OT: UPDATED: Boston 2024 Olympics bid IS dead

[Rocko604]

I hope Toronto can follow Boston's lead. The Pan-Am games just wrapped up here and the 2024 Olympic talk is gaining traction. I want it far, far away from here.

I can't see Kathleen Wynne endorsing something that will put Toronto and Ontario into even more billions in debt.

 

[Mione134]

I have mixed feelings. On one hand it would have probably been a diaster, on the other hand it would of been pretty cool to see them here.

The pitch wasn't thought out well enough, and nobody seemed to be on the same page regarding money.

 

[EverettMike]

I'd still like to know how private citizens can nominate a city to host a giant, expensive international event, all in secrecy.

 

[Fenway]

I have mixed feelings. On one hand it would have probably been a diaster, on the other hand it would of been pretty cool to see them here.

The pitch wasn't thought out well enough, and nobody seemed to be on the same page regarding money.

Announcing Harvard was hosting events without asking Harvard proved fatal. You can be certain Harvard bigwigs made some phone calls to end this nonsense. Nobody tells the Harvard Corporation what to do.

 

[Fire Sweeney]

I hope Toronto can follow Boston's lead. The Pan-Am games just wrapped up here and the 2024 Olympic talk is gaining traction. I want it far, far away from here.

Marcel Aubut is behind the Toronto bid
http://espn.go.com/olympics/story/_...-marcel-aubut-wants-toronto-bid-2024-olympics

This is the man who traded Eric Lindros to two teams at the same time - the Flyers and the Rangers, and then sold his team to Denver despite the games being played at full capacity every night.

 

[Ozamataz Buckshank]

hopefully the city and state is still willing to make some big infrastructure investments without an olympics game as the catalyst.

I doubt it though.

 

[Donnie Shulzhoffer]

 

[JRull86]

hopefully the city and state is still willing to make some big infrastructure investments without an olympics game as the catalyst.

I doubt it though.

My thoughts as well.

Lord knows the MBTA needed this bid desperately.

 

[chizzler]

I'd still like to know how private citizens can nominate a city to host a giant, expensive international event, all in secrecy.

That's been quietly hushed.

 

[Fenway]

My thoughts as well.

Lord knows the MBTA needed this bid desperately.

There is some hope as new Red and Orange Line cards have been ordered. However experts say the only way the Green Line can be fixed is a total rebuild that would require it to be closed for 3 years.

 

[Dr Quincy]

Awesome news. No need for that here. I'm all for business growth and investment, but that's not the project I'd invest in.

 

[JRull86]

There is some hope as new Red and Orange Line cards have been ordered. However experts say the only way the Green Line can be fixed is a total rebuild that would require it to be closed for 3 years.

Wow I hadn't heard that. That would be an absolute freaking nightmare.

 

[PatriceBergeronFan]

Thank god! Nearby states would look a lot more appealing if we had 'won' this.

 

[GarbageGoal]

hopefully the city and state is still willing to make some big infrastructure investments without an olympics game as the catalyst.

I doubt it though.

What are you, a commie? Buy a car or shut up!

 

[Dellstrom]

The Olympics in a nutshell. Stay the **** away.

 

[LSCII]

Breer is a really underrated media personality, IMO...

 

[LSCII]

Why cities bend over backwards for the "honor" of hosting these games is beyond me. It's a huge money suck where greed and corruption run rampant, and it's all funded by the constituents of the host city. And for that honor, you get a ridiculous bill, and the aggravation of not being able to get anywhere quickly for years. Thanks but no. Go **** up some other city.

 

[Fenway]

Wow I hadn't heard that. That would be an absolute freaking nightmare.

Part of the Green Line subway are 120 years old. Boylston Station is almost exactly as it was in 1897 because it is a national landmark. They can't even add an elevator there.
The signals on the Green Line were installed in the 1920's.

To me one of the greatest engineering feats in Boston history was done in 1924 when they converted the Blue Line Tunnel from trolley to heavy rail subway. It took them less than THREE DAYS

Saturday, April 19, was a legal holiday, Patriots' Hill Day, in Massachusetts. The plan involved suspending operation of the tunnel by trolley cars at 8:30 p.m. Friday, April 18, and resuming operation with third rail trains Monday morning the 21st. And incredible though it may seem this plan went through on schedule, with a few hours to spare.

As that last trolley car made its way through the tunnel, Friday night, it was followed by construction cars, loaded with men, tools, equipment and material. Inside of fifteen minutes the tunnel became a hive of activity, apparently confused, in reality so well ordered and supervised that about 50 hours of stupendous effort wrought the entire change without a hitch. Gangs at each of the four stations en route threw up temporary wooden platforms to the new level. Other gangs set to work with acetylene torches cutting up and removing the old Z-bar guard rail 20,000 ft. of it in 23 hours. Rail cars followed and picked up the pieces. Third-rail insulators had been placed in advance with third rail laid alongside and bolted up. Now it was picked up and laid in place on the insulators. Special work to the extent of 340 ft. was cut up and removed, and 724 ft. of new special work was installed. Elsewhere, signal crews were at work on the new installation.

In all a total of 1,525 men were employed, with a maximum of 780 on one shift, all in a tunnel 1.7 miles long. Twelve-hour shifts were worked; 2,185 meals were served to the men while on the job. Only two trifling personal accidents were reported during the whole period.

At 1 a.m. Monday morning Mr. Steward told the operating department they could have the tunnel. Power was turned on the third rail, the motorman of a waiting train turned on his controller and the first rapid transit train rolled down through the hole. Others followed, as the transportation and equipment executives hastened to break in their men during the two or three short hours left before the rush of Monday morning commuters was upon them.

http://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/East_Boston_Tunnel_News_(1923-1928)

 

[Fenway]

http://www.teamusa.org/News/2015/Ju...ton-To-Host-2024-Olympic-And-Paralympic-Games

During our telephonic meeting today, the board was briefed on our recent discussions with the Governor, the Mayor and Boston 2024 Chair Steve Pagliuca. We also took the opportunity to consider the remarks made by the Mayor at his press conference earlier today.

When Boston was selected in January of this year, we were excited about the possibility of partnering with Boston’s great universities in a bid that would take advantage of existing college facilities and spur the development of much-needed sport, transportation and residential infrastructure for the City of Boston. The cornerstone idea behind Boston's bid was sound. We want to compliment and thank Steve Pagliuca and his team at Boston 2024 for the remarkable work they have done in the last two months to transform a powerful idea into a fiscally responsible reality that would have benefitted the City of Boston and America's athletes for decades to come. Because of the good work of Boston 2024, we know that the Boston Games would have been good for Boston, just like the Olympic Games were good for Lake Placid, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Salt Lake City.
When we made the decision to bid for the 2024 Olympic Games, one of the guiding principles that we adopted was that we would only submit a bid that we believed could win.

Notwithstanding the promise of the original vision for the bid, and the soundness of the plan developed under Steve Pagliuca, we have not been able to get a majority of the citizens of Boston to support hosting the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Therefore, the USOC does not think that the level of support enjoyed by Boston’s bid would allow it to prevail over great bids from Paris, Rome, Hamburg, Budapest or Toronto.

Boston 2024 has expressed confidence that, with more time, they could generate the public support necessary to win the bid and deliver a great Games. They also recognize, however, that we are out of time if the USOC is going to be able to consider a bid from another city. As a result, we have reached a mutual agreement to withdraw Boston’s bid to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The USOC would very much like to see an American city host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2024. We will immediately begin to explore whether we can do so on a basis consistent with our guiding principles, to which we remain firmly committed. We understand the reality of the timeline that is before us. We will brief the media on our progress towards a decision later in August, and we will not have any public statements on the subject of a possible bid until then.

 

[Dellstrom]

I have mixed feelings. On one hand it would have probably been a diaster, on the other hand it would of been pretty cool to see them here.

The pitch wasn't thought out well enough, and nobody seemed to be on the same page regarding money.

The idea of it is very cool. The Olympics are a very special event that the entire world is watching. It would be great to boost Boston's name and I'm sure there would be a lot of pride for the city and country. There would be renovations to some things that desperately need renovating.

The reality of it... would be a nightmare... to say the least. All of that sounds great, but it'd be coming right out of our pockets. I plan to stick around the Boston area for most, if not all of my life. If we got the Olympics I'd probably be thinking about moving now. The city is a nightmare to drive in now... Imagine when they have to shut half of it down to allow royalty to move through it? It's too much of a business hub to have that much (more) chaos running through it. If they were serious about building a 60,000 capacity building then knocking it down... That tells you all you need to know about this city's capacity to hold the Olympics.

I agree that the pitch could have been much better. Using the entirety of New England with Boston just serving as the "name" would be a much better idea. They didn't ask Harvard if they were even OPEN to lending their facilities... which is just a no-no. Whatever. I'm just glad it's over. No doubt it would have been special, but there are far more negatives than positives, all things considered.

 

[Fenway]

This could be a first - A CHB column that everybody agrees with

Boston 2024 was an embarrassment. It was Bobby Valentine managing the 2012 Red Sox. It was Rosie Ruiz winning the Boston Marathon.

The death of Boston 2024 is a victory for the Hub of the Universe. It’s a triumph for rational thought. It’s a statement that we are not stupid.

Faster, Higher, Stronger. That’s the Olympic motto.

Smarter. That’s the Boston motto. Good luck to the host city of the 2024 Games. It’s not our problem anymore.

 

[RustyBruins72]

Good. My wallet is thankful.

I'd be all for an Olympics in Toronto.

#1 - I don't live there and won't have to deal with the traffic.

#2 - I don't live there and won't have to pay for it. (BUT, I'm sure there would be federal money involved).

 

[EverettMike]

I'd love for the Olympics to be in Toronto.

 

[GordonHowe]

Thank God for that. Against it from the beginning.

Proud to be a Bostonian today. (And every day!)

 

[GordonHowe]

hopefully the city and state is still willing to make some big infrastructure investments without an olympics game as the catalyst.

I doubt it though.

There is substantial money in the Baker budget recently approved by the legiislature for improvements to the T. The Governor is beginning his overhaul.