PawSox legislation moves forward in Rhode Island

SEN. WILLIAM J. Conley Jr. (center), D-East Providence, is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, center. He listens to testimony related to Pawtucket Red Sox legislation last year. / PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO
SEN. WILLIAM J. Conley Jr. (center), D-East Providence, is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, center. He listens to testimony related to Pawtucket Red Sox legislation last year. / PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

PROVIDENCE – The R.I. Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday voted in favor of legislation to help finance an $83-$85 million Triple-A baseball stadium for the Pawtucket Red Sox.

The vote signals an incremental victory for advocates who want to see the iconic minor-league team build a new stadium in Pawtucket. Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio, D-North Providence, supports the deal and expects to call a full Senate vote on Thursday or next Tuesday.

“This is an opportunity to keep a beloved franchise in our state and to jump-start economic development in downtown Pawtucket,” Ruggerio said in a statement.

But the legislation still faces uncertainty as it works its way through the R.I. General Assembly. House Speaker Nicholas A. Mattiello, D-Cranston, has not taken a strong position and has offered little beyond a promise to take the legislation under consideration.

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“Should the Senate pass the legislation and send it to the House, Speaker Mattiello is committed to having the House Finance Committee hold a televised public hearing and then thoroughly review the proposal,” wrote Larry Berman, spokesman for Mattiello, in an email.

The Senate Finance Committee met eight times since last summer to discuss and hear testimony on the proposed legislation. The lawmakers ultimately made some changes to the original bill, including a plan to allocate more of the proceeds generated by the stadium toward debt payments for Pawtucket.

According to the revised legislation, Rhode Island’s fourth largest city would provide up to $18 million in financing, which is less than the state’s $26 million and PawSox owners’ $41 million. Nonetheless, Pawtucket faces the greatest financial risk.

The financing totals are slightly greater than what was originally proposed, as the Finance Committee wanted to include the costs associated with issuing bonds. The lawmakers also revised and voted in favor of a second bill to authorize the funding mechanism.

PawSox owners earlier this month congratulated the Senate for moving the legislation forward, but stopped short of agreeing with all the legislative changes.

“It is encouraging to see the outlines of a potential framework, as we consider the transformative opportunity that this ballpark and surrounding development project offers for downtown Pawtucket and all of Rhode Island,” the PawSox said in a Jan. 3 statement.

The team, which has played its home games in Pawtucket for decades, has signaled a possible move out of state should a deal locally fail to materialize.

Worcester, Mass., is in the mix.

­Eli Sherman is a PBN staff writer. Email him at Sherman@PBN.com, or follow him on Twitter @Eli_Sherman.

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