A clean sweep for Henry
City officials clear space for Red Sox owner’s wedding reception
The city went on high alert last Saturday. More than a dozen police officers fanned out around Fenway Park to direct traffic and shoo away photographers who got too close. Twenty-four meters were bagged so no one would park. Another 75 spaces along four streets, including popular Yawkey Way, were closed to the public.
An unscheduled makeup game? A poorly advertised concert?
No, it was a wedding reception, specifically Red Sox principal owner John Henry’s wedding reception, and city officials took unusual measures to give him space and privacy.
By closing off all the typically congested roads around Fenway to unvetted parkers, the city essentially allowed guests of Henry and new bride Linda Pizzuti to park at the door of the reception and valets to zip down cleared streets.
“Does this mean when I have my Christmas party in the winter, I can call the city and ask them to block off parking on my street?’’ asked Bill Richardson, president of the Fenway Civic Association. The answer from city officials: Not exactly.
When they were initially drawing up plans in May, Henry’s event planners had asked only that a few spots on Lansdowne and Ipswich streets be blocked off for parking to fit in generators that would power the reception, which took place under a massive outfield tent. Henry is, by nature, an unassuming multimillionaire not prone to diva demands.
The city, however, had other designs. They looked over the guest list of about 400 names, which included a who’s who of Boston celebrities, with a tinge of Hollywood as well. The wedding band was Maroon Five. The night would be capped off with a fireworks display.
So Boston police, citing a concern for crowds and anticipating a throng of news media representatives, decided there were enough public safety concerns to merit the special treatment. They recommended that parking be blocked on both sides of Yawkey Way from Boylston Street to Brookline Avenue, Ipswich Street from Lansdowne to Boylston, and Van Ness from Ipswich to Yawkey Way, basically the perimeter of the park.
Since the event was deemed a matter of public safety, the city picked up the $240 for shutting down the parking meters for the day. Henry, however, would have to pay roughly $3,000 to $4,000 for nine patrol officers, three sergeants, and a police captain for the event.
“Folks may say that Mr. Henry should handle his wedding preparations the way anyone else should handle theirs,’’ said Thomas J. Tinlin, Boston’s transportation commissioner, whose department was responsible for posting signs blocking parking. “The reality is, it is high profile and could attract people who just want to see who’s going and may want to crash the activities.’’
If the streets had been left open and the event had caused traffic snarls, officials would have been criticized for doing nothing, Tinlin said. He said no one had to be towed or ticketed.
Henry, who is on his honeymoon in South Africa, could not be reached for comment. A Red Sox spokeswoman declined to comment.
The city frequently allows others to reserve parking spots when they are moving, for farmer’s markets, or for a neighborhood celebration, Tinlin said. House parties, not so much.
While blocking off parking spaces on busy city streets for a party might be a dream for some, Tinlin said it would depend on the guest list and the attention it might attract.
“If you said, my uncle is the former ambassador to Kazakhstan, that would obviously raise some concerns and we would try to be as accommodating as we can be,’’ he said. 