Boston Olympics *could* be great in Allston - Tuesday, 6:30pm at HBS Burden Hall

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Harry Mattison

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Mar 30, 2015, 10:20:08 PM3/30/15
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Hi,

Hope to see many of you tomorrow (March 31) for the Boston 2024 meeting at 6:30 p.m. at Harvard Business School in Burden Hall (next to Spangler Hall)

There are many questions about the finances and impacts of a Boston Olympics that need to be clarified before I can be an enthusiastic supporter of Boston 2024.

At the same time, it is also *possible* that the 2024 Olympics in Boston with many venues in Allston could be a wonderful thing for our neighborhood. Might it be great to have a world-class swimming & diving facility in Allston? Yes, I think it could be great.

For years I have been concerned about too many acres in our neighborhood sitting vacant and idle. Olympic venues in Allston would do a lot to put this land to an active and productive use and strengthen our local economy.

There are important investments in our infrastructure coming in the reconstruction of the Mass Pike interchange. The Boston 2024 vision for a compact Olympics where many people travel by walking, biking, and public transportation is well-aligned with what I and many other neighbors would like to see in our future. Hopefully Boston 2024 will be our partner in working with MassDOT to improve the current design in a way that will benefit our neighborhood whether or not the Olympics happen here.

An Allston Esplanade - new Charles River parkland between the BU Bridge and DoubleTree Hotel created by relocating Soldiers Field Road - along with other improvements to the Charles River (including the permanent return of swimming in the river) could be both part of a Boston Olympics and of long-term benefit to our community.

In the upcoming months, I hope we will have the opportunity to consider these possibilities with Boston 2024 while being both careful and optimistic about both the big ideas and important details.

Regards
Harry


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