Selectmen Go Swinging With Town-wide Liquor License

Foxborough, MA – The selectmen are going to use a creative idea when it comes to Foxborough's lone town-wide liquor license.

Tuesday night, the board voted 4-1 to use the license as a swing license. If a party chooses to apply for and is granted the license, it will be done with a civil condition that it must be returned and exchanged for a site-specific license once one becomes available. Failure to do so will come with a $250,000 penalty.

Jim DeVellis voted against the motion, telling the board he felt uncomfortable with the idea.

"Just seems like we’re grabbing onto something because we can," DeVellis said.

The vote was a continuation of a previous discussion on the future of the license, which was previously held by the American Legion.

Chairman David Feldman said there is an inherent value to a town-wide license, with Town Manager Bill Keegan noting that the Massachusetts State Legislature is only granting site-specific licenses.

"We have to get it back, use it in a manner that benefits the town and if we don’t get it back, there has to be a monetary payment," Feldman said.

Applicants for the license could come soon. Economic Development Committee Chairperson Lorraine Brue and Town Manager Bill Keegan said they know of one business looking to upgrade their license and another one that would like to apply.