PawSox sued by City of Pawtucket over McCoy upkeep

PAWTUCKET – Relations between the PawSox and the City of Pawtucket have taken a sharp turn for the contentious.

The city is taking the Triple-A ballclub to R.I. Superior Court over allegations that the PawSox have fulfilled their responsibilities for upkeep at McCoy Stadium.

“As such, the Team is responsible to the City for significant damages, including the costs of necessary repair, replacement, and other work on the stadium and its site,” wrote the plaintiff – in this case, the city – through Attorney Michael T. Eskey as part of an eight-page complaint that was submitted on Jan. 7.

In a statement released Monday, the PawSox said, “The Pawtucket Red Sox were stunned to learn of this unfounded lawsuit from our friends and long-time partners from the City of Pawtucket. We will now allow the legal process to run its course, and therefore have no further comment at this time.”

The lawsuit comes at a time when the PawSox’ lease at McCoy is set to expire on Jan. 31, though the Times reported last month that the city was open to the idea of the ballclub extending the lease on a month-tomonth basis.

“We know they’re moving [to Worcester], but they don’t necessarily have to be out by Jan. 31. We have a great relationship. It’s not like we’re adversaries. We’re trying to understand their needs,” Mayor Donald Grebien told The Times.

According to the complaint, the city in October 2020 notified the PawSox that the ballclub had failed to observe and perform its obligations under the lease and sublease with respect to deficiencies in the condition of McCoy Stadium as identified in the Pendulum Report that was released in Jan. 2017. The report noted an estimated cost of $35 million to address needs at McCoy that included but were not limited to issues associated with deferred maintenance, water infiltration, etc.

“While the Team cured some deficiencies in the condition of the Stadium identified in the Pendulum Report, it did not address numerous others and, to date, there remain significant, costly deficiencies in the condition of the Stadium resulting from the Team’s failure and refusal to comply with its maintenance, repair, and other obligations under the Lease

and Sublease,” wrote the plaintiff.

In November 2020, the PawSox replied to the city’s notice and demand from the previous month and stated the team was in full compliance in maintaining McCoy under the terms of the lease and sublease. Now, with the team set to depart McCoy for a new ballpark in Worcester, the city is charging that the ballclub is leaving the 78-year-old ballpark, “with costly deficiencies, conditions, waste, damage, and injury in and to the Stadium and its systems requiring significant repair and/or replacement or other work.”

In a statement, City of Pawtucket spokesperson Wilder Arboleda wrote, “This is another unfortunate piece of the Pawtucket Red Sox saga. The City of Pawtucket worked hard to keep the PawSox here, but the long-standing team will no longer be playing here in Rhode Island. The City of Pawtucket’s primary responsibility continues to be to preserve and protect our taxpayers’ investments. The City, months ago, engaged legal and professional counsel to assist and review all the agreements to protect the taxpayers. Through their due diligence and the failure and refusal fully to preform required maintenance, repair, and other obligations in connection with the exiting lease, the City has filed suit in Superior Court in order to ensure that the commitments of the lease are met and the city is protected.”