UPDATE: No Boston Olympic’s has scheduled its first community meeting for Wednesday, Jan. 14, at First Church in Boston (66 Marlborough Street) from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

At a press conference on Friday, Jan. 9, Mayor Marty Walsh announced that the city will hold nine community meetings to discuss Boston’s potential for hosting the 2024 Summer Olympics. On Thursday, the United States Olympic Committee selected Boston as its representative to play host, besting such metropolises as Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington D.C.

“Today marks the start of a long process to meet with residents and solicit feedback from our many diverse neighborhoods as we move forward in our quest to host the 2024 Summer Olympics,” Mayor Walsh said in a statement. “I am excited to share our vision with the people of Boston and hear their thoughts on how we can work together to not only bring the Games to Boston, but create one of the most innovative, sustainable and successful Olympics the world has seen.”

 

Opponents to the idea of Boston hosting the Olympics, like the aptly named No Boston Olympics, feel that Mayor Walsh hasn’t been transparent with how the city is proceeding with the bidding process.

At an address before the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce back in December, the mayor even said that if he could go back he’d be more inclusive of community perspectives.

“If we could reset the clock,” said Mayor Walsh, “maybe have more of a dialogue with the neighborhood. But there’s plenty of opportunities for people, whether it’s online through the web or directly contacting my office” to have an open discussion.

“No neighborhood will be steamrolled,” he added.

By hosting these nine community meetings, Mayor Walsh and the privately-funded advocacy group Boston 2024 will be able to entertain points of view from both sides of the argument.

For its part No Boston Olympics will also be hosting a community meeting. It’s scheduled for Jan. 14 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. the location of which is still to be determined.

 

The first meeting is scheduled to take place on January 27 at Suffolk University Law School (120 Tremont Street) beginning at 6:30 p.m.

The rest of the meetings are as follows:

  • February 24, 6:30 p.m. – Condon School Cafeteria, 200 D St., South Boston
  • March 31, 6:30 p.m. – Harvard Business School, (building to be determined)
  • April 12, 6:30 p.m. – Roxbury Community College, 1234 Columbus Ave., Roxbury
  • May 19, 6:30 p.m. – Cleveland Community Center, 11 Charles St., Dorchester
  • June 30, 6:30 p.m. – English High School, 144 McBride St., Jamaica Plain
  • July 28, 6:30 p.m. – Mildred School, 5 Mildred Ave., Boston
  • August 25, 6:30 p.m. – Orenberger School, 175 West Boundary Road, W. Roxbury
  • September 29, 6:30 p.m. – East Boston High School, 86 White St., East Boston

The International Olympic Committee will designate a host city in 2017. As of now, Boston will compete with Rome, “a yet-to-be-named German city, and possibly Paris or South Africa,” according to NPR.

Featured image via USA Olympics

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