Stephen Tocco, MA Gov. William Weld's "point man" on the
megaplex project, said yesterday that the governor's office
"might agree to splitting up the project and building its pieces
at separate locations," writes Richard Kindleberger in this
morning's BOSTON GLOBE. Tocco said the prospects of separate
baseball and football stadiums along with a stand-alone
convention center "was only an option." However, Kindleberger
writes that "his remarks appeared to reflect the dimming
prospects for a combined facility."
Tocco said yesterday that the breakup of the megaplex may now
mean that a new stadium for the Patriots would be an open-air
facility. Kindleberger reports "if the megaplex were broken up,
the state might help the Patriots" build the facility "since a
more-expensive, domed facility would no longer be needed to hold
convention-related events. ... Such help might include providing
a site and highway-transit improvements." That site could be the
CrossTown site rejected for the megaplex in the city's Roxbury
section, the GLOBE reports. Tocco suggested that the Patriots
and Red Sox could possibly build adjacent stadiums at the
CrossTown site and share infrastructure costs. However, Red Sox
Exec VP John Buckley "said the team remains committed to its
chosen South Boston site" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/17).
