The display started late before stopping a short time later, and then slowly progressed over about 45 minutes as a technician took the dangerous route of setting the fireworks off manually, according to statements made at the meeting Tuesday.
In the council's July 6 meeting, council members pulled the final $8,650 warrant to pay Pyro Spectaculars, the company that has done the displays for the city for about 30 years, until they heard what the company was going to offer for a display that some of them said was terrible.
Matthew Gilfillan of Pyro Spectaculars, the company that has done the displays for the city for about 30 years, was at the Tuesday council meeting to discuss the company's settlement offer.
He told the council that the problem with the fireworks was due to the implementation of the firing system.
That resulted in the operator setting the fireworks off manually, which wasn't something the company suggests doing, Gilfillan said. It also made the show appear slower.
Gilfillan offered the city a 25-percent discount on the 2010 display and an addition of fireworks to the 2011 display at no charge.
He said he knows the company can do better.
Councilman Bob Rumfelt, who acknowledged being the most upset of just about anybody, said he would have preferred the display was cut short after the glitches became apparent rather than stringing it out over 45 minutes, which was frustrating. He said many people kept coming and going, not know if the show was over or not.
Council member Suzanne Lyons said she thought that, once the show got going, it was pretty good.
“I didn't think the show was all that bad. It went off kind of funny,” but Lyons said she came away thinking it wasn't a terrible experience.
Gilfillan called it “a very forgiving opinion.”
Councilman Roy Parmentier wasn't as forgiving, telling Gilfillan he's received a lot of bad feedback over the display.
Parmentier asked Gilfillan if 25 percent was the best he could do. “We've got to take the brunt of this. You're heading out of here.”
Lake County Chamber Chief Executive Officer Melissa Fulton said she's been arranging city fireworks showed for about 20 years, and said she “respectfully disagreed” with opinions that it was a terrible show.
“It was unfortunate that it went the way it did,” but Fulton claimed it was the first time in 30 years that there had been a problem.
She said she felt extremely sorry for the operator, knowing how he was feeling. “There were no excuses. There was nothing but apologies,” she said, explaining that the man took responsibility for the error in the wiring system.
“It wasn't what we have experienced in the past, but we did get a show,” Fulton added.
She said she's gotten a lot of good feedback and not as much negativity as she expected, and said it's been wonderful working with the company.
Rumfelt said he felt they got half a show, and that's what he was willing to pay for now. He wasn't interested in considering next year's show.
Lyons moved to accept Gilfillan's offer of a 25-percent discount and an expanded 2011 display, but the motion died for lack of a second.
Rumfelt followed up by moving to give staff direction to continue negotiations with Pyro Spectaculars specifically for this year's display, which Parmentier seconded.
The council approved that motion 4-1, with Lyons voting no.
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