At its meeting July 7, Coplay Borough Council had a lively discussion on fireworks. The meeting was held in the gymnasium at the municipal building, 98 S. Fourth St., with council members on the stage and those in attendance in the bleacher seats.

Coplay, like neighboring Catasauqua and many other small communities, reported an overwhelming surge of fireworks activity by residents over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

In 2017, the state passed the fireworks law to allow the legal buying of fireworks in Pennsylvania.

These purchases come with a higher sales tax. Yearly revenue estimates top $20 million.

The state restricted fireworks displays, mandating they could not be set off within 150 feet of an occupied structure. As Coplay found out over the holiday weekend, that provision is largely ignored by residents.

Councilman Charles Sodl suggested neighbors be encouraged to report fireworks usage within the borough.

The state rules only allow a citation if someone is seen lighting fireworks illegally. It is difficult to achieve these citations as law enforcement needs to actually witness someone lighting fireworks, and many smaller municipalities have a limited number of officers on patrol. Coplay had one officer on patrol over the holiday, it was mentioned.

The issue will continue to be debated well into the future, but there are no clear choices as municipalities wrestle with the local fireworks problem.

In other news, council will cancel all July pavilion reservations and will review future reservations on a month-by-month basis. The Community Days festivities have already been canceled for this year.

Council will continue using the municipal gymnasium for future meetings.