CHESAPEAKE, Va. — On Monday, crews were at Chesapeake City Park, cleaning up after the annual Jubilee. At the same time, some homeowners just behind the park were complaining about debris left behind in their yards and on their vehicles.
“I did not realize it was going to be this severe or I would have moved my cars elsewhere and walked back or gotten a ride or something," Trudy Richardson said.
A News 3 crew noticed numerous cars in the neighborhood had spots all over them. One resident who didn’t want to be identified said that they had their truck professionally cleaned after seeing debris on it and that some of the residue wouldn’t come off.
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“When they handed it back, they said ‘Hey, we did the best we could.’”
The neighbors say their concern is not just debris.
Richardson said several years ago, she was burned by pieces of fireworks falling onto her driveway.
Some complained about excess smoke and noise that seemed louder than in past years.
“You don’t expect them to rattle your doors and windows and feel like the house is going to cave in on you,” one neighbor explained.
"If the wind is coming toward a community and we’re this close to something that is setting off something that could be toxic to any human being or animal or property, in general, the fire marshal should have called it," Richardson said. "We have nothing against fireworks, don’t get me wrong, but maybe find another location or move them further away."
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News 3 reached out to the City of Chesapeake. A spokesperson wrote that he had not heard of any specific issues and added:
“The Chesapeake Jubilee is conducted by a private organization of that name. The City does provide certain infrastructure and personnel assistance.”
At the time of this report, the Chesapeake Jubilee organization had not responded with further information on who to contact if there are any issues.
Stay with News 3 for updates.
