By Brian Denitzio
News Editor

A bill awaiting Governor Mitt Romney's signature this week could have a significant impact on the continued viability of the Bayside Expo Center in Dorchester. The bill, passed by the House in November and approved by the Senate last week, would remove a nearly ten-year-old prohibition against the Boston Convention and Exposition Center (BCEC) in South Boston hosting gate shows. The removal of the prohibition would likely draw a number of large shows away from the Bayside to the BCEC.

In a statement e-mailed to the Reporter this week, Corcoran Jennison spokesperson Catherine O'Neill said that the bill will almost certainly sink the Bayside Expo Center.

"At that time [the 1997 creation of the BCEC], we made a significant investment to upgrade the facilities at Bayside Expo to continue hosting the areas major gate shows. Now that the 1997 law is being changed to allow the BCEC to host gate shows, it is almost certain that those shows, such as the car show, the boat show, and the flower show will leave Bayside Expo. That would devastate our business at Bayside Expo Center. And as we have already lost all our regional trade show business to the BCEC, we may now lose our largest gate shows. And if we do, it is almost certain that Bayside Expo Center will have to go out of business," O'Neill wrote.

In addition to the negative effect on the Bayside, the bill has also been criticized for a clause that dictates that as remediation for the traffic impact of allowing gate shows, payments be made into a non-profit called the South Boston Community Development Fund. According to the bill, the fund would be paid $25,000 for each gate show held at the BCEC, as well as $1 for every ticket sold to those shows.

Late last week a website was set up at mccabillexposed.com that questioned the fairness of money flowing only to a South Boston organization after taxpayer dollars were used to fund construction of the facility. That website has since been replaced with a screen indicating that the site is "under construction."

In addition, some in Dorchester received an automated phone message that named State Sen. Jack Hart as the bill's sponsor, and closed by urging residents to contact Boston Convention Center Authority Chairman James Rooney to get "your neighborhood's piece of South Boston's windfall."

Hart, whose district includes both Dorchester and South Boston, clarified this week in a phone interview that he is not the bill's sponsor, and has been a longtime opponent of the bill.

"I've been concerned about the impact on the Bayside Expo Center, and Joe Corcoran is a friend and most importantly a private business in Dorchester is impacted by this," said Hart.

After it became clear that the bill would pass the Senate as it had the House of Representatives, Hart said that he felt it was important to ensure some mitigation for South Boston.

"I think I would be derelict in my responsibility to the neighborhood to not have reparations for it," said Hart.

State Rep. Martin Walsh said that he too has been a long-time opponent of lifting the prohibition, primarily because of the harm it would do to the Bayside.

"What I'm concerned about is what happens to the Bayside Expo Center, and also because Dorchester didn't benefit to that degree when the [gate] shows were held at Bayside," said Walsh.

Walsh added that he is not concerned about money going to South Boston as mitigation for the gate show ban being lifted.

The agreement surrounding mitigation from the BCEC is modeled upon the foundation set up in East Boston that Massport pays into as mitigation for the impact of Logan International Airport being located in the neighborhood, Hart said.

"The interesting phenomenon here is we're talking about Massport, a public agency, and Massport, on which we modeled this foundation, the airport through Massport donates millions of dollars to the East Boston Foundation," said Hart.

"I don't see anybody clamoring to get some piece of the pie that Massport is offering," he added.

However, Massport's website states that the agency is an independent public authority, and receives no taxpayer funds for its operation. Construction of the BCEC was publicly funded and the building continues to receive annual subsidies from taxpayer dollars.

Hart emphasized that the money paid to South Boston is coming out of the pockets of the shows themselves.

"This is a public facility, but again this will be money that these shows will pay for the impact that they are causing with tens of thousands of cars going through South Boston," said Hart.

If other parts of the city are affected, specifically Dorchester, Hart said he would be willing to engage in discussions regarding other mitigation.

"It's my responsibility to Dorchester as well, when there are large-scale developments proposed, you can be sure that I'll be at the table on behalf of Dorchester as well in order to ensure that they'll get their fair share of mitigation," said Hart.