Hoover council OKs more money for larger Fourth of July fireworks show

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The annual Independence Day fireworks show at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium will be a little larger than usual in connection with the nation’s 250th birthday, following approval of a new contract Monday night.

The Hoover City Council on Monday night approved a new contract with Pyro Shows of Alabama for the fireworks celebration that includes about 250 more fireworks shells than in the past, Hoover Parks and Recreation Manager Michael Pepper said.

This year’s show, to be held at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, July 1, will include a “birthday barrage” at the beginning of the show and a new “red, white and blue scene” just before the finale, Pepper said. The cost to the city is $35,648, a 30% increase from last year’s cost of $27,500, records show.

The fireworks will be shot from behind the outfield at the Hoover Met, and people are invited to park in surrounding parking lots to view the show. Many people gather at nearby locations as well, such as the parking lots of The Village at Brock’s Gap and The Grove shopping centers.

In other business Monday night, the Hoover City Council:

  • Heard a report from interim Chief Financial Officer Melinda Lopez that city sales and use tax revenues are about 2% higher for the first five months of fiscal 2025 (through the end of February) compared to the previous year. That’s about $1 million more for that five-month period, Lopez said. Sales and use tax revenues account for about two-thirds of the city’s general fund budget.
  • Gave the Fire Department approval to charge a $350 fee for non-emergency requests to assist with lifting people at assisted living, residential care, nursing facilities and other health care providersApproved a license for Five Star Concessions to sell alcoholic beverages at the 2026 Regions Tradition golf tournament at the Greystone Golf and Country Club on April 30-May 3
  • Declared about five pallets of technology equipment (phones, computers, computer monitors, TVs, smartboards and vehicle docking stations, etc.) to be surplus and eligible for disposal
  • Renewed an agreement with Firehouse Ministries to provide emergency shelter for homeless people in Hoover for $3,000 per year
  • Renewed an agreement with Schoel Engineering to provide floodplain management and flood mitigation services to the city of Hoover
  • Approved a 2026 budget amendment to provide $10,000 for a Lifepak cardiac monitoring and defibrillation simulator for Fire Department training, $4,100 for a hazardous materials grounding and bonding kit for the Fire Department and an extra $20,000 (beyond the $76,250 already approved) for a security screening system at the Hoover Jail
  • Declared property at 3766 Abbeyglen Way in Ross Bridge as a public nuisance due to excessive outside storage of things such as appliances, dilapidated furniture, organic materials and other debrisChanged the meeting time for the Hoover Arts Council from 5 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month