Albany city leaders make plans for Independence Day Celebration and road closures

ALBANY, Ga. – The city of Albany is getting set for their big 4th of July Celebration, and city leaders spoke Monday afternoon about the event taking place here at the Civic Center.

Figureheads from the Albany Police Department, Fire Department, and Parks and Recreation to name a few spoke Monday afternoon about the celebration.

“The city of Albany is, really, we’re excited. We just hope you’re excited. Because July the 4th, we’re gonna have a lot of things go bang, and a lot of things go pop, and a lot of fireworks. But, most importantly, I want to make sure you understand: it’s about having fun, but safe fun,” said Steven Belk, Director, Albany Parks and Recreation.

One unseen change will be where the city will be launching the fireworks, as this year, instead of closing down one of the bridges going across the Flint River, they’ll instead be launching them from behind the Civic Center…

And… that poses it’s own fire risk with more nearby brush.

“We will have a fire truck here. We will have an area truck, and we will also have a brush truck. And, the brush truck will be located in the back by team one. We just want everyone to be safe, and be aware of your surroundings. And, we want to make sure everyone comes out and has a good time,” said Sheniqa Lincey, Safety Inspector, Albany Fire Department.

Albany Police Chief, Michael Persley also spoke about issues such as road closures, with this map showing which areas will be blocked off.

But… more importantly, he spoke about making sure that minors who attend without their parents get home safe at the end of the night.

“…Because we have youth who come down, they enjoy the event. And, afterwards, they kind of hang around the downtown area. And, we don’t want a large group of people hanging around, because at that time, when you have unsupervised people, things tend to happen,” said Chief Michael Persley, Albany Police Department.

But… overall, while there are some changes, the city wants to remind everyone to have fun.

“We got a lot of room. Lot of space. And, we’ve got a lot of love, and we want to exhibit that. Not only with our fireworks, but with our show to. Come out and join us, we appreciate you. And, we look forward to you coming July the 4th,” said Belk.

As every city department begins helping to set up for Thursday’s celebration, they want to remind everyone to celebrate responsibly and safely.

The city of Albany will begin the celebration Thursday at 5:30 in the evening, and Chief Persley says to expect the event to wrap up no later than 10 p.m.

Brian Roche reporting.

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