Norfolk, Nebraska’s “Big, Bang, Boom” celebration has gone “bust.” Organizers of the annual fireworks show say they’ll cancel the event because they can’t afford to pay higher liability insurance costs, which the city has now mandated.
A large crowd gathered at the city council chambers Monday night to respond to a ruling from city officials that due to the current Liability and Recreation Act of Nebraska, each organization that uses city property must increase their liability insurance coverage from $1-million to $5-million for their events.
That’s leaving local non-profit organizations like Big Bang Boom, who present the annual fireworks show, with a tough decision. “We said ‘no, we can’t cover the event… can’t take something away,’” said Don Wisnieski, Big Bang Boom Inc. “We are just simply going to have to cancel at this time until either some details can be worked out.”
Members of the Downtown Norfolk Association, say the new insurance limit will likely cancel their events too. Things like the downtown Ethnic Festival, the Holiday Festival of Lights Parade, Christmas Tree lighting… even downtown trick or treating at Halloween.
But, Wisnieski says the $5-million liability is not a statewide set amount. He says he as found out through research that other communities are going lower. “The could surely stay with the standard $1 or $2-million aggregate insurance policies that we’ve dealt with in the past,” said Wisnieski.
Norfolk city officials say the Nebraska Legislature hopes to have a solution by the end of the current session. Meanwhile cities all across the state are encountering the same problem. Norfolk officials are working through the list of each separate event and assessing the amount of risk. “And we’re going to do it as constructively and courteously as we can,” said Mike Nolan, City Administrator. “At the same time, we’re trying to explain to people that this is something that we didn’t mean to cause. It happened and we have to manage it the best way we can.”
Local organizers are optimistic that a resolution can be made in the coming days and weeks so Norfolk can continue to benefit from the economic impact of each of the events.
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