Accomplishments
The Coogan administration continues to focus on public safety, education, economic development, and improving the quality of life for all Fall River residents
Listed below are just a fraction of the accomplishments of the Coogan administration in its first three years
Public Safety
Protecting the safety and security of our community is of critical importance to my administration. Through close collaboration with our hardworking public safety officials, the Coogan administration has worked to make Fall River a safer place to live, work, and visit
- Expanded training and professional development for police, including additional de-escalation training and conversational Spanish
- Addressed staffing needs of public safety agencies, resulting in the addition of 30 new firefighters and 48 new police officers since 2020 and a new grant program to assist new police recruits with the cost of their training
- Negotiated and launched a “Body Cam” program for the members of the FRPD
- Made massive investments in police equipment, including new tasers, Speed Alert Radar Trailers, printers and computers for police cruisers, a Med Cat Ambulance and Medical Rescue Vehicle (EMS) and police vehicles
- Hired former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis to do a performance audit of the Police Department
- Secured $100,000 in grant funding for turnout gear for Fire Department, as well as use of CDA funds to refurbish existing fire apparatus and purchase a new ladder truck and engine
- Infrastructure investments including improved air conditioning for FRFD quarters and air quality improvements at EMS facilities
Economic Development
Economic development plays an instrumental role in the overall financial health of the city. By supporting new opportunities for job creation, increasing the tax base, and attracting novel investment from external sources, economic development initiatives can help to revitalize underserved areas of Fall River and create a thriving community for all of our residents.
- Provided rebates on liquor licenses to alleviate the burden of Covid-19 on small business owners
- Committed $3 million in ARPA funding to assist small businesses with grants from the Fall River American Rescue Plan Small Business Recovery Grant Program (FRARPA)
- Launched a Storefront Improvement Program to support small businesses with cosmetic improvements
- Invested ARPA funds in a first-of-its-kind tourism study to make long term plans for Fall River’s future
- Partnered with the Fall River Redevelopment Authority to facilitate the sale and rehabilitation of the former Bank Street Armory
- Partnered with Liberty Utilities to relocate their operations within Fall River and to broker a sale of their former location on the waterfront
- Supported TIF program to allow for the expansion of Raw Seafood in the Industrial Park and brought in Nantucket Seafood as a tenant
- Created the Coogan Fund to give small grants to local organizations and projects
- Worked alongside Fall River’s state delegation to obtain a $1million grant for the Flint [pending]
- Worked with the the Fire Department and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to remove hazardous materials from the former Duro Manufacturing facility
- Working with the State of Massachusetts to expand parking along our waterfront
- Coordinated outdoor seating for restaurants at the start of Covid-19 and distributed outdoor space heaters to extend their season
Education
Quality education is essential to developing the skills and talents of our youth, thereby ensuring that they are equipped with the tools and knowledge necessary to succeed in their personal and professional lives. A well-educated population will also make businesses and industries much more likely to invest in Fall River, which will provide high-paying job opportunities and contribute to our local economy.
- Oversaw the construction and opening of the new BMC Durfee High School
- Secured funding for Chromebooks and supported local learning pods to meet child care demands during the Covid-19 pandemic
- Secured $5,000 in private grant funding to rebuild the Stone School playground
- Partnered with the School Committee to secure funding for the installation of 20 new surveillance cameras in public school buildings
- Secured $3.6 million in federal grant funding to replace diesel-powered school buses with electric school buses
- Supported the hiring of a new superintendent of Schools, Maria Pontes
- Supported construction of new Parent Information Center at the old Durfee High School to provide easier access to families
- Improvements to roads, traffic patterns and school facilities at Talbot, Letourneau, Tansey, Watson, Robert L. Medeiros Resiliency and the Stone school
Infrastructure
Ongoing infrastructure improvement efforts have helped create a more functional and welcoming environment for both Fall River residents and visitors. Investing in our infrastructure is a critical means of supporting the growth of our local economy, which will benefit all those who call Fall River home.
- Eliminated Streetscapes program and transferred funding to street and sidewalk repairs creating a fund of approximately $5 Million
- Crafted new policies to ensure that contractors and developers are held accountable for work not completed according to their own development plans
- 2 million dollar investment in the Route 79 Corridor Improvements, which will transform Fall River’s waterfront and spark economic development
- Secured $10 million in grant funding to remove lead pipes from the streets and homes of Fall River residents and complete additional water main replacement work
- Secured $1 million in state grant funding to fund the completion of the City Pier
- Completed major sidewalk replacement projects at Kennedy Park and North Park
- Eliminated the Streetscapes Program and transferred the remaining $4 million to street and sidewalk repairs
- New Water Department Headquarters to better serve residents
- Supported the MBTA commuter rail project for the South Coast
Community Engagement
Community events encourage participation and collaboration among residents, foster a sense of belonging and pride, and facilitate constructive dialogue around shared priorities and challenges. Community engagement events provide a platform for people to share their experiences, cultural traditions, and aspirations, thereby creating opportunities for cross-cultural understanding and empathy.
- Hosted six free drive-in movie screenings at Durfee High School and five at Fall River Housing Authority family complexes
- Coordinated the planning of two event series this summer on the brand new Senator Norton Pier
- Worked with the Narrows Center for the Arts to create the Summer Evenings in the Park event series, now in its second year
- Revived farmers and artisans markets on Old Second Street
- Hosted Fall River’s first ever ceremonies formally recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month and Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
- Updated the city’s LGBTQ+ Pride flag to the more inclusive Progress flag
- Partnered with Bristol Elder Services to become an AARP-certified Age-Friendly Community
The Coogan Administration also worked very hard on the following important issues facing our city
- Worked with community volunteers and Fall River RE-Creation (formerly CD-REC) to host the first-ever citywide cornhole tournament
- Rebuilt Aetna Street Park (now dedicated as Paul Poulos Park), the Desmarais Playground and the Cathy Assad Tot Lot
- Pursuing plans to improve the Chew Baseball Field and Bowenville Green
- Proposed projects for new pickleball courts and basketball courts at Britland Park, as well as 2 new volleyball courts for Kennedy Park, a new playground for Columbus Park and designs for skate parks at Abbott Court, North Park and Lafayette Park are underway
- Restoration of the Father Travassos Park Splash Pad
- Completed Phase 4 of the Quequechan River Rail trail project (ARPA)
- Organized multiple citywide clean-up events and competitions each year
- Re-established 40U hearings to address litter and minimum housing violations
- Purchase 2 new street sweeping machines and restarted residential street sweeping program
- Launched a Tree Stump Removal initiative and invested in long-term tree planting projects
- Enlisted UMass Law interns to assist with abandoned properties and other legal issues
- Re-established partnership with MA Office of the Attorney General to address abandoned properties through their the Building Blocks program, which has already lead to the demolition of 3 blighted properties; plans for more demolitions and rehabilitations in the works
- Created a new homeless street outreach program, which includes an outreach worker embedded in the Police Department to help non-offending drug users access treatment
- Created a program with Bristol Elder Services to deliver food during the pandemic for elderly, disabled, and homeless residents affected by Covid-19
- Established Fall River’s first permanent overflow shelter for the homeless on Bay Street
- Created the first First Homeless Work program, employing a group of individuals for litter removal with the goal of financial independence
- Provided additional funding for Steppingstone Inc., which operates the First Step Inn
- Reorganized Mayor’s Opioid Task Force under the title of the Fall River Substance Abuse Task Force and commissioned a study on current resources in Fall River to inform future plans
- Combined CARES Act funding and Office of Veterans Services funding to provide $100,000 to the Veterans Association of Bristol County for the creation of a job training program for veterans
- Promoted economic development by providing $1.2 million dollars of CARES Act funding to assist small and medium sized businesses with job creation and retention
- Created new joint position in partnership with the Fall River Housing Authority and the Community Development Agency, the Minority Outreach Coordinator, and established Fall River’s first Diversity Committee
- Renovated a multifamily unit at 32 Bradford Avenue exclusively for veterans housing
- Rehabilitation of 4 properties for affordable housing opportunities with the Community Development Agency, the Community Housing Resource Board and the Preservation Society
- Revived the Building Blocks program which has already lead to the demolition of 3 blighted properties; plans for more demolitions and rehabilitations in the works
- Re-opened Government Center on June 8th, 2020 first in the area to open
- Eliminated unnecessary City boards and combined positions in Government Center to save taxpayer money
- Instituted cybersecurity functions to protect city IT systems
- Supported the Fall River Board of Elections through unprecedented levels of early voting traffic and mail-in voting
- Moving City online functions to Munis Cloud