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Damage, cost top concerns during Wallenda negotiations
(Above) With Marina City’s west and east towers behind him, Nik Wallenda stands on the roof of Leo Burnett Building on September 16, the day his Chicago high wire stunt was officially announced. (Click on images to view larger versions.) 12-Oct-14 – Making sure their buildings were not damaged during professional daredevil Nik Wallenda’s upcoming high wire stunt in Chicago was the biggest concern of Marina City’s condominium board during lengthy negotiations that were “complicated, sometimes difficult.” In her monthly report to unit owners and residents of Marina City, Ellen Chessick, president of Marina Towers Condominium Association, said she signed a contract on September 16 with Peacock Productions, the television production unit of NBC News that produces Wallenda’s Skywire Live show for Discovery Channel. Later that day, the stunt was officially announced by Discovery Channel, around the time most residents of Marina City were learning of it. The major topics of negotiation, said Chessick, were ensuring that the towers are not damaged, that the project does not cost the condo association anything, that everyone has adequate insurance, and that the association receives “a fair location fee.” Although the amount of the location fee was not disclosed, Chessick says during negotiations “we prevailed in significantly increasing” the fee. City officials have declined to even speculate how much the location fee might be. According to the California Film Commission, location fees are based on production budget, crew size, how long the location will be needed, and level of inconvenience. The total budget for Wallenda’s 2012 walk across Niagara Falls was $1.2 million. Both Marina City and Leo Burnett Building will use the engineering firm Thornton Tomasetti to make sure the event does not damage their buildings. The firm has offices worldwide but its Chicago office is next door to Marina City at AMA Plaza. The condo board also negotiated agreements with Wallenda and Discovery Channel but the agreement with Peacock Productions was, said Chessick, “the most critical” as they will have the most personnel on site, will be reimbursing the condo association for expenses, and will be paying the location fee.
Negotiations started in March The biggest concerns about the stunt of Marina City’s condominium association did not change since giving its initial approval on March 31. Writing to 42nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly and David Kennedy, deputy director for Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, residential property manager William O’Leary had questions about how the association would be reimbursed for expenses, what the location fee would be, the size and weight of equipment, and what sort of elevator loads to expect. Each tower has one freight elevator. O’Leary proposed that elevator maintenance personnel be on site in case an emergency repair is needed. Wallenda is currently training in Sarasota, Florida, for the November 2 stunt. He will first walk from Marina City’s 588-foot west tower 341 feet across the Chicago River to the 635-foot Leo Burnett Building at a 15-degree uphill angle. He will ride an elevator down to street level, cross Wacker Drive, then either the State Street Bridge or the Dearborn Street Bridge to return to Marina City. He will take an elevator back to, most likely, the east tower observation deck, where he will walk a high wire to the west tower observation deck and he will do this blindfolded.
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