Senate sets hearings on stadium bill
PAWTUCKET — The Senate Finance Committee next month will begin holding a series of hearings on the legislation that seeks to finance the construction of a Pawtucket Red Sox ballpark on Apex land in downtown Pawtucket.
The hearings will begin in early September and will be held both in the State House and locations throughout the state, a Senate spokesman told The Times. A representative with the PawSox confirmed that three hearings will take place outside of the State House – one in Pawtucket, one in Central Falls, and one in Cumberland. The dates and times of the hearings are to be determined.
However, while the Senate Finance Committee will take up the issue of ballpark financing next month, the House has not finalized any plans on PawSox hearings, according to Larry Berman, communications director for the office of House Speaker Nicholas A. Matteillo.
“We were focused on the passage of the budget, and now that it has occurred, Speaker Mattiello will soon turn his attention to the September 19 session when legislation will be finalized, as well as a possible Finance Committee review of the PawSox,” Berman said in an email to The Times.
District 18 State Sen. William J. Conley Jr., who is the Senate Finance Committee chairman, submitted the legislation in late June, with the intention of deferring committee hearings until later this year. He said at the time that it would give the public “a really full and fair opportunity to take a look at this legislation, discuss it thoroughly, and be prepared to have some vigorous public hearings.”
However, since Conley submitted the legislation about five weeks ago, much has transpired.
House and Senate leadership were mired in a month-
long impasse over the budget, which came to an end Thursday night when Gov. Gina M. Raimondo signed the state's $9.2 million budget.
During that same time period, PawSox brass said that they were no longer exclusively wedded to Pawtucket, noting that July 1 of this year was the end of their “monogamy” to the city and that they would be open to proposals from other cities. Members of the team's front office also recently joined Worcester officials on a tour of the city's Canal District. Over the past month, representatives from cities including Worcester, Springfield, Fall River, New Bedford, and Chicopee have all stepped up to the plate and expressed some form of interest in serving as the new home to the Boston Red Sox' Triple-A affiliate.
Pawtucket Mayor Donald R. Grebien said that the legislation introduced earlier this year would keep the PawSox in Pawtucket, “where they belong.”
“This investment into Pawtucket and the Blackstone Valley is well overdue. The General Assembly needs to focus in on supporting this urban district, as well as the needs of the Blackstone Valley,” Grebien said. “The Senate, through Sen. William Conley and the Pawtucket delegation, has committed to holding a series of committee meetings in early September. Our hope is that the House will do the same or perhaps hold them jointly.”
“This private-public partnership will bring $45 million in private investment and additional revenue from ancillary development to support the positive things happening in Pawtucket, like the commuter rail, national park, and breweries,” the mayor added. “This key piece in the economic revitalization of Pawtucket’s downtown must happen.”
The stadium financing legislation is structured into three series of bonds – Series A, B, and C. The series A bonds are the PawSox' part of the transaction: $33 million of bonding that's related to the construction of the ballpark. The series B bonds are the state's $23 million contribution to the transaction, while the series C bonds are the city of Pawtucket's $15 million contribution.