The city of Fall River held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of Phase Four of the Alfred J. Lima Quequechan Rail Trail extension. The event featured several speakers, including local dignitaries, who highlighted the project's significance in connecting neighborhoods, providing new recreational opportunities, and contributing to the revitalization of the Flint area. The first speaker, Gloria, opened the ceremony by thanking Representative Carol Fiola for her advocacy in securing funding and Mayor Paul Coogan for his commitment to the project. Representative Fiola spoke about the collaborative, long-term effort behind the trail, crediting the vision of the late Alfred Lima and the work of many community members. Representative Steve Wlette, in whose district the new extension lies, encouraged residents to enjoy the trail and help keep it clean. A city councilor and former principal of the nearby Esperto Santa School spoke of the trail as a sign of positive growth for the Flint. Mayor Paul Coogan concluded the speeches by noting the trail's connectivity, linking Britain Park, Travasos Park, and extending to Tuppa Pond in Westport. He emphasized its role as a key asset for exercise and community enjoyment. The ceremony concluded with the official ribbon cutting, followed by a performance from a Cambodian dance troupe.
AI-generated summary. May contain errors. Watch the video to verify.
Council
Public / Other
Hello ladies and gentlemen, dignitaries, friends. Thank you for coming out this afternoon. Today marks a significant milestone for our city as we unveil the most recent extension of the Alfred J.
0:15Lima Quican Rail Trail. With the completion of phase four, we have connected neighborhoods that were once divided, creating new opportunities for community engagement and recreation through an expanded network of PAPs and green space amenities. This achievement would not have been possible without the tireless advocacy of Representative Carol Fiola, who consistently prioritized with her colleagues
0:49and secured funding to extend the trail.
0:53Mayor Paul Coogan's steadfast commitment to this project also played a crucial role in bringing this vision to life.
1:02With this extension, the Afro Alford, excuse me, Jay Lima Quican Rail Trail now provides even greater access to our city's green spaces.
1:15Thank you for coming.
1:24Thank you, Gloria. Well, these things don't happen overnight and they don't happen because of any one person. They say it takes a village and the Alfred J.
1:35Lemur Trail and this extension is no exception. For many, many years and I see Marsha here who's been involved as well. For many many years, this trail has evolved. And it's evolved because of everyone here and everyone who has contributed through the years, including the vision of Alfred Lima. Those of us who knew him knew his passion for uh preservation and bringing the quality of
2:06life to the people. And so, um, this trail which connects neighborhood from the Flint to Rodman Street allows our citizens to enjoy this beautiful city that we live in and almost feel like we're in the country.
2:24And so, I'm very proud to be here as one tiny spoke among many who have helped to make this happen. Thank you, mayor.
2:32Thank you, city council. Thank you to my colleague Steve Wlette in whose district we are standing. So Steve, I'd like to just ask you to say a few words as well.
2:44Steve and then ask the counselor because he's here and we Sure. Thank you everybody. I'm proud to be here in this momentum occasion.
2:52Obviously we like to see people get out, enjoy the outdoors. It's a beautiful thing. If you can try to leave it cleaner than when you came, we'd appreciate it. keep this area nice and pretty pristine so we can add on to it in the future. Thank you and enjoy.
3:10Good afternoon everyone and thank you for being here today. Um I'm I enjoy moments like this considering I've spent 13 years of my professional life neighboring this park over at Esperto Santa School as its principal. So, I'm it's a beautiful day to be here and see the growth of the Flint. And today is just one celebration of many to come and it's a call to action to all of us to
3:30continue to invest in our neighborhood here in the Flint to continue to help clean it up to make it a better place for all of us to live. So, thank you for everyone's hard work to the state representatives, to the mayor, to our community at large for continuing to make Fall River a wonderful place to live. Thank you so much and God bless.
3:51I just want to say thanks for everybody for coming out today. This link connects Britain Park with Travasos Park with all the way to Tuppa Pond in Westport. We think it's going to be a key asset for biking, walking, getting exercise to our parks and obviously getting to enjoy Travasos, whether it's the water pad or the community garden. It's part of our efforts to revitalize the Flint. All
4:12these little pieces of the puzzle have to come together and then we'll be where we want to be down here, making it a livable, walkable community for everybody. And I really want to appreciate the young Marines for coming out and our uh Cambodian dance troop. We appreciate you all for being here. Let's get back to the ceremon
4:37and then we will have a dance performance by the dance.
4:43All right. So, we'll do a countdown on the ribbon cutting. Just look forward everybody.
4:49Three two one.
4:53Cut the ribbons.
5:01You're up, guys.
5:55Nothing going.
6:21jump.
6:25Sorry jump.
6:30Heat. Heat.
7:12Come here. Come here.
8:28Heat. Heat.
8:35All
8:54right.
8:57Go.
9:13home.