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Resident tells Fall River committee vacant buildings pose health and safety hazards
Summary
A Fall River resident told the Real Estate Committee that multiple vacant or city-owned properties have unsecured doors and broken windows, producing odors and possible asbestos exposure; committee members said they would take action and noted Hartwell School is the next agenda item.
Alphonse Hathaway of 2036 South Main Street told the Fall River Real Estate Committee that multiple vacant or previously owned properties in the city are unsecured and potentially hazardous.
Hathaway said the properties include Derwent Finishing, the Hartwell School and others and said he recently accessed one building and smelled asbestos and other chemicals. “If I can smell the asbestos and the chemicals from it, and it gave me a headache after leaving the property,” Hathaway said, adding that children have gained access through broken windows and open doors.
The comment matters to public safety and city property management because unsecured vacant buildings can create environmental and safety risks for nearby residents, the committee heard.
Hathaway described repeated openings and smashed windows at multiple sites and said the mayor and a person he named as Glenn Hathaway had been told previously that buildings were secured, but they were not. He recommended the board “get on these property owners” to secure or remediate the sites. “It’s pretty much an environmental disaster over there,” he said.
A committee member responded directly to Hathaway’s public comment: “That is an item that’s on my list of items to be picked up at this committee… I did take a drive by, but we’ll take some action,” the member said. The member encouraged Hathaway to continue contacting the committee and to attend the next agenda item, which included discussion of the Hartwell School.
The committee did not take a formal vote on the public comment during the meeting. The Hartwell School and other property-disposition items were listed on the agenda for follow-up; the committee told the speaker they would pursue action through the committee process and follow up with the administration.
The resident’s remarks were delivered during the meeting’s public-comment period; the transcript shows one public commenter on abandoned properties and several committee members discussing next steps.
The committee did not provide timelines or specify which department would be assigned to secure the properties during the meeting, and no enforcement actions or orders were announced on the record.
