Did Pawtucket Chase the Wrong Ball — Memorial, Gamm, and Potentially Hasbro All Gone
GoLocalProv News Team
Did Pawtucket Chase the Wrong Ball — Memorial, Gamm, and Potentially Hasbro All Gone
In the past couple of months, The Gamm Theatre announced it is moving out of Pawtucket, Memorial Hospital will be closed, and Hasbro is looking to consolidate its operations to a Providence campus.
If Hasbro follows The Gamm, coupled with the demise of Memorial, the City of Pawtucket will have lost upwards of 1,500 workers. The PawSox employ approximately 20 full-time employees.
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The PawSox ownership group — collectively worth an estimated $6 to $8 billion — is demanding Pawtucket provide a $15 million subsidy and the State of Rhode Island, $23 million.
Moreover, the PawSox owners are refusing to guarantee the deal. “This is not a demand that has been specifically asked of the Team, nor do we think it is appropriate. Such a “backstop” would be anomalous (and probably unprecedented) among publicly-owned Minor League Baseball ballparks," the ownership group stated in a letter to Senate Finance.
Thus, a failure of the project would be assumed ultimately by taxpayers.
A recently released poll conducted by John Della Volpe of Harvard found that the PawSox funding scheme had little public support.
The poll asked the following question -- and got the following results:
Approve 28%
Reject 67%
Don't know 4%
Residents in the Blackstone Valley oppose the project at an even higher rate. Just 26 percent of Blackstone residents support the proposal and 71 percent opposed.
In just the past few months, the award-winning Gamm Theatre announced that they are leaving Pawtucket to Warwick.
"The Gamm has emerged as ONE OF THE MOST DYNAMIC THEATER COMPANIES in New England,” wrote the Boston Globe.
The Gamm was the backbone of the restored Pawtucket Armory Arts Center.
In announcing the departure from Pawtucket, Managing Director Oliver Dow said, "Our primary goal was to find a space that could improve the conditions for our artists while maintaining the theatrical experience to which our audience has become accustomed. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for The Gamm to re-light an existing dark theater while making a substantial capital investment in our artistic mission.”
The loss of The Gamm impacts the rest of the arts community and the reneging Pawtucket restaurant industry — the city loses thousands of visitors and spenders looking for a night of high-quality theater.
Then, Care New England announced that it was closing the financially struggling Pawtucket-based Memorial Hospital. The impact is the loss of 827 employees and 603 full-time equivalents. In all likelihood, doctors and nurses will find positions with other healthcare facilities, but hundreds of others from maintenance workers to administrative staffers are likely to be seriously adversely impacted.
At the announcement of the closure, Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien said, "I am extremely disappointed in this decision by Care New England to abandon our community hospital during their transactions, putting their agreement with Partners above the one with Prime Healthcare. I think closing Memorial could have been avoided, rather than giving up on an urban community and the Blackstone Valley.”
The frustrated Grebien added, “Our community needs are important and should not be dismissed for profit. Memorial Hospital provides access to quality care for our residents and is one of our largest employers.”
As GoLocal first reported in late September, Hasbro — the global entertainment and toy company — is looking to consolidate its multiple locations in the region and create a next-generation creative campus for its headquarters and is actively eyeing Providence. Some of the options that Hasbro is considering include the Superman Building.
A consolidated Hasbro campus in Providence would be a devastating loss of prestige and a substantial financial hit to Pawtucket.
Presently, the global headquarters for the 5,000 employees publicly traded company is Newport Avenue in Pawtucket. The appraised value of the 312,000 square foot building is more than $17 million according to the Pawtucket Tax Assessor database.
The Hasbro Pawtucket location has been visited by everyone from Michael Jackson to Steven Spielberg. The headquarters is home to a reported 600 employees.
If Hasbro follows The Gamm coupled with the demise of Memorial, the City of Pawtucket will have lost upwards of 1,500 workers.
The worst-case scenario
Reality is that Pawtucket's obsession with a new PawSox stadium may have consumed the City's attention -- and efforts -- to develop and retain the city's existing assets.
GoLocal: Benchmark Poll, October 2017
Sponsor: GoLocalProv
Sample: N=403
Rhode Island General Election Voters Margin of Error: +/- 4.9% at 95% Confidence Level
Interviewing Period: October 9-11, 2017
Mode: Landline (61%) and Mobile (39%)
Telephone Directed by: John Della Volpe, SocialSphere, Inc.
Are you registered to vote at this address?
Yes: 100%
When it comes to voting, do you consider yourself to be affiliated with the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, Moderate, or Unaffiliated with a major party?
Unaffiliated: 49%
Democrat: 32%
Republican: 15%
Moderate: .4%
Next year, in November of 2018, there will be a statewide general election for Governor and many other state offices. How likely is it that you will vote in this election?
Will you definitely be voting, will you probably be voting, are you 50-50...
Definitely be voting: 78%
Probably be voting: 13%
50-50: 9%
In general, would you say things in Rhode Island are headed in the right direction or are they off on the wrong track?
Right track: 39%
Wrong track: 45%
Mixed: 10%
Don't know/Refused: .6%
What would you say is the number one problem facing Rhode Island that you would like the Governor to address?
Jobs and economy: 21%
Education: 12%
Taxes: 12%
Roads: 12%
State budget: 9%
Corruption/Public integrity: .8%
Healthcare: 3%
Governor: 3%
Homelessness: 2%
Immigration: 2%
Other: 7%
Don’t know: .9%
Over the past three years or so, would you say the economy in Rhode Island has improved, gotten worse, or not changed at all?
Changed for the better: 35%
Changed for the worse: 16%
Not changed at all: 43%
Don't know/Refused: 5%
Over the same time, has your family's financial situation improved, gotten worse, or not changed at all?
Changed for the better: 26%
Changed for the worse: 19%
Not changed at all: 54%
Don't know/Refused: 1%
Recently, a proposal has been made to permit the issuance of $81 million in bonds by the State to build a new stadium for the Pawtucket Red Sox. If there was an election today on this issue, would you vote to approve or reject issuing $81 million in financing supported moral obligation bonds to build the stadium?
Net: Approve: 28%
Definitely approve: 15%
Probably approve: 14%
Net: Reject: 67%
Probably reject: 19%
Definitely reject: 48%
Don't know: 4%
Could you please tell me your age?
18-24: 7%
25-34: 15%
35-44: 15%
45-54: 20%
55-64: 17%
65+: 25%
Don't know/refused: 1%
What was the last grade you completed in school?
0-11: 2%
High school grad: 16%
Technical/Vocational school: 1%
Some college: 23%
College grad: 34%
Graduate degree: 24%
Don't know/refused: 1%
The next question is about the total income of YOUR HOUSEHOLD for the PAST 12 MONTHS. Please include your income PLUS the income of all members living in your household (including cohabiting partners and armed forces members living at home).
$50,000 or less: 27%
More $50,000 but less than $75,000: 13%
More $75,000 but less than $100,000: 13%
More $100,000 but less than $150,000: 17%
$150,000 or more: 13%
Don't know/refused: 17%
What particular ethnic group or nationality - such as English, French, Italian, Irish, Latino, Jewish, African American, and so forth - do you consider yourself a part of or feel closest to?
American/None: 21%
English: 13%
Italian: 13%
Irish: 12%
Black or African American: 6%
Latino/Hispanic: 6%
French: 6%
Portuguese: 3%
Jewish: 3%
German: 1%
Would you say that Donald Trump has done an excellent good, fair or poor job as President?
Excellent: 13%
Good: 12%
Fair: 14%
Poor: 57%
Never heard of: 0%
Cannot rate: 3%
Would you say that Jack Reed has done an excellent good, fair or poor job as a United States Senator?
Excellent: 22%
Good: 29%
Fair: 23%
Poor: 15%
Never heard of: 6%
Cannot rate: 6%
Would you say that Sheldon Whitehouse has done an excellent good, fair or poor job as a United States Senator?
Excellent: 17%
Good: 22%
Fair: 21%
Poor: 28%
Never heard of: 6%
Cannot rate: 7%
Would you say that David Cicilline has done an excellent good, fair or poor job as a Member of Congress?
Excellent: 9%
Good: 29%
Fair: 21%
Poor: 27%
Never heard of: 6%
Cannot rate: 8%
Would you say that James Langevin has done an excellent good, fair or poor job as a Member of Congress?
Excellent: 7%
Good: 30%
Fair: 20%
Poor: 18%
Never heard of: 13%
Cannot rate: 11%
Would you say that Gina Raimondo has done an excellent good, fair or poor job as Governor?
Excellent: 6%
Good: 28%
Fair: 30%
Poor: 31%
Never heard of: 1%
Cannot rate: 3%
Would you say that Daniel McKee has done an excellent good, fair or poor job as Lieutenant Governor?
Excellent: 3%
Good: 16%
Fair: 21%
Poor: 8%
Never heard of: 26%
Cannot rate: 25%
Would you say that Peter Kilmartin has done an excellent good, fair or poor job as Attorney General?
Excellent: 3%
Good: 20%
Fair: 28%
Poor: 17%
Never heard of: 13%
Cannot rate: 19%
Would you say that Seth Magaziner has done an excellent good, fair or poor job as General Treasurer?
Excellent: 4%
Good: 18%
Fair: 24%
Poor: 13%
Never heard of: 21%
Cannot rate: 21%
Would you say that Nellie Gorbea has done an excellent good, fair or poor job as Secretary of State?
Excellent: 5%
Good: 21%
Fair: 21%
Poor: 10%
Never heard of: 20%
Cannot rate: 23%
Would you say that Jorge Elorza has done an excellent good, fair or poor job as Mayor of Providence?
Excellent: 4%
Good: 24%
Fair: 24%
Poor: 22%
Never heard of: 9%
Cannot rate: 15%
