Foxboro officials "are expected to file legislation"
today which will limit the state's contribution to
renovations on Foxboro Stadium to "no more than" interest
payments on $50M worth of bonds, according to Tina Cassidy
of the BOSTON GLOBE. Although Patriots Owner Robert Kraft
has been offered a new facility in RI, "there are elements"
in the MA proposal "that could still attract" him. In MA,
Kraft would have to invest a "minimum" of $50M to refurbish
the current facility and it is "believed" that MA House
Speaker Thomas Finneran, who is Kraft's "most powerful
opponent," may accept the new bill "as long as the taxpayer
money goes for improvements around the stadium and not for
the stadium itself." But the deal would provide Kraft with
"only" a renovated Foxboro Stadium and calls for a long-term
lease, "which could be a problem given that Patriots sources
have indicated an expansion of Foxboro Stadium would only be
a short-term solution" (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/25). In Providence,
Tom Mooney writes that although Kraft "has said he is not
playing one state off another. ... few could argue that [he]
sits in a cozy position" (JOURNAL BULLETIN, 9/25).
RI POLL: A Brown Univ. poll shows RI voters are "almost
evenly divided" on whether a new stadium should be built in
Providence, "but solidly opposed" to using $80-120M in state
revenue bonds to finance it. The poll surveyed 406 voters
from September 20-22, with a margin of error of +/- 5%
(Scott MacKay, JOURNAL-BULLETIN). Of those surveyed, 41%
favored the state building a new facility, 47% opposed; 57%
opposed using the state revenue bonds to finance the
project, with 32% in favor (JOURNAL-BULLETIN, 9/25).
