– News about Quincy from Quincy Quarry News with commentary added.

Follow the money. ALWAYS follow the money
An oxycom.com image

Quincy Center Generals Bridge and Park private gala and dedication costs ran a quarter-million dollars — or more?

While the beancounters at Quincy Quarry are still reviewing the numbers and projections as only actuaries are more anal than are accountants when it comes to running the numbers, the Quarry’s Editor is down with e-publishing solid costs surmises care of asking those who are knowledgeable about such things as to what all it cost for cover the nut for Quincy Mayor Thomas P. Koch’s hosting of a private gala and dinner last Friday night at Kim Jong Koch Plaza that was hidden behind an eight-foot wall that blocked prying eyes as well as the Generals Bridge and Park dedication on Saturday.

The dinner pavilion was roughly seven times the size of the average Quincy residence
A Quincy Quarry News exclusive file photo

As for the Friday night gala dinner and which featured an open bar, just the cost of renting the temporary 11,200 square open-air steel-frame pavilion runs $75,000 to $100,000 per rack rates according to an engagement manager with the pavilion’s provider. 

And as for the second roughly 6,000 square foot pavilion that was also rented so as to cover the open bar, figure on adding around roughly half as much more to the running total cost. 

Additionally, three smaller and simpler canvas-style party tents were rented for use for this and that.

Throw in renting tables and chairs to set roughly 275 people, table setting items, floral arrangements, audiovisual equipment including two mini jumbotrons, many hundreds of feet of blacked-out 8-foot tall security fencing surrounding the tents and more to block prying eyes, a sizeable police detail to fend off prying eyes, and who only knows what all else, figure on at least approaching $200,000 BEFORE adding in the cost of food and adult libations.

The six thousand square foot open bar pavilion
A Quincy Quarry exclusive file photo image

And as for the cost of food and beverage, Quincy Quarry has been advised that $200 a person is a solid working number given an open bar, the dinner menu, two different wines served with dinner, dessert, and a champagne toast. 

In fact, given that the Quarry is apprised of what was close to the final/final list of attendees and which was rife with Koch coat-holding shills to fill tables at the dinner gala, just the beverage intake alone would suggest a per person projection of $200 person would likely not be sufficient before then also factoring in extra helpings of food by those whose should have called it quits after finishing the heirloom tomato with mozzarella cheese and prosciutto dinner salad.

At the same time, the Quarry was not able to discern if Quincy Mayor Koch was served his said to be favorite entree of a sort that is broiled boneless and skinless breast of chicken-based chicken fingers sans dipping sauce, marinate or even merely but a buttermilk-based batter coating.

In any event, figure on $55,000 as a good working number for just food and beverage costs.

Party down!
A Quincy Quarry Photo Recon Team Six long-range lens photo

So what, apparently, for the fact that just the food and beverage costs whatever they actually ran would likely prove close to sufficient to both book a large event room at the Quincy Marriott Hotel as well as provide essentially the same menu and copious amounts of adult liberations provided as opposed to the upwards of $200,000 or perhaps even greater cost estimate to instead hold the event outdoors.

And as for the dedication event the next day, its costs included providing the following and more: grandstand and chair seating for a said to be 3,000 backsides but which charitably might have been but 60% occupied.

At best.

Dedication bling
A Quincy Quarry News image

Apparently, a fair chunk of those expected to attend instead opted to attend an actual 9/11 memorial event or did not care to deal with the traffic congestion caused by the dedication’s trafficking.

Additional accouterments included; a large-covered stage; another roughly 6,000 square foot temporary pavilion for VIP’s; state of the art audiovisual equipment including a couple of larger jumbotrons even if not Gillette Stadium-sized; all manner of bunting, banners, and a huge flag suspended by two massive rented cranes; and, commemorative programs and coater-sized commemorative faux bronze medallions for anyone who wanted them.

That and all manner of DPW workers, firefighters, police and even police dogs assigned to work the event as well as most likely many collecting at least time and half overtime pay.

For but one example, how tight was security?

Quincy Police Department Special Operations snipers?
A Quincy Quarry News exclusive image

Quincy Quarry’s Photo Recon Team Six photographed what one could only reasonably suspect might have been Quincy Police Department Special Operations unit snipers on the roof of a nearby building.

Apparently, there must have been rumors of threats against Quincy’s free-spending mayor even if he makes for a (relatively, ed.) small target.

Net/net, figure well into a further six-figure cost for Saturday’s dedication event before factoring in the cost of the military jet flyover at the start of this event and bringing in army howitzers for an eighteen gun salute near the end of it.

The real Quincy Way …
A Quincy Quarry meme

Given the even more massive extravagant spending that even the long observing and thus jaded Quincy Quarry newsroom had expected as well as then addressed in various Quarry stories leading up to these events, Quincy Mayor Thomas P. Koch went to the trouble near the end of the dedication ceremony on Saturday that all of the costs had been donated.

Apparently, yet again Quincy Quarry got under the surprisingly ample amount of skin of Quincy’s otherwise vertically challenged mayor.

That and so what for how much, much less by whom as well as what and when, the benefactors are surely expecting back in return when they call in their chits.

In other words, it all but assuredly would have been cheaper to way cheaper for local taxpayers to have picked up the check than suffer what all is likely going to be backdoored upon them.

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