2026 State of the City Address

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This forward city council meeting will now be called to order. Madame clerk, roll call, please.

Council here.

Mara here.

Here.

Dion here.

Here.

Echo here.

Carrera here.

Reposo here.

President here. 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 unpersceived by those present and are deemed acknowledged and permissible. Mr.

Vice Chairman, school committee call for order, please.

Mr. AO, present.

Mr. Das, present.

Mr. Cory, Mr. Monus, present.

Miss Riley, present.

Miss Stewart, present. Mayor Kugan, please welcome to the city council chamber the honorable mayor Paul Kugan.

First of all, I want to thank everybody for coming tonight. That's a real special moment for me. And uh you know I'm not big on formality so let's really just get into this right away.

Good evening to all those who have joined us here tonight as well as those watching from home. Thank you.

As your mayor of Fall River, it is my pleasure to be here tonight with you as I deliver the 2026 state of the city address.

Coming on the heels of of an historic blizzard, I want to extend a special thanks to Governor Mora Healey and our Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll and our local legislative delegation for providing us the resources and equipment along with ours needed to battle that storm. Governor Healey and her team have always been incredibly helpful to me during my time as mayor, but they were

especially helpful when called on to aid for our snow removal efforts after last month's blizzard. I want to thank them both for their leadership and their support. I also want to extend thanks to our partners in government, including Senators Ed Marky and Senator Elizabeth Warren, Congressman Jake Ashenclaus, our state senator Michael Rodri, and our state representatives Carol Fiola, Alan

Sylvia, and Steve Wulette. Their partnerships have been invaluable during my time as mayor and I welcome all of your help as we continue to work together to improve Fall River. I also want to thank the city council, the school committee, our educators, residents caregivers veterans business owners, and all of our public safety first responders. Your dedication to our community is what makes Fall

River such a great place to live, work, and raise a family.

And last but not least, I want to thank my wife Judy for her unwavering support and understanding over these last six years. Actually, she's most happy when I'm with you guys and not with her. So, I still love you, Judy.

I am proud to report to all of you tonight that despite facing its fair share of challenges, Fall River as a whole stands just as strong today, if not stronger, than it did last year.

That resilience is reflected is reflected in the strong financial position of our city government. The city's finances remain healthy with over $24 million in our stabilization fund, over 40 million in total reserves, and a stable A3 credit rating. Under our finance team and newly appointed chief financial officer Emily Arkkey, we saw over 2.6 million in new growth for fiscal year 26. We also finalized a new

capital improvement plan for fiscal years 27 through 31. This plan will help us to better invest in our capital needs. It will also help us to improve our financial reporting documents like the budget book and quarterly reports in order to offer more transparency to our city council and the residents. We've continued to spend down our ARPA allocation and are on track to complete projects by December of 26, the

deadline. These funds have helped us to restore our parks, playgrounds, rehabilitate public facilities like the historic library, and to purchase new vehicles and equipment for police, fire, and community maintenance departments, to name a few.

Our public schools, which serve over 11,000 students in grades preK through 12, are improving tremendously under the leadership of Superintendent Dr. Tracy Curley. In December, it was announced that Fonsa Elementary has improved by over 10 percentile points and would no longer be classified by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as underperforming. Fonso was the last

school with that designation. Watson Elementary School also improved significantly over the past year, as did Dery High School, which is no longer in the bottom 10 percentile of high schools in the state. Chronic absenteeism has also decreased significantly. Our graduation rate has improved even higher than it was before the pandemic. This improvement was most pronounced among students with disabilities and our

English language learners. A direct result of the hard work of our staff in the schools who on a daily basis remove barriers to learning ensure that every student has the support they need to succeed.

Our international teacher program which places a heavy focus on science and math continues to expand. We currently have 17 of these teachers in the for public schools and we're considering nine more candidates for next year. I am proud to report that we have 13 teachers currently taking advantage of our new higher education partnership with Bridgewater State University. They're pursuing graduate degrees and

certificate special education, teaching English to speakers of other languages, and the autism endorsement. Our early college enrollment has increased by 34% over the past two years with over 97% of these st students earning credits, our highest rate ever. The program has been extremely successful in preparing our high school schoolers for college.

Over 88% of early college students from the Dery High School class of 25 are now enrolled in higher education.

As more students graduate, prepared for college and careers, Fall River is also seeing growing momentum in its business community. We continue to see existing businesses expand and new businesses open. New jobs are being created at all levels, which we hope will help lower the unemployment rate. The health care sector remains our largest economic engine, accounting for over a third of all the

jobs in Fall River. South Coast Ventures recently purchased $6 million worth of land along the waterfront for a proposed expansion of South Coast Health, expected to create hundreds of new jobs in the coming years. Last June, Gold Medal Bakery opened a new 90,000 square foot facility on Commerce Drive, planning to add 30 to 50 jobs over the next five years. and TakeO Comfort Solution also completed a 52,000 square

foot expansion of its Fall River facility. This $20 million investment nearly doubled the size of the facility and is also expected to create an additional 75 jobs over the next 5 years. Ice Cube Cold Storage recently completed a 84,000 square foot expansion on their existing facility in the South Coast Technology Park, which will help them create another 20 jobs. They also purchased land on Innovation Way to

build a new facility that's expected to create an additional 20. Construction should start later this month. The huge freeze back freeze pack logistics building plans to open its new 200,000 square foot facility this month, bringing another 100 jobs to our South Coast Technology Park. and Invagen Pharmaceuticals is planning to create 70 jobs via the all-in-one research, development manufacturing and

warehouse facility. The financing of which was made possible by business tax incentives from the Healey Driscoll Administration and the Fall River Tax Increment Financing Board.

And funding has been added to secure 15 new moorings and dingy docks off of the Norton City Pier, which we hope will attract more Boers to Fall River.

Northfield Point, a spit of land adjacent to that pier, has been overgrown and fenced off for decades.

That will open to the public later this year. It will feature solar lighted walking paths complete with granite benches and native landscaping. We hope people use it to fish and take time away from their busy schedules. The Route 79 Deval Street Carter improvement project has reached full beneficial use, leaving us with a beautiful and functional new roads and 19 acres of land to be

developed. The Fall River Redevelopment Authority worked with Stantech this past year to complete a master plan for these parcels. Large-scale developers continue to express interest in being part of this transformative waterfront development which represents over a billion dollars of investment primarily from the private sector.

Our downtown business partnership first put brought together by Mass Development's transformative initiative narrowed its focus now to North Main and Purchase Street. Now calling itself Nomar, short for North Main, this partnership consists of several restaurants, arts venues, shops, and a public outdoor space. Increased collaboration among these partners is making our historic downtown district a

hub for dining and entertainment once again. Weekly farmers markets were held in the Nomad district last summer, and in 2026, monthly events will be held on Purchase Street from March through December.

In addition, both of our urban renewal plan and a roadmap for our neighborhood revitalization have been completed for the Flint Village. Both of whom are currently undergoing a formal review in the approve in the approval process.

These plans have informed our efforts to revitalize the Flint the Flint, including an upandcoming arts festival, installation of community gardens, and several community improvement projects.

The rehabilitation and redevelopment of urban renewal plan identified properties along Pleasant Street alone is expected to yield over 200 new housing units, a critical means of aliv aliating Fall River's growing demand for housing.

In 2025, the city issued 96 new residential building permits. And we also issued 229 commercial building permits, which includes large-scale millto apartment complexes like the upand cominging one on 460 Globe Street, Yarn Mill. And I see a renewed pride in home ownership across our city, which is reflected in the tremendous amount of properties that people are renovating.

The Fall River Community Development Agency has several housing projects already underway, including one on Pleasant, Bedford, Rock, and Second.

Once completed, these projects will result result in a total of 99 new housing units, 39 of which will be designated as affordable or single room occupancy for individuals. Fall River continues to address the home homelessness issue head on. A growing issue in not just our community but throughout the state. Our primary homeless shelter at the first step in can now serve 50 residents year round

with an overflow shelter at the Tomo Center able to take an additional 30. We also have emergency warming shelters on the first floor at first step-in and Christ the Rock Church during extreme cold weather to ensure no Fall River resident is left in the cold. Our Fall River addiction support and treatment team or FAST team for short operates a 24-hour hotline to connect people experiencing homelessness or if they're

struggling with substance abuse. Shelter and social services are issued as appropriate. The FAST team has been instrumental in clearing several homeless camps to restore the safety and access to our public parks and green spaces while connecting struggling residents with the resources they desperately need.

Our veteran service department continues to meet the needs of forever veterans and their families through financial assistance, advocacy, and coordinated care. This past year, we were recognized as a Purple Heart City, a designation that formally honors residents who were wounded or killed in combat and confirms the city's enduring commitment to recognizing the sacrifices of our many

service members. In response to the growing need for proactive mental health care, we also launched our first veterans suicide prevention initiative.

A team of veterans representing organizations across our community completed a specialized suicide training course at Colombia, training them to recognize warning signs, respond effectively to veterans in crisis, and utilize evidence-based tools to guide intervention and support.

Later this month, we will be partnering with 22 Mohawks, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing veteran suicide to host a veterans resiliency summit. This summit will bring together motivational speakers, mental health professionals, and life coaches to present practical strategies for long-term wellness that will empower our veterans with the tools necessary to foster personal stability and growth.

The Farro Police Department continues to evolve under the leadership of Police Chief Kelly Fetado. [snorts] This past year, the department undertook a comprehensive review of its organizational structure to enhance operational efficiency, reinforce accountability, and improve overall performance. As a result, several key divisions were strategically reorganized or expanded. We also launched the

community action and suppression team and the neighborhood engagement and enforcement team dedicating additional personnel and targeted resources to support a [snorts] proactive crime reduction strategy. Last year, the proactive policing efforts reached an all-time high, resulting in an unprecedented volume of narcotic seizures and the removal of more than 56 illegal handguns from our street. These

initiatives enhanced focus enforcement with emphasizing community engagement, collaboration, and long-term problem solving by pairing visible enforcement and meaningful neighborhood partnerships have strengthened trust and reinforced our presence or their presence throughout the city. Building on our commitment to community outreach, the department continued its long-standing youth and community programs like the

Teen Police Academy, now in its 22nd year, Cops and Bobbers, which is a fishing clinic down at the pier, which is now in its fourth year, and our second annual Haunted Hallways House.

These programs reflect our belief that early engagement, mentorship, and positive interaction with law enforcement play a critical role in building lasting and mutual trust.

We also implemented the alternative hiring pathway that established a local eligibility list and broadened recruitment efforts.

This innovative approach enabled us to hire more than 40 new officers in 2025 and position the department to achieve full staffing by the end of 26. This progress ensures enhanced service delivery, improved response time, and increased neighborhood coverage.

[clears throat] In June of 25, the department was reacredited by the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission, maintaining a distinction we have held since ' 07. We also continue to hold accreditation through the Commission of Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies or Kala, making on us one of the two law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts to achieve dual accreditation.

This accomplishment reflects our commitment to professional standards, policy excellence, and the best practices in both state and national levels. The Forever Fire Department continues to protect and serve our community under Chief Jeff Bacon. Having responded to over 7,000 calls for service and over 300 structure fires in the last year, we all know that in the wake of the tragic Gabriel House assisted living

facility fire last year that took the lives of 10 people and necessitated the rescue of 53 others, we were reminded both of life's fragility and the extraordinary bravery of those who serve on the far department. Though our community continues to mourn the 10 lives that were lost that night, we also recognize the courage, professionalism, and selfless service displayed by every first responder on that scene. Their

actions reflected the very best of our city, strength under pressure, unity and crisis, and an unwavering commitment to protect and serve Fall River.

In the weeks following the fire, a comprehensive a afteraction report was completed to identify any necessary and operational improvements and an independent consulting firm was contracted to impartially review the fire department staffing needs. In accordance with those findings and these reports, staffing levels were subsequently raised from 35 to 38 firefighters per shift. And I'm also

happy to report that four probationary firefighters completed the EMT and firefighting training academy at Mass Fire last year and an additional seven were hired from our local register. All will begin serving next week. Eight additional hires are scheduled to enter the regional academy on April 20th and they will join the fire companies by early July.

We invested in new two new fire trucks with the old ones now being retained as reserves. And the department secured nearly $600,000 in state and federal grant money to fund further equipment purchases and staff training. And Far River Emergency Medical Services or EMS had a big year too. for short. They continue to provide top tier emergency medical care and hospital transportation

under the new leadership of our first female chief Beth F. In 2024, EMS responded to 24,000 calls for service.

This year, that number rose to 29,000, an increase of almost 19% in just one year. And this growth is largely due to transfers reflecting both the expanding role of EMS in our healthcare system and the increasing demand for health services in Fall River. We also opened our new EMS facility on Corno Street right around the corner from Scotty's last fall. This will house up to six ambulances and will serve as a hub for

our mobile integrated health communications going forward. We added two new ambulances to the fleet, including one specifically dedicated to home visits. And we continue to expand our community health offerings with the scope of services now including antibiotics, wound care, teleaalth visits, safety education, and vaccinations for students and seniors.

We completed 327 home visits over this past year, expanding access to high quality care for elderly, disabled, homebound who need it the most. This year, we aim to double that number, further strengthening the safety net that supports our most vulnerable residents.

I I'm also very proud to report that our newly established EMT school had two CRA graduating classes this year, including one made up entirely of new firefighters.

This strengthened recruitment pipeline has resulted in 13 new EMTs and 11 new firefighters. We plan to begin offering scholarships in partnership with local schools this year to help build the next generation of public safety professionals in Fall River.

And Fall River continues to invest in the critical public infrastructure that keeps our city safe and functional.

With the help of grant funding from the Environmental Protection Agency, this year we've replaced over 1,200 lead containing water service pipes so far at no cost to our hardworking homeowners and we will continue to do so in 26. We continue to replace aging water manes with the street we all hate to drive on, Jefferson Street up next on the list. Construction is expected to start later this spring and will

conclude with a full roadway reconstruction.

Our efforts to address chronic flooding at the intersection of Pleasant County and Quarry Street continue to move forward. With project design now almost 30% complete, we will continue to seek grants to alleviate the burden of this massive undertaking. on our taxpayers.

We also received a million dollars for Mass Works infrastructure grant for fiscal year 26 to design the full rebuild of Alden Street. The reconstruction will include water, sewer, increased drainage capacity, and completely repaved streets and sidewalks. And just as we are investing in infrastructure beneath our streets, we are also making major investments in the streets themselves. Fall River

continues to routinely repair cracks and potholes with residents now able to report potholes directly on the city's website. Several intersections have been completely redone to increase traffic flow and safety, including Bedford and Robersonson, and we're redesigning Bedford and Quarry, and the rebuild of the design at Globe Four Corners is expected to begin in April. We also began reconstructing some of our biggest

threws over the last year. Both Bedford Street and Columbia are currently 50% completed, having made significant progress that includes both repaved streets, new striping, repaved sidewalks complete with stamped concrete details.

The reconstruction of Eastern Avenue and Pleasant Street are both currently in design and several streets in our residential neighborhoods are in various stages of repaving. Barnes, Charlotte, Charles, Hyestin Pond, Wall, Wilson have all either been completed or nearing completion or in design. The Fall River Community Development Agency also committed $129,000 to replace sidewalks on Monttop,

Kellogg, and Lawrence Street. We anticipate with our state partners an increase in both chapter 90 funding and municipal funding for roadway improvements in 26 so we can expand upon this progress and keep our city straight safe, functional, and attractive.

The city is committed to keeping all of its facilities well-maintained in order to save our taxpayers money in the long run. From schools to police to fire stations to our many parks and trails, we remain dedicated to making sure all of our Fall River assets remain in top condition so they continue to be enjoyed by everyone. We are currently currently working with Serped to update our open

space and recreation plan to include a greater focus on necessary upgrades to existing facilities.

We are planning a full rehabilitation of the parklet on the corner of Columbombian Canal Street as well as the addition of a parking facility at Father Kelly Park. The planned expansion of the Alfred Jay Lima Quickan Rail Trail will also continue to progress over the coming year and we've heavily invested in our parks and playgrounds making sure that every child in Fall River has

access to safe and high quality outdoor play. We're installing a new playground at Columbus Park. We installed a new gate, park, and walkways at Lafayette, resurfaced and restriped the pickle ball and tennis courts at Britlin and Maplewood, and renovated deteriorating public restrooms at several of our parks. The city is currently working with the community development agency to build a brand new sensory friendly

playground at Abbott Court, designed specifically for children with autism, spectrum disorder, and other heightened sensory needs. This park will also be fully wheelchair accessible, and it will be the first of its kind in Fall River.

Its construction has been made possible in part by the exceptional fundraising effort of Fall River resident Marcel Riley, whose autistic daughter, May Eller, inspired him to take matters into his own hands and make a lasting change for both his family and this community.

And for that, we should clap.

Far River hosted several successful community events over the past year with many more planned for 26 to ensure that our city remains a desirable location and an engaging place for residents and visitors to spend their time. The Battle of Fall River reenactment at Heritage State Park last year drew over 6,000 attendees from across the state, representing a collaborative effort between the city, the Lafayette Dery

Museum, Fever Fall River, Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism, and the Department of Conservation and Recreation. Our 41st annual Children's Holiday Parade, and the July 4th Waterfront Celebration were huge successes last year, drawing over 15,000 people to each event. We also continue to provide dedicated event program for children and the families offering several opportunities for free age

appropriate fund throughout the year.

Notable events include kite night at the Norton city pier, guided bird watching at the Tupper reservation, freshwater fing fishing clinic hosted by the far police department, our popular summer evenings in the park event series, and several outdoor movies, nature walks, and much more.

Just a few weeks ago, Fall River was hit with a record-breaking 41 inches of snow in under 24 hours. While snow removal took longer than all of us would have liked, I am so so very proud of our emergency response. Between our emergency shelters, our emergency warming center, and our hard work of the FAST team, we were able to shelter 175 unhoused individuals who sought help during that storm. We made sure that

nobody was turned away, even deploying one of our own DCM vehicles to provide emergency transportation to a family that found themselves stranded. And I do want to take a moment to extend my sincerest thanks to the first responders for showing up and giving everything they do did during that storm. While most of us were safe in home, you brave blizzard conditions to keep the people of Far safe. When

When our streets were impassible and emergency vehicles were getting stuck, you trudged through several feet of snow to reach those in need. So to our dedicated police officers, firefighters, EMTs, DCM, anyone that contributed, thank you very much.

And I also want to thank the Massachusetts National Guard, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, and our neighbors from New York, Vermont, and Connecticut for sending us additional equipment and personnel in this time of need. Thanks to you for your help, we were able to make sure that our essential workers like hospital, nursing home staff could report to work. You assisted in freeing

stuck and abandoned vehicles and ensured that our first responders could safely access emergencies. and your hard work and heavy equipment that you delivered to our city helped us get back on our feet and our residents who took it upon themselves with the help of their neighbors to shovel snowblow streets to open them up for emergency access. The city is forever grateful and one citizen

in particular stood out during this battle who used his technological skills to establish a website that allowed citizens to report streets that were in need of plowing so that our snow operations personnel were able to direct resources where needed and worked with us to update the site throughout the cleanup. I'm going to ask him to come down tonight because he was that special

throughout this whole battle. I want to ask Matt Maderas to join us down the front here for a second.

Representative.

Yeah. Uh Matt, on behalf of myself and State Representative Alan Sylvia and State Representative Steve Wlette, uh we really want to thank you. We count on you. I've known you for many, many years. I've always known you were kind of a tech guy. I didn't really realize uh uh how important that was to us was going to be to us during this snowstorm.

Um you could have just been home cozy with the boys and your wife uh and who was a who was a nurse who I'm sure had to report to work. uh but you created something that was so vital to us and I know that continues on uh today with uh more work that I think others will talk about. So Matt, thank you on behalf of us. I'm going to hand that to Rep.

Sylvia and um to Rep Wlette who has Senator Rodri's citation who could not be here. Um and we thank you and we're grateful for your work. Thank you.

I'll spare you reading all the words, but it is uh official and it is signed by all of us. Thank you.

We also have one from Senator Senator.

Yes.

Thank you, Matt.

How about now all the potholes?

Well, they have here.

And Matt, on behalf of the city council here, um we're giving you a citation for your efforts during the storm. Um it's nice when we have citizens that step up and and offer to help and uh pull us out of a crisis. That app is absolutely amazing and we appreciate you for all that you did for us. So here you go, buddy.

Okay, Matt. So I also have a mayoral citation so you can get a hand truck to carry all this stuff home in honor and recognition of your assistance during the blizzard of 26 with your website Fall River Plow. And there's some great joke websites going on about that right now too. So don't look at those. Um that tracks the status of our streets in the city of Fall River that needed plowing. And as I said being

in the headquarters as um JT who has the technology to do some of this also pitched in with Matt to help design this and as we were in the storm they were modifying it on the go. What we need this we need that we need this. So, um again congratulations Matt and thanks for your help. And you're now a Fall River icon with your name on the bat that we go around the

city giving out, a true innovator in the Blizzard of 26.

All right, I'm wrapping up right now.

Uh while we Sorry.

While we may face more than our fair share of challenges, the Fall River community is undoubtedly a tough one. We are strong enough to handle whatever comes our way. And as we look ahead to 26, I am confident that the people of our city will continue to prosper. Thank you all once again for being here tonight and for caring about the state of our beautiful city. God bless you and

the great city of Fall River. Thank you.

Mr. Vice Chairman, the motion to adjourn. Still made second.

Second.

Second by Mr. Riley. Roll call.

Mr.

Yes.

Mr. Das.

Yes.

Mr. Cory.

Mr. Monus.

Yes.

M. Riley.

Yes.

M. Stewart.

Yes.

So a motion to adjourn. Motion to motion to adjurnn has been made by councelor reposo. Seconded by councel canuel. All those in favor opposed. The eyes have it. This meeting is adjourned.