Hood says It Had Nothing to Do with Mystery Phone Poll, Contained Misinformation

The developers of the Hood Park garage and retail/entertainment venue said this week that they had nothing to do with a telephone poll that circulated through the Town last weekend, a poll that the developers said had very misleading information within it about the project.

The phone poll quickly drew a stir in the neighborhood as it talked about the project in terms that weren’t yet heard by many following it, or those new to the project. In one case, the poll indicated that the potential concert venue proposed on the ground floor of the garage could host “4,000 to 6,000 seats.”

Hood spokesman Mark Rosenshein of Trademark Partners LLC said they had nothing to do with the poll and were troubled by some of the misleading information in the poll.

“The owners of 100 Hood Park have engaged in an open and transparent process and have sought to genuinely engage Charlestown residents and neighbors by distributing factual, publicly available information directly to residents attending the meetings in the community,” he said. “We did not conduct a phone poll over the weekend. We urge residents who have questions as a result of misleading information shared this past weekend to check the Boston Planning and Development Agency’s website for accurate project details. We look forward to continuing to engage with the Impact Advisory Group and the Charlestown community as part of the ongoing process of determining the appropriate benefits and mitigation should the venue be allowed to move forward.”

No one really had any idea who might have been responsible for the poll, though there were some guesses. Some suggested it could be other venue operators in Boston or other entertainment promoters, but no one specifically could be pinpointed.

Whoever it was had some resources to bring to the table, as such a coordinated phone poll would not likely be something a neighborhood person could pull off.

No one this week had claimed responsibility for the poll, and there were no groups emerging in a coordinated effort to oppose the venue or the parking garage.

Hood Park developers said the proposed concert venue has a maximum capacity of 4,000 people, and that there have been six public meetings to date on the matter – with more expected in the coming weeks.

Additionally, the developer said they have committed to the following so far:

  • Hood Park has committed to a goal of 25 percent Charlestown resident interviews and 15 percent hires for the construction work force for 100 Hood Park Driveand any full and part-time hires for 100 Hood Park Drive.
  • Hood Park will make the parking garage available to Charlestown residents at no charge during declared snow emergencies, subject to availability.
  • Hood Park and the Venue Operator are committed to providing the required police, security and traffic management staff during events as required.
  • Hood Park and the Venue Operator are committed to on-site noise monitoring of existing noise levels and regular monitoring once the venue opens. Noise monitoring will continue for one year after the venue opens.

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