Residents gather in Salem to share sentiments on Olympic bid

SALEM – Over 50 North Shore community members gathered in Salem State University?s Berry Library on Thursday evening to hear a presentation from the Boston 2024 Olympic bid committee team and to have their questions answered and concerns heard by the group that is trying to bring the Olympics to Massachusetts.
A group that included Nikko Mendoza, vice president of engagement and external affairs for Boston 2024; Kent Knight, an architect at Elkus Manfredi Architecture; and Maureen McKinnon, a paralympian yachtswoman from Marblehead who won a gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, gave a roughly hour-long presentation outlining the plan and addressing the benefits that the Olympics would bring not only to the city of Salem, but to communities all over the Commonwealth.
Knight detailed some of the plans for Olympic facilities in Boston, including an Olympic Village at UMass Boston and a stadium by the waterfront along Route 93, as well as the plans for existing facilities at Harvard, MIT, and Boston University.
Mendoza highlighted some of the financial benefits of holding the games, including boosts in tourism and an increase in jobs.
Community members were encouraged to ask questions and voice opinions. People expressed a range of sentiments on the topic, from enthusiastic support to skepticism. Stuart McMahon, a professor of sport management at Salem State with a background in gymnastics, spoke about the benefits the games could have on the community.
?This is a golden opportunity,” McMahon said. “Sport can take you a long way. It can create a legacy for the youth in the community to keep them off of the street and in after-school programs.”
Some even gave their own proposals for the committee to consider. Ben Morgan, a Salem State student, suggested that the board allocate part of its budget to providing affordable housing for people in Boston prior to the games. Another, P. J. Curran, a tour guide in Boston, outlined the reasons why a stadium on Boston Common may be detrimental. Rinus Oosthoek, executive director of the Salem Chamber of Commerce, suggested alternate sites for some of the events, including Wonderland in Revere.
For some, the meeting just solidified an ardor for the possibility of the Olympics being held in Boston.
?I know it?s early in the process and plans are not solidified and there will be obstacles, but this is a special opportunity,” Salem resident Ken Leisey said. “We have the chance to be part of history, to look back and say ?We were there.?”
Others remain on the fence, but the forum did help to answer some questions and bring things into a clearer focus.
?I?m not sure I?m convinced yet,” said Salem?s Monica Leisey. “I?ve never been too into the Olympics, and I was looking for information on things like how it would work and how they would pay for it all. Tonight, I got a lot of information and it was very helpful.”
The meeting was one of 20 that are being held across the state.
?These meetings are absolutely imperative to the process,” said Mendoza. “We?ve learned so much and have much more to learn.”
Lynn resident Eric Reddy, who is one of the men behind the bid to bring the Olympics to Boston, said that while the support for the bid is not entirely positive in North Shore communities, he anticipates that will change.
?It?s a mixed bag right now,” said Reddy. “But I think that as people become more educated on all the factors that go into this over the next weeks and months, they?ll start warming up to the idea.”
Katie Morrison may be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @KatieMo61.