Governor Deval Patrick has four months to appoint a nine-member commission to investigate the feasibility of Boston hosting the 2024 Summer Olympics. And while hosting the games is a sentiment some Bostonians have shared for quite some time, a lone legislator on Beacon Hill thinks even exploring the practicality and likelihood of such an event is a complete and utter waste of time and resources.
The bill to form the commission came across the governor’s desk and was signed into law after passing the Massachusetts Senate by a margin of 38 to 1. The lone naysayer was state Senator Bob Hedlund (R- Weymouth) and despite an overwhelming count in favor of the commission, Hedlund is sticking to his guns.
“Given our track record here in government infrastructure projects,” Senator Hedlund told BostInno, “I felt this was something that was not feasible for this region to host.”
Of course he’s referring to the likes of the Big Dig, which was plagued by severe over-budgeting, poor scheduling, design flaws, and fatal safety issues. But he also means other major showcases Boston has played host for, like the 2004 Democratic National Convention.
“Consider the logistics and costs just to host the DNC back in ’04. Then you take something like the Olympics. Multiply the attendance and duration significantly and that would give you and idea of what we have,” continued Hedlund.
The biggest issues from Hedlund’s perspective come in the form of infrastructure and sheer cost. Cities that entertain the Olympics often fall detrimentally into debt and struggle to recover, if they’re even able to manage. Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro, the setting for the 2016 Summer Olympics, is already bedeviled by perpetually rising prices. As Hedlund notes, “Rio has political issues going on with a $700 million shortfall the government was supposed to come up with.”
Greece is still reeling from the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, which ran $4.6 billion over-budget, and some experts even credit the games with sparking the country’s steep economic spiral ever since. Many of the stadiums and venues have since sat unused by anyone and have been subjected to corrosion and decay.
On top of that, the MBTA rarely runs reliably on any given day. Add the approximately 70,000 athletes and officials present in London last year 2012 to the already congested mix of workforce commuters, students, and tourists here in The Hub and we’ve got some serious issues.
Simply put by Hedlund, “It’s a pipe dream for this region.”
Besides transportation and costs, development in Boston is difficult enough, simply because there’s very little available land to build on. Stadiums, fields, swimming pools, and other sites must fit all of the requirements put forth by the International Olympic Committee and if already standing locales don’t fit these standards, the city must build.
Or, it could turn to its New England brethren for aid. Already, per the bill, the commission must meet with other New England leaders to discuss “infrastructure, transportation, lodging, locations for events, costs, [and] benefits.” When Atlanta held the ’96 Summer games, sailing took place along the banks of Savannah, a distance of approximately 248 miles between cities. And while Boston Harbor may be capable of accommodating, perhaps the coast of Lake Champlain by Burlington, VT – just 216 miles from Boston – would be a more applicable option.
But the commission has until March to report back their findings on the matter. In the meantime, Senator Hedlund will continue to preach his message to those who will listen, despite how unpopular it may be amongst the masses.
“There are more parallels to Boston with the cities that had the problems; high costs and infrastructure issues…We need more curmudgeons. The people on Beacon Hill say ‘yes’ too often.”
Until then, we can only continue to debate the matter. Until then, stay tuned to BostInno for any news and updates on the possibility of hosting the 2024 Summer Games. Feel free to share your own sentiments and thoughts in the comments section below.
