22-Dec-14 – Some people say you can’t put a price on a dream but if that dream is to walk a high wire across the Chicago River, the City of Chicago says the price is $97,692.35.

The amount is from an accounting of city expenses on December 8 that was provided by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, known by the abbreviation DCASE, which organized the event on behalf of the city. NBCUniversal, which owns the company that produced the television broadcast that aired November 2 on Discovery Channel, will pay for it all and the company has so far been billed $50,000.

The biggest expense was for extra police personnel for security, crowd control, and traffic management. The Chicago Police Department sent to DCASE an invoice for $50,567.62 to cover the wages of police officers, sergeants, a lieutenant, captain, commander, and deputy chief. They worked during a helicopter lift on October 26, setup on October 30, the event on November 2, and another helicopter lift on November 8.

89 police officers were on duty the day of the stunt, when Nik Wallenda walked a high wire from the top of Marina City’s west tower across the Chicago River to the roof of Leo Burnett Building. He then walked from Marina City’s west tower to its east tower.

Also on duty were eight officers in two police marine boats, four divers in a Chicago Fire Department boat, and four police squad cars, along with traffic aides, transit supervisors, and fire safety officers.

(Above) Iron barricades surround guy wires, anchored on Wacker Drive, which helped keep the main wire between Marina City and Leo Burnett Building from swaying. (Frame from video by International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.)

The second biggest city expense was $21,145.29 for barricades and cleanup. The Department of Streets and Sanitation billed for labor, fringe benefits, vehicles, and barricades.

Traffic control by the Office of Emergency Management and Communications will cost $8,406.99. Expenses incurred by the Chicago Fire Department are another $6,000. Security personnel provided for crowd control by United Security Services will cost $4,175.

A temporary flight restriction over the Chicago River between State Street and Dearborn Street on November 2 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. cost the city $3,500. Other expenses include rental of barricades and two-way radios.

An estimate by the city on July 15 included only the costs to provide public safety personnel, which at the time was predicted to total $76,546.

The new $97,692 figure, according to Mary May, public relations coordinator for the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, “includes all city services.”

“All costs were covered by Team Wallenda, Discovery Channel, and NBC,” says May. “The city will not incur any costs.”

(Above) Nik Wallenda midway through his second walk between towers at Marina City. (Peacock Productions/Discovery video.)

Marina City condo owners will get $86,500

To begin and end the stunt at Marina City will cost NBCUniversal $86,500. That includes a $75,000 location fee, $10,000 for use of four balconies, and $1,500 for an inspection by producers earlier in the year.

In a report to unit owners and residents in early December, Ellen Chessick, president of Marina Towers Condominium Association, said $49,000 had been received so far along with approximately $36,000 to reimburse MTCA for expenses. Additional charges, she said, were expected.

Chessick 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.

“After weeks of complicated, sometimes difficult negotiations,” Chessick said in early October, “we prevailed in significantly increasing the location fee.”