Planners change media location
Move will reduce convention costs
Looking to cut costs, the Democratic National Convention has decided to move one of its media work areas to a cheaper location a few buildings away -- one that provides some 14,000 fewer square feet and would consign at least 1,000 journalists to workspace outside the convention's security perimeter.
Instead of renting about 56,000 square feet of 226 Causeway St., convention officials have plans to rent about 42,000 square feet in two nearby buildings, at 239 Causeway St. and 98 North Washington St., said Peggy Wilhide, a convention spokeswoman.
The move comes as construction costs threaten to balloon beyond the convention's $64.5 million budget, and just days before workers are slated to start building out the FleetCenter and its environs on Tuesday. Between rent and renovations, shifting the media workspace is expected to save about $2 million, according to one convention planner who spoke on condition of anonymity.
But it has sparked complaints from some journalists working with convention officials on media workspace issues. Because the North Washington Street building is outside the so-called hard security perimeter, journalists assigned to it will be required to pass through metal detectors at security checkpoints each time they go from their work area to the FleetCenter. "Being within the perimeter is a major need for us in order to do our jobs properly," said Jim Drinkard, a political reporter for USA Today who is a member of the media committee that is helping arrange press accommodations for the convention.
He said media members attempting to cover the convention would be hampered by lines at the security checkpoints and could be locked out altogether in the event of an emergency that triggered a shutdown of the FleetCenter.
Wilhide said convention officials will work hard to ensure that members of the media get where they need to go, and said mostly technical and support staff can be put in the space outside the security perimeter. In addition, she said, a special entrance to the FleetCenter will be set up for members of the media, and extra media work space will be created at North Station inside the security zone. "This meets all our requirements," Wilhide said of the new buildings. The change will not affect plans for a 90,000-square-foot, two-story temporary structure that convention officials are putting up on the site of the old Boston Garden. That structure will be within the security perimeter.
Media workspace is a crucial issue for convention planners, since one of their main aims is persuading the 15,000 members of the media who are expected from around the world to cover the event. Local convention organizers came under fire in December, after a media walk-through of the FleetCenter revealed that planners were considering putting some journalists outside of the security perimeter.
When media workspace plans were announced in February, convention organizers noted that all workspace would be inside the perimeter, allowing journalists free passage between convention proceedings and their computers and other equipment. Convention Committee CEO Rod O'Connor called those plans "undoubtedly our best choice for media workspace." But no rental agreement was signed with the owners of 226 Causeway St., Intercontinental Real Estate Corp. According to the convention official who spoke on condition of anonymity, the company was asking for $2.2 million in rent, and the office space would have needed some $800,000 in renovations.
In addition, the company could not guarantee that its residential condominium tenants would not vote to force construction to stop at some point, said Karen Grant, a spokeswoman for the host committee, Boston 2004.
Peter Palandjian, the CEO of Intercontinental, said he was told of the decision yesterday morning, and was disappointed because he has kept his office space off the market since November because of the promise that the Democratic National Convention would use it for media space. He declined to discuss the specifics of his leasing proposal.
"I'm a fan of the DNC and of the event, and would have loved to have been the landlord," Palandjian said. "I stand ready to help the mayor and Boston 2004 if they want it in any way. We still think this is the best space."
Planners say they believe they can get the space at 239 Causeway and 98 North Washington for about $500,000, though no contract has been signed with the owner of those buildings, First General Realty Corp. of Newton. Also, those buildings have office space that will require less renovation, and do not have residential tenants. First General officials could not be reached yesterday.
Rick Klein can be reached at rklein@globe.com. 