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So, there is state funding (at least $70 million) if this project goes through. Then why did you say "As long as there's no public funding, why do you care?" ?
When a certificate of occupancy is obtained, it essentially means the project is complete. If ownership receives the certificate of occupancy and then goes belly-up an hour later, the worst case is that there is a brand new, completed, permitted, functional stadium in need of a new owner (and potentially new tenant). Not ideal, but hardly an impossible hurdle to overcome.
If the state provided the funding up front, the project could die right now in its current state and they'd be out $70+ million and all they'd have to show for it is some cleared land and a (partially?) poured foundation. Being concerned with the state spending tens of millions on a stadium is perfectly reasonable. But at least they're not at risk of losing all of that money if the developer and owners can't complete construction and deliver a finished product. Personally, I still think the price is too steep and the risk a little too high. It's hard not to think it that it was a hasty move resulting from the loss of the Pawsox, but I'm not currently a RI taxpayer and it's not my battle. I'll certainly go to a match when it opens.
Hopefully you've got some savvy folks on the Rhode Island side of this project. They're gonna have to be watching like hawks. All may turn out well, but you're dealing with some slippery people.
Hopefully you've got some savvy folks on the Rhode Island side of this project. They're gonna have to be watching like hawks. All may turn out well, but you're dealing with some slippery people.
Couldn't agree more. We need someone heading up this project who is a local. The way Brett Johnson's handled himself throughout the development of the stadium so far leaves me thinking he's clueless when it comes to understanding how Rhode Islanders are perceiving the situation. I get the feeling that Brett didn't stray very far beyond College Hill when he was attending Brown. He's no local. What we need is a Ben Mondor involved in this project:
Ben Mondor didn't just look at the Pawtucket Red Sox as an investment. He saw owning the PawSox as being part of a public trust and operated the team accordingly. Those days are gone and we're now left with the likes of Brett Johnson. Guys like Johnson are a dime a dozen compared to Ben Mondor.
This guy Brett Johnson was johnny-on-the-spot in RI when it came to pitching and promoting his stadium deal. He was out and about giving press conferences with Raimondo, drinking craft beers at the Guild, and turning ceremonial shovels of dirt at the groundbreaking. But he's been nowhere to be found locally since things went sideways for RIFC's stadium. Even the Boston Globe reporter had to travel to California to interview him. Brett's too cowardly to show his face around the Ocean State. Will his wife be making the trip to Watch Hill by herself this summer? And what's with his "office"? With the sports banners and team jerseys hanging all over the wall, it looks more like the bedroom of a 14-year-old boy. Time to grow up and take on the responsibilities of an adult, Mr. Johnson. You can start by coming to Rhode Island and scheduling some local interviews with people like Gene Valicenti, Dan Yorke, the ProJo Watchdog Team, and the GoLocalProv Business Team.
If nothing else, this all shows there's a real demand for soccer in RI. They set records selling season tickets. Unlike the PawSox, where good attendance depended on having Major League players in rehab, this happened without that being a possibility, and with no knowledge of who the roster is. If this ownership falls apart and I don't think it will, someone else must step up.
If Hartford has a USL Championship team, there's no excuse for Providence not having one. We regularly outscore Boston in TV ratings for soccer and if the Revs do move to Everett, people will be super hungry for a local option.
There may be a demand for soccer in Rhode Island, but the 2,500 season ticket deposits that were sold cost $24 each and generated $60,000. That $60,000 isn't going to put much of a dent in the $124 million Tidewater Stadium price tag.
Hartford Athletic's ownership group is made up of three local businessmen with deep ties to the greater Hartford community. RIFC's Brett Johnson lives in LA's Pacific Palisades neighborhood. But, you know, he spent four years on College Hill and he summers with his wife in Westerly, so I guess that's supposed to make him a Rhode Islander.
Providence pulling in better TV ratings than Boston for soccer and Rhode Islanders being super hungry for a local soccer option still doesn't solve the problem of Brett Johnson coming up with the money he needs to build the stadium RIFC is supposed to play its games in. And it also doesn't excuse the way he's spewed bull**** about his business and soccer accomplishments. PureBoston was spot-on when he said we have to be watching like hawks when dealing with such a slippery person.
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