Country Musical Festival Gets Preliminary OK

Foxborough selectmen have given preliminary approval to the annual Aug. 24 and 25 at Gillette Stadium, pending a satisfactory traffic management plan.

"One of the issues that is outstanding, the one thing that caused most concern [is] traffic in our community and neighboring communities," said Foxborough Police Chief Edward O'Leary at the concert application public hearing Tuesday night.

The New England Country Music Festival is the largest concert series in New England, selling out Gillette Stadium each year from 2005 to 2009, and then again for two nights in 2011. The annual concert featuring recording artist Kenny Chesney is expected to attract a big crowd, approximately 55,000 fans on each night.

According to a spokeswoman for New England Patriots Stadium LLC, Gillette Stadium gates would open at 3:30 p.m. and music would play from 5:00 to 11:15 p.m.

Last year's concert traffic resulted in a nasty gridlock, tying up community roads for hours.

Chief O'Leary said that he found other neighboring communities were similarly impacted.

"We need to find a solution to that problem, [look into] additional resources along the Route 140 corridor," he said.

Complaints of bad behavior from Walpole and Foxboro residents, including some cases where concertgoers stopped to urinate on private property, raised deep concerns from town officials. 

Walpole Town Administrator Mike Boynton spoke at the meeting, calling the traffic last year "an extreme problem for [their] community."

Boynton noted that their community has a "fantastic relationship with the stadium," however said "[they] cannot go down the road that [they] did last year."

Foxborough selectman Mark Sullivan said that he would "rather see it [behavior] contained in one area than spread over multiple towns," suggesting that the policy to keep stadium lots closed longer may have to be re-evaluated.

"There a young crowd - they are going to drink. Lets get them off the roads," he continued.

Selectmen voted to give preliminary approval for the concert, subject to approval by the board of health, police, fire and the stadium advisory committee. Board members also added a requirement for a satisfactory traffic management plan. The plan will be submitted back to the board in May.