4.21.2026 Historical Commission

Good evening. I'm Richard Mancini, Chairman of the Historical Commission for the City of Fall River. It is 6 p.m. Tuesday, April the 21st, and we are meeting at one government center on the first floor in the hearing room. Pursuant to the open meeting law, any person may make an audio or video recording of this public meeting or

may transmit the meeting through any medium. Attendees are therefore advised that such recordings or transmissions are being made, whether perceived or unperceived, by those present and are deemed acknowledged and permissible. Our recording clerk this evening is Felicia, sitting to my right, and the meeting is being televised and recorded by Greg of the Floor River

Government TV. Present this evening, our commissioners and co-chair Jonathan Lima to my right, Commissioner Connie Soule is absent at this point. Joyce Rodericks, Commissioner, to my left. Commissioner Caroline Aubin, to my left.

And Commissioner Ryan Klein, on my far left. And I, Rick Mancini. And our clerk, again, is sitting here. This is Felicia Parker. Felicia, have all petitions been properly advised and all interested parties been notified in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Historical Commission for the City of Fall River? Yes. I hereby declare

Tuesday, April 21st, the regularly scheduled meeting of the Historical Commission for the City of Fall River open for such business and shall resume before us. Let us begin. Okay.

Let's just...

We've got an open meeting law notice. None. That's clear. On our roll call, Jonathan? Here. Joyce? Joyce here.

Caroline here. Ryan Klein here. And Rick Mancini here. We have one vacancy on the board at this time and Connie Soule is absent this evening.

On the minute, did everyone review? March 23rd 2026 minutes make a motion to approve the March 23rd minutes second I'll second motion motion and a second roll call yes Joyce yes yes yes and Rick Mancini yes there is no citizen input this evening Let's see. Notice of intent to demolish. The building department requested that the Historical Commission

review a metal garage. It was located at 201 Remington Street for demolition.

The building is not on the significant structures list, nor on the Mass Historical Register, nor the National Historical Register. And a letter of non-applicability was issued to the building department for the demolition permit.

Do we have any comments or questions at this point? None? All right. Shall we go right into the correspondence and letters of support? Good. All right. Nathan, I see you're online. Good evening. Good evening.

How's everybody doing? We're doing marvelously well. Yourself?

You're here tonight to present on you want to go through on, do you want to start off with Chase Street, 110 Chase Street property? Sure, yeah.

So for 110 Chase, so we received the National Park Service Part II conditional approval back in February, I believe, of this year.

And so that puts us in good standing in relation to the project scope of work. And I believe the expected start date for the project is about this time in a year's time. So we're continuing to start to receive. So our hope is now that we have the conditional part two approval from the federal side, this last round, this last application round, we will

receive our first allocation for the project and then moving forward, continue to receive allocations.

Okay, and what is, what's the proposal in the next few months? Are you clearing the building out or are you just standing by? I mean, the first, yeah, first step would be to start doing demolition work, but I'm not entirely sure when that is going to start, but I know that the expected start date for the project in its entirety is about a year from now. So

I believe that's probably when the demolition will start to occur. Okay.

Do we have a motion for a letter of support or do we have any questions? Any questions at all from the board? I'll make a motion to provide a letter of support, a continued letter of support. Okay. I'll second that. All right, we have a first and a second. Do we have a roll call? Jonathan Lima, yes.

Joyce Roderick, yes. Caroline Aubin, yes. Robyn Klein, yes. And Rick Mancini, yes.

Okay, 135 Alden Street.

So that is basically on the same line as Chase Street as of right now.

We need to confirm with the, because it's the same ownership and so whether they're looking to do them simultaneous or sequentially, still figuring that out logistically, but.

goal is to start to, because both of these projects have large QREs in the way that the Massachusetts state should see functions with the allocations being minimal for each round, looking to start the allocations to trickle in for both of these projects as soon as possible.

But yeah, so the project has a Part II conditional approval that we received in February. And so both projects are in good standing from a redevelopment perspective. Next step is just to put shovels in the ground.

Okay. Does the board have any questions?

Do we have a letter of recommendation for support?

I'll make a motion to provide a believe that this is a continued letter also right correct it's a continued letter of support for 135 olden street i'll second the motion okay we have a first and a second do we have a roll call jonathan lemma yes joyce rogericks yes caroline albin yes ryan klein yes and rick mancini yes

okay which one is next on your agenda We can do 80 to 84 North Main Street. Okay, go for it. The Dirty Block. So, yeah, so that one, so construction is progressing well on that one. We need to check with the applicant as to what the expected end date would be, but I believe most of the demolition work is complete and we are just finalizing

the final design items in relation to the HCC application here with an amendment that is currently under review at the Park Service. Do you have any idea of what's going on with the skin of the building and the repair of that other building, the rear building?

So I believe it's been temporarily short as of now, and I believe that ownership is... looking to hire a contractor to start performing that work, but I believe they are currently bidding out that proposed work right now. Okay. They saved a lot of that brick, did they not? I noticed quite a stockpile back there. That's the intent to reuse the

original brick? So they will salvage as much as they can, and whatever brick that is unsavageable, they'll replace in kind. It's going to be difficult to get that aged brick. today yeah okay any questions from the board no do I have a motion I'll make a motion to provide a continued letter of support for 80 to 84 North Main Street I'll second the motion okay we have a first

and a second do we have a roll call Jonathan Lima yes Joyce Roderick yes Caroline Alvin yes Ryan yes Rick Mancini yes and now we got and the last one is 650 Plymouth Avenue and so we just received the part two conditional approval at the Park Service just this week so in good standing there and so in the next months we'll start to look to address those

conditions but yeah our attempt is to start to to get allocations in relation to the state credit um start as soon as possible and so hopefully this upcoming round at the end of the month we'll be able to submit and with this federal part two application our conditional approval should be in good standing to start receiving uh state allocations okay so when is the expected

construction date going on on that building any time soon? So probably hoping to start by the end of the year, but it's essentially dependent on what the allocation is on the state side for that one and then logistically planning from there. Okay. Have you purchased that building?

I believe our applicant is the current owner, yes. Has? Okay. Right, do we have a motion? I'll make a motion to provide a continued letter of support for 650 Plymouth Avenue. I'll second the motion. Okay, we have a first and a second. Do we have a roll call? Shontalema, yes. Joyce Roderick, yes.

Caroline Albin, yes. Ryan Klein, yes. Rick Mancini, yes. Okay, Nathan, hopefully within the next four, five days, three days, I'll get you open.

these four letters of support. So thank you very much for your presentation. Yep, thank you all. Hope you have a good night. Yeah, you too.

Good evening, Emily. Hello, how's everyone doing? Absolutely marvelous. How about yourself? Good, good. So you've got some presentations for us this evening? Yes. I'm not sure if you have any sort of order, but. Actually, our order would be Sanford Mills first. If you want to go by our order.

Yeah. So that project, you know, it's continuing to gather allocations to get to a point where it they can financially start work on the project. The owner is currently in talks with a partner partnering with a another developer who is a little more experienced in the mill development space to get the project moving along. So that once that deal is finalized and they continue to get state allocations,

it's a large project, they'll be able to get construction going.

Hopefully. That developer, the partnership, is that a local developer?

Yeah, he's done several other mills in the area in Rhode Island. Mm-hmm. Okay.

Do we have any questions on this is another extension? Yeah, I think if we have a few more of these, we're going to have to start inviting Emily to Thanksgiving. I would happily float a resolution to provide a continuing letter of support with regards to Sanford Mills. I'll second the motion. Okay, we have a first and a second. We have a roll call.

Jonathan Lima, yes. Joyce Roderick, yes. Caroline Alban, yes.

Brian Klein, yes. Rick Mancini, yes. Okay, next is the Algonquin Mill Complex. Yeah, so I was here last or in December, maybe before the January round, requesting a letter of support for the first time for Algonquin. We didn't actually end up applying to the state round in January with the timing of the, of where things were, it made more sense to apply for the federal,

at the federal level first to get their feedback on the application. So what we'll be applying to the state for the first time this round. And, um,

Speaking of Thanksgiving, I mean, not quite Thanksgiving, but hopefully we can plan a get together for seeing this building and the other building we're presenting today.

Because I know that we never did a walkthrough or anything of the buildings. If that's something we can plan for May or June something, That would be good. It would be appreciated, I'm sure, everyone. Yes. Okay. Emily, I guess in general, with regards to the four projects at all, there's no change or significant change to the scope of any of these, right?

No, nothing's changed here. The next project... I think we only have three today unless I'm forgetting one. Um, then the Horton building is a new project. So that is one you haven't fried support. So it's not, you know, nothing's it's just changed in fact that you, it's new to you. All right. Thank you.

So that we have a motion, uh, to provide a continual order of support with regard to eloquent mills. okay and a second I'll second that okay we have a second motion and a second do we have a roll call Jonathan Lee we yes Joyce Roderick's yes Caroline Aubin yes Ryan Klein yes and Rick Mancini yes all right now the Horton building is a new request and a fairly new building on our agenda yeah so

Um, this is a smaller mixed use building at 152 North main street. Um, this is actually one that my coworker is working on, but it will be create 12 new apartments. Um, mostly on the upper levels of two at the rear of the ground floor. And then the ground floor is anticipated to be the, a kitchen cabinet showroom. Um, the building is.

owned by long term, longtime Fall River resident that owns WR construction company. So we're doing this project and then the building next door. They will also be doing as their company or as their office building.

So that's in the future. We're only working looking at 152, but once 162 is in the pipeline as well alrighty and that is going to be 12 apartments is what you say stated in there yep okay any questions on this property do we have a motion sure I think a motion is to support a letter a letter to provide a letter of support with regards to a Horton building which is located at 158 North

Main Street I'll second all right motion on the second that we have a roll call John Thalema yes Joyce Roderick yes Caroline Alban yes Ryan Kline yes and Rick Mancini yes and there was a question from Erica that might or might not be discussing Notre Dame rectory what is what is transpiring at that property um that

I mean, I haven't gotten an update from the owner on that for a couple months, so that's on pause on our end. It is up for sale. It has been for a while and still no construction probably. I go by there quite frequently and I don't see any activities going on there. Yeah. I don't know if I would expect there to be at this point, but yeah, I

haven't. I don't really know what's going on. Are you still actively participating in this building and its orientation at all?

Are you actively working with them? With Notre Dame Rectore? But I haven't heard back. I haven't heard from them in a couple months. So hopefully they reach back out and we can get back on for that. Okay. All right. Okay.

Well, anyone have any questions of Emily before she leaves us?

All right. And hopefully we'll see you in May or June and take a tour of these buildings. We'll push that. Is there anyone that has a particular time or evenings, afternoons, Fridays?

later in the week? Okay. You had suggested a Friday and maybe a Friday afternoon. Is that what you had suggested, Emily? I don't know if that would be my preference. Okay. What would your preference be? What's your preference? I don't have a... I can make a lot of things work, but... I don't know if people are local, we could do lunchtime, we could do, if getting off of work

is more challenging, it come in at a later point in day or morning. Yeah, as long as it's not too early in the morning might be a little difficult. All righty. No specific time. Okay, it looks like it's wide open at this table. Put something together for us and we'll make it work.

Okay. Anything else that you have? Any questions? None.

All right, we'll get these letters out to you within a few days. All right, thank you. Have a good one. You too, Emily. Take care. Thank you.

Okay, moving right along. We've had an emergency request from the building department for the applicant at 529-531 High Street for a roof replacement. This roof sustained substantial and significant damage, and I guess water was getting in and they were starting, I guess, pooling in the attic and affecting the roof or the apartment ceiling. Anyway, I did look at the roof and yes, even what is not seen from the

back of the building, it's an old roof. It lacked, it was time, but the wind really took care of that. So I, again, one of these make a decision, help out. She did have a shingle that was really impressive. It's made by Sir Teen.

And from afar, it looks like a slate shingle.

It's very, very thick also. Carries are limited, of course, lifetime warranty, but limited, you know. But it's a substantial roofing material. So anyway, I asked to supply that, which she did, and we sent through a non-applicability or allowed the building department to issue a permit to get this resolved so there was no interior damage.

Okay. Oh, I do at this point, you notice we have a vacancy here and this is under new business. Commissioner Ashley DeCunha submitted her letter of resignation to the Chair and to the Mayor's Office. I was aware that this was coming. She did stay with us for about six months to get us moving along again. I really appreciate that. And it's with heartfelt sorrow that,

you know, I see her leaving us. She's going to be missed by me.

So we're going to be getting a replacement shortly and I wish Ashley nothing but the best. Her reasoning was very sound on why she decided that she had to leave. Any questions, comments?

None. Okay. Under old business.

The proposed meeting is yet to be scheduled by the public archeological laboratories. I did speak to Liz about a week and a half, two weeks ago, and right on schedule supposedly is going to be a meeting taking place before the end of the month to review all of the forms, and then it's a matter of just pulling it all together. They've got all the basic work completed,

pretty much all of the legwork is done and now it's just finalizing the paperwork will be set. The Waterfront Cultural District and the Bank Street Armory, with our certified legal government applications, we submitted for the Waterfront Cultural District and we also did for the Armory. The state

had only 140, the state only had the allocations of 146,000.

They had 27 applicants. We were one of the, we had two of those were ours. We did not make that cut. They only chose four to supply with funding. They did write letters back telling us that we are in the running. We're there. If they get any money at all, we're going to be back out there with it. But which was very, very nice is they turned around and actually informed us of another funding

source for the armory. And we had a week and a half or so to really pull all of that together. And we did send the form in.

Again, that was looked at by the 13th of April. And just about maybe just about a week ago, I guess, well, a week and a half ago, they sent through and asked for some additional information, even though it had been looked at. So it looks like we might still be in the running. We don't know, but it's looking good. So we had to put

through a lot of information. And we're working very closely with the Preservation Society with this. And I must confess that... Alex from the Preservation Society did the bulk of the work. He's an English major and he writes very well. So he did put a lot of this together along with the photos. So the state did receive that. So it's just a wait and see game

at this point. But again, that's still under the guise of the city council, which has been They put a resolution together that the Historical Commission along with the assistance of the Preservation Society work at getting some concept of cost and good use of the armory. So that's what we're trying to put together.

Let's see now. The Iron Awan Fire Museum. That's at 1860 North Main Street. The contractor, and it's in the pile of paperwork that you have here. And I shouldn't say pile, but in this lovely bundle. There's a letter from the window contractor stating that it does meet the Secretary of Interior Standards, so they were given the okay to continue with the project. The original submitted submittals for

those windows had been submitted four years prior just and Then there was a slight change in the number of the I guess the model number of the windows so Adirondack farms there was a question because they're doing work and we did talk about that a little at the last meeting I did have a meeting with the water department and it appears that the CPC money, CPA, CPC commission is not involved with the Adirondack

Farm building. The funding from the CPA was given for the land portion and they separately funded the building.

The Little Theater, which we've been working with for a while, it has CPC funding. They were giving funding. This is the third amount of the third grant that they've been giving. So that building clearly falls under some provisions for the Historical Commission because they're mandated to follow the Secretary of Interior's standards the minute CPA money is awarded.

You have full authorization by the Historic Commission to maintain the significant structures. I mean, I'm sorry, the Secretary of Interior standards on that. I will say that the roof was going, the suggestion on the little theater was to remove the roof and replace it with asphalt shingles. Actually, with the last meeting we had. They had a composite, fake sleek kind

of. Yes, and then they came back with a different style.

And with Connie's guidance, Connie's soul, they were given a contractor who was into slate roofing, and he was there again a few weeks ago.

I observed him. I had a chit-chat, and he was doing some repairs, and he stated that the roof is repairable with slate, and when he gets done, it'll be good for another hundred years. That was... That was a good thing. Yeah. So he's yet to get back with a full bid on this to the little theater, but that's the direction that they're going in. So that's good. Any questions on any

of this at this point? Moving right along. Okay. My next item seven, which is the significant structures list update, the Bethel AMC Church. I'm still working on all of them. Okay.

Okay. So we'll just have to keep working on them.

It's important that we get the Bethel AMC church. That's one that really has to get put out. Okay. Any questions? Any other new business? We can go back one if we need to, but nothing at all? Do I have a motion to adjourn?

I'll make a motion to adjourn at 6.32 p.m. Okay, roll call. A second? Do we have a second? I'll second that. Roll call.

Jonathan Lima, yes. Joyce Roderick, yes. Caroline Albin, yes. Ryan Klein, yes.

Anne Rick Mancini, yes. So we've adjourned for the next meeting, which will be May the 19th. again at 6 p.m. and we've just adjourned at 6 p.m.