Westport Resident Proposes Kennedy Park Food Drive and Car Show
Park Board Backs CPA Funding for Maplewood Field Lights and Kennedy Park Sidewalks
Oak Grove Cemetery Converts 30 Double Plots Into 60 Single Graves
The Fall River Park Board met on September 2, 2026, to address permit requests for park usage, capital project submissions, cemetery alterations, and tree removal requests. During citizen input, Westport resident Alex presented a proposal for an October 10th charity food drive and car show at Kennedy Park, receiving guidance on department coordination with the city's events coordinator, traffic division, and emergency services before formally submitting paperwork for the October board meeting. The board approved several permit requests, including an annual procession from Kennedy Park to St. Mary's by the Diocese of Fall River on October 12th, an outdoor rosary service by Holy Name Church at Lafayette Park on October 10th, and fall adult soccer permits for Jeremy Messier at Britland and Travassos parks with a condition to ensure fields are cleaned after games. Additionally, the board approved two Community Preservation Act (CPA) project applications submitted by Parks Director Darren Medeiros for new lighting and improvements at Maplewood's Gilly Amaral Baseball Field and sidewalk replacements at upper Kennedy Park, as well as a request from Oak Grove Cemetery to convert 30 double grave lots into 60 single graves. In old business, the board addressed a tabled request from the Department of Community Maintenance regarding tree removal in the 300 block of Mount Hope Avenue. Following discussion on sidewalk accessibility and safety hazards near a driveway, the board voted 2-1 to approve the removal of one hazardous tree near the driveway, with Commissioners Victor Farias and Helen Rego voting in favor and Chairman John Sylvia opposed.
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City Officials
Public / Other
Uh, good evening and welcome to the regular meeting of the Park Commissioners.
0:05Uh, today is Wednesday, September 2nd, uh, 2026 at, uh, 5:30.
0:11Um, pursuant to the Open Meeting Law, any person may make an audio or a video recording of this public meeting or may transmit the meeting through any medium.
0:21Attendees are therefore advised that such recordings or transmissions are being made whether perceived or unperceived by those present and are deemed acknowledged and permissible.
0:32Roll call of commissioners.
0:34Victor Farias.
0:36Helen Rigo.
0:37John Sylvia.
0:38Okay, uh, the acceptance of the, uh, June, um, of the July minutes, right?
0:46Motion to accept.
0:47Oops, make a motion.
0:50All in favor?
0:51Aye.
0:52Okay, is there any citizens input?
0:56Yeah.
0:56Okay, if you want to just come up, just take a seat.
0:58What's his name?
1:00And your name?
1:00Where's your book?
1:01What is it?
1:02Huh?
1:03We need the book.
1:04Book for what?
1:05Sorry, he's, he's okay.
1:06So just say, state your name and your address and what you want to talk about.
1:10Good evening, my name is Alex.
1:12I live in Westport at 676.
1:15Oh, we need to make a, uh Uh, what do you call it, to let him speak?
1:21Yes, wave the rules.
1:23All in favor?
1:24Aye.
1:26Thank you guys for your time.
1:28I'm just here to introduce an event idea for a food drive slash car show, um, possibly in the second week of October.
1:38I fully understand you guys won't discuss that tonight.
1:42I just wanted to introduce myself.
1:44And, uh, make you guys aware.
1:46I'll be— I mean, where do you want to have it?
1:49Uh, Kennedy Park.
1:50So you want it— you want permission to use Kennedy Park?
1:55Yes.
1:55I think years ago they used to have it at the upper Kennedy Park, so I've seen that before.
2:02That was years ago.
2:03Did you pick a date?
2:04I did.
2:04Yeah, uh, the 10th of October.
2:08He's got to go on the October Park Board meeting.
2:11No, you gotta sit— you better find it.
2:14You better see if you get a date.
2:15That date is open.
2:16Yeah, I'll check.
2:18Okay, because I'll let them know.
2:19All right, so you're doing cars, car show, so you'll have to put it on the outside of the— you can't— you won't be able to put the cars down the grass itself.
2:30It's going to be on there, isn't it?
2:31On the driveway?
2:31Yeah, on a drive— on, um, on a driveway.
2:34What do you call that, uh, upper part or the bottom part?
2:37We use the upper part near the church, right?
2:40Am I right?
2:41Yeah, one near the church.
2:42So they've done it before.
2:44They used to have the— around that, they used to put the cars on, uh, they would shove that— what is that called?
2:50I can't think of it.
2:51The Park Drive.
2:51Park Drive.
2:52Yeah, they use that whole area there.
2:54They would block her off and then they would set up for cars in that— in there.
2:58Yeah, that's one area you can do.
3:00All those parking spaces, you can use that all the way around.
3:03Right, exactly.
3:03That inside drive at Kennedy, the top half off of South Main.
3:07That can be blocked off and you can line all the cars up so it'd be blocked from traffic.
3:12That's one area.
3:13And that's one suggestion that way I would make.
3:17The other thing is, if you're going to do it in October, and you really can't do anything to get permission from us, you don't want to go through all that trouble, right?
3:26Maybe you might want to put it out till November so you have enough time to tell people, you know, yeah.
3:34In terms of getting people there, I think that's probably the easiest part on my side.
3:40Um, we just didn't want to show up with 30 cars on weekend, not make the city aware.
3:48Okay, yeah, great.
3:49No, yeah, because if something— if say you were to use the top half of that park, like traffic has to get involved because they got to block that drive, remove the cars.
4:00Depending on the amount of people, PD might have to get involved because of just security, and then you might have to have like EMS there just for like on standby if there's a lot of people show up, an incident happens, they can respond immediately, that kind of stuff.
4:17So like when I talk to you, just do your thing, estimate how many people you might show up, how many cars, and then we can before the meeting happens, I can kick it around to the events coordinator, which is Sarah Martin.
4:30Okay.
4:31And she can— she basically, when it moves above a small event at a park, it moves to like a, like kind of almost like a city event.
4:38It's more departments are involved, and we— and that, that kind of like gets everybody on the same page to make that the events like go through.
4:48So it's not something you're doing on your own because you can't really go on your own and request police presence, request EMS, request traffic to do this has to come from the 6th floor.
4:58Right, right.
4:59Um, and that would be another reason I'm here.
5:01Is there anything I can do with 5 weeks ahead of time?
5:07I'm going to make a motion too that it'll be done if you get everything together, contact Darren, if that date is available and everything's in order, and we'll let you— he'll let you know.
5:22Okay.
5:23Now that other thing we talked about, like the rink part, I don't know if that's an option.
5:29So if that all— if that top half works for you, that might work better for you.
5:33Check with the police department, make sure no cars are parked there.
5:36Yeah, I don't know.
5:37Do you know which area we're talking about on the top half?
5:41Near the church, you know, in front of— right in front of St. Anne's Church, that whole rock part.
5:45So the hallway up Middle Street, down South Main.
5:48Yeah, so there's a— you got South Main and then you have a road that is adjacent to the park that cuts into the park.
5:55There's all parking spaces lined all the way around that area.
5:59So we're talking about blocking that from traffic, getting all the cars out of there, having your event set up all their cars, set up food trucks in there if you're going to get food trucks, because that's another part of it if you want.
6:11We can get— we can give you a list of food trucks, you know, set up all your event in there.
6:15It's separate from the traffic, the public.
6:18It's your own event.
6:20Um, I don't know if that— I think that spot might work better.
6:24I know we talked on the phone about actual inside that rink.
6:27That's going to be tough, but that's, that's their vote on that, right?
6:32Right.
6:33That initial spot has 60 spots total around, around that thing.
6:42The, the— it's a rectangle that's in the actual park.
6:47You're talking about the parking lot in the back?
6:49Yeah.
6:50Yes.
6:50What are you talking about?
6:52Pavilion.
6:53That's where you wanted it, down near the pavilion?
6:57Yeah, he can have it.
6:58Yeah, yeah, he can have it, but it's just going to be tight for cars.
7:02He might if he gets more than 60 cars.
7:05My, my concern would just be as a spectator, you know, you have to park and then walk to the pavilion.
7:13Yes.
7:14If we, if we overtake it with, you know, 30 cars, that's already half of the space.
7:21Yeah, so that upper half might work better because you can park on— there's another road that comes up from Middle Street.
7:28Bradford Ave, and you've got Middle.
7:30That car is like people going to these events, they can park on Bradford.
7:34And there's another inside park drive on Bradford that you can line cars up to as well.
7:39Walk, leave the cars, walk through the park, go to this upper half to, to go to the cars.
7:45You've got a big square.
7:46You've got Middle, you've got South Main, you've got Middle, you've got, uh, Bradford, Bradford Avenue, and you've got, uh, Broadway.
7:56Broadway.
7:57Well, no, but you got a square.
7:58You can't park on Broadway.
8:00In the park you can.
8:01Yeah, on the inside.
8:03Oh no, there's no inside drive on Bradford.
8:07Not on Bradford Avenue.
8:07Not on Bradford.
8:09No, not on Broadway.
8:10Broadway, there's no inside drive on Broadway.
8:12It's just Broadway.
8:14Yeah.
8:20I mean, that's the way— the way— when I leave here, I'm gonna go check that.
8:24She's got a good— there isn't though.
8:27That is a nice place to put, like a horseshoe.
8:30As long as everything is in order and he says okay, he'll give you the okay.
8:34You keep in contact with him.
8:35And there's other air parks too, like Maplewood Park.
8:39I don't know if you saw that park.
8:40That one has a huge parking lot.
8:42There's like 100 spots there in that park.
8:45Okay.
8:45Yeah, that's enough.
8:46That's— those are probably the 2 biggest areas.
8:49There's really no other park in the city that has a lot of parking in addition to spots that won't be for parking.
8:59All right, I know, I know.
9:01I'm like, I was thinking of, uh, if he was at the upper part.
9:05No, if it was at the upper Kennedy Park, he'd have South Main, Middle, Bradford Avenue, Bradford Avenue and, uh, but, but Bradford Ave, you have Bradford, then you got the inside too.
9:17So you basically have 2 roads.
9:19Yeah, you can park all the way up on the end.
9:21Yeah, yeah, bottom part.
9:22So no, he wants— I was telling him the upper inside drive.
9:26Yeah, yeah, because you got 4.
9:27Yeah, you know, to get a box.
9:29Yeah, there's a lot of room for the parked cars there.
9:31It's been, it's been done before.
9:32Yeah, yeah, better at the top.
9:34It is 4.
9:351, 2, 3, 4.
9:37People drive by, they can see it.
9:41And just as an experimental question here, has the ice rink ever been used for a car show?
9:51No, I don't remember.
9:54And I don't really— I would think because they have filled it up at times for kids to ice skate there.
10:01Years ago, they used to have that as like a waiting pool or whatever.
10:05Yeah, so I don't know if that'd be a great idea to have cars in there.
10:10No cars in there.
10:12No cars in there.
10:14I just know in the past, like at the Feast, there was no cars allowed to park in there.
10:18And then they started it— well, no, they never— and then when they had the Christmas parade, you know, everybody sets up, they— even then we had it blocked off.
10:26They didn't want anybody setting up in there.
10:28So that would— that's just the reason.
10:30October 2nd is not what you're looking for?
10:32Yeah, uh, October 10th.
10:35It's a Saturday, and it could be any— it could be the week after.
10:38They give you another week.
10:39It could be— you'll pick a rain day too.
10:41Yeah, yeah, you have to pick a rain day.
10:42Yeah.
10:43Oh, who made a motion?
10:45Was it second?
10:46Second.
10:47Oh, did you second it?
10:50Well, what are we making a motion for?
10:52Yeah, he can do it if everything pans out.
10:54Yeah, that's right.
10:55Paperwork in though.
10:56So what, he hasn't turned any paperwork in to do any of this?
10:59He's on citizen input.
11:00Yeah, he's just introducing himself.
11:02That's what I said.
11:03I said, okay, if everything works out, to keep in touch with, with, uh, Darren.
11:08No, but the, the request is going to come in the October Park Board, the actual, uh, he isn't submitting a request.
11:15I, I'm late.
11:16He wants to have it in October.
11:17No, we'll have the meeting is the, is the 7th.
11:19He wants to do it the 10th.
11:21That gives enough time.
11:22Okay.
11:22Yeah, I also have enough time to do it.
11:26Yeah, that's why I said you may want to think of November.
11:29Yeah, you know what I mean, of, you know, pushing that.
11:33Um, if you follow all these things, I don't think it'll be a problem.
11:37Okay.
11:37Um, you know, it's just the issue of you have to let people know.
11:40Um, and I don't think like 5 days or whatever is a lot of time.
11:45So you have the 10th, you have the 17th and the 24th.
11:50I wouldn't do it on the 31st, that'd be a nightmare because there'd be kids everywhere.
11:54So you have those 3 dates, and if you want to push it into November, that gives you 4 more weeks.
12:02I think for now the 10th is appropriate, and, you know, worst-case scenario we push it back.
12:08But I mean, whatever I can do in the next 5 weeks to be be proactive, I'll do and go from there.
12:16Okay.
12:17I mean, is it appropriate to enter the police station and say, hey, I'm having this event?
12:23Or if you keep in contact with— yeah, because I'll usually do like our events coordinator, they work with all the departments, which is the police chief, you know, fire chief, EMS people, and the traffic director.
12:39They're the ones who make the calls, like if they're going to block off that, say you do it on that road, they make the call to block off the road, tag the meters, remove the cars.
12:49PD will set up like detail if you need it.
12:51EMS will be there like for medical.
12:54And like she's like the main person.
12:56I can have a conversation with her tomorrow and say, hey, this is in the works, what can we do?
13:00Can we make this happen?
13:05Requested police detail just so their reputation— like, we, we have like a dead engine policy.
13:10We don't play loud music.
13:13It's just to appreciate the builds and the vehicles.
13:20No, that's fine.
13:20I, I just, you know, we don't have— you haven't filled paperwork out to do this.
13:25He did, but he's— we can't really vote on a motion that we don't even have here.
13:29So true, true.
13:30So I know you came here for information, to give us information.
13:34That's great.
13:34Yeah, and thank you.
13:35You know, it's not a no.
13:40So what's that?
13:41It's not a no.
13:42It's not going to be a no.
13:43No, no, it's not going to be a no.
13:44It's just we don't have, you know, right, because other people would come in the future and do that.
13:49Right, right.
13:50If you just follow that, I don't think you'll have an issue.
13:53Oh, exactly.
13:54And you just keep in touch with me.
13:56And I'll keep in touch with you.
13:58Great.
13:58Okay.
13:59Nice to meet you all.
14:00Thank you.
14:01Good luck.
14:02Thanks for coming in.
14:04See you guys in a month.
14:09Okay, so new business.
14:12We have a request for the use of Kennedy Park by the Diocese of Fall River for a procession from Kennedy Park to St. Mary's on Monday, October 12th at 6 PM.
14:26They've done it for years.
14:27The paperwork's attached.
14:31They've, they've done this.
14:35Yeah, it says they've commuted it with JT Hoare, Castro, Deputy, Chief Deputy Castro, on because of them being in the street.
14:46Does anybody have any questions?
14:50No, I have a motion.
14:52Make a motion to accept.
14:57Okay, all in favor?
15:00Aye.
15:02Aye.
15:02Yeah, no, you're good.
15:03You're good.
15:05Okay.
15:06B, a request from Susan Belmore representing Holy Name Church for the use of Lafayette Park on October 10th.
15:14Of this year for an outside rosary event will take place from 9:30 AM to 1 PM.
15:21It's 11.
15:23Oh no, I have here it's all 1, right?
15:269:30, uh, 1 on this one.
15:29Okay, all right.
15:30There's 2 of them in there, so there's, there's 2 back-to-back events.
15:35Yes.
15:38Okay, okay.
15:40Anybody have any questions?
15:41No.
15:42Okay.
15:43Do we have a motion?
15:44Motion to accept.
15:46Second.
15:46All in favor?
15:47Aye.
15:49Motion passes.
15:51Okay, see, Darren Medeiros, Parks Director, is asking for consideration for approval of 2 CPA park projects.
16:00One is involving a new ball, ball field lights and improvements at Maplewood.
16:06Gilly Amaral Baseball Field.
16:08The second one is a project the director is submitting for removal and installation of new sidewalks on the upper part of Kennedy Park.
16:18Whereabouts is this light going to go?
16:20On the— no, in Maplewood Park.
16:23No, the Maplewood Park, the, the parking lot, that field that's adjacent to the parking lot, that Little League field, that field.
16:30They want lights there.
16:32It's in the back.
16:32It's in the back where the third field that doesn't have lights.
16:38Yeah.
16:38Is that the one behind the playground?
16:40Yes.
16:41Oh, yeah.
16:41Yes.
16:42Yeah, you probably never see it.
16:43It's behind the playground.
16:45You know where St. William's used to be?
16:46Their parking lot there.
16:49Any questions?
16:54No.
16:55Okay.
16:56I have a motion.
16:59Second.
16:59All in favor?
17:00Aye.
17:00Motion passes.
17:04Okay, a request from Chris Martin from the Oak Grove Cemetery to convert 2 grave lots, which are 30, to single graves, 60.
17:15The attachment is on the map from Oak Grove.
17:282 green zones.
17:33Okay, I think it's this page here, right here.
17:37You see it right there?
17:42Yeah.
17:42So is this, um, is this to gather more space?
17:46Is that what it is?
17:47Yeah, so it's to just to convert, because obviously singles go a lot faster.
17:55So they're just looking to add 60 singles instead of just keeping the 30 doubles.
18:03We have plenty of doubles in other areas.
18:05It's just that this area, um, he feels would be just to expand because it's starting to not run out of room, but that front part off Oak Grove is all singles.
18:16He just— this is in addition to that.
18:20Anybody have any questions?
18:25No.
18:25Okay, do I have a motion?
18:25I'll make a motion.
18:28Second.
18:29Second, Mr. Rigo.
18:31All in favor?
18:32Aye.
18:32Okay, that motion passes.
18:36Okay, item number E, a request from Jerry Jeremy Messier for use of Britlin Park on Sundays for soccer games from 5 to 8, Travasso's Park on Monday and Wednesdays from 7 to 9 for soccer games.
18:54So is that for the whole fall season?
18:59Yes.
19:01If there's nobody using it.
19:05Yeah, so I— what if you see on here, so the Sundays are at Britlin.
19:10Nobody's using Britlin on Sundays, so they, they wanted to use all of Britlin.
19:15They can't because our last meeting we had all those people come in.
19:19So they're going to take Sundays at Britlin, and then Travasso's talking to the league that's there.
19:24They said Mondays and Wednesdays they don't use it at all, so I said Monday when they can use it then.
19:31Motion to accept.
19:32I just wanted to say one thing.
19:33Is there a way, Darren, of getting them to clean up after those?
19:37Because I've gone by there sometimes on the bike trail, and it's like whoever's using it, it's like, oh, is it?
19:43Then you have to make a motion that they clean up.
19:46Yeah, they clean up after every game.
19:47Well, so, so talking to this guy before you make the motion, so this Jeremy Messier, in conversation with him, all the guys that play play with this.
19:57He made it known to me, and I did tell him about this, the cleaning up.
20:01All the guys that play on these teams, all veterans, they said they will keep it clean before and after every single game, both parks.
20:09He promised me this.
20:11Okay, a motion to accept on those conditions.
20:15Okay, second it.
20:16Second.
20:17All right, all in favor?
20:18Aye.
20:19Motion passes.
20:21Okay, old business.
20:22A request from the DCM director for removal of 3 trees in the 300 block of Mount Hope Street.
20:29Mount Hope Avenue.
20:30What's that?
20:31It's Mount Hope Avenue.
20:32Mount Hope Avenue.
20:32It's Avenue.
20:33I'm sorry, sorry, Mount Hope Avenue.
20:35Sorry, I'm just street.
20:36Well, then you should put street.
20:37I put street.
20:38Yeah, I put street.
20:40I don't, uh, sorry.
20:42Mount Hope.
20:44I thought you live in Fall River.
20:45I don't live in Fall River anymore.
20:48That's why you call— anybody in Fall River?
20:49Is there anybody who live with Vicks in this building that lives in Fall River?
20:56No.
20:57All right, so I don't— I think at the last meeting we tabled this.
21:02Yeah.
21:02And there was an issue that we were going to look into, but I think we're just going to let it go.
21:10Okay, the trees are going to come down.
21:11That tree is going to come down.
21:13I would say that if out of those 3 trees, the one near the driveway, if you have to come down, but the But the other ones, they have room to make a wheelchair by.
21:22That one next to the driveway, is it?
21:24That's an accident waiting to happen.
21:27I seen it.
21:28I went by there.
21:29It's too— that's an accident.
21:31Did people see it?
21:32Yes.
21:32An accident waiting to happen.
21:36My feeling is it takes 50 years to grow these trees, you know what I mean?
21:40And it's like we plant one, it's going to take another— we're not going to be around.
21:44But, you know, It is what it is.
21:47So do we have a motion for that?
21:50To remove that one tree?
21:52Yeah.
21:53Yeah.
21:53All right, Helen, motion.
21:57Second.
21:57All right, I'm going to do a roll call.
22:00Commissioner Farris?
22:01Yes.
22:03Commissioner Rigo?
22:04Yes.
22:05Myself, the chairman?
22:06No.
22:09Right, still passes.
22:11No, really?
22:12No, it's tied.
22:15No, it's 2 to 1.
22:18Oh, I thought you said the director.
22:19Yeah, I said yes.
22:20Yeah, you said no.
22:21I said no.
22:22You two said yes.
22:23You said no to not to remove it?
22:24Yeah, I said no, but you still have— it passes because there's 2 people.
22:28You're going to remove that tree.
22:29That's a way— that's an accident waiting to happen.
22:31Are you crazy?
22:32No, I'm not crazy, but I can vote, so it's going to pass anyway.
22:39Help.
22:40But the director— what's that?
22:41I thought you said you and the director.
22:43No, I'm not a voter.
22:44I don't vote.
22:44I said no.
22:45I said— did I say— you did.
22:48No, I said motion passes.
22:51I don't know.
22:51No, it has nothing to do with Darren.
22:53But the motion passes.
22:55Straighten this out.
22:56Miss Rigo, Mr. Ferris voted no.
22:59I vote— I mean, voted yes.
23:00I voted no.
23:01But it still passed.
23:02So the tree's going to come down.
23:04That's very well.
23:05Okay.
23:07That looks like the end of our agenda.
23:09Do I have a motion to adjourn?
23:14Second it.
23:15All in favor?
23:15Aye.
23:16Aye.
23:16Have a good night.
23:17Good night.