Worcester, PawSox still in talks despite R.I. bill passage
Photo | Grant Welker
The former Apex site in Pawtucket is being eyed for a new PawSox stadium.
Despite Rhode Island lawmakers passing a bill calling for the building of an $83-million ballpark to keep the Pawtucket Red Sox in the state, conversations between Worcester and the team continue.
The Rhode Island House and Senate both passed the ball late Friday, which calls for Rhode Island and Pawtucket to contribute $15 and $23 million, respectively, with the team putting up the remaining $45 million, to replace the aging McCoy Stadium.
After the bill was passed, Worcester City Hall spokesman Mike Vigneux said the city is still in discussions with the team, and those talks have ramped up in recent weeks and months.
The approved bill has yet to be signed by R.I. Gov. Gina Raimondo, and the bill’s passage isn’t a guarantee the team opts to stay in Rhode Island and build a ballpark of the former Apex Cos. retail store.
At the Friday hearings, several lawmakers said the bill was still too risky, since the bill relies on revenue from a special tax increment financing district around the ballpark to pay for the project.
The drop in attendance of at PawSox games and baseball nationwide led some to question whether the project could pay for itself, and others brought up the financial disaster that was 38 Studios, a failed video game company from former Major League Baseball pitcher Curt Schilling that went bankrupt after securing a $75-million loan from the state.
The team has been in talks with Worcester officials and business leaders for months, and an area in the Canal District has been eyed as a possible site for a new ballpark.
Few details of the kept-under-wraps Worcester proposal have leaked out, but even Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien acknowledged last week the few media reports he’s seen indicate the deal is better than what the team could get in Rhode island.
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