Pawsox Sold, Moving to Worcester

[ramster]

Have you also seen the development around Fenway Park recently? More development there then RI as a state.

Absolutely. And the Fens area has not always been the greatest and safest area of Boston. Building is booming there.

[Rhodymob05]

[RF1]

Still far less than the highest attendance ever at McCoy Stadium - 11,802 on September 5, 2004. Even less than what the Pawsox AVERAGED (9,561) for an entire 72 game slate back in 2005.

Polar Park in Worcester only has a total capacity of just 9,508. An estimated minimum 2,000 of this figure are not permanent seats as the total capacity includes standing room and sitting on the grass. McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket had 10,031 permanent seats with a total capacity of up to 11,800 when including grass berm, bleachers and standing room sections. The high game and season average attendance numbers at Pawtucket will never be challenged by Worcester.

[ramster]

Still far less than the highest attendance ever at McCoy Stadium - 11,802 on September 5, 2004.

Polar Park in Worcester only has a total capacity of just 9,508. An estimated minimum 2,000 of this figure are not permanent seats as the total capacity includes standing room and sitting on the grass. McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket had 10,031 permanent seats with a total capacity of up to 11,800 when including grass berm, bleachers and standing room sections. The high game and season average attendance numbers at Pawtucket will never be challenged by Worcester.

Nonetheless a good accomplishment for Woosox in only their 1st year of operation.
What a shame Rhode Island misses out on a Chris Sale starting pitcher occasion.

[RF1]

Nonetheless a good accomplishment for Woosox in only their 1st year of operation.

I guess it is good if you set the bar low with much lesser expectations.

[ramster]

Nonetheless a good accomplishment for Woosox in only their 1st year of operation.

I guess it is good if you set the bar low with much lesser expectations.

Depends on how many seats you want to design your park for. If you want to have a grassy area and sell tickets for $5 each to hit higher attendance numbers?

Demand for the Chris Sale game was high.
But I’ll continue to enjoy my tax savings here in Rhode Island thanks the Matiello and Raimondo. Who needs AAA Boston Red Sox when I can make an hour trip to Worcester to see the Sox and spend my tax savings on tickets, food and beer. Best of all worlds

[Rhodymob05]

Lets see how many seats Chris Sale can fill in Paw....oh that's right, nevermind.

[theblueram]

The Paw Sox was another second rate attraction to RI. Glad we didn't spend the tax dollars to keep em here. Would have rather seen $100 million dollar investment in URI basketball.

[ramster]

Or 38 studios II

[NYGFan_Section208]

Looks like it's working out ok in Worcester...

From today's Rhode Map:

Leading off
It will take years to truly judge the deal Worcester approved to snatch the PawSox from Rhode Island, but year one of the shiny new ballpark in New England's second-largest city appears to be a success.

The Worcester Red Sox have welcomed more than 318,000 fans to Polar Park this season, which ranks sixth-best in Minor League Baseball.

Only the Nashville Sounds (415,403), Las Vegas Aviators (374,574), St. Paul Saints (369,430), Columbus Clippers (367,697), and El Paso Chihuahuas (333,385) have posted larger attendance totals than Worcester this season, according to Baseball Reference.

The minors have been revamped since the PawSox last played in 2019 (not to mention, the pandemic), but McCoy Stadium ranked No. 36 in the minors in attendance that season. The last PawSox season had more games than this season, and total attendance was 331,000.

Worcester will easily surpass that number before the regular season ends Sept. 26.

One thing each of the top six Minor League teams have in common: a relatively new ballpark. Columbus, an affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, has the oldest stadium of the bunch, having opened in 2009.

Of course, overall baseball attendance (especially in the minors) has been slumping for several years. And the $157 million Worcester stadium will need to be a success for a long time in order to pay for itself.

[RF1]

Worcester will never reach the attendance levels the Pawsox achieved in some years. Even if they were somehow able to sell out every game, they would still come up short as their stadium capacity prevents ever beating the McCoy record.

All new ballparks do well in their first years. People like the novelty of something new and go to check out things. The real test for Worcester will be about five years from now.

[ramster]

What was the record for Pawtucket and with how many games? What year was it?

[RF1]

What was the record for Pawtucket and with how many games? What year was it?

The Pawsox AVERAGED (9,561) for an entire 72 game slate back in 2005. They had several other seasons in and around that period of time where they also averaged more then 9k. McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket had 10,031 permanent seats with a total capacity of up to 11,800 when including grass berm, bleachers and standing room sections.

Polar Park in Worcester has a maximum capacity of just 9,508. It has some 2-3k less seats than that capacity figure as it factors in its many open congregating areas with no seats as well as its berm.

The true test of Worcester will be an evaluation of their numbers over several years, not just their beginning as all teams do well then.

[Rhodymob05]

What helps the WoSox is the new management. Bloom is restocking the minors which will attract more fans to see a better AAA team for years to come.

[NYGFan_Section208]

What was the record for Pawtucket and with how many games? What year was it?

The Pawsox AVERAGED (9,561) for an entire 72 game slate back in 2005. They had several other seasons in and around that period of time where they also averaged more then 9k. McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket had 10,031 permanent seats with a total capacity of up to 11,800 when including grass berm, bleachers and standing room sections.

Polar Park in Worcester has a maximum capacity of just 9,508. It has some 2-3k less seats than that capacity figure as it factors in its many open congregating areas with no seats as well as its berm.

The true test of Worcester will be an evaluation of their numbers over several years, not just their beginning as all teams do well then.

Agree. Does seem to be going pretty well so far though.

[RF1]

What was the record for Pawtucket and with how many games? What year was it?

The Pawsox AVERAGED (9,561) for an entire 72 game slate back in 2005. They had several other seasons in and around that period of time where they also averaged more then 9k. McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket had 10,031 permanent seats with a total capacity of up to 11,800 when including grass berm, bleachers and standing room sections.

Polar Park in Worcester has a maximum capacity of just 9,508. It has some 2-3k less seats than that capacity figure as it factors in its many open congregating areas with no seats as well as its berm.

The true test of Worcester will be an evaluation of their numbers over several years, not just their beginning as all teams do well then.

Agree. Does seem to be going pretty well so far though.

It is only doing well relative to other teams during a Covid affected season. 318,000 ytd (with not many games left) would ordinarily not be considered good. The Pawsox were drawing some 688,000 back around 2005. This was some five years AFTER a major renovation of a venue that was then already over 60 years old. A new park typically brings out some of the highest attendance numbers ever for teams. That will not be the case for Worcester. They will never get back this season.

[NYGFan_Section208]

The Pawsox AVERAGED (9,561) for an entire 72 game slate back in 2005. They had several other seasons in and around that period of time where they also averaged more then 9k. McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket had 10,031 permanent seats with a total capacity of up to 11,800 when including grass berm, bleachers and standing room sections.

Polar Park in Worcester has a maximum capacity of just 9,508. It has some 2-3k less seats than that capacity figure as it factors in its many open congregating areas with no seats as well as its berm.

The true test of Worcester will be an evaluation of their numbers over several years, not just their beginning as all teams do well then.

Agree. Does seem to be going pretty well so far though.

It is only doing well relative to other teams during a Covid affected season. 318,000 ytd (with not many games left) would ordinarily not be considered good. The Pawsox were drawing some 688,000 back around 2005. This was some five years AFTER a major renovation of a venue that was then over 60 years old. A new park typically brings out some of the highest attendance numbers ever for teams. That will not be the case for Worcester. They will never get back this season.

Oh...so I guess we can still say it sucks for them and be happy? Phew!

[RhowdyRam02]

What helps the WoSox is the new management. Bloom is restocking the minors which will attract more fans to see a better AAA team for years to come.

We'll see. Another thing that matters is the organizational philosophy of promoting minor league players.

Rafael Devers played 15 games over two seasons with Pawtucket
Xander Bogaerts played 60 games and had one rehab game
Matt Barnes threw 171.2 innings over four different seasons, but was a starter for most of that time, so he really only pitched a little over one true season in AAA
Mookie Betts played 45 games with the PawSox
Eduardo Rodriguez threw 96.2 innings over 3 seasons
Christian Vazquez had 112 games over 4 seasons
Andrew Benintendi never played a single game at the AAA level

Gone are the days of a player like Mo Vaughn spending 216 games at AAA and Dustin Pedroia playing 174, guys just aren't spending time at the AAA level like they used to. Now it's a place to stash AAAA depth players and a place for guys to go on a rehab assignment. AA is where the real seasoning happens for true prospects.

It's no surprise the PawSox were drawing bad toward the end. The Red Sox were up and down, the minor league system was terrible, the owners talked about how terrible McCoy was every chance they got, and there were no prospects to go watch. In a savvy baseball market, with the major league club only an hour away from the AAA club, people are going to make the extra trip to see the real thing. Worcester had a decent year this year for attendance, though nothing earth shattering. Unless there's a fundamental shift in how players are developed it's going to end up being a $157 million boondoggle in short order.

[Rhodymob05]

[RF1]

Just a bit over ten years ago, this organization led its league and was averaging over 9,000 per game in several (6) seasons in Pawtucket. Those numbers will never be topped again. The six lowest average attendance seasons since 2000 have all occurred under Larry Lucchino ownership.



AAA Red Sox Attendance
Year | # Of Openings | Attendance | Average Attendance | Home | Principal Owner |
2000 | 67 | 585,107 | 8,733 | Pawtucket | Ben Mondor |
2001 | 70 | 647,928 | 9,256 | Pawtucket | Ben Mondor |
2002 | 68 | 615,540 | 9,052 | Pawtucket | Ben Mondor |
2003 | 67 | 550,157 | 8,211 | Pawtucket | Ben Mondor |
2004 | 70 | 657,067 | 9,387 | Pawtucket | Ben Mondor |
2005 | 72 | 688,421 | 9,561 | Pawtucket | Ben Mondor |
2006 | 66 | 613,065 | 9,289 | Pawtucket | Ben Mondor |
2007 | 69 | 611,379 | 8,861 | Pawtucket | Ben Mondor |
2008 | 70 | 636,788 | 9,097 | Pawtucket | Ben Mondor |
2009 | 70 | 625,561 | 8,937 | Pawtucket | Ben Mondor |
2010 | 71 | 592,326 | 8,343 | Pawtucket | Ben Mondor |
2011 | 70 | 578,930 | 8,270 | Pawtucket | Madeleine Mondor |
2012 | 69 | 521,023 | 7,551 | Pawtucket | Madeleine Mondor |
2013 | 69 | 540,034 | 7,827 | Pawtucket | Madeleine Mondor |
2014 | 70 | 515,665 | 7,367 | Pawtucket | Madeleine Mondor |
2015 | 71 | 466,600 | 6,572 | Pawtucket | Larry Lucchino |
2016 | 67 | 407,097 | 6,076 | Pawtucket | Larry Lucchino |
2017 | 64 | 409,960 | 6,406 | Pawtucket | Larry Lucchino |
2018 | 66 | 394,811 | 5,982 | Pawtucket | Larry Lucchino |
2019 | 63 | 331,010 | 5,254 | Pawtucket | Larry Lucchino |
2020 | N/A Covid Cancelled Season | | | Pawtucket | Larry Lucchino |
2021 | 59 | 362,559 | 6,145 | Worcester | Larry Lucchino |

[KeaneyBluBallz]

The Pawsox were as good as gone the day Lucchino took ownership from the Mondors. RI could have funded the project 100%, Uncle Larry was moving the team out of Pawtucket no matter what.

did our elected officials at the time help anything?, no. but it wouldn't have mattered.

sad.

[RhowdyRam02]

The next shoe appears ready to drop, with plans for a high school for all of Pawtucket at the McCoy Stadium site:

https://turnto10.com/news/local/renderi ... m-property

It's sad to think that in a couple of years McCoy will be gone, but is this an opportunity for URI? It seems like there are several specialty items that URI athletics could use and Pawtucket would have to get rid of when demolishing the stadium. Assuming it's more cost effective to salvage the items from McCoy then buy new and they're still in good shape, it seems our baseball stadium could use their lights. Could a renovated Meade use the seats? Would we be able to make use of the video board?

[RF1]

Worcester is not faring too well with its plans to pay for the most expensive minor league ballpark ever built. Hoped for new development in the area has been slowed and the initial projects are all getting delayed and downsized. The planned 500 space parking garage across the street that was to be available by the Polar Park opening got reduced to 350 spaces and wasn't completed until the season ended. The Cove residential development next to the park just made news as it has been reduced from 13 floors and 318 units to 7 floors and 173 units. The city had set up the Polar Park construction bond payment schedule with very small payments in the first few years giving time for things to ramp up as new development tax revenues are supposed to cover it. The new revenues in year one however could not even meet the meager initial payment. The city was fortunate in that it had an unexpected windfall from the sale of some land in the park neighborhood. They used this to cover the tax revenue shortfall. There will however likely not be future windfalls like that when the bond schedule payment amounts greatly accelerate. The city's very optimistic new tax revenue projections from development will be needed should taxpayers not have to bail things out.

December 6th, 2021
Worcester’s 30-year plan to have Polar Park pay for itself has hit a rough patch, as the city finds unexpected solutions
https://www.wbjournal.com/article/worce ... s-the-city

December 28th, 2021
Worcester development project dramatically scaled back
https://the016.com/blogs/4/1146/worcest ... wn-in-size

[RhowdyRam02]

So here is an interesting development. The Lowell Spinners were contracted when Major League Baseball took over the minor leagues and restructured them, but the Red Sox I guess bought the territory from the guy who owned the team and intended to move the Salem Red Sox, which they own, to Lowell once the city made improvements to LeLacheur Park. However, now it's looking like the improvements will cost up to $30 million and the city might not be interested in paying for that.

https://ballparkdigest.com/2022/01/16/d ... tWEhGmsqhY

Will the Red Sox try to engage Rhode Island in a bidding war with Lowell to get the improvements done either there or at McCoy? If they plan to do that they need to act fast, with Pawtucket eyeing that site for a new school

[SGreenwell]

Christ, any city that agrees to pay out $30M for a Single A baseball team... Good luck.

[RF1]

Christ, any city that agrees to pay out $30M for a Single A baseball team... Good luck.

And that is JUST for stadium upgrades. LeLacheur Park is already a nice 5k seat venue that is only 25 years old. It should be mostly sufficient for that level of play.

Would not be surprised to see Lowell follow the path of the nearby Tsongas Arena as was mentioned in the linked article. There was once an AHL team that played at Tsongas. It moved on and the city eventually sold the arena to UMass-Lowell which primarily uses it for its Hockey East team. I could very easily see the city selling the baseball park to the school which basically surrounds it. The college could play there and rent it out for a summer league team.

These greedy owners never stop asking for more. They expect taxpayers to invest their money to help increase the value of the owners asset. They want no risk but desire all reward.

[RF1]

Another project delay that will have far reaching impact on new tax revenues needed to pay off Polar Park construction bonds


January 18, 2022
Main residential building next to Polar Park delayed another year
www.wbjournal.com/article/main-resident ... other-year

[KeaneyBluBallz]

1, F Worcester. they made their bed, no lay in it.

2, Pro baseball is dead in RI unfortunately. it's never coming back. ever. Thanks to uncle Larry. Sell McCoy to the city, let them build a school. invest in the kids not the pockets of greedy millionaires.

3, while I 100% believe the pawsox were doomed the day Lucchino took over, our previous RI admin did us no favors either. if you think Mckee is going to enter into negotiations with the redsox for a territory, just for the hopes of seducing another team relocating to RI, and NOT screw it up, you're bat shit crazy.

4, RI already has two summer league baseball teams, go see them. add a third to the state to play at mccoy? i'm good.

5, how's that second rate MLS soccer stadium coming?

6, we suck

7, covid

[ramster]

Can we get the PawSox back?

https://www.marketwatch.com/amp/story/c ... 1654285852

[KeaneyBluBallz]

we don't need the Pawsox perse, but a A or AA team would be nice.

[RF1]

we don't need the Pawsox perse, but a A or AA team would be nice.

I think there was a chance of Single A team coming to McCoy before MLB decided to contract their minor league system and significantly reduce the number of teams. Former longtime Pawsox exec/Woosox owner Mike Tamburro had presented a bid to bring a MLB affiliated team back to Pawtucket. One would assume he had the consent of the Woosox given their geography exclusion rights. I think his bid however died when so many minor league teams got eliminated. The Lowell Spinners were one such casualty.

[RhowdyRam02]

Can we get the PawSox back?

https://www.marketwatch.com/amp/story/c ... 1654285852

What am I missing? What does this article have to do with anything?

[Rhodymob05]

[ramster]

Worcester has really embraced the WooSox. Only 2nd year and 5th or 120 teams in attendance.


The WooSox finished in the Top 5 in attendance in all of Minor League Baseball this season (out of 120 cities) as the club welcomed 546,955 fans to Polar Park. The WooSox averaged 7,493 fans per game and also enjoyed 42 sellouts in 73 openings, which equals 57.5 percent.
“We are probably one of the most prosperous, stable teams of the 120 teams in Minor League Baseball,” Lucchino said. “That’s good because the cities we’re often compared to – Las Vegas, Charlotte and Nashville – are much bigger cities than Worcester. We are very fortunate to have the market and the fans that we do. We want to say ‘thank you’ to our fans.”



https://www.telegram.com/story/sports/m ... 115315001/

[RF1]

The PawSox had fifteen years of higher average attendance playing in a depression era built stadium.

AAA Red Sox Attendance
Year | # Of Openings | Attendance | Average Attendance | Home | Principal Owner |
2005 | 72 | 688,421 | 9,561 | Pawtucket | Ben Mondor |
2004 | 70 | 657,067 | 9,387 | Pawtucket | Ben Mondor |
2006 | 66 | 613,065 | 9,289 | Pawtucket | Ben Mondor |
2001 | 70 | 647,928 | 9,256 | Pawtucket | Ben Mondor |
2008 | 70 | 636,788 | 9,097 | Pawtucket | Ben Mondor |
2002 | 68 | 615,540 | 9,052 | Pawtucket | Ben Mondor |
2009 | 70 | 625,561 | 8,937 | Pawtucket | Ben Mondor |
2007 | 69 | 611,379 | 8,861 | Pawtucket | Ben Mondor |
2000 | 67 | 585,107 | 8,733 | Pawtucket | Ben Mondor |
2010 | 71 | 592,326 | 8,343 | Pawtucket | Ben Mondor |
1999 | 72 | 596,624 | 8,286 | Pawtucket | Ben Mondor |
2011 | 70 | 578,930 | 8,270 | Pawtucket | Madeleine Mondor |
2003 | 67 | 550,157 | 8,211 | Pawtucket | Ben Mondor |
2013 | 69 | 540,034 | 7,827 | Pawtucket | Madeleine Mondor |
2012 | 69 | 521,023 | 7,551 | Pawtucket | Madeleine Mondor |
2022 | 73 | 546,955 | 7,493 | Worcester | Larry Lucchino |

[ATPTourFan]

RF with the knowledge!!

[KeaneyBluBallz]

the best soccer team in the state plays in kingston. go support them.

[ramster]

RF with the knowledge!!

These numbers show how sad iT was that Raimondo and Mattiello failed to keep the PawSox.

[RF1]

Worcester has really embraced the WooSox. Only 2nd year and 5th or 120 teams in attendance.


The WooSox finished in the Top 5 in attendance in all of Minor League Baseball this season (out of 120 cities) as the club welcomed 546,955 fans to Polar Park. The WooSox averaged 7,493 fans per game and also enjoyed 42 sellouts in 73 openings, which equals 57.5 percent.
“We are probably one of the most prosperous, stable teams of the 120 teams in Minor League Baseball,” Lucchino said. “That’s good because the cities we’re often compared to – Las Vegas, Charlotte and Nashville – are much bigger cities than Worcester. We are very fortunate to have the market and the fans that we do. We want to say ‘thank you’ to our fans.”



https://www.telegram.com/story/sports/m ... 115315001/

Average attendance of 7,493 in the second year of a new stadium is not very good from an historic standpoint. Most new ballparks have their best ever attendance seasons in the first years after opening. Attendance typically falls after the newness novelty phase runs its course. That would mean that the WooSox will most likely see lower attendance in a few years. This would suggest it might eventually settle in the 6k range.

[KeaneyBluBallz]

RF with the knowledge!!

These numbers show how sad iT was that Raimondo and Mattiello failed to keep the PawSox.

as much as folks like blaming Gina & Mattiello, (and they definitely do deserve some ire), I've said it before, don't forget that from day 1 of Lucchino taking over, he wanted no part of being in Pawtucket. his goal was to move the team out of Pawtucket. I blame Lucchino more than RI here.

that said, McKee would have dropped his pants so fast for a new stadium.

spilt milk at this point.

[RhowdyRam02]

RF with the knowledge!!

These numbers show how sad iT was that Raimondo and Mattiello failed to keep the PawSox.

as much as folks like blaming Gina & Mattiello, (and they definitely do deserve some ire), I've said it before, don't forget that from day 1 of Lucchino taking over, he wanted no part of being in Pawtucket. his goal was to move the team out of Pawtucket. I blame Lucchino more than RI here.

that said, McKee would have dropped his pants so fast for a new stadium.

spilt milk at this point.

Lucchino and Mattiello screwed the pooch. Gina played it right. Shot down the terrible Providence deal and helped to create the Pawtucket deal that Mattiello torpedoed

[Rhodymob05]

I would almost argue that attendance would increase with the continued redevelopment of the area creating more opportunities to attract fans. Sucks its not in RI.

[SGreenwell]

I would almost argue that attendance would increase with the continued redevelopment of the area creating more opportunities to attract fans. Sucks its not in RI.

If so, it'll buck the trend of pretty much every other stadium deal of the past several decades. In which case, kudos to them!

[JimSidd]

While I was in favor of a deal to keep the team in Pawtucket, I feel a lot of people were not. I feel many people were scarred by the failed 38 Studios deal and weren’t in favor of spending money on anything. I feel public sentiment would have been different if not for the 38 Studios debacle.

[KeaneyBluBallz]

I think the majority were in favor of keeping the team in pawtucket and keeping the team in general. it was footing the bill for a new stadium that was the sticking point.

amazing that in two quick years, we lost a model franchise in MiLB and now we're getting a soccer stadium no one asked for.

you think we're scarred now from 38 studios? just wait for this thing to flop.

remember this on election day.

[RhowdyRam02]

The next shoe appears ready to drop, with plans for a high school for all of Pawtucket at the McCoy Stadium site:

https://turnto10.com/news/local/renderi ... m-property

It's sad to think that in a couple of years McCoy will be gone, but is this an opportunity for URI? It seems like there are several specialty items that URI athletics could use and Pawtucket would have to get rid of when demolishing the stadium. Assuming it's more cost effective to salvage the items from McCoy then buy new and they're still in good shape, it seems our baseball stadium could use their lights. Could a renovated Meade use the seats? Would we be able to make use of the video board?

Pawtucket voted yesterday to redevelop McCoy Stadium into a high school. Have to imagine McCoy will meet the wrecking ball sometime this summer, if not sooner. It was the right thing for Pawtucket to do, but it's still a very sad day

[RF1]

The bond question for $330M for the construction of a new single unified Pawtucket High School was approved by 79.3% of city voters winning 9,205 to 2,559. The site of McCoy Stadium had been previously selected by city government for this should it be approved. The city had originally intended to renovate both Shea (opened 1939) and Tolman (opened 1926) High Schools. It proposed closing each high school during the renovation process using the other high school for both enrollments on a week on / week off hybrid model that included online home schooling. They had initially proposed to currently be in the two year process of renovating Shea which was the first school to be addressed. The RI Dept of Education however rejected the hybrid partial home school model forcing the city to rethink things. The city has for the last decade been in the process of renovating and constructing new schools. It is working on its fourth elementary school as Potter, Greene, Winters, and Baldwin were being addressed. Potter and Greene saw complete overhauls of their existing buildings while a new Winters just opened in September and ground was just broken for a new Baldwin. All four of these schools were closed during these projects with the city using its flex space at the former St Leo's Catholic School. This facility was sufficient to house the elementary schools but is too small for the higher enrollment high schools. The city therefore had no options as it had no viable alternative space that would be needed during a closure as keeping a school open during renovation was not feasible. With a new high school being the only path forward, the city centered on the unused McCoy Stadium site as there is little available land in the city is its small 8.9 sq mile area is nearly entirely already 100% built out.

[KeaneyBluBallz]

not saying Pawtucket doesn't need a new HS but yikes, $330m is a lot of money for a school.

[SGreenwell]

not saying Pawtucket doesn't need a new HS but yikes, $330m is a lot of money for a school.

Maybe you get a discount if you do a package deal? Out here in Katy, TX, they spent $609M for a new high school, two junior highs and three elementary schools in 2017. Enrollment at Tolman and Shea is around 1,700 combined, so that's going to be a big-ass high school by R.I. standards.

[theblueram]

The bond question for $330M for the construction of a new single unified Pawtucket High School was approved by 79.3% of city voters winning 9,205 to 2,559. The site of McCoy Stadium had been previously selected by city government for this should it be approved. The city had originally intended to renovate both Shea (opened 1939) and Tolman (opened 1926) High Schools. It proposed closing each high school during the renovation process using the other high school for both enrollments on a week on / week off hybrid model that included online home schooling. They had initially proposed to currently be in the two year process of renovating Shea which was the first school to be addressed. The RI Dept of Education however rejected the hybrid partial home school model forcing the city to rethink things. The city has for the last decade been in the process of renovating and constructing new schools. It is working on its fourth elementary school as Potter, Greene, Winters, and Baldwin were being addressed. Potter and Greene saw complete overhauls of their existing buildings while a new Winters just opened in September and ground was just broken for a new Baldwin. All four of these schools were closed during these projects with the city using its flex space at the former St Leo's Catholic School. This facility was sufficient to house the elementary schools but is too small for the higher enrollment high schools. The city therefore had no options as it had no alternative space that would be needed during a closure as keeping a school open during renovation was not feasible. With a new high school being the only path forward, the city center on the unused McCoy Stadium site as there is little available land in the city is its small 8.9 sq mile area is nearly entirely already 100% built out.

2022 New Pawtucket High School.png

I bet it won't even have AC.