Letter to the Editor: Foxborough's Town Hall Project

We taxpayers in Foxborough can NOT afford an $8 million town hall project.  I'm not sure we can even afford a $5 million project.

The attached chart shows an unsustainable and unjustifiable rate of expansion in town spending (3 times the rate of inflation) over the past decade.  That's why we taxpayers cannot afford ANYTHING that increases the town budget.

As for town hall itself, if some type of renovation or expansion can be justified, the only solution that makes sense is moving to a new location  with a long term lease.  The market has never been better for tenants to negotiate a lease, and landlords eagerly contribute generously to tenant fitout costs to attract good tenants.  Plus, moving once to renovated leased space saves the cost of fitting out and moving back to new or renovated space on the present site.  Town hall needs to redirect its focus from spending money to saving money.

There is no denying that the commercial center of Foxborough has moved to Chestnut Green.  That might be where town hall belongs, near the police and fire station.  Speaking as a taxpayer, but also as a life member of the Friends of Boyden Library and a financial supporter of library programs, the library should make their temporary quarters at Chestnut Green permanent instead of the extravagant new building.  A new town hall on the present site is not going to revitalize the town center.  A new private sector use might have a chance.

-Ken Elovitz