City Eyes Neighborhood Impact of Singing Flag Event

The residents of the area behind Concord High and Dave Brubeck Park are under siege at this time of the year, according to Babs Gomez.

“I moved there with the knowledge that I lived behind a park,” Gomez told the City Council on Tuesday night. “I didn’t know I was going to be behind a concert venue.”

The concert comes up this time of year — it’s three afternoons and evenings of carnival, concessions, patriotic stage presentation and fireworks, July 2-4.

“It gets to the point where we can’t leave for the three days, because we won’t be able to come back and park in front of our houses,” Gomez said. Event-goers often park in front of driveways, she said. Some even ask if they can set up chairs on residents’ lawns to watch the fireworks.

“It’s amazing what people have the nerve to ask,” said Gomez. “We think it keeps getting bigger and bigger and at some time there’s got to be a breaking point.”

Councilman Dan Helix said perhaps it was time for the city to look at another venue for the popular Singing Flag celebration.

Lights from the park illuminate the back bedrooms, Gomez said, so family members move to darker rooms to sleep during Sleeping Flag.

It’s more than three days of aggravation, Gomez said. There are three weeks of rehearsals, sound checks and lights.

Mayor Laura Hoffmeister told Gomez that city staff would be in touch with her to talk about ways to alleviate neighborhood impacts.

Hoffmeister noted that , including officers at Concord Boulevard and Denkinger Road, check licenses to ensure only locals are driving in the neighborhood.

The parking melee will be more severe this year because much of the Concord High parking lot is cordoned off with construction vehicles as part of a solar panel installation.