4 8 19 Housing Authority

The Fall River Housing Authority Board of Commissioners held a regular meeting on April 8, 2019. The Board addressed routine business, including approving the minutes of the March 11, 2019 meeting, approving bills, and reviewing monthly financial reports showing a roughly $200,000 authority-wide surplus for the month ending February. The Board also reviewed a federal program write-off of $175,669.82 in vacated tenant debt, noting that approximately $40,000 to $50,000 stemmed from retroactive charges due to unreported income.

The Board took action on several capital projects, procurements, and real estate matters. They accepted unit conversions from efficiencies to one-bedrooms at Medeiros Tower, approved a certificate of completion for security camera upgrades funded by a safety security grant, and awarded exterior sealant contracts to low bidders, including Castelo Construction Incorporated for $270,300. Additionally, the Board revised its procurement policy to increase the micro-purchase threshold for supplies and services to $10,000 to mirror state Chapter 30B requirements. Under state Chapter 705-1 property dispositions, the Board rejected Option A ($1 deed-restricted affordable transfer) for 250-252 Fifth Street and 271 Morgan Street, instead accepting Option B cash bids of $25,000 for Fifth Street and $70,500 for Morgan Street.

In personnel matters, the Board ratified the appointment of Manuel Novo and approved the appointment of Tomas Caniga to maintenance foreman/leader positions. Following an executive session to discuss litigation and labor matters, the Board reconvened in open session to announce that it had voted to deny three grievances filed by union members, specifically regarding grievances associated with Mr. Dube and Mr. Sevigny, before adjourning.

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