Foxborough Selectmen Meetings Might Be Moved

Foxborough selectmen meetings have much too big the town hall meeting room.

With several big issues expected to be on the upcoming agendas, selectmen say they will have to look for bigger venues or postpone their meetings when an overflowing crowd shows up and can't be able to fit into the meeting room.

At that point, if they don't cancel or they don’t move their meeting, they will also be in violation of the opening meeting law. All residents have to be allowed to attend meeting or it has to be postponed.

Town manager Kevin Paicos said selectmen inadventently violated the open meeting law at their March 27 meeting. After being instructed by the selectmen to investigate the sitution, Paicos was instructed to meet with Police Chief Edward O'Leary, Fire Chief Roger Hatfield and Building Inspector William Casbarra to see if they held a meeting without allowing all of those in attendance to attend the meeting.

That was the meeting right after the Kraft organization served legal papers against the town and the board of selectmen over the billboard issues, which drew a huge crowd.

Paicos said state attorney general Martha Coakley could find the board in violation, but it wouldn't involve a major penalty.

Harrington said he apologized to Larry Thomas, who said he wasn’t allowed in the meeting. Thomas did speak at the end of the March 27 meeting to call to attent the problem of not being allowed to attend the meeting.

Before starting the meeting, Harrington did ask anyone that didn't have business early at the March 27 if they would leave and then returned.

Now, the selectmen will look to use the high school audoritum, and other schools. Harrington also said the board could also use the media room at the high school where the school committee holds its meetings. The meeting room at town hall only holds 59 people.

The selectmen chairman also said he wanted to make sure the sites and the schedule of the meetings were agreeable to Foxborough Cable Access for their tapings.

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