Wallenda decision expected today
It’s decision day for Nik Wallenda, again.
For the second time, the Niagara Parks Commission is expected to vote Wednesday on whether or not to allow the American aerialist to walk across the Niagara gorge on a tightrope.
Chairwoman Janice Thomson and the nine other commissioners will meet at 10 a.m. Wednesday in a public meeting at Whirlpool Golf Course.
Wallenda will be in what is expected to be a large crowd along with his father, lawyer, engineer and manager.
“I brought everyone in so if there are any questions, we’ll be prepared,” said Wallenda, who spent Tuesday night in Niagara Falls preparing for the meeting.
“We feel good about it, but it’s just so hard to tell to be honest. We don’t know what to expect,” he said.
For the past year, Wallenda has been trying to get permission from officials on both sides of the border to allow him to walk 1,800- feet across the Niagara gorge on a tight rope.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill allowing a one-time exemption to his state’s anti-stunting laws, clearing the way for a 2012 crossing.
But Wallenda hasn’t had the same co- operation from officials on the Canadian side of the border.
After making a presentation to the parks commission on Nov. 16, the 10-member board voted against allowing the walk.
Undeterred , Wallenda appealed the decision to Ontario Minister of Tourism Michael Chan at a meeting last month. Chan didn’t overturn the NPC’S decision, but told the commission to have another look at the proposal.
That happened Feb. 2, when Wallenda met with Thomson, NPC general manager Fay Booker and parks and city officials for more than three hours.
Wallenda said Tuesday night he expected Booker to present a report resulting from that meeting to the commissioners Wednesday.
“We don’t know how it will go down, but we’re told it will be voted on in the open,” he said. “Now they have all the information and have done their homework.”