Taking it to the Web
Advocates for a new minor league ballpark in Pawtucket have taken their message online.
PAWTUCKET – An independent city-based group that advocates for Pawtucket’s development has launched www.theballa pro-ballpark website, parkatslatermill.com,
that touts the benefits of a new downtown Pawtucket Red Sox stadium and what keeping the PawSox in Pawtucket would mean for the city.
The Pawtucket 20/20 Committee, an independent group of citizens and business owners that seeks to revitalize Pawtucket by attracting and retaining businesses, announced the website launch on Friday. They argue that the website addresses questions regarding the ballpark proposal and also articulates the “catalytic effects a new ballpark would have on downtown Pawtucket.”
The committee additionally advocates for the city’s 20/20 Development Vision, launched in April by Mayor Donald R. Grebien. The Vision for the city’s development includes existing and future proposals for the riverfront and downtown areas, including the commuter rail station, transit hub, bikeway, and new businesses.
The committee has expressed interest in the potential of the downtown ballpark, in that they believe it could to serve as a catalyst of downtown redevelopment. The committee is cochaired by Sandra Cano and Mark House.
The website’s front page is splashed with quotes from state and local leaders, heaping praise on the proposal. They include Grebien, Gov. Gina M. Raimondo, House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello, and Senate President Dominick Ruggerio. It also lists 17 reasons why a “Downtown ballpark is good for Pawtucket and good for Rhode Island,” extoling benefits such as the ballpark serving as “a magnet” for tourists, the 30-year commitment from the PawSox, and the expertise of PawSox Chairman Larry Lucchino and ballpark planner Janet Marie Smith.
“The bottom line,” the final bullet point reads. “We can make our city and our state even better places in which to live. And isn’t that the real bottom line?”
The website also offers comparisons between the current financial proposal and the failed financial package in 2015 that sought to relocate the franchise to Providence, how the ballpark is a “home run” in contrast with the 38 Studios “strikeout,” the full Pendulum Studio study of McCoy Stadium, and the full Brailsford & Dunlavey economic analysis of a downtown stadium.
Design elements also showcase the proposed downtown ballpark’s aerial view, site plan, and context plan. Also featured are news clips, opinion pieces from various media outlets, video segments, and a link for website visitors to add their name to the Pawtucket 20/20 coalition.