But this being the Boston Red Sox, where natives believe that they alone understand what it means to own a piece of the team, there is concern that the new owners will feel a need to bring a local element into their group. The fear among the pro-Fenway crowd is that the list of potential new owners is filled with local businesspeople who own large pieces of real estate that could be seen as a new home for the Sox. That list includes Steven Karp, who owns Anthony's on Pier 4 on the waterfront in South Boston; Dan Merino, the head of Modern Continental, who owns a parcel in Everett; and, Joseph O'Donnell of the Boston Concession Group, who is a shareowner of Suffolk Downs in Revere.
The new owners have invested a large sum of money for a renovation plan, as Erica Tarlin, a spokesperson for Save Fenway Park!, a local activist group committed to restoring Fenway Park, tells GlobeSt.com. "They have built a pledge around their renovations," she says. "But there is concern about them taking in new partners."
Local newspapers and local sports radio shows continue to emphasize that the new owners are "out of towners" and many add that they will not be able to renovate the park. "The fear is they will be convinced or seduced that it is necessary to build new," notes Tarlin, who adds that other cities that have built new ballparks--such as Chicago and Detroit--have suffered low attendance. "All a new stadium does is create revenue for its owners," she says. "It doesn't guarantee a winning team."
Joe Baerlein, spokesperson for the Henry/Werner group, acknowledges that that the new owners are looking into acquiring local partners but he insists that just because the new owners are talking to someone who "owns a particular site" it doesn't mean that the Sox will be playing ball there. "They are not looking at potential local investors with the only caveat being [that they own] a site," he tells GlobeSt.com. "That is not the only criteria."
The new owners have invested a large sum of money into a renovation plan, as Tarlin points out. "They have built a pledge around their renovations, but there is concern about them taking in new partners." Tarlin adds that other cities that have built new ballparks--such as Chicago and Detroit--have suffered low attendance. "All a new stadium does is create revenue for its owners," she says. "It doesn't guarantee a winning team."
Baerlein could not say exactly how much the new owners have invested in exploring the possibility of renovating Fenway Park but he notes that a "serious expense" was incurred. "We've said many times that Werner and Otten, [two of the new owners in the group], made an initial commitment to look at every possible way to renovate. We believe that they've come up with a plan that will work." Baerlein adds that Les Lucchino, another new owner, will spend the next six months looking at issues involved in renovating the park. "There is an emotional tie to renovating Fenway Park but we believe that it's also feasible," he says. "But we need six months of architectural and engineering review before we make a decision."
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