2024 Olympics

Walsh: Boston 2024 will release the secret chapters

By adamg - 7/22/15 - 6:20 pm

This statement just in from Mayor Walsh:

The question of releasing the original bid documents has become an unnecessary distraction in what should be a constructive civil discourse about the future of the City of Boston. It's important that we continue our focus on building a concrete and sound plan that is shaped by community input and brings long-term benefits to the City of Boston and its residents. As a result, I asked Boston 2024 to provide the original bid, in its entirety, for public review. Both Boston 2024 and the United States Olympic Committee fully support the release of these documents in order to maintain an open and transparent process.

The chapters, from Boston 2024's original bid to the US Olympic Committee, involve the financing and political support for the proposed 2024 games.

And when the mayor talks, Boston 2024 listens, unlike when mere city councilors talk.

Linehan blocks quick action on possible Boston 2024 subpoena

By Shelagh Dolan - 7/22/15 - 3:17 pm

City Council President Bill Linehan today blocked a vote to force Boston 2024 officials to show up with secret documents related to Olympic financing - until at least the council's next regularly scheduled meeting on Aug. 12. Read more.

City Council tomorrow to ponder slapping Boston 2024 upside the head with a subpoena

By adamg - 7/21/15 - 11:03 pm

The City Council tomorrow is scheduled to consider Councilor Tito Jackson's request to force Boston 2024 officials to show up with a copy of two chapters of their original Olympic bid that they don't want anybody to see. Read more.

Charles Yancey has thoughts about the Olympics, but won't tell us what they are just yet

By adamg - 7/21/15 - 5:57 pm

The Dorchester city councilor tweeted today:

Boston 2024!! Huge topic for Boston. However I will post my response on the relaunch of my website #ComingSoon Very Soon #YanceytakesTwitter

Here in the UHub newsroom, of course, we can hardly wait. Maybe he'll also explain why he suddenly dropped his 20-year campaign for a high school in Mattapan when he finally had at least a 9-4 majority on the council last fall.

Council could consider demand for Boston 2024 financial and political documents

By adamg - 7/20/15 - 10:46 am

Jackson makes a point at morning press conference at City Hall

City Councilor Tito Jackson (Roxbury) this morning filed his formal request to ask fellow councilors to order Boston 2024 to hand over two private chapters of its Olympic bid that relate to finances and political support of the proposed games.

Now they've done it: Boston 2024's gotten Tito Jackson mad

By adamg - 7/19/15 - 8:53 pm

City Councilor Tito Jackson gave Boston 2024 until Friday to give him the 100% unredacted version of its "Bid 1.0" for the 2024 Olympics. On Friday, Boston 2024 sent the Roxbury city councilor a note saying, in essence, sorry, Tito, no can do, there's proprietary stuff in there, but we can show you the Bid 2.0 stuff, and it's even better.

Jackson, who has latched onto the fact that one of the few actual powers the City Council has is that of subpoenaing people, has scheduled a press conference for 10 a.m. Monday to discuss what his next steps are in getting the docs that may or may not have committed Boston to something.

Pan-American Games Land With a Thud in an Indifferent Toronto

By markg - 7/10/15 - 1:05 pm

The reports our neighbors to the north are not all that enthused about the Pan-Am games.
The Pan-Am games are sort of a tryout in an effort to host the Olympics. The reaction of Torontonians is telling.

Mayor John Tory is so exasperated that he has taken to lecturing them about their attitude.

Not much change in Olympic polling numbers

By adamg - 7/10/15 - 8:43 am

WBUR reports the numbers from its latest Olympic polling in the Boston area and across the state.

Statewide, 42 percent of those surveyed said they support hosting the games in the Boston area, with 50 percent opposed. In June, it was 39 percent in favor and 49 percent opposed.

Olympic Budget Ban is Smoke and Mirrors

By Anonymous - 7/8/15 - 12:53 pm

bostonolympics.vote:

An Olympic poll going around

By adamg - 7/8/15 - 9:02 am

Kevin McCrea reports on a polling call he got last night. "They did not identify who they were from but clearly were paid by Boston 2024. They asked 13 (!) questions to garner a lot of information about potential supporters/opposers of the Olympics." Read more.

New-format Olympics meetings: Fostering dialogue or minimizing dissent?

By Shelagh Dolan - 7/1/15 - 8:07 am

Protesters before the meeting in Jamaica Plain

Protesters gathered before the meeting.

The day after Boston 2024 announced their revised plans, organizers of a city forum on the games tried a new approach in Jamaica Plain: Splitting the meeting into three parts, to discuss different ramifications of the would-be games.

"They're separating us to take away our voice!" some protesters yelled at the English High School session, not far from Franklin Park, which remains the proposed venue for equestrian events and the pentathlon. Read more.

Boston 2024 plans call for massive Widett Circle redevelopment even if we don't get the Olympics, plus tax breaks for the developer

By adamg - 6/30/15 - 12:14 pm

Boston 2024's "2.0" plan for Widett Circle calls for tearing down all the existing industrial and mass-transit facilities in the 83-acre area and turning it into 8 million square feet of office and residential use with the hope Boston gets the Olympics, but under a plan that would continue even if we don't get the games. Read more.

2024 Olympics plan still calls for taking Widett Circle, building stadium, turning it over to a developer

By adamg - 6/29/15 - 10:15 am

Boston 2024 officials are outlining their "Bid 2.0" version of the proposed 2024 Olympics in Massachusetts. Current Boston 2024 Chairman Steve Pagliuca says the plan still calls for buying out the existing businesses in Widett Circle and building a temporary stadium there - and then turning the land after the games over to a private developer, who would build a whole new transit-oriented development with 4,000 apartments. Read more.

Olympics 2024, the Sequel, to be released at 10 a.m.

By adamg - 6/29/15 - 8:52 am

At the South Boston convention center. If you can't break away from work, you'll supposedly be able to watch it live online.

No financial updates at today’s Boston 2024 financial hearing

By Shelagh Dolan - 6/26/15 - 1:45 pm

UPDATE: Boston 2024 says it will release its new plan at 10 a.m. on Monday.

We'll have to wait until next week to hear any new information about the financials for the proposed 2024 Olympics. The City Council Special Committee on the 2024 Olympics held a hearing today about venue selection and financing but it didn't get many answers. Read more.

Lynch: Forget about building an Olympic stadium in Widett Circle

By adamg - 6/22/15 - 6:03 pm

Steve Lynch (D-South Boston) went on NECN's Broadside tonight and told host Sue O'Connell that condemning the existing businesses at Widett Circle for a temporary 60,000-seat stadium is stupid and something he'll fight. Suffolk Downs might work, he says.

"I don't think you'll build a stadium for three weeks and then take it down," he said. "I really think it's a bad idea."

Forget about subway-like service on the Fairmount Line; another blow to Olympics plan

By adamg - 6/20/15 - 10:07 am

The Herald reports the Baker administration has stopped plans to buy "diesel multiple unit" trains that would have allowed the Fairmount Line to run at subway-like frequencies, saying now's not the time to load up on new technologies on the T. Read more.