State leaders: Let Pawtucket play ball!
Without pointing fingers or assigning blame, it should be made clear that Rhode Island risks squandering a once-in-a-generation opportunity if state leaders balk at the proposal for a downtown Pawtucket Red Sox ballpark.
After a series of statements by legislative leaders on Tuesday, the stadium project seems to be in severe jeopardy.
But no one is really sure why.
Both Gov. Gina Raimondo and Senate President Dominick Ruggerio had voiced support for the project during earlier phases of the planning process. House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello remained noncommittal, but gave no public sign that he was opposed to the effort.
That’s why Tuesday’s strongly pessimistic comments came as such a shock to our newspaper, city leaders and, we presume, to many in our community.
The stadium plan certainly does have outspoken naysayers – they were out in force over the past week on talk radio, on the Internet, and in critical stories in other news outlets. But if you listened closely, a lot of those criticisms had little or nothing to do with the facts of the project itself.
One familiar refrain from critics was that the deal reminded them of the disastrous 38 Studios investment engineered by state officials, which cost taxpayers millions of dollars when the company went bankrupt.
But that argument can’t be accepted as a legitimate mark against this proposal. Other than the tangential connection that 38 Studios proprietor Curt Schilling had once been a Major League pitcher, the projects have nothing in common – certainly not in the area of potential risk or return. The 38 Studios project was ill-fated because it spent taxpayer money to bankroll a video game company run by a baseball player who had never made a video game before.
There’s a key difference with this project – Pawtucket Red Sox chairman Larry Lucchino has actually built stadiums before.
Many Rhode Islanders may not be aware of his pedigree, but Lucchino was the principal force behind the construction of two of Major League Baseball’s most highly-esteemed stadiums – Camden Yards in Baltimore and Petco Park in San Diego. Both parks are considered crown jewels of their communities – not only as gorgeously-designed facilities suited to spectator entertainment – but also as the igniters that sparked redevelopment and urban renewal across wide swaths of their host cities.
Lucchino’s experience and know-how are an inconceivably valuable resource to a potential stadium project – he is almost without question the best possible person to steward the construction of a new ballpark. Having Lucchino available to oversee your stadium project is more like having Bill Gates available to oversee your computer system design.
The deal’s cost structure was another early target for a select group of critics. Shortly after the team’s owners announced they would pay for more than 60 percent of the construction – and assume all potential cost overruns – a story made the rounds online that purported to show the team’s figures were off. After a few hours, the initial story was taken down and revised, but damage had been done. The original story was broadcast over social media and talk radio, prematurely poisoning much of the conversation about the deal.
In truth, although the deal as proposed does require a commitment from state taxpayers which lawmakers should certainly weigh carefully, it provides protections in the form of tax revenue streams which a project like 38 Studios never did.
And the $45 million upfront contribution from the team’s owners is a massive commitment – it’s likely more than they paid for the team itself. And it’s far, far more than any private entity contributed to similar projects in our state, such as the Dunkin’ Donuts Center or the Ryan Center in South Kingstown.
One of the other criticisms we’ve heard from many people including some of our readers, is that the team already has a stadium – McCoy – and that it doesn’t need another.
While certainly that critique has some basic truth to it, what it misses is everything that a new stadium could mean, not only for fans who attend games, but for the whole city and Rhode Island at large.
A new stadium would be much more than a “New McCoy.” It would be a whole different experience. Like Gillette Stadium in Foxborough or the modernday Fenway, a new PawSox park would be more than a ring of seats. It will have attractions, sights, engagement for different kinds of fans. It will offer multiple points of interest and entertainment, and be suited to attract families as well as adults and even non-baseball fans. It will be “a draw” – in a way that McCoy could never be. To see what that means, look a few miles to the south.
Providence has been the much-admired “Renaissance City” for about 20 years now, with its gleaming downtown buildings, public spaces, trendy restaurants and cultural offerings. During that time, Pawtucket and other similar working-class urban communities have been left behind.
Providence’s revitalization happened in part because the state for decades had poured money into projects like the Providence Place Mall, the Convention Center, the Dunkin Donuts Center and other downtown attractions, which in turn helped attract commercial and upscale residential growth. Many Rhode Islanders from surrounding communities took pride in the capital’s growth and renewal because we realize Providence’s strength can strengthen the whole state.
Now it’s blue collar Pawtucket that has the potential to build something special – a centerpiece attraction that can generate buzz and outside interest, and bring investment to our city. And it’s now that state leaders back off?
We hope they consider the proposal anew, and don’t back away in the face of professional naysayers. That would be a huge mistake for our state – a massive missed opportunity.
It would leave Pawtucket and other hard-working urban communities (like Woonsocket) questioning if our prospects just don’t matter as much.
Legislators, give this city a chance at its own Renaissance. Build this stadium. Let Pawtucket play ball.