For three hours, Boston residents approached a microphone in the Condon Elementary School cafeteria in South Boston, expressing support, concern and confusion with regard to Boston hosting the 2024 summer games.
Tuesday night the city of Boston held its second public meeting on the 2024 Summer Olympics bid — a mixture of questions and comments on the Olympics.
"I personally think this is a wonderful opportunity from everything that’s been discussed tonight," said Mary Joyce Morris, a resident of the Seaport District.
Valerie Burns, who lives on A Street, wanted to find out more information about the international broadcast center and the main press center that’s being proposed for 29 acres of South Boston.
"Just tell us, what's in store for us," Burns said.
"The Olympics is more a vanity thing to me," another resident said. "Much more so than giving children scholarships, having much more sports programs. Tell me how this is going to be different than the Big Dig.”
The second public meeting — well-attended, but not without tension — began just as the first, with a presentation from John Fish of Boston 2024, the organization supporting the Olympics.
“It doesn’t necessarily impact some of the people in this room," Fish said. "It’s about really the next generations. What are some of the things we want to look for in our commonwealth, in our community, going forward?”
Many in the crowd took issue with how the city is running the public meetings.
“Typically when I think of a conversation I don’t think of five guys who all agree with each other," one attendee said. "So, moving forward I really do hope that there will be something more substantive. I’d like to see you have some people that represent some of the organizations that are on the other side of this question.”
As before, the panel and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh did not provide many details, as they say the bid is still in its concept stage. The meeting organizers promised development won’t use taxpayer dollars. And they encouraged residents to keep writing, and attending the monthly public meetings.
Walsh, who attended the meeting and is pro-Olympics, says he’s still in the listening stages as he helps craft the final bid. He’s asking residents to keep attending the monthly meetings in various neighborhoods.
