PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WPRI) — McCoy Stadium will soon be no more.
Pawtucket voters approved Question 4 on their local ballot allowing the city to borrow $330 million to construct a new high school.
The new school, which would include a fully-integrated career and technical center, would be built on the property that used to house McCoy Stadium.
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The proposed 482,000-square-foot high school campus would consolidate Shea and Tolman high schools into one building for 2,500 students, according to the city.
Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien told 12 News he believes replacing McCoy Stadium is in the best interest of the city, but it will come with a grieving process.
“Everybody understood it was going to be at this site, so I think everybody as much as it hurts has accepted that we move on from McCoy,” Grebien said.
Grebien hopes they can find ways to preserve part of the building or field in an effort to keep the stadium’s legacy alive. When asked if he thought former Pawsox Owner Ben Mondor would support demolishing McCoy, Grebien said Mondor would be glad to see a school replace the iconic ballpark.
“I think he’d be supporting us 100% saying it’s great to invest in our education, our schools, our buildings are challenged so I think everybody would agree it’s the right next step,” Grebien said.
Superintendent Dr. Cheryl McWilliams said Shea and Tolman high schools are antiquated and new school facilities are necessary to provide students with more opportunities.
“When all is said and done, we are trying to move education, public education forward in this city, and you need to have all the pieces,” McWilliams said.
Earlier this year, Grebien said there would be some kind of farewell to McCoy if voters approved the bond measure.
It will be Pawtucket’s first new school in more than 80 years. Grebien said it would take at least five years to build the school.
The bond money would also be used to fund improvements to other school facilities across the city.
