The construction of Polar Park, the soon-to-be-home of the Worcester Red Sox, will be able to resume after it was on hold for five weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The park originally was scheduled to open in April 2021, but the team would not say how the hiatus impacted their expected date, according to MassLive. Worcester City Manager Edward Augustus Jr., however, was confident last month that Polar Park still would be able to open on that proposed date as long as the stoppage didn’t go past May 31.
And now that construction is set to resume this week, all signs point to still being on track.
Chairman and owner Larry Lucchino called the resumption of construction “a step forward” for the Worcester community.
“We are pleased at the City Manager’s news, not only for WooSox fans and those looking forward to Polar Park, but because it is a step forward in the community’s recovery from this striking scourge,” Lucchino said in a statement, via MassLive. “While we look forward to resuming the construction of Worcester’s new ballpark, we recognize that precautions, health, and safety remain paramount. We will support our local construction workers, and we will abide by the conditions set forth by our leaders to ensure an environment that complies with their public policy and expert medical recommendations. We will save an assessment of the delay and the adverse impacts for another day.”
The ground officially was broke in July for Polar Park, which will seat 10,000 people. The first steel went up in March.