Worcester mayor calls for city to work to attract PawSox
Grant Welker
A site often mentioned as potentially hosting a ballpark, the Wyman-Gordon site in the Canal District is near downtown and I-290.
Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty has filed a resolution calling for City Manager Edward Augustus to do all that is reasonably in his power to attract the Pawtucket Red Sox to the city.
Petty is asking the City Council to support in principle a relocation of the minor-league baseball team to Worcester. The resolution is scheduled to be discussed at the council's Aug. 15 meeting.
Worcester is a potential landing spot for the Boston Red Sox affiliate now the team has attempted to find new locations in Pawtucket or Providence. The team is looking for some public funding for a new ballpark, which has received a cool response in Rhode Island.
Worcester officials met with PawSox executives last month in Worcester's Canal District, according to reports. An often-mentioned potential ballpark site is the vacant Wyman-Gordon site off Madison Street between downtown and I-290.
No figures have been made public regarding what kind of incentives Worcester may use to draw the team, or whether the stadium would be owned by the city or the team.
Petty released a statement Tuesday saying he filed the resolution "to get the city council on the record saying that we support this move in principle."
"There is real momentum in our city and it’s great that an organization like the PawSox have noticed. We would be negligent if we didn’t pursue this opportunity," he said.
"This is a chance to develop acres of brownfields that have been sitting vacant for over a decade. We will make sure that any deal moving forward is in the best interest of the people of Worcester. We’re a long way from the finish line but it’s important that we demonstrate that Worcester is a city that embraces bold ideas."
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