Fall River Now

Meeting summary The Fall River Licensing Board, meeting with a two-member quorum consisting of Chairman Gregory Brilhante, Esq. and member Michael Perreira, conducted its business on August 19, 2026. Due to the two-member board, all approvals required a unanimous vote, and applicants were given the option to table their petitions for a full board, though none chose to do so. The board approved sev...

Meeting summary The Fall River Traffic Board held its meeting on August 19, 2026, chaired by Stephanie McArthur, Director of Traffic and Parking. The board began by approving the minutes from the July 15th meeting. They then approved a curb cut application for Jessica and Mark Forslund at 498 Reading Street to add a 12-foot driveway on Montgomery Street. A request from Peter Amaral of Shoreline So...

Meeting summary The Fall River School Committee held a regular meeting on August 19, 2026, addressing a wide range of topics from citizen concerns to detailed district reports. The meeting began with resident Pamela Nickerson pleading with the committee to reopen the Durfee High School's Jarabek Memorial Pool for public swim and lessons, which has been closed to the public since December 2025. Com...

Meeting summary The Fall River School Committee's Finance Subcommittee met to discuss several key financial matters ahead of the new school year. The primary topics included a new waste removal contract, the budgets for the district's alternative education programs, and the end-of-year financial report for fiscal year 2026. Chief Operating Officer Ken Pacheco detailed the new 3-year city contract...

Meeting summary The Fall River Historical Commission held its August 18, 2026 meeting, chaired by Rick Mancini. The commission first addressed a demolition and construction request for stairs at 529 High Street. The homeowner, Mary Beth Bulio, explained the existing brick stairs were a safety hazard. The discussion revealed that the city's building inspector, Frank Calario, had issued an order dec...

Meeting summary The Fall River Community Preservation Committee held its annual meeting on August 17, 2026. The meeting began with a roll call of the members present. The committee's financial report was postponed to a future date as the city's CFO was unable to attend. The Chair read a prepared statement reflecting on the committee's progress over the past year, thanking the committee members, ap...

Meeting summary The Fall River Community Preservation Committee met to review project extensions, approve annual dues, and set the upcoming funding schedule. The committee approved a two-year extension for Forward Preservation to finish window work and another two-year extension for the Fall River Historical Society's $389,943 roof project, which was delayed to accommodate an HVAC system installat...

Transcript Welcome to Fall River Now. Here's your look at the week ahead in Fall River city government. The Community Preservation Committee meets twice on Monday evening. At 5 o'clock, the committee will vote on funding extension requests and set funding dates for fiscal year 2028. An hour later at 6 o'clock, members will elect committee officers and hear a financial report from the city finance...

Transcript Welcome to Fall River Now. This is our weekly recap for the week ending August 14, 2026, where we cover the most significant local government news. Topping the news this week, Fall River has officially filled a top municipal post. On Tuesday, the City Council confirmed Ann O'Neil-Souza as City Administrator. Her confirmation came during a packed session that also included hearings on ut...

Meeting summary Patrick Norton, Executive Director of the Narrows Center for the Arts, hosted a press conference to announce the 3rd annual "Take Me to the River" event, a free festival on the Tom Norton Pier. Norton emphasized the event's dual purpose of providing a high-quality cultural experience for all community members regardless of socioeconomic status and boosting the local economy by attr...

Meeting summary The Fall River Planning Board meeting on August 12, 2026, chaired by John Ferreira, addressed several development projects, tabling the most significant ones for further review. The main item of discussion was a new roadway reconstruction project for vacant lots off Box, Norwood, and Monarch Streets. The project, presented by engineer Alex Karadeski on behalf of owner Timothy DeSov...

Meeting summary A ceremony was held at Bicentennial Park in Fall River for Agent Orange Awareness Day to honor Vietnam veterans and all veterans exposed to toxins. The event began with an opening prayer by Reverend Rob, who asked for comfort and healing for those affected. The main speaker, identifying himself as a regional director for the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), then provided a detail...

Meeting summary The Fall River City Council meeting on August 11, 2026, consisted of a public hearing, a Committee on Finance meeting, and a full council session. The meeting began with a public hearing on an auto body shop license, a utility pole installation, and a curb removal, all of which were later approved by the full council. The Committee on Finance meeting featured a commendation for Jul...

Meeting summary The Fall River City Council Committee on Ordinances & Legislation convened to discuss several proposed ordinances and a resolution. The meeting began with citizen input from Alphonse Hathaway, who proposed stricter regulations for electric bicycles, suggesting they be treated like motorcycles with requirements for registration, insurance, licensing, and increased fines for viol...

Meeting summary The Fall River Housing Authority Commission held a brief meeting, lasting approximately 15 minutes. The board, led by Chairman Stephen R. Long, moved quickly through a series of routine approvals, including the minutes from the July 13, 2026 meeting, bills and vouchers, and various management and financial reports for June 2026. All these items were passed unanimously without discu...

Meeting summary The Fall River School Committee's Facilities and Operations Subcommittee met on August 10, 2026, to discuss several key operational matters. A major topic was the new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for School Resource Officers (SROs). The new agreement, developed with Acting Police Chief J.T. Hoar, eliminates automatic weekly overtime, which cost nearly $100,000 in the previous...

Transcript Welcome to Fall River Now. Here's your look at the week ahead in Fall River city government. The City Council faces a packed agenda Tuesday evening at 5:55. Councilors will consider a loan order for nearly six point nine million dollars for repairs, renovations, and maintenance of the Third Street Parking Garage. Also on the agenda is the mayor's request for confirmation of Ann O'Neil-S...

Meeting summary The City of Fall River held a solemn ceremony at Bicentennial Park on Purple Heart Day, August 7th, 2026, to honor all Purple Heart recipients and to provide a special welcome home tribute to United States Army Private First Class Manuel Pacheco. PFC Pacheco, a Fall River native, was killed in action during the D-Day invasion on June 6th, 1944, when his landing craft, LCI-92, struc...

Transcript Welcome to Fall River Now. This is our weekly recap for the week ending August 7, 2026, where we cover the most significant local government news. Topping the news this week, the Fall River Conservation Commission has hired a firm to review the McAllister Waterfront Project. The commission made the selection at its meeting on August third. The decision marks a step forward for the propo...

Meeting summary The Fall River Park Board held a meeting primarily focused on a lengthy and detailed discussion regarding the removal of hazardous trees. The board debated whether to remove a specific tree on Mount Hope Avenue that was severely lifting a sidewalk, located near a driveway, and entangled in power lines. The discussion also covered two other trees on Conant Street. Board members weig...

Meeting summary The Fall River Conservation Commission held its meeting on August 3, 2026, with all members present. The commission addressed a lengthy agenda primarily consisting of continuing matters. Several items were tabled pending further information or agreements between parties, including discussions on adopting new fees, outstanding enforcement orders, and three Notices of Intent for proj...

Transcript Welcome to Fall River Now. Here's your look at the week ahead in Fall River city government. First up, the Conservation Commission meets tonight, Monday, August third, at five-thirty p.m. The commission has a full agenda, with many items carried over from its July meeting. A major proposal from McAllister Towing and Transportation is up for review. The company wants to repair and replac...

Transcript Welcome to Fall River Now. This is our weekly recap for the week ending July 31, 2026, where we cover the most significant local government news. Topping the news this week, the City Council gave its final approval to the city budget. Councilors passed a nearly four hundred eighty-four million dollar budget for the next fiscal year at a special meeting on Tuesday. A key point of debate,...

Meeting summary The Fall River City Council's Committee on Public Safety met on July 30, 2026, to discuss fire department resources, commuter rail issues, and severe flooding problems. The meeting began with citizen input from Michael O'Regan, who spoke about the fire department's understaffing and aging equipment. He cited a recent fire on Hick Street as an example where increased manpower made a...

Meeting summary The Fall River Redevelopment Authority held its monthly meeting on July 29, 2026, chaired by John R. Erickson. The board began by unanimously approving the minutes from their June 24, 2026 meeting and the July warrant totaling $125,229.10. Project Manager Karen Martin provided several key updates. For the Northfield Point project, the board approved a $43,650 change order to instal...