FOXBORO - A widow who wanted to donate a 1.3-acre parcel on Neponset Reservoir in her late husband's name has convinced selectmen to reverse their previous rejection of the gift.

The board last week voted 4-1 to accept the gift during an unscheduled meeting with Doreen Bonacorso, who said her late husband, Frank Bonacorso, had always intended for the town to have the Ridge Road lot.

"Honestly, nobody loved that lake like my husband," Doreen Bonacorso said.

Earlier in the night, a lawyer representing Bonacorso told the board that if the town does not accept the gift for conservation purposes, she will donate it to some other conservation group.

Selectmen previously had voted 3-2 against accepting the parcel, in part because it would mean the town permanently losing $625 in annual property tax. Selectmen Chairman Mark Sullivan, who favored acceptance of the land from the start, said the shoreline land may provide a useful public access to the reservoir.

The conservation commission Dec. 1 voted 5-0 to accept the gift, which also needed selectmen's approval.

Commission Chairman Robert Boette joined Doreen Bonacorso in urging the town to take the land.

Selectman Paul Mortenson alone voted not to take the land, saying it was unwise to remove it from the tax rolls.

The board for months has engaged in a wide-ranging discussion concerning gifts of land that mean a loss of tax revenue.

An oft-cited report says about 17 percent of the town's land is untaxable, a higher percentage than in a number of area communities.

Conservation commission member Judith Johnson gave data challenging that figure as too high.