fire Department was -also
concerned about the previous use of a hand -firing method. The Fire Department will
be processing the fireworks permit and they will inspect the display area to ensure
that the company' uses electronic firing.
2. The 1996 fi.ring site was located too . close to the visitor bleachers; as a result this
created 6'much smaller fall -out area. The firing site has been relocated and fireworks
are now fired from behind the baseball field. This creates a much larger fall -out area.
3. Spectatorsare no longer allowed in the visitor bleachers. The bleachers are now used
for hanging firework displays.
4. Pyro Spectaculars states that its first condern is the safety of the public and the safety
of its staff. All licensed pyrotechnic operators receive training as required by the
State Fire Marshall, and are their operations are governed by the National Fire
Protection Agency.
A fireworks permit, -will be issued contingent upon compliance with Fire Department
regulations as stated in Ordinance No. 1790, Section 78.107. The provider will also be
required to furnish the City with a certificate of insurance1n an amount of $1,000,000.
City staff will review ' the insurance needs for this program and determine if additional
insurance is Pecessary.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The budget for this activity was approved at $12,5 00 in account 118-3 20-243 0-6497 from
the Business Improvement Tax Fund. Last year, the cost of the fireworks display was
$12,500. The bid from Pyro- Spectaculars is for $12,000 for the next three years and
results in savings of $500 per year.
RIECOMENDATION:
It is recommended that the City Council award the bid to Pyro'Spectaculars of Rialto,
California in the amount of $12,000 and authorize staff to sign necessary agreements for
a three-year contract.
Prepared by:
Scott Smilowitz
Community Services Supervisor
Reviewed by:
Tom Hatch
Community Services Director
AJUP1TER\CSVCSD0C\4th of July\awardofbidfireworks2000..doc
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PYRO SPECTACULARSY
MARQUEE ACHIEVEMENTS
INTERNATIONAL
Chinese New Year - Hong Kong 1982 to present
Centennial Celebration of the Liberation of the Philippines, Manila - June 1998,
Coca Cola International Fireworks Festival, Yokohama, Japan - 1997,1998
Hamburg Festival - September 1995
50th Anniversary of the Liberation of Korea, Seoul, Korea - August 1995
Jerusalem 3,000 Anniversary September 1995
British Commonwealth Games - Canada - 1994
Singapore National Day
Disney on Ice - Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan
Australia - Commonwealth Festivals
SPORTS
1996 Centennial Olympics, Atlanta, Ga.
L.A. Galaxy - Major League Soccer
World Cup Soccer - Opening and Closing Ceremonies
NFL Super Bowls - XVII, XVIII, XM XX, XXVII, X)d[, XXU, XMI
XXIII Olympiad - Los Angeles, Ca.
San Diego KGB Sky Show TM - Ongoing
Major League Baseball: A's, Angels, Astros, Br ewers, Dodgers, Giants, Padres
MLB All Star Games and Galas, Oakland, Ca.; San Francisco, Ca.,
MAJOR EVENTS
San Francisco's Millennium Celebration
San Francisco Chronicle Fourth of July- San Francisco, Ca. - Ongoing
Macy*s Fourth of Judy - New York City - Ongoing
AmericaFest at the Rose Bowl - Pasadena, Ca.
100th Birthday of the Statue of Liberty - New York Harbor - July 4, 1986
Fanfare for Cleveland - Bicentennial Inaugural: New Year's Eve 1995-
New Year's Eve at The Space Needle - Ongoing
Inauguration of President Ronald Reagan - Washington, D.C. f
THEME PARKS
Disneyland - Antabeira, Ca.
Walt Disney World - Epcot - Orlando, Fl
Knott's Berry Farm - Buena Park, Ca.
Premier Parks - Six Flags Theme Parks, Nationwide
Knott's Camp Snoopy - Mall of America - Minneapolis, Mn.
LegoLand - Carlsbad, Ca.
Universal Studios - Burbank, Ca.
Queen Mary - Long Beach, Ca.
CONCERTS
Lord of the Dance Tour 111999/2000
Bon Jovi - Japan & European Tour 1996
Pink Floyd - World Tour 1994 - 20 countries
Rolling Stones - "Steel Wheels Tour" 1989
Kiss - "The Who Tour" - 1989
SPECIAL EVENTS
Grand Opening Paris Casino - Las Vegas, Nv.
Grand Opening Celebration - Disney's Wide World of Sports
Complex - Orlando, Fl.
50th Birthday Celebration - Golden Gate Bridge,
San Francisco, Ca.
50th Birthday Celebration - San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge,
San Francisco, Ca.
Over 500 Fourth of July displays annually across the United States