DNCC Honorary Veterans Chair Sen. Max Cleland just sent out this news about the press facilities for the Democratic Convention in Boston:

Recently we raised the roof on a 100,000 square foot outdoor Press Pavilion that will house more than 2,000 print reporters who will be covering the Convention. By July 26, the FleetCenter will have been converted into the perfect venue for our 2004 Democratic National Convention.... The Press Pavilion, being built on the site of the old Boston Garden, will be the largest multi-story, temporary building ever constructed in the United States. Similar structures are being used at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. For the foundation of the Press Pavilion, 1,000 yards of concrete have been poured, over 2,000 yards of fill placed, and 50,000 square feet of 1 ½"-thick "hot top" paved. The roof, weighing in at 180,000 lbs., took six cranes to lift into place.

Also, sixty tons of structural steel and dozens of rigging stanchions were installed in the roof of the FleetCenter. Additionally, more than 4,000 seats have been removed to make way for the podium and press stands. Forty-four skyboxes are being turned into media suites, and an additional 20 skyboxes behind the stage are being converted into offices. Electricians have already started laying the more than 4,000 miles of cable that will be installed to facilitate communications and electronic voting. Construction on the stage will begin soon, along with the conversion of locker rooms (normally used by the Boston Celtics and the Boston Bruins) into offices for staff and waiting rooms where speakers will prepare before going on stage.

17 days to go, we are very excited. We've raised $600 so far towards our expected expenses of $2,000 - $3,000.00---if you can help us out, our Paypal page is here . If you'd like to donate anonymously, use Amazon. Both are secure. Many, many thanks.