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Fall River Housing Authority approves multiple construction contracts, energy purchases and interagency agreements
Summary
The Fall River Housing Authority board voted to approve multiple construction and service contracts, designate a fire-alarm manufacturer for some high rises, authorize short-term energy purchasing contracts, and approve interagency maintenance and administrative agreements.
At its meeting, the Fall River Housing Authority approved multiple contract awards and operational measures ranging from large construction contracts to short-term energy purchasing agreements and interagency administrative support.
The board voted to award the low bid for comprehensive building and site upgrades at Gateway Cities at Maple Gardens to JJ Cardosi Inc. in the amount of $6,271,306, contingent on final approval from the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC). The board approved window replacement at James A. O'Brien Apartments to NENA Construction Inc. for $2,599,000; roof replacement phase 7 at Sunset Hill (Buildings 26 and 30) to WPI Construction Inc. for $595,500; and a boiler replacement project at James A. O'Brien Senior Apartments to George T. Wilkinson Inc. (amount recorded in meeting materials and motions with a minor inconsistency noted, see clarifying details).
A contract for replacement and addition of smoke detectors at Father De Fario Village, funded through a safety-and-security grant, was awarded to MV Electrical Contractors Inc. for $218,865 after higher-ranked bidders either withdrew or failed to qualify. A change order credit of $1,543.57 was approved for a boiler and water heater replacement at George E. Riley Plaza; the authority accepted the consolidated certificate of completion for that project with a final contract amount of $585,011.43 to Leona Plumbing and Heating Inc.
The board approved a procurement recommendation to designate manufacturer Edwards (EST-4) as a proprietary item for replacement fire alarm control panels in certain high-rise properties. Director of Facilities Ed Majewski and staff explained the authority is standardizing panels at its high rises around Edwards because of existing vendor relationships and the company’s open-protocol features that staff said facilitate repairs and integration with fire-department signaling. Board members asked about interoperability and the role of the municipal fire department; staff said the panels are tested with the fire department and that Edwards dealers currently service the panels.
Under procurement and operations, the board awarded a three-year contract for fire-extinguisher inspection services to Integrity Fire Extinguisher Service not to exceed $7,012, and approved a previously awarded contract for replacement of smoke detectors and the related vendor changes noted above.
On program administration and interagency cooperation, the board approved an amendment to the Housing Choice Voucher administrative plan to add a proposed ordering for voucher retrieval in the event of insufficient funding: participants currently on probation for program violations (for example, unreported income or habitual failure to submit required paperwork) would be the first targeted for voucher retrieval, with elderly and disabled participants explicitly exempted from retrieval. The board also approved a three-year waiver to opt out of the EOHLC Regional Capital Assistance Team (RCAT) program for 2025–2028, and accepted a two-year renewal request to HUD for the authority’s Designated Housing Plan covering elderly-only sites (renewal through 2027).
The board approved a pair of interagency agreements: a management-services agreement under which Fall River will provide maintenance and operations assistance to the Somerset Housing Authority (approximately 160 units) and an administrative services agreement to administer Swansea Housing Authority’s six federal-program units. The Fall River authority will bill for labor, fringes, transportation and incidental costs plus a 15% administrative fee for these services, and the maintenance agreement described a six-month pilot period.
On utilities, the board approved the executive director’s recommendation to enter into 14-month purchase contracts for natural gas through Energy Power Options (NRG) and for electricity through Constellation. Staff said the short term (14 months) preserves flexibility while the authority considers a possible second-phase energy performance contract that could make the authority eligible for HUD rate-reduction incentives. Staff estimated a potential gross energy-savings opportunity in the range of $2 million if a phase-two energy-performance project were implemented and fully approved by HUD; staff emphasized this figure as an estimate and said measurement and verification would be required annually.
The board also heard routine management reports (financials, vouchers, work orders) and an update from tenant-advocacy leadership that vending machines will be reintroduced at several buildings and that tenant elections are scheduled in July. All motions recorded in the public minutes were approved by voice vote in the meeting; the materials cited for many contracts show bids opened on specific May dates and several awards were contingent upon EOHLC or HUD approval where indicated.
