GR manager: More 'Lights' than agreed

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - City leaders complain that the release of 15,000 Chinese lanterns into the sky over Grand Rapids was much more than they had agreed upon with two ArtPrize artists.

The city manager claims organizers of the "Lights in the Night" ArtPrize entry misrepresented the number of lanterns involved.

One "Lights in the Night" co-organizer admitted he agreed to releasing only 2,500 lanterns, but the actual number of paper lanterns that floated over the city was about 15,000.

Grand Rapids City Manager Greg Sundstrom is not happy about that.    

There's no doubt the Sept. 28 event was a hit. Thousands of people showed up to help release the lanterns.

"It was unusual, and almost won, right?" said Sundstrom.

"Lights in the Night" came from out of nowhere to breach the Top 10 in about 28 hours -- a feat unheard of in ArtPrize's four years. It ended up taking fifth place in the world's largest art competition.

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Photos: Lights in the Night

Photos: The sights of ArtPrize 2012

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But Sundstrom said he expected fewer lanterns.

"The artist told us 2,500 would be lit. Now the artist has told me 15,000 were lit," said Sundstrum.

Sundstrom said he met with event co-organizer Dan Johnson and the two agreed on 2,500 lanterns at a meeting a couple weeks before the event.

But just after the entry made the Top 10, Johnson explained the agreement with the city differently.

"Way back in May, we had permission to do 20,000 lanterns and have about five (thousand) different, but as the time kept coming closer to our date, they kept shrinking what we could do," said Johnson. "We let off 15,000."

Sundstrom said there were informal understandings, but only one meeting where both sides agreed on that 2,500 number.

Johnson said the city changed plans right before the event, once supplies were already ordered.

But he admitted he agreed with the city on 2,500 lanterns. In the end, six times that many were released.

Now, the integrity of the co-organizers is under fire.

City leaders brought up the issue Tuesday because they did not expect to help clean up this many lanterns. Sundstrom said the city will work with organizers on the clean-up efforts.

The "Lights in the Night" organizers maintain the lanterns are biodegradable and can be returned to The B.O.B. to redeem a coupon.