The Select Board took a major step toward the sale of Bromfield House this week, voting 4-1 to declare the house surplus property. Board member Kara Minar voted against the measure, saying she was not sure if the schools had fully relinquished the property. But Town Administrator Tim Bragan said the Select Board had the authority to make the decision.
The next steps for Bromfield House, Select Board Chair Rich Maiore said, are to decide what restrictions the board might put on the property’s future use and the minimum price the board would accept for it. He asked Assistant Town Administrator Marie Sobalvarro to look into both those matters, which will require further Select Board votes.
Bromfield House was built in 1915 as a home for the headmaster of the Bromfield School. It later housed the school district administration offices, until they were relocated to the new Hildreth Elementary School.
In a nonbinding vote at the October 2021 Town Meeting, a two-thirds majority directed the Select Board to sell Bromfield House. Voters supported the same nonbinding measure at Town Election in November 2021. The following year, at Town Meeting in October 2022, voters approved extending the Historic District in town center to include the house, which gives the Historical Commission some control over changes to the building.
Since 2022 Bromfield House has been home to two Afghan refugee families, but that lease expires at the end of June this year. The lease was extended from its original term so the families would not need to move during the school year.
