Select Board Keeps Fireworks Canceled for 2026

Select Board · Meeting of February 2, 2026

ACTON — The Acton Select Board voted down a bid to restore Independence Day fireworks for 2026, keeping a December cancellation in place despite a $40,000 town meeting appropriation. Chair Dean A. Charter, who said he presented the fireworks line item to town meeting himself, made the motion to reinstate the show, but it failed amid concerns about police and fire staffing and environmental effects.

"We can, we can have a celebration," one board member said, arguing fireworks aren't required to honor the holiday. Separately, the board spent more than an hour on proposed changes to its 2017 immigration policy, including limits on where federal agents may operate on town property; Police Chief Jim Cogan said he is "not comfortable as written" with the current draft. No vote was taken on immigration policy.

The board did unanimously adopt a PFAS-free purchasing policy and voted to continue a Great Road site-plan hearing to March 2.

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Source: the Select Board meeting of February 2, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.