With construction suspended, Polar Park’s future unknown

WORCESTER, Mass. — Less than a month ago, construction at Worcester’s Polar Park hit a milestone as the first steel beams of the multi-million dollar minor league ballpark were raised.

Celebrations were short-lived.

COVID-19 struck and the governor issued a statewide construction ban. Now, construction at Polar Park, which is helping to reshape New England’s second-largest city, is on hold. On Wednesday, Worcester City Manager Ed Augustus told Boston 25 News reporter Bob Ward that it’s not certain what the shutdown means for Polar Park’s completion.

“Until we know how long we are shut down and how much it will take to catch up with that, we’re not really sure,” said Augustus.

A key issue is cost.

Polar Park was already running into cost overruns and Augustus says they don’t know how much more the shut down may add to the project. It’s also not clear if the park will be ready for opening day next year.

“It’s too soon to say. We don’t know if we are going to be back up and running on May 4, June 4, or beyond, something beyond that,” he said.

A team official says the organization is paying very close attention to the progression of Polar Park. In a statement last week, the team said:

“We want nothing more than for Polar Park to be a point of pride for the people of Worcester and the Commonwealth… We concur with our partners that a temporary halt gives our community the best opportunity to permanently contain this destructive virus.”

Whenever the construction ban is lifted, workers will likely be working overtime to finish the park. Whether that can be done on time, or on budget, really depends on when construction can resume.

>> MORE: A virtual tour of Worcester’s Polar Park

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