Massachusetts State Senator Linda Dorcena Forry is showing her support for the University of Massachusetts Boston’s impending plans for the Bayside Expo Center. Though it is unclear of what the actual plans are for the Expo Center, Forry was expected to speak on the issue at the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) General Assembly meeting held on Wednesday, Oct. 11.
Due to a childcare emergency, the Senator was unable to attend the meeting, but sent her colleague to speak briefly on her behalf. Senator Forry’s colleague, while he did express that the Senator was sorry she could not make it to the meeting with plans to visit in the near future, did not speak on what the Senator had planned on addressing at the meeting.
The Bayside property was obtained by the UMass Building Authority (UMBA) back in 2010 when the former exhibition hall went into foreclosure. The property is said to have cost about $18.7 million. Since the UMBA acquired ownership of the site, no concrete plans have been made regarding the property. At least, it is not known to the public if there actually are concrete plans for the site.
News that the UMBA has been asking possible developers to think outside the box and send possible proposals has arisen.
There have been a few proposals for the property which include the following: back when the city of Boston was in bids to possibly be the host for the 2024 Olympic games, the site was seen as a potential space for the athlete’s village.
When Boston was taken out of the bid for the 2024 Olympic games, these plans seemed frivolous. It was then that Robert Kraft, a chairman and chief executive officer of the Kraft Group and the National Football League’s New England Patriots owner, proposed that the site could be used as a venue for a soccer stadium and concert hall. It is unsure whether anything much came of this, but it is clear that the site will not accommodate such plans.
In light of this, latest talks include discussions to revamp the area to a “Harvard Square” look-alike.
So, where does Senator Forry come in to all of this?
Student Trustee Gray Milkowski spoke to The Mass Media on the issue: “I think Senator Forry has followed the project in order to ensure that the interests of the community of Dorchester are a part of the eventual plan that will come from the Request for Information on the Bayside Site, something I believe is important in addition to student interests and needs being a part of the plan. I believe that the Senator probably wanted to come and speak about her role at UMass Boston. She is so passionate about our mission as Boston’s only public research university, and she has and continues to support the campus and members of the community here.”
“I believe that the Senator wanted to speak about the language that she has proposed to the Legislature, and about the USG Resolution to support her legislation,” said Milkowski.