PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A state Senate committee is set to hold a hearing Tuesday to discuss a proposal for public subsidies to help fund a new stadium for the Pawtucket Red Sox.
Democratic Senate Finance Chairman William Conley Jr. introduced the bill to help the Boston Red Sox’s Triple-A affiliate when the legislative session began Jan. 2. A hearing scheduled for last week was canceled due to snow.
Conley, who represents parts of Pawtucket and East Providence, said he’s excited for the progress because of the project’s importance for Pawtucket and the state.
The state would pay for $23 million and the city would pay for $15 million toward the stadium, which is projected to cost $83 million total for land acquisition and construction costs. Under the legislation, the team would be responsible for overruns for construction costs.
Conley says he expects passage in the Senate, and says members of the Pawtucket delegation in the House plan to introduce a matching bill in that chamber.
But while Democratic Senate President Dominick Ruggerio has expressed support for the plan, House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello has not. The Cranston Democrat has said he senses resistance among his constituents and among the wider public to spending state money on a ballpark.
The team’s leadership has been publicly flirting with officials in Worcester, Massachusetts, and has toured sites in the city.
The Pawtucket proposal would build a new stadium adjacent to the Blackstone River and Interstate 95.
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