Teens Find Law, Ignored For 24 Years, Requiring TD Garden To Hold Fundraisers
BOSTON (CBS) -- Three teenagers from Hyde Square have stumbled upon a 24-year-old deal between the city and TD Garden to host fundraising events for recreational facilities--a promise The Boston Globe said the building's owners never followed through on.
In 1993, the owners of the soon-to-be TD Garden agreed to hold three fundraisers a year in the new building in order to win state approval.
The teenagers came across the deal as they were trying to figure out why the city never replaced skating rinks closed in a couple Boston neighborhoods a few decades ago.
According to The Boston Globe, the three students contacted the Department of Conservation and Recreation, which confirmed to them that the fundraisers were never held.
Ken Tangvik, the Director of Organizing and Engagement for the Hyde Square Task Force and the man who supervised the teens, said he hopes the building's owners will make up for lost time.
"We hope that they'll be socially responsible and come up with a figure that can be contributed to this effort," Tangvik said.
TD Garden's owners said in a statement that they just found out about the matter, and said they "are in early stages of discussions and are working on a resolution" with the Department of Conservation and Recreation.
"We are committed to supporting the City, State, & DCR and are proud of the charitable contributions and programs we have all collaborated on for many years," the statement read. "Our philanthropic arms, Garden Neighborhood Charities and Boston Bruins Foundation, contribute over two million dollars in support of non-profit organizations and community programming every year."
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens reports
