PawSox now looking at sites in Pawtucket

steveluck7

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There's also the notion of the outfield vista for fans. Pawtucket has nothing of a skyline but what there is, City hall and Tolman HS would be visible in the renderings. Flipping it would have us looking at USA cleaners and the Days Inn
 

Brohamer of the Gods

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They could put in some sort of terracing down towards the river, which would be cool. As you can see, naturally there was a low bank once you get south of the rocks at the falls itself, and then the hill shoots up very quickly. As a point of reference, that bridge is still the westbound lanes of the current Main St. bridge.


Copy (5) of Page 009.jpg
 

JimBoSox9

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I also hate hate hate the idea of replica Fenway. Real Fenway is 45 minutes away, this isn't Greenville. I mean, maybe kids would love it that way, I don't know. But it feels pretty gimmick-y.
Fenway is a darn quirky stadium from a playing field perspective. A replica build that give prospects a year (or three) head start on learning how to play in the Confines seems kind of savvy.
 

smastroyin

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Fenway is a darn quirky stadium from a playing field perspective. A replica build that give prospects a year (or three) head start on learning how to play in the Confines seems kind of savvy.
Other than figuring out if otherwise incompetent left fielders can become competent playing in front of the wall, I'm not sure this is a benefit. Sure, it's in the top 5 reasons to do it, but since I can't even think of 5 reasons to do it, that's not saying much.

My guess is Larry's people think more folks will show up for mini Fenway. If he's right that's a good enough reason, but I can still hate it.
 

RIFan

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For orientation purposes, this is the map of the 2 sites plus McCoy. The Tidewater orientation would make for better hitting conditions, but miserable for outfielders during the early innings of night games. Yellow is the Apex site, red is Tidewater.
ballpark3.jpg
 

steveluck7

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Paul Salem, managing director of Providence Equity looks to be joining the PawSox owenrship group.
Paul Salem, a titan of Wall Street and a senior managing director of the $50 billion Providence Equity Partners, is poised to join the ownership group of the Pawtucket Red Sox, GoLocal has learned. If Salem joins the ownership group the investment is personal and not an investment of Providence Equity, according to a spokesperson for Salem.
Could certainly soften the need for public financing
Side note: Governor Raimondo has an aptly named spokesperson
When asked what was discussed at the meeting, Raimondo’s spokesman David Ortiz said, “The Governor thinks it would be nice to keep the PawSox in Pawtucket and applauds the city for taking the lead in that effort. She is committed to ensuring that any involvement of the state is a fair deal for Rhode Island's taxpayers.”
Link
 

Brohamer of the Gods

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Brohamer of the Gods

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Hey kids, the study the Paw Sox did on the new McCoy Stadium options are out. Big surprise, they are looking at building a lot more than a ballpark

Short version:
In addition to the 9,500-seat capacity ballpark, the study says the Apex site would include a 125,000-square-foot hotel, 200 apartments, 50,000 square feet of retail space and parking. Alternatively, on the other side of the river, the Tidewater site would house the stadium, 50,000 square feet of office space, 12,000 square feet of retail space and parking.

Both proposals would also include the development of the land on Division Street, which would house 40,000 square feet of office space, 10,000 square feet of retail, space for parking and 70 condominiums.

The stadium is slated to cost $76 million. The additional stuff at the Apex site would cost $146.7 million and generate $130 million in city and state revenue over 30 years. Tidewater add ons would cost $51.4 million and generate $95 million in revenue over 30 years.

Last link is the full report.

http://wpri.com/2017/05/10/study-hotels-housing-to-accompany-proposed-pawsox-stadium/

http://www.providencejournal.com/news/20170510/study-apex-site-is-best-spot-for-new-pawsox-park

https://lintvwpri.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/downtown-pawtucket-ballpark-final-report-042117.pdf
 

yeahlunchbox

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Not a surprise, but the PawSox have now made it clear that they want The Ballpark at Slater Mill to be located at the Apex site:


This video claims that all the money to build the park will come from the team and revenue the park will create and there will be no additional taxes needed to fund this. Considering their initial Providence pitch and what the deal ended up looking like, consider me skeptical.
 

Puffy

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"The park will jump-start new economic initiatives and transform the economy of an entire region."

Color me skeptical as well...
 

Brohamer of the Gods

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Yeah, that is a big ask for a ball park. On the other hand, all of the other stuff they are looking to build - hotel, apartments, condos, 50,000 sq/ft of retail space - could make a difference. I know they have been looking to develop the Pawtucket riverfront for at least 20 years, and nothing has happened. I think they would be wise to market the ball park as part of the bigger package. $38 million state/city investment for a new stadium and a mini Patriot Place seems like an easier sell, especially if they can say "we the real pay back to the investment comes from all of this other stuff."
 

smastroyin

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The problem with McCoy is that the Mondors, as great as they were, were never interested in co-development, they always saw other places around the park as competition to the park. As well, of course, the area around McCoy isn't really conducive to development anyway.

So I think a development around a park in that location could work and have other payback, I'm just not sure giving away another park is a great idea (which they are doing through the tax break). And I really wish they wouldn't do a Fenway clone, and would incorporate the ziggaraut.
 

Ale Xander

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They say they'll have football there in the fall (HS?) hockey in the winter (HS? NCAA?) and concerts in the summer. If they can keep it busy (150 events/year) it might be an economic engine.
Brown football move there maybe?
Or just 1 or 2 of the home games? (vs. Yale or Harvard or Bryant or URI perhaps)
 

steveluck7

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College athletics is a certain possibility. I know when the PVD site was being mentioned, Bryant football, soccer and lax were all mentioned as likely partners for at least one annual game. Baseball was looking at playing at McCoy for a game this year as well.
 

smastroyin

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Brown has already stated no interest in playing in a baseball stadium, but maybe that was just for the Providence site, which would have required them to sell off some of their own land.
 

RIFan

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I think there is good potential to bring in several summer concert events. The closest outdoor venue for tours that are too small for Xfinity is the Bank Boston Pavillion and after that generally Hampton Beach. They could bring in several events over the course of the summer and fall. I do think they should abandon the idea of a mini-Fenway. Trying to replicate the field just gets in the way of making it a more viable multi-purpose venue.
 

Puffy

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The political climate might make this a tough sell. Who will advocate for this at the state level? The state government is facing a $100 million budget shortfall. Gov. Raimondo is already backpedaling the college tuition plan and indicating that cuts to social services will be necessary, while Speaker Mattiello is modifying the car tax repeal. RI GOP and the progressives are unified in opposition to this and it's hard to imagine the middle being able to push this through, especially given that the top two centrists/conservatives in the middle (Raimondo & Mattiello) have their own issues to deal with and probably won't be willing to go to bat for this.
 

Leon Trotsky

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The public contributions are not cash. It is bond financing secured by lease revenue from the stadium. Andrew Zimbalist, who is not a cheerleader for public financed stadiums, has said this is a pretty good deal, and the amount of private funds going into this is far and above most if not all other minor league ballparks.

About time downtown Pawtucket got some love. This will be transformative.
 

Ale Xander

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New McCoy is to sit 10,000. Brown Field seats 20,000. You could bring in bleachers, and I doubt Brown sells out, but not sure I see this as an improvement for them.
I saw that in 2015 they averaged under 4900, so 10k should be ok. The school has a reputation of student apathy in athletics so maybe this would help with excitement. Assuming there are buses to bring them to Pawt of course
There's also the the possibility of a chicken and egg issue in that maybe Admin doesn't want football offcampus precisely partly because of the apathy, especially if you'd have to sell buildings and property that are being used.

I would also think Smithfield is a good facility if Pats had at one time camp there, so don't see Bryant as a possibility.
And Kingston is probably too far from Pawt for a home field for URI
 

Ale Xander

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I think there is good potential to bring in several summer concert events. The closest outdoor venue for tours that are too small for Xfinity is the Bank Boston Pavillion and after that generally Hampton Beach. They could bring in several events over the course of the summer and fall. I do think they should abandon the idea of a mini-Fenway. Trying to replicate the field just gets in the way of making it a more viable multi-purpose venue.
They have opened Bold Point Park to some outdoor shows this year (Beach Boys, moe, etc) A small outdoor venue is needed in Greater Providence, I agree
 

RIFan

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I saw that in 2015 they averaged under 4900, so 10k should be ok. The school has a reputation of student apathy in athletics so maybe this would help with excitement. Assuming there are buses to bring them to Pawt of course
There's also the the possibility of a chicken and egg issue in that maybe Admin doesn't want football offcampus precisely partly because of the apathy, especially if you'd have to sell buildings and property that are being used.

I would also think Smithfield is a good facility if Pats had at one time camp there, so don't see Bryant as a possibility.
And Kingston is probably too far from Pawt for a home field for URI
Bryant's 'stadium' only has permanent bleachers for 3,200. All of the football improvements came post Patriots. Bryant has the best potential to play there given their small stadium and aspirations of a higher profile. The problem is that they would be less of a draw than either URI or Brown. I can see the Dentist cooking up some type of Governor's Cup and having an annual URI / Brown (or Bryant) game. I don't see a great option as home field.
 

PseuFighter

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Part two, Larry and pals are aiming to return Paw Sox to glory days of mid-2000s. In 2005, average attendance was 9,561, last year only 6,076. Not much news, but shows decade long decline.

http://www.providencejournal.com/sports/20170409/pawsox-management-looking-for-return-to-glory-days
I'm going to guess those mid-2000s "glory days" had to do with the a real push that minor league baseball in the region got as the Red Sox were consistent playoff contenders and had that first world title after 86 years thing happen, meaning interest was at a peak and Fenway was always sold out and/or suddenly more expensive than ever, especially for families. I want to say that Lowell experienced something similar (or had been riding a wave for years since the Spinners opened up play), but has also since tapered off.

At the end of the day, I really don't see what's wrong with McCoy, and what more realistically someone should expect for a minor league ballpark. I haven't been in ages, but I remember it being a nice family friendly minor league ballpark. I also want to say that it underwent renovations like 20ish years ago (new seats were added down the left field amongst other things).

A pity that Rhode Island / Pawtucket is willing to hand over cash here.
 

Brohamer of the Gods

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To be fair, there are some legit infrastructure repairs that need to be done to McCoy. It was built on top of an old mill pond and there is a lot of water damage underneath that has been building up for 75 years. How much that type of work would really cost is still up for debate.
 

Puffy

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I don't see how this is going anywhere if Ruggerio can't get fully behind it, and Mattiello is insistent on laying back and playing chicken with the Governor, in effect forcing the governor to provide cover for the whole project. None of them really want to touch this one politically and none seem willing to spend any political capital on it.
 

smastroyin

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They want to make everything Gina-dome.

This deal seems a lot less boondoggle than the last but it's impossible to build a stadium without a boondoggle. I do however think that the city could really benefit from revitalizing the area. As well as I've noted in the past McCoy is the perfect spot for a unified high school so they can get out of Shea and Tolman. So I do think there are benefits to the idea.

I have no problem with McCoy in general but I'd really like to see more of RI urban cores put to use. Whether a ball park is the best way of course can be debated.
 

Brohamer of the Gods

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soxhop411

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Paw Sox are now looking at other Cities (if other cities are interested )


 

Brohamer of the Gods

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RI Senate finance committee puts out ballpark legislation, showing "worst case scenario" costs of $97 Million, up 17% from earlier $83 M cost. Committee chair doesn't think cost will go that high, but is putting everything into bill, including contingencies. Which is nice.

Changes include giving half of naming rights fees and ticket surcharge to City of Pawtucket because they are being viewed as the weakest partner financially.

http://www.providencejournal.com/news/20171207/pawsox-ballpark-costs-could-rise-to-97-million-bill-says
 

Humphrey

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Unless they have a cheap way of building it there (for example, the new park there would be on "brownfield" land that might be very cheap and eligible for cleanup funds) then The Woo is being played.
 

Puffy

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"House speaker says PawSox stadium deal is ‘dead’ in RI"

http://www.telegram.com/news/20180122/house-speaker-says-pawsox-stadium-deal-is-dead-in-ri

Is Worcester really a possibility or just being teased?
This is a somewhat sensational and misleading headline. The Speaker of the House disapproves of the bill that the Senate passed and, presumably, if they take up their own legislation, will try to get a better deal for the State. We'll see if he's just blowing smoke or playing power games with the Senate President (which he's been doing since June), but he was basically saying the Senate bill is DOA with his caucus in the House. The expectation is that the House will take up their own bill (and reportedly soon).
 

Leon Trotsky

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Here is a very Rhode Island quote from Mattiello on this:

But Mattiello said, as he has before, that many Rhode Islanders have conveyed opposition to their elected representatives of the inclusion of $45 million in public borrowing as part of the $83 million PawSox proposal.

If stronger support would change his view, Mattiello was asked, how would he get a sense of that support?

"I talk to my barber, which I’ve recently done," he told reporters. "Local diners .... [constituents] all stop us at supermarkets and local establishments. It’s pretty easy to get a sense of where people are."
Very scientific.