By Sam Wroblewski, reporting by Steve Klamkin WPRO News
Days after the owners of the Pawtucket Red Sox announced they were abandoning their quest to build a ballpark on a parcel of the I-195 land; Governor Gina Raimondo says she is still interested in keeping the ball club residents of the state.
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Raimondo said the desired site presented too many obstacles for the team to overcome; she says she committed to helping the owners find another site.
“We’d love [for] the PawSox to stay in Rhode Island, we want to work hard with the team to find a place in Rhode Island that they can call home,” said Raimondo.
The PawSox aspirations in downtown Providence were seemingly dealt a death blow when Brown University – who had a vested interest in a piece of the proposed parcel – would only part with their two acres if paid the fair market price of $15 million.
The Governor believes it is possible for the team to find a better site with for a better deal; however she says Pawtucket’s McCoy stadium is still an option.
“Pawtucket’s there, [the team] has been there for a long time; presumably they need some modifications to the old stadium.”
Earlier this year, the team estimated the cost of renovating McCoy Stadium was $65 million. At the time, the late PawSox president Jim Skeffington deemed the cost was too high.
When asked if she was afraid the team would pack up and setup shop in another state, she answered the risk was always present, but that she will keep working with the team.
