PENDULUM STUDIO SELECTED TO PREPARE COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF MCCOY STADIUM, SURROUNDING AREA

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The State of Rhode Island, the City of Pawtucket, and the Pawtucket Red Sox today announced they have selected architectural design firm Pendulum Studio II, LLC to study McCoy Stadium, the 74-year-old home of the PawSox.

The contract – which was awarded upon the unanimous agreement of the State, the City, and the PawSox – engages the firm to study McCoy Stadium and the surrounding area. The study, which is expected to be completed no later than January 2017, is being solicited in connection with a commitment made by the parties when the McCoy Stadium lease was extended in March 2014.

“We are looking forward to seeing the assessment early next year, and we know Pendulum’s impressive background and expertise will provide our collaborative team with insight into the future of the stadium,” said Rhode Island Department of Administration Director Michael DiBiase. “The State will continue to collaborate with the Pawtucket Red Sox and the City of Pawtucket as the vendor moves through this process.”

A nationwide leader in ballpark design, Pendulum is led by Principal/Owner Jonathan O’Neil Cole, who has directed design efforts for more than 20 minor league ballparks, including AutoZone Park in Memphis, Tennessee; Fifth Third Field in Dayton, Ohio; and BB&T Ballpark in Winston Salem, North Carolina.

Cole has also conducted similar studies of older ballparks in Manchester, New Hampshire; Salem, Virginia; and Memphis, Tennessee. Before co-founding Pendulum, Cole previously worked for renowned design firms HNTB Corporation, Populous (formerly known as HOK) and 360 Architecture Inc.

The Pendulum-led team includes a number of highly skilled consultants, each of which will contribute to a particular area of the study. S/L/A/M Collaborative, a Connecticut-based architecture and engineering firm, will support Pendulum with structural engineering, site planning, and architectural services. Program management firm Brailsford & Dunlavey will coordinate the project management and economic impact portions of the study. The team also includes BETA Group, a planning and design firm with a long history of working in Pawtucket; Barton Malow, an experienced pre-construction firm that will provide project cost estimates; and BVH Integrated Services, PC, a Connecticut-based engineering firm.

“Pendulum has assembled a first-class group of specialists for this project,” said Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien. “We are confident that they will be able to showcase the full potential of McCoy Stadium going forward. Pendulum and its team will search for smart investments we can make to secure the long-term future of affordable, family-friendly professional baseball for the families of Rhode Island.”

The selection of Pendulum comes at the end of a solicitation process that began with the posting of the McCoy Study Request for Proposals this past June. Members of the Technical Review Committee – which consisted of equal representation from the State, the City and the PawSox – scored each bidder on its technical proposal, interview and cost bid.

“The selection process was thorough and highly collaborative,” said PawSox Vice Chairman Mike Tamburro. “The three parties have been committed to a united front from the start and we worked together well. We enter the next phase of this process with confidence, knowing that we conducted thorough due diligence and selected an exemplary team, and we thank the State and the City for their partnership.”

The intent of the study is to develop a master plan and cost estimates for significant repairs, upgrades, system replacements and/or improvements to McCoy Stadium and the surrounding area which, if implemented, would provide a safe, accessible, state of the art, public facility that reflects current trends in the design of professional ballparks and that meets or exceeds the standard of facilities and amenities that exist at other Major League Baseball affiliated Triple-A baseball stadiums.

Pendulum will work closely with representatives of the State, the City, and the PawSox throughout the study process. It is anticipated that the Final Report will be issued no later than January 2017.