Children's Museum, fully admonished, vows to do better

THE LAST thing Boston Children's Museum wants to do is set a bad example for children, never mind our community partners ("Pier 4 tops list of tax scofflaws," Metro, Dec. 1). We all need to live up to our obligations and contribute to the greater good. Without going into a long story, we want readers to know that we are paying our back taxes to the City of Boston for a parking lot that was donated to us two years ago. Following instructions from the city, we have filed to remove the parking lot from the tax rolls, since it is not a public lot; in fact, the plan is to convert this lot into green space as soon as possible and build a better school bus dropoff site there.

We regret the impression that the story might have left with our devoted visitors and donors. I am even more embarrassed that breakfast table discussions Monday might have given kids the idea that their museum was doing a bad thing. We are sorry that we were late paying those particular taxes. In my 15 years as head of this great, nonprofit institution, this is the first time we have been late in a tax payment, and it won't happen again.

Lou Casagrande
President and CEO
Boston Children's Museum