With a stroke of his pen this week, Judge Geoffrey German put an end to more than six months of uncertainty for two Afghan refugee families and their supporters in Harvard. At a Wednesday hearing in the Worcester County Probate and Family Court, German granted the Select Board’s petition to lease Bromfield House as a residence for the families for at least a year.
Town Counsel Mark Lanza presented a short summary of the Select Board’s request for a temporary deviation from Margaret Bromfield Blanchard’s will, which restricts the disposition of the property. The Trustees of the Bromfield School had originally donated Bromfield House to the town of Harvard for educational purposes. Under Blanchard’s will and a town meeting vote, the Select Board also gained authority to sell Bromfield House, but not specifically to lease it.
Lanza acknowledged that leasing the house to refugees strays from the will’s primary objective but has some educational purpose, as any lease or rental payments to the town would be used for educational causes. Previously used for school administrative offices, the now vacant Bromfield House is “a surplus building sitting there,” said Lanza to the judge in his argument.
State Sen. Jamie Eldridge sent an amicus curiae brief in support of leasing the property to the refugees. He had expressed frustration at the delay in approving the petition but strongly supported the court’s decision this week. In an email to the Press, Eldridge wrote: “I am overjoyed and relieved to hear the news. … I have been deeply moved by the compassion, love, and support shown to the Afghan families by the entire community of Harvard, including the Neighborhood Support Team, Harvard public schools, and Harvard town officials.”
Though the Trustees of the Bromfield School did not assent to the Select Board’s petition, their letter addressed to the court affirmed that they do not object and will not appeal the decision. The trustees did not retain counsel for Wednesday’s hearing.
With Lanza’s presentation and the lack of any objection, German granted the petition within 10 minutes of the hearing’s beginning. Terry Symula, a leader of the Harvard group supporting the refugees, teared up at the conclusion of this long approval process. Symula, fellow leader Sharon Cronin, and three of the Afghan girls left the courthouse beaming as they high-fived and hugged one another. With Bromfield House now open to them, the challenge of cleaning and renovating their new home lies ahead.
