PawSox back off push for General Assembly action this session

PAWTUCKET RED SOX CHAIRMAN Larry Lucchino has sent a letter to the state's elected leaders backing away from the team's push to have a deal done by the end of the current legislative session for a new Providence stadium and inviting continuing negotiations with the state and education of the public as the team looks to leave Pawtucket's McCoy stadium. / COURTESY PBC ASSOCIATES
PAWTUCKET RED SOX CHAIRMAN Larry Lucchino has sent a letter to the state's elected leaders backing away from the team's push to have a deal done by the end of the current legislative session for a new Providence stadium and inviting continuing negotiations with the state and education of the public as the team looks to leave Pawtucket's McCoy stadium. / COURTESY PBC ASSOCIATES

PAWTUCKET – The Pawtucket Red Sox have sent a letter to Gov. Gina M. Raimondo, House Speaker Nicholas A. Mattiello and Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed in which they have backed off continuing a push to get done a deal for a new, waterfront Providence stadium by the end of the current General Assembly session.
Citing recent remarks by Mattiello, team chairman Larry Lucchino, who is also president and CEO of the Boston Red Sox, said “we agree that it’s appropriate to take more time in the process, and to allow for additional public participation in this discussion.” The speaker has said he did not believe there was enough time before the current session expires to fit in more stadium discussions with the still uncompleted budget for fiscal 2016 along with other issues facing the legislature.
The late James J. Skeffington, who had been president of the team following its purchase at the beginning of this year, had hoped to build the team’s new facility in time to being play there by 2017, but PawSox spokeswoman Patti Doyle said that while there will be “no push for legislation in this session … we have not yet revised the construction/opening timetable.”
She added that the focus for the team at the moment is on a negotiated agreement with the state to be able to build the stadium on former Interstate 195 land along the Providence River, land that previously had been set aside for a park by the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission.
Lucchino endorsed the idea that continuing discussions and negotiations were needed, saying in the letter that “we fully endorse a continuing and comprehensive discussion to ensure a ballpark proposal that most benefits the state and its citizens.”
“We believe a state-of-the-art, multi-purpose downtown ballpark in Providence, that’s positioned well for fans arriving via all travel modes, that remains family-budget friendly, and serves as a catalyst for further development, will be well-received by much of the public and by the decision makers who are entrusted to act on behalf of the public.”
Lucchino added that he was looking forward to hearing from more “citizens, legislators and other leaders. I assure you that we are willing and eager to be partners in this public/private process.”
Raimondo has said that the team’s initial offer for the stadium, in which they asked for a $4 million payment per year for 30 years as well as forbearance from taxes on the land on which the privately-financed stadium would sit, was not a good deal for the state, which led to continuing negotiations between the state and the team. In addition, the I-195 commission recently agreed to abide by Providence zoning regulations on the state-owned property, making the city a party to the concept as well.

No posts to display

2 COMMENTS

  1. The Pawtucket Red Sox should stay in Pawtucket. With the coming of the new Blackstone River Valley National Park, a lot of federal funding will be coming to the Blackstone Valley area. McCoy Stadium could become part of the new National Park. Pageants, band concerts and historical dramas could be performed there. Visitors to the new National Park would love to go to McCoy Stadium to see future major league baseball players in action. A lot of federal matching funds would become available to make improvements in the infrastructure around McCoy Stadium. For every million dollars invested by the owners, there would be 10 million dollars available in federal matching funds. International League records show that in the last ten years, during a recession, the PawSox averaged over 8,400 fans per game. With an influx of National Park tourist, the PawSox could easily average over 10,000 fans per game. The Providence and Worcester (P&W) rail right of way that parallels the George R. Bennett Highway in Pawtucket passes within 1000 feet of McCoy Stadium. If an MBTA station was built on the main Amtrak right of way at the northern end of the Bennett Highway, commuters from Boston could transfer to a shuttle train for the one mile trip to McCoy Stadium. A bike path built alone this P&W right of way would connect the East Bay Bike Path to McCoy Stadium’s parking lot. The new family friendly National Park and McCoy Stadium that can be reached via all modes of transportation will be the catalyst

  2. Stay in Pawtucket?!!!

    Be real. The site in Pawtucket is a wasteland in an unattractive suburb.

    The site in Providence is in a prime waterfront location in an area positioned to add even more vibrant life than already exists in the area – Waterfire, major 5-K races, concerts, the nation’s 12th busiest Amtrack station, conventions, cultural venues, and entertainment.

    To move to New England’s second largest city and metro area is a great idea. Think big!