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Select Board continues Gillette Stadium license hearing after debate over new form
Summary
Select Board members and stadium officials debated a substantially revised 2026 event-license form proposed by the town; Craft Sports & Entertainment asked for more negotiation and the board continued the public hearing to April 17 to allow further discussion and public-safety review.
The Foxboro Select Board on April 14 paused a vote on the Craft Sports & Entertainment LLC 2026 annual entertainment license for events at Gillette Stadium, continuing the public hearing to Friday after a heated exchange over a newly proposed, substantially rewritten license form.
Representatives for the stadium events operator said they received the draft form only days earlier and urged the board to issue a license under the prior, long-used form for this year or to adopt a short-term license so the parties can negotiate changes without jeopardizing upcoming events. "If it's not broke, what are we trying to fix?" said Gary Ronin, who represented the craft organization, arguing the new document contained funding and operational provisions that required more time for review.
Town Counsel Jay Talerman and other town officials defended the updated draft as an "evolution" prompted by recent large-scale events, including World Cup activity, that revealed gaps in how fixed public-safety costs and service expectations were documented. Talerman said the longer form lays out the services and proration of fixed costs so the public, town departments and the licensee "know what they're getting for the money they're paying," and to reduce later disputes over what the town expects and what it will bill.
George Bell, speaking for the Stadium Advisory Committee, recommended approval in principle but stressed that stadium management must provide the facilities, equipment and funding necessary to implement safety plans. Multiple board members said they wanted more time for a careful review; several suggested a temporary form of the new license could be used to "hold the fort" while the parties negotiated final language.
The board voted to continue the public hearing to Friday, April 17 at 12:15 p.m., leaving the record open for further comment and encouraging town staff, public-safety officials and the licensee to meet in advance. The motion carried with one member recorded as opposed.
