The Fall River Commission on Disability convened on Wednesday, September 13th, 2023. The meeting began with a roll call and an announcement regarding a new commissioner, May Isa Silva, who was confirmed in June and will be sworn in next week to join the October meeting. Joseph Rio, another confirmed commissioner, decided not to join. The commission then approved the minutes from their June 14th, 2023 meeting with a unanimous roll call vote. A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to the election of officers for the coming year. Dennis Paulzelli was re-elected as Chair, Debbie Pacheco was re-elected as Vice Chair, and Lisa Silva was elected as Secretary, all by unanimous roll call votes. Work group updates included the rescheduling of the Architectural Access Board hearing for Battleship Cove's variance to Monday, October 30th, at 11 AM, to be held virtually. The ADA work group is scheduled to meet on September 27th with City Engineer Dan Aguiar and Assistant City Planner Chris Perino to discuss applying for an ADA Improvement Grant for a complete transition plan for city streets, sidewalks, curb cuts, and audible pedestrian signals. The deadline for this grant application is September 15th, and the city's grant writer, Jasmine Ferreira, is involved in the process. Other updates included no new policies, the distribution of the August 2023 budget report, and a successful scholarship event. The commission discussed potentially changing the scholarship disbursement method from sending funds to campuses to giving them directly to individuals, a topic that will be formally discussed at the October meeting due to a commissioner's objection. The next meeting was scheduled for Wednesday, October 18th, at 3 PM, and the meeting was adjourned with a unanimous roll call vote.
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okay this is the meeting of the Fall River Commission on disability meeting on Wednesday September 13th 2023 um pursuing to the pursuant to the open meeting law any person may make an audio or video recording of this public meeting or Matrix Debbie Pacheco I'm going to start the open meeting law statement over again short order pursuant to the open meeting law any person may take
0:41may make an audio or video recording of this public meeting or make transmission through through any medium attendees are thereby advised that such recordings or Transmissions are being made whether perceived or unperceived by those present and are deemed acknowledged and permissible okay um roll call Sandy Jim and Dennis paulzelli here Vice chairwoman Debbie pachico here commissioner Lisa Silva
1:26here commissioner Dan robillard yeah commissioner Antonio Souza here okay um we we have a new commission we actually had two new Commissioners that were confirmed in June but um Joseph Rio has decided not to join us but we do have um May Isa Silva attorney may I use a silver joining us um and she will be she's getting sworn in next week and will be joining us for the first time in October for October meeting
2:05so we will we will welcome my May Isa at that point um but I just want to keep everybody informed that uh we will be having a new commission to join us um the next item is the approval of the minutes for the meeting of June 14th 2023. well as you approve the minutes meeting seconds okay we have two seconds um Ann and Lisa uh roll call go Paul Sally yes Vice chairman Debbie pachico yeah
2:49commissioner Lisa Silva yeah commissioner Dan Roblox yes commissioner Ann O'Neill Souza yes okay the next item on our agenda is the election of officers for the coming year um I will ask Vice chair Debbie pachico to take over for the election of the chair okay Madam Vice chair yes can you hear me yeah I can can you hear me yeah yeah I just want to make sure I had unmuted myself yes um yeah
3:48thank you
3:55chairman Dennis Paul Sally yes yes Vice chairman Debbie Pacheco yes commissioner Lisa Silva It's a big yes for me commissioner Dan robard yes commissioner Ann O'Neill Souza yeah how are you congratulations Mr pacelli thank you Mr Chico commissioner pachico Vice chair um and I want to just want to thank everybody for their confidence and we'll move now to the election of the vice chair Mr chairman yes
4:36I'd like to nominations can I hear a second I'll second okay two seconds um roll call Tim and Dennis Paul Sally yes Vice chairwoman Debbie pachico yes commissioner Lisa Silva yes commissioner Dan robillard yes commissioner Ann O'Neill Souza yeah congratulations Vice chair Debbie pachico thank you I also want to say thank you to everyone I know myself and Dennis do try to do our best in you know
5:22staying on top of things and do also appreciate your confidence in us being able to still work together so thank you the next position is secretary of the commission yes I'd like to nominate Lisa for the position of secretary for the fourth number yeah second that motion okay chairman Dennis Paul Sally yes yes Vice chalum and Debbie Pacheco yes commissioner Lisa Silva yeah commissioner Dan robleard yes
6:04commissioner Anne O'Neal Souza yeah congratulations Lisa thank you everyone um the next item is work group updates um I have a couple of items let me see if I can find it um to tell you all about the first thing is the hearing for Battleship Cove as you remember we voted not to support the um um we voted not to support the variants for Battleship Cove at our June 14th meeting
6:49um they did schedule a hearing for August but they didn't have a quorum so they've rescheduled the hearing for the architectural access board on Monday October 30th that's Monday October 30th at 11 A.M this is of course all done on Zoom virtual so um I will make sure that um oh I will make sure that Bradley sutters sends us um when he sends me the sense each of the Commissioners
7:30a zoom invitation and if you wish to you wish to attend that meeting um that's fine because it's all it's all virtual it's a hearing and that will be Monday October the 30th at 11 A.M um so all architectural access board meetings which are in Boston are held virtually now so um uh the next item is the Ada work group is going to be meeting with um the Ada work group is going to be meeting with
8:12um Dan agiar city engineer and Chris Perino who's the assistant city planner on um of September 27th that's that's going to be a long work group meeting because the assistant superintendent for special ed will be joining us at three o'clock but at two o'clock the um uh the city engineer and the assistant planner will be joining us and that that shouldn't take too long we're actually discussing the possibility of
8:43uh applying for an ADA Improvement Grant to have a complete transition plan for the city streets and sidewalks curb Cuts audible pedestrian signals Etc which would be very similar to the transition plan that we have for buildings and um I'm hoping we can get the same vendor that did the buildings to do streets and sidewalks but we'll cross that bridge when we get through we have to get the grant first and then
9:15um we can talk about vendors and stuff but um this adaptive the inclusive human design is a very good vendor um they do that that's what they do is transition plans they use they utilize people with disabilities and they meet with the commission as well during that process so but we'll wait and see if we can get the Ada Improvement granted because I think there are other projects that are being considered as well
9:47um so the deadline is actually uh September 15th which is a week from tomorrow so um they're going to update us on September 27th about uh whether they actually applied for it or what project actually got it so we'll be meeting we'll be meeting um via conference call that date so that's my Ada update the next item is oh first of all there are any questions on the two items that
10:20I bought up Mr chairman very briefly uh do we know if uh if Mr aloe vera has uh started the process to submit that application I'm not sure because um that's all being handled through the city engineer and Chris Perino and oh okay okay I and I think I I think they may all come to that work group meeting um so I I I know that that's what that's what the city engineer was going to try
10:53to do so I don't know all the ins and outs of what's being planned um so we're gonna that we're we're gonna be updated on all that on September 27th did I hear you correctly and I apologize if I heard wrong did you say the same deadline to apply for that was September 15th yeah that's what I saw in an email from Jeff Dugan from the mass office on disability so that that and you know everybody
11:23usually usually I I forward that actually the Ada coordinator gets all those emails but I know that I know that I did forward those emails to um Chris and Dan and Dan aguiar and Chris Perino so the city engineer and this and the assistant city planner um I usually forward all those emails from the mass office and disability to those to those gentlemen September 15th is Friday uh thank you for the updates
12:00go ahead Friday because I have to have a doctor's appointment on that date so that's why it's easy to remember actually the day after tomorrow but like I said um I don't know because I understand that there are some housing issues that are also being considered for an ADA Improvement Grant so I really don't know you know what direction everybody's going so we'll probably find all that out on September 27th I don't
12:36I don't know uh when uh when Miss Martino left the city uh our Romero would be taking on that position at least temporarily so that's why I I think that he would be the one applying for the grant to my knowledge if the uh anyone else has any other information I'm happy to stand corrected and would apologize yeah Mr Oliveira is the chief operations officer but the grant writer for this city is Jasmine Ferreira so any
13:14department head works with the Jasmine Jasmine replaced Jane dibiasio who was that cities grant writer for many years um and Jasmine did work um with Tammy previously on the Grant and she is um she'd be working with Al as well okay great I wasn't aware that we had a grant writer thank you for the update we do full time yep thank you I yield um so the next item uh is
13:48um any any update on policies of our commission Vice chair Debbie Pacheco none at this time okay you all received the budget report for August uh 2023 under Finance so we should all have that um and finally under Outreach for updates on the scholarship event was very successful so I think I I think we mentioned that at our June 14th meeting um went very very well I am going to make some with with
14:28consultation with the work group um and with Rochelle I'm trying to find out a way to make things a little bit easier because it seems um this it's just a lot of it I know for me it's taking up an awful lot of time I'm sure it is for Rochelle too so um I've been doing some research around see how other organizations deal with with awarding you know where to send the
14:56scholarships do they send them to the campuses do they get them directly to the individual and I'm starting to find out that some organizations give them directly to the individual so I just need to fine tune it and run it by the work group and then report back to the full commission and we have time to do all that so that that's what uh that's what I can update you on are there any questions
15:43giving any money to any individual okay that will be so the other the the I mean I I didn't um I I can open this up for discussions if people the way we do it now hang on is this item on the agenda no it wasn't it wasn't originally on the agenda um but I can put it on for October that I suggest yeah if it holds the discussion I just want
16:26this to change but I would personally as one member would not vote for support giving any funds on directly to any individual thank you are you okay okay so we'll put this on the agenda for October for a full discussion um
16:52the next item is does anybody have old business no not this time business okay our next meeting um our our senior clerk Sandy will be um will be away on October 11th so we're going to have the next meeting on Wednesday October 18th is that okay with everybody do we need a roll call vote on that I don't think so but okay I know I I don't need it okay I don't think we I
17:46don't think we need emotion I thought we'll just uh be Wednesday October 19th uh 18th oh my gosh Wednesday October 18th at three at the same time at 3 pm okay do I hear a motion to adjourn that's a hero second chairman Dennis yeah Vice chairwoman Debbie pachico yes commissioner Lisa Silva yes yes commissioner Dan robard yes commissioner Ann O'Neill Souza yeah okay we are adjourned thank you have a great day