To the Editor: When I think of Pawtucket I think of the Gamm Theatre, Slater Park and McCoy Stadium. The home of the Pawtucket Red Sox; it's been their home for the last 60 years. And now there's talk about moving them to a different place, perhaps out
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To the Editor:
When I think of Pawtucket I think of the Gamm Theatre, Slater Park and McCoy Stadium. The home of the Pawtucket Red Sox; it’s been their home for the last 60 years. And now there’s talk about moving them to a different place, perhaps out of this state.
That would be a shame if they move. I manage to attend several games a year. I enjoy the game. It’s great entertainment. No matter where you sit at the stadium, it’s great seats. I recently attended a game this year. I took a couple of people in wheelchairs and we went to the top level where the handicap section is. There were no bathrooms on that level, and the concession stand was directly in the back of us but they were closed. We had to go on a lower floor to use the bathrooms or the concession stand. My point is that they want to spend $84 million on a new stadium when they could renovate McCoy Stadium, make it bigger and better, with new bathroom facilities.
McCoy Stadium is old but there’s a lot of history. There are a lot of memories and it produced a lot of great ballplayers. The Pawtucket Red Sox belong in Pawtucket. It’s synonymous with this state. It creates a lot of revenue. It’s up to our legislators to make every effort to keep the Pawtucket Red Sox in Pawtucket.
Robert Shorr
Warwick
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briankt123
Hi Robert, while you you may love McCoy & many memories; as you point out, it is outdated and facilities lacking. Why spend $68 million when you can have brand spanking new still in Pawtucket on waterside and highway. I want to point out, most substantial projects that support commerce are publicly funded or partially publicly funded. The Convention Center and Providence Place Mall are two examples, and RIPTA’s recently reinstituted free pass to elderly and disabled is another. None of these projects or programs are deemed “cash cows” however, they are better to have than not; would you agree? The proposal by Pawsox ownership has the team paying $45 million, or 54 percent, of the cost for land and development. In addition, the team will pay for 62 percent of ballpark construction as well as all construction overruns. And lastly, the stadium and team will produce revenue. A projected $130 million in fiscal benefits over 30 years. The $45 million from the PawSox ownership group would represent the largest private investment in Pawtucket’s history. It’s also the largest private investment in the history of publicly owned Triple-A ballparks.
Charlotte Knights’ BB&T BallPark brings fans, investors to uptown Charlotte: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article9158837.html
Saturday, September 2, 2017 Report this
patientman
Even if this deal isn't a loser for taxpayers it is for other small businesses in RI. I hope the team stays, but only if they build the stadium themselves.
Tuesday, September 5, 2017 Report this