Rhode Island Building Trades Endorses New Ballpark for Pawtucket
The Rhode Island Building Trades have unanimously endorsed the proposed Ballpark at Slater Mill. President of the Building Trades Michael Sabitoni noted, "This proposal is exactly what our state needs to revitalize the Blackstone Valley and serve as an important gateway for Rhode Island. This project goes far beyond baseball;
The Rhode Island Building Trades have unanimously endorsed the proposed Ballpark at Slater Mill. President of the Building Trades Michael Sabitoni noted, "This proposal is exactly what our state needs to revitalize the Blackstone Valley and serve as an important gateway for Rhode Island. This project goes far beyond baseball; it's more than just a ballpark. The Pawtucket Red Sox and City of Pawtucket are creating a year round 'park within the park' that will provide families great entertainment for years to come.
Highlights of the project:
• "The $45 million investment by the PawSox ownership will be the largest private investment in Pawtucket history.
• The Ballpark will provide good, high wage jobs to 438 of Rhode Island's men and women in the building and construction trades.
• The Ballpark at Slater Mill will be a state of the art facility that players, fans, and residents will be proud to call home of till 2050
• The ancillary development will help to revitalize downtown and become an attractive gateway to Rhode Island.
• The payment for the bonds issued by the Pawtucket Redevelopment Agency will come from taxes generated by the team and ballpark revenues.
• The state's average annual debt service of $1.4 million is substantially lower than the existing revenues currently being sent to the state , $2.3 million in FY 2017, and projected to be $3 million in FY 2020.
• There is also the safeguard that the Pawtucket Red Sox will pay for any Ballpark construction cost overruns.
President Sabitoni concluded, "The Rhode Island Building Trades strongly support this project. We recently had over 600 of our members at a rally for the proposed Ballpark. This project means a great deal to our members and their families. A Rhode Island without the PawSox would be devastating for the hundreds of thousands who enjoy the PawSox each year. We would be the largest metropolitan area in America to not have a major or minor league sports team. We believe this goes to the very heart of what makes our state so great. As leaders we all need to stand up and make this Ballpark a reality for the quality of life of our citizens."