Mattiello: New PawSox proposal could come out within few weeks

HOUSE SPEAKER NICHOLAS A. MATTIELLO says that ongoing negotiations with the Pawtucket Red Sox about a move to a downtown Providence stadium are on the verge of yielding a proposal that the public will be able to look at before the state moves forward on whether to use any of the former Interstate 195 land along the Providence River for the project. / COURTESY R.I. GENERAL ASSEMBLY
HOUSE SPEAKER NICHOLAS A. MATTIELLO says that ongoing negotiations with the Pawtucket Red Sox about a move to a downtown Providence stadium are on the verge of yielding a proposal that the public will be able to look at before the state moves forward on whether to use any of the former Interstate 195 land along the Providence River for the project. / COURTESY R.I. GENERAL ASSEMBLY

PROVIDENCE – House Speaker Nicholas A. Mattiello, D-Cranston, says a new proposal for a minor league baseball stadium in Providence could be announced as early as within the next couple of weeks with the possibility of it being taken up for consideration during a special legislative session this fall.

The proposal would be version No. 2 of a plan to build a new AAA minor league baseball stadium for the Pawtucket Red Sox within the Interstate 195 redevelopment district in Providence. Mattiello, through hired economist Andrew Zimbalist, is currently in negotiations with the Pawsox ownership group, which includes Boston Red Sox president and CEO Lawrence “Larry” Lucchino, and the chairman of the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission, Joseph F. Azrack.

Mattiello told Providence Business News on Monday that the negotiations are moving forward and he expects finalized terms to be proposed “in the next couple of weeks.”

“We’re not there yet, but we’re close to coming to terms that we can vet and propose to the public,” Mattiello said.

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Mattiello, a proponent of keeping the Pawsox in Rhode Island, says the team has become a part of the state’s social culture and that the organization is a good corporate citizen. But he agrees with a sentiment heard loudly throughout the state following the ownership’s first stadium proposal, which came out in the middle of April.

In its original proposal, the ownership group pitched a public-private partnership in which it would pay an estimated $85 million to build the ballpark, but asked for both state and city tax incentives on the back end, including a state contribution of $4 million a year for 30 years.

Mattiello lauded the ownership group and Azrack for their continued work toward coming up with a new proposal, which he says would most likely be “revenue neutral,” meaning direct revenue matches direct costs before calculating any economic multipliers.

“And you know there’s going to be multipliers, so that would be a win for the state of Rhode Island,” Mattiello said.

Optimism toward the idea of revenue neutral, however, isn’t shared by some of Mattiello’s critics. Rhode Island Republican Party Chairman Brandon S. Bell released a statement on Monday saying, “Revenue neutral will mean the Pawsox owners are guaranteed millions in taxpayer subsidies to build a new ballpark and taxpayers will have to hope that the ballpark will generate enough tax revenues someday to equal the millions they spend.”

When asked about Bell’s interpretation of revenue neutral, Mattiello responded saying, “It amazes me that some folks would be critical of an idea before they even know what the idea is,” he said. “Hopefully someday the GOP can be a part of the solution here in Rhode Island and not just sit on the sideline as naysayers.”

The Pawtucket Red Sox, popularly referred to as the PawSox, currently play home games at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, but the team’s ownership group has been eyeing Providence as a possible new home since it bought the Boston Red Sox farm league team from the Mondor family last year. Reasons for leaving McCoy include declining attendance and aged stadium features.

The push to build in Providence when initially proposed received cool public and lost further momentum when local attorney James “Jim” J. Skeffington, who was championing the effort locally, died unexpectedly on May 17.

Mattiello says that if a special legislative session is called later this year – which would most likely happen in late September or early October – legislators would be given the opportunity to address fellow Democrat Gov. Gina M. Raimondo’s pending truck toll proposal to pay for infrastructure improvements, which was left hanging after the legislature adjourned from its regular session earlier this year.

The House speaker says it could benefit the state financially to also address the PawSox proposal during a special legislative session, as the Federal Reserve has indicated raising benchmark interest rates at some point this year, which could – in turn – make a deal more expensive in the long run.

But he stressed that nothing would move forward if it doesn’t have public support.

“If the public likes the proposal, and it’s something they are willing to move forward with, I have all interest in keeping the PawSox in Rhode Island,” Mattiello said. “If the public doesn’t like the proposal, we’re going to respect the will of the public.”

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  1. Hey RI legislators,

    Read our lips THE MAJORITY OF YOUR CONSTITUENTS are not in favor of Prov Sox (I know that does not matter with RI Politicians because they think we are all stupid.
    If the Paw Sox ownership wants the field in Providence they need to understand that we are NOT giving them public money. Let the owners open their wallets and pay.
    Our state politicians are keeping this alive because they are in cahoots with these Paw Sox people.
    Enough is enough. The land in question is for bringing in industry that will create jobs that RI needs desperately.