By MARGARET L. WILLIS

Chesterton resident Paul Tharp was disappointed Thursday when he sought reassurance that the July Fourth fireworks would come back to Dogwood Park.

Tharp said he’s heard many complaints about the fireworks being held out of town and that the possibility that the event has outgrown Dogwood Park has also been mentioned.

Chesterton Park Board members were quick to remind Tharp that the July Fourth festival is organized by a separate, private committee and is not part of the park department.

Board member Ted Jacobs said he thinks it would be a shame if the festival was moved from Chesterton. “That would leave Chesterton without any festivals.” He said it was his understanding that the Fourth of July celebration was moved temporarily, just for this year, due to construction at Dogwood Park.

But board member Roy Flaherty expressed concerns that the crowd drawn by the fireworks has outgrown Dogwood Park’s capacity.

Park superintendent Bruce Mathias said with the 1,000 foot safety perimeter required for fireworks, where to put the crowd and the cars is the dilemma.

“We may not have room here, with the safety concerns,” Flaherty said. He said he realizes the vendors don’t want to split the festival, with rides, games and food in one place and the fireworks in another. “We are open to festival committee ideas,” he added.

When construction plans for Dogwood Park were first discussed, the Fourth of July festival and fireworks relocation were discussed as temporary, to be moved from the park while the construction of additional parking areas in Dogwood’s west parcel and renovations of the softball fields were completed.

In other business, Greg Engels, a neighbor of Friendship Land, at Morgan Ave. and Fifth St., said he has contacted the police at least once and also wanted the park board to know that the dusk curfew at that park is regularly violated.

Young adults gather there and are often quite loud late at night, Engels said.

The board thanked Engels for bringing the problem to their attention and asked that he contact the park office as well as the police when he sees a problem.

Extra policing brought the problems under control in previous seasons and the board members said they’d pursue the issue with the police department as well.