Pawtucket mayor has a 'Plan B' if legislature won't approve ballpark proposal

PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien on Tuesday urged state legislators to consider a "Plan B" if they're not willing to vote on the current stadium-financing plan to build a new Triple-A ballpark for the PawSox, saying Worcester's effort to lure the team across the state line is "rumored to be cheaper for the team."

The city can't afford to lose its "defining public asset," Grebien told reporters and city leaders gathered Tuesday in City Hall chambers for a press conference the mayor had scheduled Monday afternoon. When pressed about any financial package in Worcester, Grebien said he does not know any details about whether the city or state of Massachusetts is willing to invest money in a deal.

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Grebien's alternative plan: If Rhode Island legislators don't have the "courage" to vote on the proposal before them, he said they should let Pawtucket get all the state income and sales taxes now generated at McCoy Stadium -- estimated at between $1.9 million and $2.2 million a year -- and let the city finance the entire public portion of the deal. Then, as that revenue flows into the city each year, Pawtucket would use that money to pay off the debt it would incur by issuing bonds to raise cash for stadium construction, Grebien said.

Otherwise, Grebien warned, the state will likely lose all that revenue to Worcester, whose efforts have intensified to lure the team over the state line to Massachusetts.

"What we nearly have reached is doomsday, when the team will be pushed out to another state, costing our residents one of the last few affordable, friendly entertainment options they have, and costing our state millions in revenue," Grebien said.

Grebien said he hadn't yet shared his Plan B with House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello or Senate President Dominick Ruggerio, but he said he has talked with them on prior occasions about such an option.

Ruggerio could not be reached Tuesday for comment, but he has said publicly he wants the full Senate to vote soon on the proposal.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman William J. Conley Jr. said he has "complete confidence" in the Senate plan, his committee expects to vote on it in the first week of January when the legislature convenes, and Ruggerio "remains committed" to bringing the revised legislation to the full Senate for a vote as soon as possible, likely the second week of January.

In a statement issued Tuesday, Mattiello said he hadn't yet seen Grebien's alternative proposal, but has "a great deal of respect" for Grebien and the mayor's desire to keep the PawSox in his city. The House Finance Committee "will certainly be willing to assess" his proposal, Mattiello said. Furthermore, if the Senate approves its stadium legislation, the House Finance Committee would hold a public hearing and give it "a transparent and thorough review."

However, Mattiello said, "The strong opinion I have heard from my constituents, and from what the vast majority of House colleagues are telling me they are hearing in their districts, is that the public does not want state taxpayer money spent on this private venture. I suggest the parties that put this deal together renegotiate it in order to make it more acceptable to the citizens of the state."

The team and city have said it will cost $83 million to build the stadium. However, the Senate Finance Committee's rewritten legislation now says the total costs for the project could rise to $97 million. That's because the legislation now details how much in bonds would need to be issued to raise not only the money needed to build the stadium but also extra money to set aside in emergency reserve funds and to pay the legal bills for issuing bonds. Conley said $97 million is a "worst-case scenario."

Initially, the three entities that negotiated suggested they'd split costs this way:

The Pawtucket Redevelopment Agency would issue $71 million in bonds and the team would pay an additional $12 million upfront to build the stadium. Then, the team would pay off $33 million in bonds; the state, $23 million; and the city, $15 million. Over 30 years, each entity would pay back that principal amount, plus millions in interest.

Despite Grebien's emphasis that the city is prepared to take on all of the bonding under his Plan B, the mayor said he doesn't think it will come to that. He said he hopes both houses of Rhode Island's legislature will ultimately vote to approve the current proposal.

Worcester City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. declined a request for an interview but issued this statement: "We continue to have regular conversations with the PawSox, and we did have another meeting with the team last week. We look forward to continuing those conversations and seeing where they lead."

One opponent of the Rhode Island legislation, state Republican Party Chairman Brandon S. Bell, questioned in an interview Tuesday afternoon whether Worcester is really that close to making a deal.

"I'm not so sure it's walking out the door to Massachusetts," Bell said of the team. He pointed to published interviews with Massachusetts political leaders who've said the state doesn't offer public subsidies for ballparks, although the state has paid for infrastructure improvements around other teams' stadiums.

Bell said he's among those who want the PawSox to stay, and "we all want to see Pawtucket succeed," but he's worried about whether taxpayers will be left paying the bills if the city and state don't generate enough revenue to pay off their portion of the stadium deal.

PawSox Chairman Larry Lucchino was traveling and unavailable for an interview Tuesday. PawSox spokesman Bill Wanless said Lucchino had "no comment on the pending Pawtucket ballpark legislation."

Tribune Content Agency
Infrastructure Rhode Island
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