No action was taken by Grand Marais City Council Aug. 14 on a request from the producer of a nationally known television show to film an episode of WWE Total Divas in the city’s campground.
“At this point, there’s no need for action,” said City Administrator Mike Roth. “We’re not sure if it’s going to happen.”
The request was approved earlier this month by the city’s park board, but the location agreement allowing filming in the Rec Park also requires approval by city council.
In his letter to the city, segment producer Justin Blount said he had no definite date for the use of the campground, but the week after Labor Day was under consideration. “We don’t have a confirmed date, but we would like to get the paperwork out of the way so all that is left is coordinating the dates and which campground,” he wrote.
Blount said he believed the Grand Marais location would fit the bill of what is needed. “What we are looking for is a campground that is secluded to make it look like it is in the wilderness, a room that we could use to store camera gear, accessible parking for roughly six to nine vans, access to your wifi for production, and the ability to use restroom facilities,” he wrote. “We would cover the fees for the campground and any activities that they decide to take part in.”
The expected crew size is about 25 people, plus about 14 cast members. The request did not specify how long the cast and crew would be in Grand Marais.
City Attorney Chris Hood said he looked over the draft location agreement submitted by Bunim-Murray Productions of Van Nuys, Calif., and found it to be incomplete. “There were a lot of things that were not included,” said Hood, and some of the things that were included cannot be legally agreed to by the city.
For example, a clause requiring confidentiality of “any and all information disclosed to or obtained by the Owner [city] concerning or relating in any way to the Program, Material or Producer shall be strictly confidential and Owner hereby agrees not to disclose any such information to any individual or entity” can not be included because the city is subject to the Data Practices Act. There were also some questions about insurance and other details.
Hood responded with a 1½-page letter of his concerns, which he told council included “many significant items.” The letter has been forwarded to the show’s producer, and city officials will await a reply. In the meantime, Hood advised councilors not to sign or approve the agreement.
“I’m comfortable with doing nothing,” said Mayor Larry Carlson.
WWE Total Divas follows a day in the life of women wrestlers in the WWE. Producers travel with the women to various cities to capture their Raw/SmackDown events and then back to their home towns. The first episode which aired earlier this summer on E! received an audience of 1.3 million viewers.
In other business:
. Council approved a special event application for use of an area in Harbor Park on Sept. 1 for a musical performance by the Joe Paulik Band. The park board reviewed the application, but referred it to the city council to be sure the requirements for liability insurance were met. City Attorney Hood said the city’s insurance policy covers events in the park, and there were no problems with the application. John Mianowski, representing the band, said the group plans to also apply for a peddler’s permit so they can sell CDs at the event, which runs from 3 to 8 p.m.
. Pat Campanaro, small business consultant with Cook County Higher Ed, gave a brief presentation on her new program designed to help owners of small businesses, and encouraged city staff and councilors to refer business owners to her. Any business that is “growing, changing or adding” is eligible for the consultant service, Campanaro said.
. Councilor and park board member Bill Lenz reported that revenue for the city’s golf course this summer is “way down” from a year ago, due mainly to the bad weather this spring. However, Lenz said business at the Rec Park campground is ahead of last year’s record-breaking pace. “We may set a new record,” he said.
. Councilor Jan Sivertson spoke about a letter she and other councilors received from the Johnson Heritage Post concerning loud and annoying music from the neighboring GunFlint Tavern that interfered with an art gallery presentation. Sivertson said the problem could have been prevented with better communication between the two parties so as not to schedule conflicting events at the same time. She also suggested that council might want to think about scheduling some time for review of the noise ordinance at an upcoming meeting.
. At Roth’s suggestion, council will meet with the city’s department heads two hours prior to their Aug. 28 meeting to begin finalizing details of next year’s budget.
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