Pawtucket Mayor Pleads with Larry Lucchino for Meeting

Thursday, October 22, 2015

GoLocalProv News Team

 

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Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien is asking Pawtucket Red Sox owner Larry Lucchino to have a meeting to develop a comprehensive plan to keep the PawSox in Pawtucket -- and expressed his concern that the PawSox, and Red Sox, brands are being "damaged by this ongoing saga."

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In the communication dated October 20, Grebien spoke to informal meetings with Governor Raimondo, Speaker Mattiello, and Senator Paiva Weed, and wrote, "I don't want to speak on anyone's behalf [but] I believe it is fair to say we all agree that the State of Rhode Island does not want the Pawtucket Red Sox to relocated to another state.  The team's long and treasured history here in Pawtucket holds a special place in the hearts of Rhode Islanders."

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Related Slideshow: The Paw Sox Contenders - October 2015

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Pawtucket

The PawSox aren’t going anywhere - for the time being. Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien is calling for both for a feasibility study as required by the lease agreement with the state, as well as the one conducted by the new owners, as reports of outside interests in the AAA continue to mount.

GoLocal Mindsetter Kenneth Berwick argued in August that the city should align its interests with the new national park status of neighboring Blackstone River Valley; whereas GoLocal’s Russ Moore argued recently that “RI is too poor to bid for the PawSox.”

Right now there’s only speculation surrounding the team's next move, but people like David Norton are continuing to keep pressure on leadership to keep Pawtucket in the game -- if it makes sense for taxpayers. 

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Providence

As GoLocal was first to report, another potential Paw Sox location in Providence emerged following the 195 proposal — the old Victory Place footprint just off Allens Avenue.  The previous owners touted the option would remove the need for state involvement and the proposed "lease and sublease" provisions that would have cost Rhode Island tens of millions over the next thirty years. 

Fast forward several months, and the 195 proposal is no more, and the Victory property is now owned by Lifespan.  Holy Cross Professor of Economics Vic Matheson says that if a stadium gets put there “the city would most likely take control of that spot, it would easier to deal with abatements."

"The 195 spot they say died for environmental reasons, but if people were really excited about it, they would have made it happen," said Matheson. "It's hard to see taxpayers in Providence wanting to give millions to the owners.”

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Worcester

New England’s second largest city remains on the short list of prospects for the Red Sox AAA affiliate, but business leaders weren’t keen on using tax dollars to subsidize the project back in February, when Tim Murray, President and CEO of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce said, “The doors are always open...I think people here would be willing to listen, but everyone recognizes this requires significant municipal assistance. Massachusetts, traditionally, has been reluctant to use tax dollars to those kind of things, and I think in most cases, appropriately so."

City Councilor Gary Rosen was bullish on the proposal after the 195 location fell through. “The 'WorSox' could purchase, clean up and build a fine stadium on the spacious Wyman Gordon property near Kelly Square," said Rosen in September. "That location also has excellent highway access."

Vic Matheson at Holy Cross said he could see it happening — contingent on the ownership fronting the cost to build a new stadium. “I can't imagine [Worcester] pouring $4 million a year for 20 years.  I see no reason why they wouldn't make it easy, but they wouldn't foot the bill."

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Springfield

Springfield’s Communications Director Jim Leydon told 22News earlier this month that Mayor Domenic Sarno spoke with Pawtucket Red Sox owner Larry Lucchino and that Leydon says the Mayor would like to have a more formal conversation, but no meetings are scheduled.  Leydon turned down request for comment from GoLocal on Monday.    

The interest by New England’s fourth largest city comes on the heels of the groundbreaking of a $800 million MGM casino which is slated to open in 2018.  Holy Cross Professor of Economics Vic Matheson said his “guess is Springfield” to be the frontrunner as an option to Pawtucket.

“That’s just because of the money surrounding the new casino, but there's still issues with that,” said Matheson.

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Fall River

Could Fall River be the new location for the Pawtucket Red Sox?  That’s the headline that was posed by the Fall River Herald News’ Kevin P. O’Connor on October 15.

According to O’Connor: “We have started poking around, to see if there is an interest in bringing the Pawtucket Red Sox to Fall River,” said Robert Mellion, president and CEO of the Fall River Area chamber. “This is a job for the Chamber, to see if there is an interest and to talk to people to see where the interest might lead.”

The consideration comes at a time when Fall River is set to welcome a new Amazon distribution center which will employ 1,000 and is set to be completed next year, according to the Herald News Jo C. Goode. 

 

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