CAPITOLA >> A decades-old fireworks show tradition is likely to continue in Capitola, though city leaders are keeping their options open in the face of environmental and public safety concerns.

The Capitola City Council has directed its staff to seek a coastal development permit for the Monte Foundation Fireworks show, the annual philanthropic skyward spectacle that has been happening since the mid-1990s and which Capitola has been hosting on its wharf since 2015.

As the local jurisdictional host, the city will seek the permit from the California Coastal Commission, the statewide agency responsible for coastal oversight. The foundation will cover all permitting fees for the event, which draws 10,000 attendees each year and raises money for local youth programs.

As part of the Coastal Commission’s permitting process, the city will be required to explore different locations, study alternative displays such as a drone light show, gauge community support and prepare an environmental impact analysis.

These requirements were welcome news to the council, as several of its members recognized the event as a treasured community tradition but said they had some reservations based on constituent feedback.

“My family and I have enjoyed this show for years,” Councilmember Melinda Orbach said at a council meeting last Thursday. “I’d love to see this tradition be carried forward but I cannot ignore the public health concerns raised by our residents, the health and safety concerns to our marine sanctuary and I reject the idea that we can’t be creative problem solvers in the 21st century, and also be environmental stewards.”

In the aftermath of colorful pyrotechnics, some residents from the Surf and Sand Mobile Home Park on the cliffs overlooking the wharf have reported debris in their yard and noise pollution impacts.

“Every year we have to put up with this mess and this toxicity,” Carolyn Hightower, a Surf and Sand resident, told the council. “I would like it to stop.”

This year’s show has been tentatively scheduled for Oct. 12. Despite the cloud cover that sometimes engulfs the region in the fall months and blurs the sharpness of the colorful display, city officials said the event is intentionally planned outside of the tourist season to ensure it remains as much of a community-centered event as possible.

Michael Monte, vice president of the foundation, said in the three decades his organization has been running the fireworks display, they have found no deleterious effects on the local wildlife or environment. He also noted that the potential for drones colliding in the air and dropping their lithium-ion batteries directly into the coastal waters carries its own environmental risks.

“We’ve always had a rigorous cleanup crew,” said Monte. “We want to continue the show and have it be available for the grandness and spectacle that it is.”

City staff told the council that its commission on the environment, due to a lack of quorum, has not met to discuss the fireworks show, though it is expected to review the environmental report once it is finished. While the Central Fire District has signed off on permits for the event, City Manager Jamie Goldstein said it does come with some fire risk.

“To say that there’s no risk would probably be a misstatement,” said Goldstein, “but the risk to the wharf is minimized to the extent that it’s feasible.”

Councilmembers Alexander Pedersen and Gerry Jensen said they were torn between both sides of the issue and while they supported moving forward with permitting and planning for the event as it has historically been presented, they looked forward to reviewing the environmental analysis and engaging further with the Monte Foundation about potentially agreeable alternatives.

Councilmember Joe Clarke said he thought it was important that the fireworks happen this year, but said that even if a multi-year permit is approved, the council should take a fresh look at the event annually while factoring in any new environmental analysis.

Orbach made the motion to begin the process of seeking the fireworks permit from the Coastal Commission, but noted that once results of the permit’s associated studies come in, the council will have another decision to make about whether it wants to continue to pursue the fireworks feature.

“I don’t want to see this event killed, I just want to have staff sit down with the Monte Foundation to see what other options we can explore,” said Orbach. “I could be swayed though. I do want to see an event continue.”