The Fall River Housing Authority Board of Commissioners held its meeting on May 11, 2026, chaired by Chairman Long. The board quickly moved through preliminary business, unanimously approving the minutes from the April 13, 2026 meeting, along with the monthly vouchers, management reports, and the state quarterly modernization report for the period ending March 31, 2026. There was no citizen or resident input. The Executive Director provided an update, announcing the hiring of four custodians to cover retirees and staff on long-term injury leave. The finance department was preparing for its audit submission and had completed the Section 8 CMAP rating reports. The director acknowledged the upcoming retirement of Deb Moriceet, Associate Director of Property Management, after over 40 years of service. She also thanked State Representative Allan Sylvia for securing a $25,000 grant for fiscal year 2026, which will be shared with the city's senior centers and used for activities like senior concerts and cookouts at elderly housing sites. Under new business, the board unanimously approved several items. These included certificates of completion for a video security system upgrade at Father Defario Village ($795,682.21), a boiler replacement at James O'Brien Apartments ($525,014), and a fire alarm system replacement at the Father Vincent Defario Village community building ($68,300). The board also approved a change order increasing a tree removal contract at Maplewood Maple Gardens by $8,875, granted permission to advertise for a boiler replacement at Nicholas W. Mitchell Heights, and awarded a contract for inspection services to Midwest Inspections for an amount not to exceed $20,980.56. Finally, the board approved several compliance certifications and voted to designate general counsel to respond to an Open Meeting Law complaint from CJ Ferry and a records request from Patrick Higgins before adjourning.
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City Officials
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Meeting of the Affordable Housing Authority Board of Commissioners will come to order at uh We've got 4:32.
0:104:32.
0:13Roll call.
0:14Chairman Long here.
0:15Vice Chairman Underh Hill here.
0:16Commissioner Burns here.
0:18Commissioner Bentley present.
0:19Commissioner Medeiros here.
0:25Language for the open meeting law.
0:27Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Language for the open meeting law is as follows.
0:31Person went 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.
0:40Attendees are therefore advised that such recordings or transmissions are being made whether perceived or unpersceived by those present and are deemed acknowledged and permissible.
0:50Thank you.
0:53Citizen input. Do we have anyone to hear wanting to respond to citizen input? Hearing none resident input.
1:02Seeing none, we'll move on. Minutes of the regular meeting held April 13, 2026.
1:08You all have a copy. I will uh entertain a motion to accept.
1:15I'll make a motion uh to accept the minutes of last month's meeting.
1:20Second.
1:21Motion being seconded. Any discussion?
1:25All those in favor?
1:26I opposed.
1:29Bills in communication.
1:33Get to where we're at here.
1:42We have applications, occupancy reports.
1:46Oh, I'm sorry. Bills and communications first. All right. Sorry. We have the vouchers.
1:58Make a motion to accept the vouchers.
2:00Second.
2:01Motion made second. Any discussion?
2:05All those in favor?
2:06I opposed.
2:22Management reports, applications, occupancy reports, tenants, accounts receivable, work order report, monthly section 8 voucher activity report, monthly personnel account report, director of moderization monthly report, bank investment and bond debt balance reports.
2:43I'll entertain a motion to accept the management reports.
2:47I'll make a motion to um approve the manage reports as a as a group.
2:54Second.
2:55Motion made seconded. Any discussion?
2:59All those in favor?
3:00I opposed.
3:04Financial reports.
3:09state quarterly modernization report for period ending March 31st, 2026.
3:20I'll make a motion to accept the state quarterly modernization report ending uh April 31st March 1926 uh March March 31st 31st 2026.
3:33A second.
3:35Motion made and seconded. Any discussion?
3:40All those in favor?
3:42I opposed.
3:44Our update from the executive director.
3:49Thank you, Chairman Long. Good afternoon, everyone. Uh just a few things uh to touch on um human resources. Uh we will be hiring four custodians um this month. That's to replace two uh retirees. and we have three maintenance mechanics out um uh long-term injury.
4:14So, um we will be uh hiring four custodians.
4:20Under finance, we continue to prepare for our unodudit submission. um uh director of finance Stella, deputy director Tim, myself, we're working with our fee accountant to gather all the information needed to get that submitted by the end of this month. And we've also submitted all of the uh necessary reports um for the assessment of our section 8 uh CMAP uh rating. And that was also due uh the end of this month.
4:54and we got that in a little early.
4:57Um, I did want to acknowledge uh Deb Moriceet. Um, I mentioned her last month. Um, she's our associate director of property management and she will be retiring after 40 plus years the end of this month. So, I wanted to thank her and acknowledge uh her dedication to the Fall River Housing Authority. She started as a clerk, moved up through the ranks, and um she will be missed. Um it will be big shoes
5:33to fill. She's a wonderful employee, a wonderful person. So, um I wanted to acknowledge and thank her for her dedicated service to the housing authority. Um, I also wanted to acknowledge and thank Representative Allan Sylvia.
5:51um he uh obtained an elder grant last year for fiscal 25 for $75,000.
6:01And I may have mentioned this prior that was a grant that we shared with the city of Far River. That was to go to our elderly site community rooms and uh for upgrades, equipment, uh furniture, games. Um and the city used it for the senior centers as well. It was earmarked uh partial for them as well uh for improvements to the senior centers. Um for fiscal year 26, he obtained another
6:35uh grant and we'll be getting $25,000.
6:39Um and that will go for activities. uh we'll put some of that toward our senior concerts and cookouts at our elderly sites and again the city will get um their portion to go toward the senior centers. So I wanted to thank him again for his hard work and um thinking thinking of us here in Fall River and at the housing authority in particular. So thank you to Representative Sylvia
7:08and that is all I have for this month.
7:11Thank you. Very good. Anybody have any questions for the director?
7:16We move on.
7:18Under new business, we have modernization certificate of completion consolidated for the video security system upgrades at Father Defario Village. The general contractor security solutions LLC completed all the work items and the final contract amount was for $795,6821.
7:42I'll entertain a motion to approve.
7:46I'll make a motion to accept the certificate of completion consolidated for a video security system upgrades at father Defario Village.
7:55Um with the contract being security solutions LLC.
8:02Second.
8:03Motion made and seconded. Any discussion?
8:06All those in favor? I post So our business certificate of completion for the boiler replacement at project at James O'Brien Apartments.
8:18General contractor was George T.
8:20Wilkerson, Inc. Completed all work items and final contract amount was $525,000 and $14 $525,14.
8:32I'll entertain a motion to approve.
8:35I'll make motion to approve the certificate of completion.
8:41Second motion made and seconded. Any discussion?
8:45All those in favor?
8:46I opposed.
8:51We have a c certificate of completion consolidated for the fire alarm system replacement project at the community building at Father Vincent Defario Village. The contractor Larry Electrical Contractors Inc. completed all work items. The final contract amount was $68,300.
9:09Entertain a motion to accept and approve.
9:12I'll make a motion to accept uh certificate of completion for the fire alarm system replacement project in the community building at Father Vincent Deario Village uh for Larry Electrical Contractors uh for the amount of $68,300.
9:30Second.
9:31Motion being seconded. Any discussion?
9:34All those in favor I opposed.
9:39We're looking for permission to advertise for bids for boiler replacement at the Nich Nicholas W.
9:43Mitchell Heights.
9:48Motion to approve the um permission to advertise for bids for the boiler replacement.
9:54Second.
9:55Motion being seconded. Any discussion?
9:58All those in favor? I opposed.
10:03Change order number one for site improvements tree removal at Maplewood Maple Gardens.
10:10Change order number one was an increase of $8,875 to the contract amount for the removal of several dozen vine covered saplings and trees and pruding of several several lodge trees.
10:25an additional $5,75 and removal of a 24 inch diameter oak tree and the planting of one red maple tree for an additional $3,700. The contract time will be increased by 30 days.
10:43Entertain a motion to approve.
10:47I'll make a motion to approve the change order for site improvements and tree removal at Maple Gardens. uh with the change order number one is an increase of $8,875.
10:59Second motion made and seconded. Any discussion?
11:04All those in favor?
11:05I opposed F has been removed from the uh agenda today. It'll be on our next month's we'll move on to procurement. HUD Inspire Uniform Physical Condition Inspectional Services.
11:26We don't we want to award the contract to the HUD Inspire Uniform Physical Condition Inspection Service to the low bidder Midwest Inspections in the amount not to exceed $20,980 56.
11:40I'll make a motion to award uh the contract for HUD Inspire uniform physical condition inspection services to the low bidder Midwest inspections in an amount not to exceed $20,9806.
11:57Second.
11:58Motion made and seconded. Any discussion?
12:01All those in favor? I opposed the miscellaneous EOLC wage match certification for FY2026.
12:12This will be approved for certificate resigned by the chairman and the executive director for submission to EO HLC.
12:24A motion to approve.
12:26I'll make a motion to approve.
12:31Second motion made and seconded. Any discussion?
12:35All those in favor?
12:36I opposed.
12:39FY 2026 leadbased paint certificate of compliance approval for uh execution of certificate by the commissioner and the executive director for submission to EOHLC.
12:53Make a motion to approve execution of those certificates.
13:02Motion to approve for submission at EO HLC.
13:08Second.
13:09Motion made second. Any discussion?
13:13All those in favor?
13:14I opposed.
13:21Have open meeting law complaint filed by CJ Ferry received on April 14th, 2026.
13:27and we're looking to designate general counsel to respond to the OML complaint.
13:35I'll make a motion uh to designate general counsel to respond to the open meeting language complaint or open meeting law complaint.
13:47Second.
13:47Motion made and seconded. Any discussion?
13:52All those in favor?
13:53I opposed.
13:56We have an open meeting law request for meeting minutes filed by Patrick Higgins received on May 1st, 2026.
14:06This is to designate general counsel to respond to request for records.
14:18I have a motion.
14:21I'll make a motion to designate general counsel to respond to the request for records for the open meeting law request uh filed by Patrick Higgins received May 1st 2026.
14:35Second.
14:36Motion made and seconded. Any discussion?
14:40All those in favor?
14:42I opposed.
14:46That's it.
14:51Is there any other business before the board?
14:55None. I will entertain a motion to adjourn.
14:59Motion to adjurnn.
15:01Second. Motion made and seconded. Any discussion?
15:05All those in favor?
15:07I opposed.
15:09This meeting is adjourned. Act 445.
15:14446.
15:15446.