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City sets public meetings on Olympic bid
By adamg on Fri, 01/09/2015 - 8:54am
Mayor Walsh is announcing a series of meetings for residents to "discuss the benefits and impact on the city" if we actually get the 2024 Olympics:
- January 27 at 6:30 p.m. at Suffolk Law School, 120 Tremont St.
- 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. - Ohrenberger School, 175 West Boundary Road, W. Roxbury
- September 29, 6:30 p.m. – East Boston High School, 86 White St., East Boston
Also, Boston 2024, the private group spearheding the bid, will host the first meeting of its citizens advisory group on Jan. 21 at 6 p.m. at the South Boston convention center.
The International Olympics Committee will make a decision on a host city for the 2024 games in 2017.
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Comments
Before you start rooting for the Olympics in Boston, please
watch this important instructional video.
It sure put them on the map.
It sure put them on the map.
What about us braindead slobs
What about us braindead slobs?
You'll be given cushy jobs.
You'll be given cushy jobs.
That Giant Sucking Sound You Hear...
Is anyone else amazed by the fact that Charlie Baker's and Marty Walsh's first years in office will be consumed by an agenda that neither candidate ran on, or asked to manage?
"South Boston convention
"South Boston convention center?"
Yes?
OK, the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. You know, that big thing that looks like the world's largest airplane terminal down Summer Street?
Or as Patton Oswalt put it once
as I was driving him by the BCEC: " Glad to see they found something to do with Klaatu's ship".
Yeah, I always thought it
Yeah, I always thought it looked like a crashed UFO.
I thought it looked like Moby Dick
Plus I always feel like I'm walking into the belly of the beast knowing some of the background to the shenanigans that heaped this upon us. Very symbolic - without making unattainable promises, that building wouldn't be there either.
Look
Just cough up another $1b and that thing is going print money. No seriously.
BosVegas Central?
At least, from their ridiculous transport vision (a vibrant city scape, but one that's like a freeway with an occasional bus), that's what it is trying to anchor.
All we need is a fake Gherkin, Fake Eiffel Tower, and Fake Empire State Building to 1/3 scale to fully realize the grand vision.
And hookers.
Don't forget the hookers.
Check the State House
I hear they'll do whatever you want for money. They even have an entrance just for them.
I wonder...
will John Fish and his cabal of secret movers and shakers be at every one of these meetings? Being put, as Ms. Leung likes to term it, through the wringer?
Loved this from today's Herald:
"Suffolk Construction CEO John Fish, who has led the private push for the Olympics, said that when he got the call from the USOC late yesterday, “I was just almost speechless. I was absolutely thrilled for the city of Boston.”
I can sleep better at night knowing that John Fish is truly, genuinely happy for the city of Boston and not himself and his low rent Bilderberg group.
Fish probably....
Was speechless people fell for it. He's probably out today looking at what private island he's going to purchase with his future earnings.
If you have proof that John
If you have proof that John Fish is involved in illegal activity related to the Olympic bid, you should stop posting and tell the cops. I await their reply with baited breath.
You're right!
Why, I'll take my Zip disk down to the Record American and have Laurel Sweet publish my damning evidence of Mr. Fish's ties to radical Islam and his direct involvement in the closing of all of the Joe and Nemo's in this town he claims to love so much.
Thanks, citizen!
So what you're saying is that
So what you're saying is that you're really either talking out your ass or using an ad hominem instead of an argument. So that's cool.
who said illegal?
Profiteering has a noble history in this country, often tied to public infrastructure. Think of the railroads, etc.
Now if Fish would promise that Suffolk Construction will not bid on any Olympic projects, and that neither he nor anyone in his family will profit from the Games, then I'll believe his noblesse oblige speeches about doing this for the good of Boston. Until then, I'm assuming he's doing it first and foremost for himself.
edited to add that Fish has supposedly made that pledge:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/01/09/john-fish-head-boston-olymp...
Just Boston proper?
A good start would be coordinating with his counterparts in neighboring cities on this outreach. It's not as if the events and locations would be limited to Boston proper, and the impacts would CERTAINLY not be.
This Quincy resident agrees
How much of this ridiculousness will invade my city? I'm usually not this action oriented but I think I'll email and ask our mayor.
Relax , this makes Long
Relax , this makes Long Island the gem of the harbor. It will be done up suave!
Yes, likelihood of events in metro area
Mayor Walsh has said that events could be held in nearby cities. Boston 2024 says they have back-up sites outside Boston should Boston neighborhoods object. I've seem Tufts U cited as a potential site for a swim facility, they're in Medford. No idea if Boston 2024 reached out to Quincy. Apparently they never spoke to Cambridge, hence the City Council there voting to oppose the Olympic bid.
It will be up to elected officials to host mtgs, If you wait for Boston 2024 to look out for you, it will be too late.
Has anyone told Tufts that?
Their pool is ancient and in need of complete replacement. In fact, it was completely shut down part of last year. And the noobs involved in this boondoggle think it could host an Olympics-sized competition? Oh, man, this "plan" is worse than I imagined!
Dry Dock # 3 South Boston
Dry Dock # 3 South Boston naval annex is a good swimming hole!
New facility
I think the intention is to build a new facility for the Olympics.
Watch those tuition bills, kids!
It's taking the state 7 years
It's taking the state 7 years to extend the green line 4 miles on an existing right of way and they think they can prep the whole region in the same amount of time? Including roads, mass transit, stadiums, hotels, olympic village. All with a construction skilled labor shortage in the region. It's laughable.
Exactly
And BTW - if you go to the meeting at Suffolk U.- be sure to get off at Park Street.
Government Center is CLOSED for TWO YEARS to replace the tile and the escalator or something.
I'm willing to keep an open mind until we see the proposals - but I am extremely dubious we can pull this off - especially as Adam says - without a lot of cost and disruption to the worker bees.
Otherwise it's NOLYMPICS 2024!
Also, I mean, it's closer to
Also, I mean, it's closer to Park.
But yeah I'm busy making your commutes suck. One more year! Haha sure it'll be done on time ;)
I am opposed to the Olympics,
I am opposed to the Olympics, but the Gov't Center hate is a bit extreme.
They are basically replacing the whole station. How do you propose they fix the fact it was a) terrible and b) not accessible?
The options that kept the station (partially) open meant work spreading over 5-7 years with still LOTS of evening/weekend closures. That longer work window also maximized the chances of going over budget or over schedule.
Yes 2 years closed is (very) inconvenient, but it's probably the best option we had.
Perfect Lesson in Manipulation
This is how they manipulate you:
Tell you there are two options - one costs $50 million and takes 2 years but is VERY INCONVENIENT, the other costs $100 million and takes 6 years and is mildly inconvenient.
They get you to pick the option they want - in this case option 1 because - as you say "it was the best option".
The truth is that option 1 probably really takes 3 years and costs $70 million. Option 2 takes 4 years and costs $80 million - a far more difficult choice given the tradeoffs. But they want to do it fast and cheaply - so that's the info they give you.
Be careful - this Prolympics group is going to underestimate the time and cost of EVERYTHING. These people are masters at this game. Again - I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt - but there's still a lot of doubt we can do something of this scale on time and on budget ESPECIALLY once public dollars get involved which will happen. All these transit projects will run into "complications" and at the last minute, they'll lean on the state and fed to throw money at the problems to fix them. It's how they do business.
Yup
Same thing happened in Sochi, same thing happening in Rio.
I wonder
...if the flunky they'll send to these will have read the plan
I wonder
If they'll let US read the plan. The little people.
Why?
Juliette Kayyem seems like a very nice person.
Tut tut Adam
That's Juliette I've Been In Homeland Security And I Love Hearing My Own Voice As I Praise Myself On Jim and Margery Kayyem to you.
Kayem hot dogs , the official
Kayem hot dogs , the official hot dog of the Olympics !
How symbolic.
How symbolic.
In full disclosure, not the
In full disclosure, not the same family Swirls. K M was the dudes first initials......................
But did you know ,Swirls , that AAA now offers TWO Free ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE bicycle services with your membership. Really!
Gotta love
the irony in that statement. For that matter, of any food-related corporate sponsorship - i.e. McDonalds - of the Olympics.
McDonald's
Gee if they are a sponsor, makes me wonder where they will build the large-ass McDonald's for the Olympics. They build one in every city. It's usually HUGE and monsterous... 4-5 kitches, 10+ registers, huge seating area...
The one for Atlanta is GA Tech's campus... although I think it finally closed. (It was in a low foot traffic area after the Olympics)
My vote is for one of the parcels
over the Big Dig. Or they could re-open the one that used to be in Central Square, Lynn (which was the first McDonald's franchise ever to be closed by corporate management because they weren't making enough money).
oh how nice.
public meetings only held AFTER the USOC has already selected Boston as the US bid for an Olympics for which the US is considered to be the frontrunner.
the bid details still haven't been made public, either.
I will give them this
My faith in them to make transit improvements has gone up a little bit after seeing the railroad job they're already pulling.
High-yo!
High-yo!
Full disclosure of the bid
Well obviously they'll have to disclose the full details of the bid now. Time to come out of the shaddows and into the uncomfortably bright lights.
No Boston Olympics Organizing Meeting - 1/14
No Boston Olympics is holding an informational and organizing meeting to plan our continued opposition to Boston2024's bid. Please join us on Wednesday evening to lend your voice and learn about how you can help. T-accessible location in Boston or Cambridge to be announced soon.
WHEN
January 14, 2015 at 6pm - 8pm
Linky
Good luck on your NIMBY
Good luck on your NIMBY campaign.
I think
I think we will win. The poll in the last thread says a lot about how much we want this.. which is 63% NO, more if you add the "meh" people.
(and folks before you even try to discredit me about that.. remember this, most Gallup polls only poll between 500-1000 people. We're well past there on this poll)
The raw number of responses doesn't matter
Polls are also designed to correct or weight the responses so that they are representative of the entire population. No offense to Adam as I am a fan of this site but I think you would be hard pressed to say that the people who responded to the poll here are an accurate representation of Boston's demographics (even if all of the responses were from actual city residents).
true
true, these self-selection polls don't hold up statistically.
however, I'm guessing a real poll or referendum wouldn't come out in Boston 2024's favor. Otherwise we'd have seen one, otherwise the Mayor wouldn't already be on record as against a referendum.
awaiting the first official poll results ...
I work in a building with a very large number of people. I have yet to find ONE person who thinks even *bidding* on the olympics is a good idea.
and folks before you even try
How could someone discredit your logic? I'm sure Gallup is moving to poling on random websites as we speak.
*spray*
*sprays you with Troll-Be-Gone*
You must be new here....
Some things shouldn't be in your back yard
I'm sure you would complain if I used your backyard for a popup restaurant where I:
Swirls I tried to put
Swirls I tried to put cranberry bogs in my back yard , but the numbers didnt jive. Good thing, there is a new plant that yields 3x what the older ones do, its going to change the dynamic. Guess I should have built the half dozen houses when I had the chance. Backyards have potential.
Not my campaign
Just posting the meeting notice in a post about meeting notices. Personally, I'm not against the Olympics in Boston, but would fully support a ballot initiative to ban public funds from being used in the event.
What I'm concerned about is the lack of transparency and public input. Mayor Walsh has already stated he doesn't think it should go to a vote.
The WHDH online poll is close to 5000 votes and is currently at 54% for No and 46% for Yes.
Yep. Boston2024 is already violating their own core principles
On the boston2024 web site, they list a bunch of principles, some of which they've already tossed out the window. In particular:
"We will do our due diligence in an open, honest, and transparent manner."
And yet the actual bid details are STILL secret, they are holding public meetings *after* submitting the bid, etc.
Benefits for a select few one
Benefits for a select few one percenters at the expense of the rest of us. Will each Boston resident who will be put on lock down for 4 weeks be given a ticket to the games? I doubt it.
Stabbings, shootings....
How will we deal with the usual summer craziness of shootings and stabbings. The international press will be here looking for stories We will look like a bunch of fools!!
are you confused with the LA?
are you confused with the LA? or Detroit maybe?
You can't be serious
Just last night... Four shot in a car with one dead....
I am on the fence, help me decide.
Can someone list out the pros and cons of having the Olympics?
Pros:
- We get needed infrastructure upgrades. (Public Transportation, Roads..etc).
- Finally puts Boston on a Global stage that only a few American cities are on. (Assuming this will have an economic benefit in the future).
- Swedish Swim Team
-Speeds up housing creation that could be later used by colleges.
Cons:
Traffic.
Tax payers dollars going to waste.
Terror threat increases.
More cons, details
Let's start with the establishment of a police state in much of Boston for the two weeks of the Olympics and probably weeks beforehand. Remember: A key part of our bid is that the venues will be spread out all over the city and surrounding towns, and every single venue is going to have to be intensely guarded for weeks beforehand. London installed missile launchers on the roofs of apartment buildings. Also, remember that Olympic organizers really dig the way we submitted so easily to shutting down the city on that Friday after the Marathon (or at least appearing that we did; shh, don't tell them it was, at best, a very loose self-detainment outside of Watertown) .
We're not going to get a lot of housing out of the deal: Again, this Olympics bid is supposedly all about creative reuse and much of the housing will be in existing dorms - except on Columbia Point, where the old Bayside Expo Center would be torn down for an Olympics Village that could then be turned over to UMass Boston for those dorms it's been wanting to build for awhile.
The Olympics will NOT mean public-transit upgrades. Those were already underway (i.e., the Green Line extension, new cars on the Red and Orange lines and commuter rail), will still have to be paid for out of public coffers (now even harder with the rejection of the gas-tax increase) and were going to happen even without the Olympics.
The potential for taxpayers getting left with a huge bill. The T already has issues because of the Big Dig debt it was saddled with. Do we really want to risk even more debt?
Cut the crap
Isn't John Fish's word and his spotless record of public service enough to penetrate that cynical veneer of yours?
need more time
He straight up owned the Menino administration & development process and now he's on the outside looking in. Lets wait a bit to see how spotless and honorable he is now that he has to buy a new group of minions
Yeah, about that police state
Didn't the whole-city more-or-less-lockdown come to a head, despite the presence of thousands of law-enforcement personnel, when some guy went out for a smoke and heard a thump in his boat?
Maybe that can be the plan - enlist the region's smokers as the eyes and ears (if not the lungs) on the front line of terror. IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, COUGH OUT SOMETHING
Not a thump....
... the covering on the boat was flapping, when it shouldn't have been. He went out to see what was the problem, saw bloodstains on the ground, and peeked into the boat....
OK, you're right
But in the inevitable movie version, it will be a thump. And he won't have gone out for a cigarette because that's an automatic R-Rating anymore, so he'll probably have gone out to hoist his American flag or something.
Adam, well said. Stay where
Adam, well said. Stay where you are, hold your breath for the duration of the games, cough up the cash. And, for what? I think the Mayor forgets that the people of Boston voted him into office. He's not listening to us.
Well maybe the Marathon
Well maybe the Marathon should be discontinued if security bothers you . The rest of the stuff is just about change for the existing inhabitants, who are here replacing the former inhabitants. Just have to do due diligence on who reaps and who sows. I just like to see the Braves move back to Boston .
The Boston Marathon should be
discontinued, not because of the security costs, but because it lost most of its importance the day they decided to create the "elite" group of runners, then became even less meaningful the day they decided to have the "elites" run in their own race, and totally destroyed any credibilty it had left the day they decided that certain groups could run in a "third" race without meeting any qualification requirements.
Not to mention the huge inconvenience it represents (in terms of street and MBTA closures and the like) to the majority of people trying to go about their normal business.
BullShit
This is the biggest crock of BS I've read yet.. outside of Fishy John stating his company wont build stuff for the Big O.
Uh the Boston Marathon is a tradition that has been going on for well over 100 years now. It would be like cancelling the 4th fireworks because of "security.
And also the security for the marathon is maybe three days (1 setup, 1 race day, and 1 breakdown day). The Olympic security theatre will last weeks or months.. big difference there, bub.
If the Boston Marathon is such a tradition
then perhaps we should go back to the core values that made it such a tradition for so many years. In other words, ONE race for EVERYONE.
roadman
I'm not going to argue with that. Yes I am not going to argue with you
I agree 100%. I hate the elite portion of the the race. Its pointless, and locals never win.
I tried so hard not to take this bait...
You're right, locals never win the Boston Marathon. The most talented marathoners in the world win the Boston Marathon. Our hometown marathon is the most important race in the sport, bigger than New York, Chicago, Berlin, or Tokyo. And, yes, bigger than the Olympic marathon. It's the single most important marathon around. How is that pointless?
When the Boston Marathon began, and for
many years afterwards, it was a SINGLE race that anyone that met the qualifications could enter, and that ANYONE had pretty much an equal chance at winning. Now it's just another glorified excuse for corporate sponsors to shill their cheesy wares in the guise of a "sporting" event.
And the current system of having the "elites" run their own race, and allowing people who couldn't even bother to meet the qualification requirements run under the premise of "well, we're doing it for charity" is utter BS that does NOT justify the time, expense, and inconvenience this sporting "event" causes to the average person.
Boston Marathon has become a white elephant that the City and state can live without - let's abolish it now.
It's not the same marathon, that's for sure
But 50 years ago you didn't have thousands wanting to run it.
Look, the honest truth is that the elites give the race a certain heft that it wouldn't have otherwise- sure it's the oldest, but without the elites we are the Yonkers Marathon, only older.
Or Boston could go back to it's roots and go the route of Fukuoka. I don't think the purists would care too much for that option, though.
Key word '' if " . Bub,
Key word '' if " . Bub, Security risks are security risks. But I think this is just camouflage for your other arguments of rents rising and inconveniences while riding the T ect.
Yawn
*sprays you with Troll-Be-Gone also*
All I have to say is I've lived in a city thru a Olympic event. I speak from personal experience. Far more than I can say for you or just about everyone else on here (except Micheal Kerpan)
Take your excellent
Take your excellent experience and your bullshit hip saying and get ready for the new and improved experience of another Olympic event.You get one vote , mine cancels yours. Personal experience huh, boy I was hauling produce out of Chelsea long before there were condos that you nitwits could buy.You do more whining on here than a little baby with a shitty diaper. And you seem to be on here quite a bit, you on here on your employer's dime too? That is called stealing time from where I came from.
Anyone who tells you we need
Anyone who tells you we need the Olympics for infrastructure upgrades is lying to you. If we can find billions of dollars to upgrade for the Olympics, we can find billions of dollars to upgrade without the Olympics and either a) Pocket the billions NOT spent on Olympic facilities/security/use-once infrastructure or b) use those billions on more things we want and need for the next 40 years.
Any infrastructure that is a marginal for the Olympics is infrastructure built to handle crush loads for 3 weeks and NOT the things we need everyday for decades.
I'm all for spending billions on a better metro area, but an Olympics is a terrible way to do it.
+ 1,000 for this
And for anybody who argues that the Olympics is necessary for our economy, ask them how having the Olympics will result in sustainable economic growth.
Anyone who tells you we need
So why aren't we already doing it?
Because no one has gotten
Because no one has gotten together a group of people to advocate for it. One thing Boston2024 was good at was getting a group together to put together a vision (well, plus the part about claiming it will be a free lunch for everyone).
Any civic-minded opposition should try to do the same. Put together an alternative vision of how we can come together and fund the improvements we want and need here.
Um, we are ...
The Olympics bid depends heavily on a reliable MBTA. Supposedly we get there by buying new trains for the Red and Orange Lines, new coaches and locomotives for commuter rail, renovating old Green Line trolleys and buying new ones to go along with the extension. All of those things are already under way, and would be happening regardless of the status of our Olympics bid. With any luck, all the new rolling stock should actually be in place by the Olympics (2020, to be exact, but you know how the T measures time sometimes).
The state passed a $13
The state passed a $13 Billion Transporation bill last year. We are already doing it.
Not exactly
According to the Globe today, the bill that was passed does not provide funding, it only authorized bond borrowing. There's a long list of transportation projects across the state that would be eligible to borrow money. It will be up to the Baker admin whether to borrow and for which projects.
I'm not adverse to funding transit improvements, we need them desperately. But let's be honest about what we're talking about. More debt. And Olympic-related items have been bumped to the top of the list.
Residents across the state, who will help pay for this and whose wish list items just lost hope, might have something to say about this. Anyone worried about repairing decaying bridges or deferred maintenance of the T might care.
Boston 2024 never tells us this, they make it sound like the money is just sitting around for their projects.
Ignores other BIG issues
So we'll spend the next 10 yrs trying to site a velodrome, dressage facilities, etc. It will suck all the oxygen and discretionary spending from other important things NOT on Boston 2024's to-do list, such as: K-12 education, affordability of public higher education, affordable housing, etc.
Oh, how about dislocation of businesses and jobs to make way for the TEMPORARY stadium.
What is a temporary stadium
What is a temporary stadium for 60,000?
If you paid for a stadium for 60,000, wouldn't you want to rent it out and get ypur $ money back?
I love how this Olympic talk
I love how this Olympic talk ruffles your feathers
I'm placing bets on getting
I'm placing bets on getting stuck in traffic and/or stuck on a disabled MBTA train on my way to one of these meetings.
If this was January 2014 and
If this was January 2014 and these meetings were being held BEFORE the bid was submitted, then they'd have more credibility.
Stenographic recording of the Public Meetings
For those interested in stenographic recording of the Public Meetings
http://qwertysteno.com/
In the old days journalists practiced stenography!
More modern reporters
Practice recording on their phones and transcribe later.
really?
no tape machines and transcribe later?
(no snark)
Oh, could be
Being a hermit and all, I don't tend to congregate with pixel-stained wretches these days, but I have seen reporters use their phones as recording devices at press conferences.
Hermit?
Get real. You go to more public meetings than I have in my lifetime.. :)
See footnote 110...
See footnote 110 at
https://books.google.com/books?id=Hu3bFSfG3cAC&pg=PA132&lpg=PA132&dq=mar...
Boston May Be the Next Olympic Sucker
The national press weighs in: http://time.com/3660945/boston-olympics-2024/
I'm actually happy for this!
Come on guys, no hometown pride???
Plenty, just not $20 Billion
Plenty, just not $20 Billion dollars worth...
If we're going to spend $20B, let's make it something we'd enjoy for longer than 3 weeks without causing massive disruption for 9 years in advance.
It's not just traffic during the event, it's the now changed priority of EVERY political leader, EVERY development project, and EVERY plan in the metro area. Projects waiting 2 years to find out if it can be "paid for" by the olympics, even if we don't get it, projects bid hastily to get done in time, meetings on other local issues cancelled or postponed or not attended by political leaders because their attention is elsewhere.
The disruption begins TODAY. Those 9 public meetings are now about the Olympics and NOT about the things Bostonians really need.
Sure!
But it tends to fade at the sight of dozens of men carrying MP-5's in front of South Station
This just in! "Mayor Walsh: No referendum on Boston Olympics bid
From the Herald:
Mahty is obviously not a reader of UHub. Then again when you spend half your day with your head up the asses of every construction or union boss in this town, transparency could be an issue.
Marty's smart
He knows he's not going to be mayor in 2024 so he needs to get his next gig set up now. Special consultant to the Olympic committee or public liaison or something with a nice pension tied to it no doubt.
Weird
It's like we live in a country where we elect people to make these decisions for us. Weird, right?
HAHAHAHA
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight Marty. If you didn't want to ram it down people's throats, you would have had public meetings BEFORE submitting the initial application.
I smell bullshit, and it's coming from Marty's mouth.
Hypocritical bullshit
This mayor is suing the state gaming commission because he feels the City of Boston didn't get enough say in whether one single casino was built. Wanted Boston to be part of that vote.
And yet he thinks the largest sports and development project in the region's history doesn't need a vote? BY ANYONE???
Hypocrite. I wish I were a Boston resident so I could vote against him next election.
If the IOC wants to hold their games here
They should pay us for it.
What's the market value to rent, say, everything inside 128?
No Taxpayer money to venues?! Yeah, right.
Huge loopholes. Of course private money will pay for the venues, everyone wants their name on a fancy edifice, but they won't pay for the infrastructure additions and improvements required to support these venues. That's where the real long-term costs are. That's what taxpayers will be on the hook for. They will also be on the hook for maintenance for these huge white elephants built for the Olympics once the games are over. NO city has ever made money off the Olympics - just look at Atlanta or Beijing!
Bought and paid for
The Olympics are bought and paid for, just like the casino was. These "public meetings" mean nothing.