Redevelopment Authority 3 30 23

welcome to the Thursday March 30th 2023 meeting of the Fall River Redevelopment Authority recording of the Open Session can be viewed at Fall River government television www.frgtv.us I'm going to call to order the meeting about the meetings law statement personally to the open meaning law any person may make an audio video recording this public meeting or may transmit the meeting through any medium attendees are

therefore advised that such recording or transmission are being made whether perceived or unperceived by those present and are deemed acknowledged and permissible roll call John Erickson here Joan Medeiros here Ron russin here and Keane here and Luis Gonzalez is away also participating or Sarah page our executive director John Coughlin Council Ken Fiola administrative services consultant and

Karen Martin project coordinator and executive assistant first thing on the agenda is to improve the Open Session meaning minutes from February 23rd 2023 are there any comments on those on those minutes second John Harrison yes General Medeiros yes Ron Wilson yes and Ken yes the chair makes a finding that open session would have a detrimental effect on the negotiating and litigating

position of the public body a purpose of the executive sessions to prove the executive session meetings from minute meetings from February 22nd 2023 and discussed strategy with respect to potential litigation regarding the City Pier project from potential real estate transactions on the agenda including property and Innovation Way into Wall Street we need a roll call to enter into

executive session then return to open session after executive session Johnny Erickson yes Joan Medeiros yes Ron russin yes and Keen yes uh which Joan has looked at uh we've got a total of 42 922.61 cents anybody have any uh questions on any of those items if not I need a motion to approve the one motion to prove second John Erickson yes yes

I need a I'll entertain a motion on authorizing Clifton Larson Allen LLP to proceed with the 2022 audit for the lump sum of 25 thousand dollars second with discussion yes I think he wants to discuss it first order I'm just not sure is that normally what we're doing okay I've just gone through RFP with another non-profit and it's very good in the range okay perfect and it's really

consistent with their past billing okay before I say yes I want me to show yes going good yes John Erickson yes Joan Medeiros yes Von russin yes um urban renewal plan updates in the Waterfront City Pier we talked a little bit earlier about the dock design there's some modifications going on with those drawings Sarah do you want to talk about the program plans well I want to say a little more about the doc

Central the bid documents I'm sorry the advertisement is hitting the central registered next Wednesday the bid opening will be April 20th and between now and when the bid documents are actually available we're working on this redesign issue otherwise the design is pretty much fine um so we bid it with basically two alternative options a Timber floating dock and an aluminum floating dock and in either case we have

a long aluminum gangway and um so we've bid it so that a firm could come in with only a bid for wood a bid for both or only a bid for aluminum and we're going to compare the cost we we're not saying we will necessarily go with the lowest of all of both types of bids we may choose to go in the lowest of the wood or the lowest of the aluminum

and the reason we're doing this is that um the aluminum will hold up longer and it has some aesthetic advantages and other advantages so if we could afford to go with the aluminum and the bids come in higher than wood but still really attractive then we may very well go with the aluminum if um the other issue that we're looking at is how long it's going to take for either of them to be

developed and put in and we're giving them that they all they have to be put in by the beginning of August and nobody nobody can see that they can go in earlier than that but we want to um see what what we get back so the um the wood is the base bit and the alternate is the aluminum then well um we changed that right he's rewarding it to separate yeah yeah because

we had that yeah we had that and we really want them to give us one or the other because they don't have to give us if somebody's coming in and just spitting on aluminum it doesn't make sense that you have a bid with wood in it right so we we did have to massage that issue so really we're looking we're not doing a base bid with an alternate we have two alternative

um so that's different than what I saw yeah well because they were not taking fully into account with that that if um if an entity only wants to bid aluminum that's allowable so why would they be then basing it on a um bid on then then we're asking them to come up with a bid for wood when they're not even doing wood so in the ultimate well then it is yeah I just haven't seen

it done without a base bid well you'd have a big spinner for wood right but it sounds like they don't have a basement yeah I haven't seen it done that way before well it isn't really an ad alternate you're asking for two there's an alternate alternate systems right so you can't really have either of them so it's not being bit at out as an alternate it's being like you it's two

options it's two options but it's all part of the base bid and they can submit either on the wood or on the right aluminum okay yeah all right so I I think that so even using the term alternate it all confuses it yes because it is not an ad alternate there are two options okay when you don't necessarily have to do both right if you only see three aluminum bills in them no wood

bills how would we be then we have to go alone right you wouldn't have a choice right but we we're almost positive we'll see some women okay bits because we're going to see the difference in price right what was the timetable on it again on the the RFP on that um yeah April 20th it's out to bid for two weeks and the bid opening is April 20th 20th sir how come your microphone's pointing down

so you have a real Echo oh yeah oh that's weird are these are these even odd ah so is this better now should I turn it off no no it's okay it was just when it was down there it was it sounded like you were out in the hallway just for belts and suspenders did Tammy or John look at that and they both said that's okay to do it that way

well John had said from the beginning it was okay to do it that way and um I just don't want somebody contesting them a bit right no I know that's right yeah you want to get this verbiage correct right right well you know it isn't given they're still getting back to us with all of the changes so I can have John look at it yeah what's being asked

it was a busy Pro I've been open to you for 20 years and you only have two of 14 week at April 6th to actually get it up here right

anything more than that Sarah no you want to speak to the program yes so we had a first meeting of our committee which we originally organized to really look at rules and right now we're waiting to coordinate with Seth in the mayor's office because he has been working on an application for parks for city parks and a cover letter that would go without explaining rules and so we're trying to

see what he's come up with and Elena had worked with him to some extent and then work from that for our rules which we know will be somewhat different and so the committee we have is Johnny Patrick from The Narrows and Patty Rigo from viva Fall River and Elena from the mayor's office and the mayor knew Johnny was with us so he joined us for a while and um we came up with um

a plan for events and uh we're talking about having uh events out there uh two Thursdays a month starting on June 29th so it would be June 29th July 13th and 27th August 10th and 24th and these would be relatively simple events um but we're looking at potentially needing funds to pay musicians not major bands or anything Patrick and the Narrows have booked August 27th for a real concert and

um so a question for the board uh is are we willing to um put money into supporting some of the cost of these events we're talking with the city about um uh financially supporting it but that's really a question we haven't resolved is if we're having entertainment um how are we compensating people to some extent and um some interesting Solutions are in play one is that the city purchased a uh big

vehicle with two porta potty systems on it and so our hope is that that can be brought out for events where we really feel we should have that that service and I'm not sure if the evening events they're a couple of hours on a summer evening I don't know that we'll need that but that's still kind of a question when do we need porta potties and how are we getting them

and we did agree that it would make sense to cultivate volunteers who would help with events which is something that the Narrows has done really successfully and they have a team of people who um really make sure events go well and um so I think we should pursue that idea and um tomorrow we're meeting again we'll talk about trying to have a couple of weekend events in the fall and um that's more or less

where we are at this point we have a lot more questions we're pursuing answers to and some of the things that we'll do on these Thursday evenings is have food trucks um and then try to plan some fun things like one being a kite night and uh crafts for kids and try to make it a real family a family-friendly event so the one big event is in August that yeah and we certainly can plan more

um you had suggested we try to have a beer garden in the fall and you know a couple of events in the fall right that's not we've run from this board correct will we be event planner for that and you're saying we're going to put money into music why don't we get any events let them get sponsored let them do the marketing and get offended so they make money on it

and give us a portion of money back so it's not costing anything we've actually made money from well I think the big problem is that we're starting this planning late in the game um you know Patrick and Patty are both committed to really helping with this but um their fundraising for their own events so um I was not expecting that we would be putting on events where we had to pay

for them so you're going to let vendors in for free like food trucks no we'll we'll charge food trucks but um I don't know how much you charge them you did about exactly what we're talking about and we were yeah the idea was maybe first season kind of you know walk before we run type thing but I think what you're suggesting I think is something that's going to have to happen eventually I mean

get sponsors get a bang so because I know same here when they do next to the uh when they do that one uh they sponsor it and they pay for it so I'm not sure listen why I have a competition let's see if things will come in and sponsor us instead of that one or both or both and then this way but I think they're both on Thursdays actually unless

they're gonna go this is but this is all this is two Thursdays a month same answers come to um we might have some incidentals from details and right I mean in terms of pain just just first things like that we were talking about police details in those few other things we have to figure out please details I mean I was really focusing on rules and not focusing on uh becoming event planners but uh Patty

had always said that she wanted to have events there and um I guess now we're in a position to have to start going out and getting sponsors and I don't know that any of us had quite planned on that I don't think it should be a good thing because I think music then we're gonna have to pay them yeah well I'm saying even somebody that wants to put it on themselves yeah and make

money off it just gives a portion of money to walk break even before she let them get started so it doesn't cost us nothing and it still runs well I don't know if we would do that uh but who does the ones on South Main Street

yeah some sponsors that's what they'll be hideous responses that so it shouldn't cost them up you should be making money on that but firstly I agree with my Goosebumps let's make a plan so we can make money with that not possibly my opinion

so are you saying that you want us to you want us to find event planners that will come and do the events and find the sponsors and eventually pay others I'll be for it we were we were talking about putting this whole thing out here that we would have some events there this year my understanding was and I understand Patty is willing to do some of these events but the issue of he's

paying for them then came up and um we had taught Ken and I had talked about putting the whole Pier out to bid the way some have been done in other places where you would say we're looking for a group to put events on you know for the whole summer and what would you um what would you pay us to have the peer to program but that may um that may exclude

The Narrows and Viva and that may be an issue given kind of how the city is committed to working with um especially the Fall River for its tourism so um so so I guess I don't really know how we're in a couple of months going to um find entities that are going to put on events and pay us for it this year we even have a budget no that's going to say I don't think we're

qualified to do a budget that white people open up I know is at the end of the event it cost us forty thousand dollars right and we don't have one out there we don't have 40 dollars but we don't want to spend 40 000 or something like that and there's a gentleman Paul hopes I know he's a he does something like this he does a Stevie B at points

in this a good amount of money there's 2 000 people there and the only place I wanted that a year and it takes them the whole year I don't think I was at this table On Hold by the event planners but our chapter 91 license doesn't allow us to have private events ticketed events it really right now until we go back and amend our chapter 91 if we want to do that right now we're restricted to

having public events that are free I think the conversation maybe at tomorrow's meeting needs to go back to the Narrows and people fall river and figure out what their capacity is you see faking the energies with us right we don't have no we don't know right exactly yes to put on two events you're gonna have to pay for the entertainment and then if you do other stuff there's going to be additional costs right

are you going to have you know you're going to have a child whether you're going to charge vendors for being there in liabilities somebody is happy or something happens that's why I bet I have to have somebody else we didn't have any any intention at any time running obviously that we're not safe to do that but uh it's kind of in their early stages I mean there's only been a few a

couple of meetings on it just one that was our first one and and I set it up to talk about rules for us to use for groups to come to us and it quickly turned into well we should have two events a month and I got the sense that Patty wanted to to really manage those but then the question was raised well you know what sponsors are we getting how are we funding these and um so

we're almost equal first but I mean the April 29th now but then on June 19th that is a marketing nightmare well it's June 29th and where and and these are supposed to not be major events it's like come with a kite

now city has successfully done with the Narrows over what past two or three centers these concerts in the park right so is there any block that maybe two of the nights would be the events that sitting here possibly we've already got a structure and thanks for yeah those are sponsored events and they spread them out through the city right that's I understand that but we have four four evenings a month that they're

doing it so it's been a model built I guess is what I'm saying so can they somehow mark off of them yeah the models built on the sponsorship I know right so that's that's the thing right so so either the Redevelopment Authority is going to have to sponsor for the first year unless you get sponsors because somebody's gonna have to pay I think we can ask Patrick tomorrow I think they're all set up

as part of that right right you know you know I'm not sure but that's a good idea all right I thought Recreation post that on no no no well the recreation May pay for it no yeah

Georgia high school they do in a parking lot they have a movie night yeah Recreation yeah that's a city thing yes maybe that might be an idea for their what well maybe so I'll talk about movie night or something I don't know what's involved this is going to be a funny year because you're in a construction zone right yeah yeah right that's true that was part of our thing in another

month you're probably not going to have any parking along the Wall Street right so that means that you're going to have people that are needed get to the pier for facility for these types of events I'm going to be parking elsewhere and walking to the pier right so yeah and we'll be doing about August right when we put box out there there's going to need construction within it here

yeah we would damage the pier if we did that so it in this spec it says the only place that's on land is where the um gangway meets land and meets the water it's kind of like a wrap now so no one would be there anyway where they have to do the connection but they basically bring a barge and bring them all in and place them when we're doing drainage work

something's got to be done right well they all bring life jackets well I mean I'm just saying you know what I mean any other discussions on that speak another word so that opens up these 19 Acres so um what we've discussed is um motion to authorize us to develop an RFP investor Master project anticipated to cost in the range of 125 to 150 000 initially committed fifty thousand of uh

so I outlined this in the board package and tried to give you a little preview we have a letter of interest into the state we'll hear we haven't heard back on it yet but I'm waiting for feedback as soon as they say yes that's a good proposal we'll put a proposal in on June early June and um but we think we should get going on this sooner and you know Dan aguiar and Chris

Perino both agree that we really have no time to spare to get going on planning this um but that leaves us with um the desire to get started but not being sure that we have funding being provided anywhere else so I'm being upfront with you that if you uh we would like you to approve fifty thousand dollars but if we don't find other funds that would mean we'd be coming back for more funds

to start off with and if you need more then come back for more like it is a product that we did go and started on right away in that way Yep this is this is a city this is a city game changer yeah it is and we want a really good careful plan

um do you want to speak to the Army at all Sarah or first um so the the person we've been talking with for a long time uh it became clear he really um wasn't moving on this quickly and um the city put it out to bid and we um basically our mou has um it ran out a while ago and um but the City attorney were just like us they would like the board to just

vote that we all agreed that mou is terminated and we happily I will say it's terminated the city's gotten a good I understand a good proposal for a development for the Armory which is a really good outcome and so um we're just asking for your agreement for me to sign a letter that John Coughlin is going to uh draft it's about a sentence and says the board has voted

and is a green that we no longer have an mou with the city on the armory yeah so I just need emotional authorized executive director to sign that letter stating that the nlu community yes

not a hard decision right no that something's happening um so we have worked with mass development and the TDI district for the last three years and usually TDI districts aren't renewed but ours was renewed in Fall River and so we now have a memorandum of agreement that 10 that nine other organizations including the city including um uh Bristol County Economic Development consultants and a number of other

entities that have really been involved through this whole period are asked to just sign on we did this a few years ago and we're being asked to sign on to the memorandum that says we're committed to working on this for another couple of years and we passed out the new geography which is larger which came out of the many discussions we had about District management and potentially a bid and um

and then the goals are many goals that are really consistent with our downtown urban renewal plan and came many of them out of the rapid recovery plan that I worked on with the city planner and a number of people a year or so ago and so I was really happy to see those goals laid out in that way I think it's a good set of goals to be working on so I'll entertain a motion authorizing cheers

development initiative TDI and then through September 1st 2025 with an expanded geographic area an updated set of goals second John ears yes um yes uh Pleasant Street oh my God well we're having another meeting of our team next Wednesday and the urban renewal plan um has gotten a lot of feedback what we're waiting now for is we've been doing a review of all the parcels that are listed for potential Acquisitions and a

lot of them came out of the tax title list and so Matt Thomas has gone through and uh has removed many they're either resolved uh you know people have paid their taxes or the building is under agreement and someone's buying it um so so our list has diminished and now uh Mike Dion and um like Dion is looking through um the maps we have we have maps and Ken and I are going to look through them

again as well to see are there other buildings that really should be on the potential acquisition list we think that it's too conservative and doesn't take into account as many buildings as we could potentially want to um uh purchase and dispose of down the road and I think a cautionary tale is when you look at the waterfront urban renewal plan and the fact that we're having to add these two parcels you know

in Retros I wasn't here you know in retrospect though it would have been great to have those Parcels on that plan so it made me go back and think okay in a few years what would I have wished was on this list that we don't have on the list and so we're just giving that another another look and then we want to have a meeting of our community Advisory Group

and bring drafts to them of both the road map and the urban renewal plan to get their input and give them a chance to really comment again and Ennis Associates wants to get it to dhcd for an initial review and I'm having a meeting with the person in Italian Bond who will be working on the NEPA process to get a new update on what the meepa process is going to involve which we're going to

proceed with once we have the urban renewal plan into dhcd does that sound right

oh I'm sorry two questions I have is the big openings believe you brought to the next meeting no

he's working on it so we're gonna have it done for Monsters I know I thought we were too how are you doing okay okay uh

thanks everybody