Finance Committee receives PawSox financial, attendance data
STATE HOUSE, Providence ??? Following repeated requests by Senate Finance Committee Chairman William J. Conley, Jr. and members of the Finance Committee, the Pawtucket Red Sox today provided additional financial and attendance data required as part of the vetting process.
???We have been asking for financial and attendance data about the team since before our series of hearings began, and several times over the course of the public hearing process,??? said Chairman Conley (D ??? Dist. 18, East Providence, Pawtucket). ???The committee has an obligation to assess the financial strength of the team before entering into a public-private stadium partnership.???
He added: ???The information provided today appears to address some of the questions committee members have been asking. However, additional follow-up will be necessary. We look forward to continued cooperation by the team to enable the Committee???s full and transparent vetting of the proposal.???
The submitted documents include minor league ballpark attendance trends, International League attendance data, revenue and expense information, a recent consolidated balance sheet and supporting documentation, letters of good standing from Minor League Baseball and an independent auditor, and a construction cost comparison.
All documents have been uploaded to the committee???s website, www.PawSoxHearings.com.
The committee???s next hearing, its sixth in the series of hearings, is scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, Oct. 19, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Bello Center Grand Hall at Bryant University, 1150 Douglas Pike, Smithfield.
The meeting will consist of testimony from parties the committee has asked to testify: The Department of Administration???s Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance and the Department of Revenue???s Office of Revenue Analysis. There will also be follow-up testimony by Brailsford and Dunlavey, the consulting firm that conducted an economic impact study on the stadium proposal at the request of the City of Pawtucket and the team.
Public testimony will follow. Due to time constraints associated with the venue, the hearing is limited to four hours. Sign-in for the public comment portion of the hearing will begin at 4:30 p.m. in Bello Center Grand Hall. Public parking will be available at Parking Lot C on the Bryant University campus. Attendees should use the campus main entrance and follow the signs.
Public testimony will be taken in the order that individuals sign up. Speaking time will be allocated equally and will be dependent upon the number of individuals signed up to speak. In recognition of this, the submission of written testimony is encouraged, either at the committee???s designated website (www.pawsoxhearings.com) or in person at the hearing. Those submitting written testimony at the hearing are asked to bring 20 copies for the committee.
The hearing will be streamed live on the General Assembly???s website (rilegislature.gov), and will air on Capitol TV (Cox HD 1013, Cox and Full Channel 15, Verizon Fios 34) the following day.
The seventh hearing will take place on Tuesday, October 24, at 6 p.m. in Room 313 of the State House