Fenway Park, Garden Reviews Omit Structural Issues
An annual safety inspection by the Boston Inspectional Services Department (ISD) required by Massachusetts' building code "amounts to little more than a superficial look at emergency preparedness" at Fenway Park, according to city records cited by Nikki Gloudeman of the BOSTON GLOBE. There is "no mandate in the state building code to assess the structural soundness of major sports venues." From '02-07, the safety inspection record on file at ISD is "only a single page for Fenway and TD Banknorth Garden, with boxes to indicate compliance with 10 different standards." From '02-04, "not a single box was checked yes or no for Fenway." The "pattern also holds true for the Garden." The Garden's one-page checklist "was left blank" from '02-03 and in '06. From '02-07, "no safety violation of any kind ... was recorded for Fenway, the Garden, or a third facility, Harvard Stadium." However, Red Sox VP/Public Affairs Susan Goodenow said that the city's annual inspection is "thorough, and she praised city inspectors for their 'scrutiny and professional standards.'" ISD Dir of Buildings & Structures Harold McGonagle said of the blank reports, "Inspectors should be checking everything off, but sometimes they don't. It's probably just someone in a hurry." McGonagle added that his inspectors, while overseeing renovation work at Fenway, "do find violations, but they handle them informally and keep no records." State building code "requires that inspectors make a record of all violations." But despite the requirement, both McGonagle and ISD Assistant Commissioner Gary Moccia said that there is "no need for city inspectors to keep records of problems they found as long as the team remedies them" (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/30).
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| Safety Inspections Of Boston Sports Facilities Like Fenway Omit Structural Issues |
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