FIREWORKS SHOW OPPOSED; JULY 4 ROCKETS' RED GLARE TOO COSTLY, OFFICIALS SAY.

Byline: Erin Gebroe Daily News Staff Writer

Worried about spectator safety and possible damage to private property, city officials are urging the City Council to reject a request to sponsor a Fourth of July fireworks display this year at Hart High School.

A 15-minute show could cost $70,000, including safety expenses, according to a city report. The Santa Clarita City Council is scheduled tonight to vote on whether to support the event.

``We don't have the big space to set off the fireworks, and we don't have an open space where it wouldn't severely impact the neighborhood,'' said Adele Macpherson, city community services superintendent.

Theatre Arts for Children, which is working to convert the old Newhall Auditorium into a community theater, requested the city sponsor the fireworks for its 1999 Santa Clarita Valley Country Fair. An old-fashioned carnival with game booths and rides, the fair is set for July 3 and 4 at Newhall Park.

Because a fireworks show could attract more than 10,000 people, the event could cause traffic jams, preventing sheriff's deputies and firefighters from being able to access the site in an emergency, authorities said.

``There'd be almost no way for us to get emergency equipment in or out,'' said sheriff's Capt. Don Rodriguez.

The potential for accidental damage to private property would also be great, Rodriguez said, ``with the chance that people would be using alcohol and that there would not be enough bathroom facilities.''

Rodriguez estimated that he would need to add 20 deputies to the normal deployment for traffic and crowd control. At $54 an hour in overtime, the additions would cost the city about $10,000, he said.

Kimberle Wooten, vice president of Theatre Arts for Children and project coordinator for its Country Fair, said she is disappointed about the recommendation.

``Last year, the biggest response we got was that the community wanted fireworks,'' Wooten said. ``It's too bad that community members have to leave the city to go see fireworks.''

Fireworks shows are produced in unincorporated Valencia and Castaic.

Every year, Magic Mountain puts on a 40-minute display, preceded by a parade. Although it costs the amusement park's admission price of $36 for adults, the display can be seen from outside the park, said Magic Mountain spokesman Andy Gallardo.

Castaic Lake Recreation Area also organizes a 40-minute display, which last year was accompanied by a live band and water skiing show, said regional park superintendent Mika Yamamoto. The event costs $20 per car.

But, Wooten said, ``Those options aren't good enough.''

Magic Mountain's admission price is too high, and Castaic Lake limits the numbers of tickets sold, she said.

Wooten added she is not giving up, even if the city declines to sponsor the fireworks for 1999. Theatre Arts for Children will survey people at this year's Country Fair to determine what residents want.

Then, Wooten said, maybe the organization will have more time to work with the city to find a safer environment.