By Mark Scheer Niagara Gazette The Niagara Gazette Sat Oct 22, 2011, 11:49 PM EDT
NIAGARA FALLS — If Nik Wallenda is allowed to walk across Niagara Falls on a wire, what sort of economic impact would it have on the city and surrounding area?
Supporters say the answer is plenty, with the benefits coming in the form of hotel stays, busy stores and full restaurants.
With plans now calling for at least a week worth of activities leading up to the actual walk, they argue that the advantages to the community would last well beyond a single day.
“If we can get this done, and the Canadian government sees the light as we have here, I could see the day when we have 300,000 or 400,000 tourists in the area seeing this happen,” said state Sen. Mark Grisanti, R-Niagara Falls and Buffalo, one of a group of state lawmakers from Western New York who are pushing to make Wallenda’s walk a reality. “It’s all about having tourists come to Niagara Falls, but having them stay here for more than two-and-a-half hours.”
Not all area officials are quite as enthusiastic. In Canada, some representatives have expressed reservations about the plan. On the American side, Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster said his office has not had the level of involvement he would expect to see from such a large-scale project. He said he would expect to have been given more details by now.
“I have a lot of questions about this,” Dyster said.
The 32-year-old Wallenda is hoping to be able to make his walk in June. Earlier this year, state lawmakers and Gov. Andrew Cuomo authorized a change in state law to temporarily lift a ban on such performances at the Falls. As part of the resolution, Wallenda has agreed to cover all safety and setup costs and has waived his right to sue the state in the event of an injury or death. The event would be filmed as part of the Discovery Channel’s “Life on a Wire” program.
State Sen. George Maziarz, R-Newfane, is one of the strongest advocates for the performance. He believes the event will pay big dividends for the city and the region. He points to other communities where Wallenda has made similar walks and believes Niagara Falls can expect a similar turnout.
“When Nik did his wire-walk over Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers, I’ve been told there were 200,000 people who showed up,” Maziarz said. “I can’t imagine the number of people who will show up here, with this beautiful backdrop of Niagara Falls.”
State Assemblyman John Ceretto, R-Lewiston, said he’s confident the whole package — which is expected to include at least a week’s worth of visitor-friendly activities surrounding Wallenda’s actual walk — will draw a tremendous amount of attention to the region. He believes it will also provide a big boost to the local tourism economy.
“This is exactly the type of game-changing event we needed to help rebuild the American side of Niagara Falls and make it an indispensable tourism destination,” Ceretto said.
Canadian officials have yet to formally endorse the walk. Wallenda’s team is continuing to negotiate with representatives from the Canadian government and met this week with two advocates from across the border — Niagara Falls, Ont. Mayor Jim Diodati and Ontario Parliament member Kim Craitor. Officials from the Niagara Parks Commission have made it clear that they are reluctant to support the performance, arguing that it runs counter to long-standing policies barring stunting near the Falls and poses a risk to not only Wallenda’s life, but potentially emergency personnel on both sides of the border who may be called in the event of a rescue.
James Diodati, the mayor of Niagara Falls, Ont., admits Wallenda’s team has not yet presented any concrete estimates as to the number of visitors or potential economic impact such an event might have on the area. In his meeting with the team this week, Diodati said it was recommended that Wallenda’s people hire a qualified firm to assist in the development of a formal business plan that could be used as part of any future presentations involving Canadian officials.
“I think it’s going to be nothing but upside for this area,” Diodati said. “No one has a crystal ball to tell exactly how many people will come, but I don’t think it’s going to be a difficult case to make. They’ve got to just get it in writing.”
Diodati said he thinks it’s safe to expect tens of thousands of people to visit both sides of the border the day of the event and the days leading up to it. Beyond that, he said, the exposure generates the type of “buzz” destinations like Niagara Falls need to compete for visitors and tourism dollars. He said the related media attention is the sort of thing tourism entities in the United States and Canada spent millions of marketing dollars on each year.
“We believe the impact will be enormous and the media coverage is miraculous,” he said. “Anytime you can get this type of international media coverage, you’ve got to grab it.”
Dyster doesn’t disagree that the event has the potential to draw large volumes of people into downtown Niagara Falls this summer. He said his administration would like more information about what sort of numbers to expect so it can be properly prepared. He said he has yet to meet with Wallenda or any member of his management team and said no one involved in the coordination of the event has reached out to his office or members of the city’s special events task force. Dyster said he has not yet received a formal proposal explaining specific aspects of the project, including any potential cost to the city and the level of economic spinoff to be expected.
“I would think it would be appropriate for them to come in and at least tell us what they are preparing to do and that hasn’t happened, not yet at least,” Dyster said. “We’re not sure what they need from the city, if anything.”
Glenn Aronow, director of community affairs for Maziarz, said Dyster has had several opportunities to be involved in the process, but has elected to stay out of it. Aronow said Dyster was invited to attend an August informational session involving various stakeholders. Had he done so, Aronow said the mayor would have received a packet of information explaining various elements of Wallenda’s proposal, including safety, environmental impact and rigging plans.
“He was invited to participate in the August meeting and he chose not to participate,” Aronow said. “Nik came to town specifically to have a meeting with specific stakeholders. Paul Dyster knew that would be the case and he chose to do that.”
The August meeting involved members of Wallenda’s team, Grisanti, Maziarz, Ceretto and representatives from New York State Parks, the state parks police and the city of Niagara Falls police and fire departments. Several members of the Niagara County Legislature and Niagara Falls City Council Chairman Sam Fruscione also were in attendance. Dyster admits that he did not attend due to a conflict that day. He was represented during the meeting by City Planner Tom DeSantis who noted that the gathering took place several weeks before the state authorized legislation that would allow Wallenda to make his walk.
“It was all very preliminary,” DeSantis said. “We were all very supportive as far as it was at that point, but that’s as far as it went.”
To some, money isn’t everything. Local historian Paul Gromosiak is vehemently opposed to Wallenda’s proposed performance, arguing that it runs counter to the natural vision for the area supported by Niagara Falls State Park designer Frederick Law Olmsted. He also believes one walk will lead to potentially risky copy-cat “stunts” by individuals in the future, creating a carnival-like atmosphere not befitting one of the world’s most prominent natural treasures.
“It’s sad that we are going to do something like this — to reduce the Falls to a sideshow,” Gromosiak said. “Was the purpose of the Falls to make money? No. The purpose was to preserve them. This is a prime example of what we’ve been doing wrong when it comes to the environment. Money always talks.”
Dyster said he shares Diodati’s belief that the event will provide the community with a tremendous amount of free and welcome publicity. He said he also takes very seriously concerns raised by environmentalists and naturalists like Gromosiak, saying he wants to make sure the event, if it happens, will not have negative implications for the Falls moving forward.
“As mayor of Niagara Falls, I feel I have to be a steward of the natural image of Niagara Falls,” Dyster said. “I don’t want to do anything that, in the long run, damages the appeal of Niagara Falls.”
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