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Councilors Change Tune on Vacant Lot for Berroa Family
Tom Duggan

Greg and Wyria Berroa are one step closer to purchasing the vacant lot across the street from their Bromfield Street home, where they have dreamed of building a home with wheelchair ramps for their disabled son, Rodrigo.

The Berroas have been trying to purchase the lot for more then two years, following it through land court and meeting with city officials since 2004.

Last month the Housing Committee of the Lawrence City Council postponed declaring the city-owned lot as “surplus property” when councilor Nilka Alvarez (chairman of the committee) advocated building a park on the property. According to the minutes of the meeting, Councilor Alvarez attacked Councilor Grisel Silva, accusing her of making a “done deal” with the Berroa family, and held up the property while making speeches about the need for parks in the Bromfield Street area.

Alvarez canceled the next regularly scheduled Housing Committee meeting, delaying the issue yet another two weeks, because the video cameras were not working in council chambers. She then went on a local radio program to deny she accused Councilor Silva of making back room deals for the Bromfield Street property (despite the fact that the official council records show that she did) and attacking the media, saying she never tried to obstruct the Berroas from purchasing the property.

Last week, the Berroa family sat with their six-year-old disabled son, Rodrigo, as the Housing Committee met again to discuss the issue. Councilor Patrick Blanchette said that, “despite what has been reported in the media,” the housing committee did not have to declare the land “surplus property” before discussing possible uses of the land. He then went on to deny he and other councilors were engaged in dirty politics in delaying the issue for more than four weeks.

After speaking about possible uses of the property, however, Blanchette changed his tune minutes later when Councilor Silva, who sat in the audience with the family throughout the meeting, got up to speak on behalf of the Berroa family. That’s when Blanchette said it was an inappropriate time to discuss the possible bidders on the property since the land had not yet been voted on as surplus.

When the speech making and political grandstanding were finally over, the Housing Committee voted unanimously to declare the vacant lot as “surplus property,” prompting applause and cheering from the Berroa family.

“We are so happy,” Wyria said after the meeting.

“There is still a long way to go, but now we are one step closer to building a home for Rodrigo,” Greg added.

Lawrence Mayor Michael Sullivan said that his office is working on ways to grant the Berroas the property for a dollar as a hardship issue. “We are going to do everything we can in my office to help the Berroas achieve their dream of building a home for Rodrigo,” Sullivan said. “But the City Council still has to approve whatever we do here, so there are still no guarantees.

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The September, 2006 Edition of the Valley Patriot
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