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Fall River council authorizes RFP to dispose of former Duval School at 112 Flint Street
Summary
The Fall River City Council authorized issuance of a request for proposals to dispose of the former Duval School at 112 Flint Street, with an appraisal and advertising steps scheduled; councilors raised questions about possible asbestos and site security.
The Fall River City Council on Nov. 5 authorized issuance of a request for proposals to dispose of 112 Flint Street, the former Duval School, and directed staff to proceed with appraisal and public advertising steps needed before sale.
The decision follows staff reports that the city has engaged an appraiser, Mark Freitas, and expects an appraisal roughly around April 17. After the appraisal, council staff said the city will advertise the RFP twice within a two-week period, per standard protocol.
The move matters because the property sits within a neighborhood and councilors pressed staff about environmental and liability concerns. Councilors asked whether any environmental studies exist documenting asbestos; staff and counsel said no documentation of a city-conducted asbestos study is available. Rebecca Ponce, the city’s purchasing agent and assistant treasurer, said the city will request site inspection reports from MassDEP and have staff visit the property as part of the appraisal and RFP preparation.
Councilors also discussed site security and neighborhood use. Counsel told the council the property appears secured to the city’s knowledge, but staff said they have not taken steps to prevent neighborhood parking on the site and that there is no city accounting for fees the neighborhood association collected in the past for parking.
The councilor who made the motion to issue the RFP and the second were not named on the record; the motion carried after an audible “aye.” The RFP authorization does not include any predetermined use restrictions, staff said; evaluation criteria for proposals (a points matrix for experience and proposed use) will be drafted and circulated to the committee when ready.
Officials said the timeline for sale is preliminary: appraisal in mid-April, then advertising and proposal evaluation. Staff also warned that the number of comparable sales for former school properties is limited in the current market, and that the appraisal work will take additional market research.
What happens next: staff will complete the appraisal, prepare the RFP and evaluation matrix, check MassDEP records for prior environmental work, and circulate the RFP evaluation criteria to the council committee when available.
