| Gov. Charlie Baker was not aware a $1 billion convention center expansion project he suspended was part of the bid put forward by a private group trying to lure the 2024 Olympics to Boston.
According to the Boston Business Journal’s review of Boston 2024’s “bid book” presented to the United States Olympic Committee in December, the bid included an expanded Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (BCEC) as the home to several sporting events. Rhythmic gymnastics, indoor volleyball, martial arts and wrestling were pitched to take place in the expanded BCEC, with the facility’s enlarged parking capacity also leveraged as an asset to help boost the bid.
Baker last month put the entire $1 billion plan to expand the BCEC on indefinite hold, citing concerns over the potential returns on the state’s investment.
Baker told reporters Thursday that he was unaware that the BCEC plan played a role in the original bid.
“No one ever brought it to my attention. It was never a part of the conversation. Ever. Not once, okay? Never,” Baker told reporters before leaving the State House for the western part of the state where he will give the commencement address at Springfield Technical Community College this evening.
The recently published bid documents date from late last year, before Boston 2024’s public effort to engage Greater Boston residents and alter their campaign to better suit the needs of the region.
“The preliminary bid book filed in December was a proof of concept per the USOC’s initial bidding process. We stand by our commitment that the operations of the Games and the building of venues will be privately funded. Many elements contained in those preliminary documents have already changed and some will continue to change as the bid evolves,” Boston 2024 Vice President Erin Murphy said in a statement.
According to Murphy, Boston 2024 is on track to release the next phase of the concept for the games by June 30 and continues to have conversations with Baker and other key stakeholders.
Baker said he wasn’t interested in the initial bid, only the updated plan for the games expected soon from Boston 2024.
“I’m going to look forward. And looking forward, what I see is a September due date for a draft proposal and a January final submission date, which means we need to see from Boston 2024 sometime in the month of June what the game plan is from their point of view going forward,” Baker said.
In a statement released after news reports detailed the December bid, the opposition group No Boston Olympics said the documents contradict what Boston 2024 has said to taxpayers.
“These documents make clear that Boston2024 has one message when it meets privately with the IOC and USOC, and an entirely different message when it speaks to the Massachusetts public about who will bear the costs of the Games. Yesterday’s revelations call into question the veracity of the organization’s past and future statements about the bid,” the group wrote.
Baker has teamed with House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Stanley Rosenberg to enlist a panel to hire a consultant to oversee the state’s role in preparing for the games.
