Fall River wins $425,000 state grant for a sensory friendly playground at Abbott Court, council takes it up Nov. 10

FALL RIVER Fall River has won a $425,000 state grant toward a wheelchair accessible, sensory friendly playground at Abbott Court Park, and the City Council takes up accepting it Tuesday, Nov. 10, along with putting up the full $1,010,000 cost while the reimbursements come in.

Mayor Paul Coogan sent the council two items on Nov. 5 for the project: an order to accept the grant from the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, and a resolution to appropriate the whole project cost up front. They are listed as item 2 among the priority matters at the council's 7 p.m. meeting.

The playground is meant "to meet the unmet needs of disabled and autistic children in Fall River," according to the resolution, and the mayor wrote that the net cost to the city's general fund is expected to be $0.

Where the money comes from

The grant comes from the state's Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities program, known as PARC, and runs from contract signing through June 30, 2028, according to the grant order in the agenda packet.

Coogan listed $810,607 secured so far: $425,000 from PARC, $200,000 in Community Preservation Act money, $100,000 in Community Development Block Grant money, $80,607 in private donations raised by Fall River resident Marcel Riley and a $5,000 state earmark secured by State Rep. Alan Silvia.

That leaves $199,393 to raise. The city has applied for $250,000 from the Massachusetts Office on Disability's fiscal 2027 Municipal Americans with Disabilities Act Improvements Grant Program, with awards expected in December 2026, the mayor wrote. If it comes through, he wrote, the project "will expend no General Fund dollars at all."

Why the council must vote the full cost

PARC grants pay cities back after they spend, Coogan wrote, and the state requires grant winners to appropriate 100% of the project cost before signing any grant contract. The resolution would appropriate the $1,010,000 from Community Development Block Grant funds, "with the understanding that they will be promptly returned once reimbursement is received."

The resolution notes that Abbott Court is dedicated parkland under state law, and that improving it is a priority in both the city's 2026 Open Space and Recreation Plan and its 2009 to 2030 Master Plan. The Fall River Community Development Agency would build the playground and run the grant.

What happens next

If the council approves both items, the mayor may sign the grant contract and the Community Development Agency can proceed with the project. The resolution takes effect on passage, and awards from the state disability grant program are expected in December.

How to weigh in

The council meets in the Council Chamber at One Government Center. Its 6 p.m. Committee on Finance meeting includes citizen input, and the regular meeting starts at 7 p.m. or when that meeting ends. The City Clerk's office is at 508-324-2220 and city_clerk@fallriverma.gov.

Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.