section(105) wrote:RF1, yes. At this point , are there any near shovel ready projects in the pipeline for those types of jobs?
Their target parcel (as shown in a post above) is directly across from the Garrahy courthouse on the opposite river from Hemenways. This area is (will not be) a waste land. It is a very valuable pierce of land given its close proximity to the heart of downtown.section(105) wrote:I don't think their intended foot print would take all/most of the available land, the stadium could possibly fit in the waste lands off Allens Ave?
Agree or disagree with the move, what else would you expect them to say?RF1 wrote:Feb. 24, 2015 6:18 PM ET
Loss of PawSox will devastate city, officials say
By AMY ANTHONY, Associated Press
http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/wedding ... 8e9f9c5b22
It really wouldn't bother me if the Paw Sox moved to MA or CT at this rate. I think it's a ludicrous idea to build a park in Providence for AAA baseball. For the majority of the year the stadium will just sit there idle. Pretty soon RI won't have any taxpayers left to subsidize these plans that do nothing do grow the economy.rodfromcranston wrote:I saw this coming as soon as I saw Skeffington was part of the group,
and Mattielo was chirping, "This is great for Providence!" (screw Pawtucket)
Now they want money that dwarfs 38 Studios funding.
Their leverage is that they'll move the team to MA or CT.
Let them. Let's see if those states can pony up 120 million plus.
RI can't afford to be subsidizing millionaires trying to pull a sweetheart
political deal.
This kind of deal is why RI is at the bottom of the economic barrel.
Agree, good post.TruePoint wrote:People are in the other thread killing the Providence Stadium idea. I don't particularly love it, either, but if they're going to build it I love the idea of us playing some games there. Hopefully football-use would be considered in the design of the stadium.
Also, I'm not going to post this in both threads, but regarding the stadium generally I'll just say that while I don't love the idea and would've liked to have seen the PawSox stay in Pawtucket, I'd like to see the actual details before I get totally enraged about it. RF1 says that the stadium would look for about $4M/yr from the state and calls that "a huge burden on the RI taxpayer" - I disagree, for $4M/yr the stadium would be a steal. That is a couple of bucks per taxpayer, not exactly a huge burden. My main issue is with taking the team from the people of Pawtucket. I'm not going to sharpen my pitchfork about a stadium in Providence until it is made clearer to me that it is a boondoggle. (I can certainly understand, given the state's history, why people would assume it would be, I'd just rather evaluate each situation separately.)
In terms of public money, that really is a minuscule amount.Rhody74 wrote:I'm with you Ramster, but I'm not a fan of the state providing the owners with $2-$4 million every year.
I've been to probably ONE maybe two PawSox games in the past 20 years, and I believe that one was a work outing. It just doesn't make sense to me. It's seasonal low wage jobs, the clientele of the games is not going to be rushing for a meal on Federal Hill or at Hemenway's after the game. If anything if it's a group of 20-somethings they may go to Whiskey Republic after? Other than that I really do not know anyone who goes to games at McCoy as it is. I don't see a big influx of fans to a game if the team were to move to Providence.Seawrightspostgame wrote:Providence doesn't need a AAA baseball team. If they want to purchase the land and build there? I guess thats fine.
But the city shouldn't court the Pawsox.
Stadium's aren't an economic boon when they house pro teams, let alone the Pawtucket Redsox. People went because you could eat a hotdog and find a cheap seat. Its a family thing.
They would have to book a ton of other events to make it worth it. Baseball across the country is on the decline, let alone the AAA market. Hotdog and a seat.
The number is $4 million per year. He's saying it will only cost the state $2 million per year because he's assuming $2 million that the state will generate from other channels such as workers taxes and revenue generated around the ballpark, which is optimistic and can't be assumed at all. He's being totally disingenuous about that fact along with many others. He's also claiming that this is being built with all private funds and they're taking all the risk. Again, that is false. Instead of having the state build the ballpark with state money and then leasing/renting to the team, the team will build the ballpark with their own up front money but the $4 million per year over 30 years represents the team getting their entire ballpark built by state money plus 2.39% interest. There's no risk to the team, their entire $85 million will be recouped and then some. The state takes all the risk in this transaction because if keeping the team in RI and associated income doesn't top $4 million, which the team itself admits it won't by at least half then the state loses that money. And by doing it this way the team can capture all parking, ticket, concessions, and venue naming rights revenue without sharing with the state, because "they're building it with their own money". And that's just the ballpark financing, that doesn't even get into Pawtucket representatives demanding their city be "made whole" from losing the team to Providence and Providence's city politician's demanding to be "made whole" for the property taxes that the team won't pay on this land according to their plan. It's a tremendous fleecing of the state at every level.RAM67 wrote:I thought I heard Skeffington say that the 4 million number was incorrect and that it was 2 million.
Yeah, I don't live there. I do hold on to some delusion that I could move back. Maybe I will get hired selling something in the new stadium.. if my cousin or uncle can get me in.Taylor Swift wrote:I've been to probably ONE maybe two PawSox games in the past 20 years, and I believe that one was a work outing. It just doesn't make sense to me. It's seasonal low wage jobs, the clientele of the games is not going to be rushing for a meal on Federal Hill or at Hemenway's after the game. If anything if it's a group of 20-somethings they may go to Whiskey Republic after? Other than that I really do not know anyone who goes to games at McCoy as it is. I don't see a big influx of fans to a game if the team were to move to Providence.Seawrightspostgame wrote:Providence doesn't need a AAA baseball team. If they want to purchase the land and build there? I guess thats fine.
But the city shouldn't court the Pawsox.
Stadium's aren't an economic boon when they house pro teams, let alone the Pawtucket Redsox. People went because you could eat a hotdog and find a cheap seat. Its a family thing.
They would have to book a ton of other events to make it worth it. Baseball across the country is on the decline, let alone the AAA market. Hotdog and a seat.
What they should do is give incentive to companies who are looking to expand to RI (wishful thinking, I know). I've actually met people from MA and CT who are actually surprised that "young professionals" like myself actually still live in RI. Now that's depressing and embarrassing that the state has Detroit-level reputation.
Ramulous wrote:I love the fact that they state that other venues are quite willing to pony up the money to get them to move there....so go....please.....don't extort us.......a bunch of rich old white guys looking to prop up their investment with public money....see ya
YepRhowdyRam02 wrote:Last year when I was saying it was time to cure or kill the football program, several posters said we can't kill the football program because of the value the program brings in allowing people to be on campus in the fall and tailgating and all those great things. Now those same people are saying that it's a great idea to play our games in a baseball stadium 37 miles away from campus where you can't tailgate.
