Owner reaches agreement with Carver Co., Scream Town to open as scheduled
CHASKA, Minn. (KMSP) - The owner of Scream Town in Chaska, Minnesota says the popular attraction will open as scheduled this weekend after he reached an agreement with Carver County.
Scream Town faced backlash over the weekend after owner Matt Dunn wrote a private Facebook post to his employees singling out Somali guests.
Dunn’s post said, “We are having a zero tolerance policy with Somalis. (other guests, you make your best judgment call), but absolutely zero tolerance with Somalis.”
On Thursday, the Carver County Sheriff’s Office said it had terminated its contract with Scream Town. The business had previously contracted with the sheriff’s office for grounds patrol, general security, crowd control and law enforcement as well as managing traffic on Highway 212. Without the security services of the county, Scream Town was in violation of its permit from the county and was issued an immediate stop work order.
Carver County and Dunn announced Friday it had reached an agreement with Dunn that ends the stop work order and allows Scream Town to continue its operations through the season.
As part of the agreement, Dunn will be required to hire his own private onsite security for Scream Town. The contract with the sheriff’s office remains voided, although deputies will continue to provide routine 911 response and patrol.
“Carver County does not tolerate discrimination from its employees or any businesses we work with, but we also understand that citizens want their government to be reasonable in their enforcement actions and this agreement allows for that,” Carver County Administrator David Hemze said in a statement.