Posted on 06/24/2004 3:55:02 PM PDT by Libloather
An eerie calm prevails at the FleetCenter
By David R. Guarino
Thursday, June 24, 2004
With convention construction already $5 million over budget and three days delayed due to a picket line, all was amazingly quiet inside the FleetCenter yesterday - 33 days from DNC D-Day.
Convention organizers and Mayor Thomas M. Menino say construction's on schedule.
But, to the naked eye, the FleetCenter is far from ready for Sen. John F. Kerry's big event.
Workers have taken out seats to make room for the convention stage and steel has been added to the ceiling to help light the ceremonies.
Outside, only the foundation and part of the roof have been constructed for the media pavilion.
During a tour of the construction, the feel was more Spanish siesta than Swiss train.
Four workers pulled down railings on some aisles while a lone welder sparked from the rafters.
All told, there were more people on line at the North Station Dunkin' Donuts than working inside the convention hall.
Reporters strained to see the progress.
``Which steel is it?'' a radio reporter asked DNC spokesman Angus McQuilken about supports added to the ceiling.
``The gray steel,'' he replied.
``Which gray steel?'' the reporter asked.
DNC organizers say the relative quiet yesterday doesn't mean anything. They eagerly ticked off construction accomplishments.
``One thousand yards of concrete poured, 1,500 yards of fill placed in the concrete, 50,000 square feet of hot top paved, the skyboxes were shelled out, 60 tons of structural steel was put in place - do you have any idea what that takes?'' asked DNC spokeswoman Peggy Wilhide.
``We had 200 Verizon workers in there the last 24 hours. They're in every nook and cranny, they're not all on the FleetCenter floor.''
Menino said he hasn't seen the progress but isn't worried.
``They got all the seats out of there, that's a good sign,'' Menino said. ``They are moving as quickly as they can and they assure me they'll finish on time.''
Convention hall director Alan Rose said, ``We're on schedule and we're gonna get the job done.''
Getting the job done, Wilhide said, will mean almost round-the-clock work the next four weeks. She said she couldn't calculate the overtime required but that conventions always work this way since so much must be built so quickly.
``It's a tight schedule, it always was, it still is,'' she said.
Only if delegates get stuck in the projected three-day-long traffic jam...
"Ramses:..."
Hey, Ramses. That was great!
It is inconceivable that the unions, Back Bay elite, left wing media, gansters dependent on all of the above, anti-Americans and kerrorists would allow anything to REALLY threaten the start of the convention.
Maybe they can contract out to the Athens Olympic builders.......that project is on time............../sarcasm
I wonder if the design work was done by the folks who did that French airport.
Hey, Ramses. That was great!
I thought that was Clinton's friend.
"Hey, Ramses. That was great!
I thought that was Clinton's friend."
Now, now! (snigger)
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