City water department seeks $250,000 CPA grant to restore Narrows Gatehouse
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Summary
The city's water department requested $250,000 from the Community Preservation Committee to stabilize the Narrows Gatehouse roof, soffit and masonry. Presenters said the building is visible from Route 195, serves a functional role in pond management and needs exterior work to last another century.
City of Fall River water-department officials appeared before the Community Preservation Committee on Jan. 8 to request $250,000 in CPA funds for exterior restoration of the Narrows Gatehouse, a historic structure adjacent to Route 195 that houses gates controlling flow between North and South Watuppa Ponds.
Paul Furlan, identified as the city's administrator of community utilities, and Mike Lavosier, a forester and project manager for the water department, told the committee the gatehouse's interior mechanical gates were replaced about a decade ago but the exterior roof, soffit, fascia and flashing need stabilization and repair. Furlan noted the structure is a public-facing historic feature travelers see when entering the city from Route 195 and described the work as both preservation and public-realm improvement.
The committee asked whether the work is purely cosmetic or includes structural repairs; staff said the roof structure is generally sound but some planking and localized structural work will be required. Furlan and Lavosier said the requested funds would allow the department to procure an architect to prepare construction drawings and to complete the exterior stabilization and roofing work.
Members asked how projects at the water department are currently funded and whether other grant sources were being pursued. Furlan said the water enterprise maintains a modest capital-improvement line in the operating budget (FY25 capital line $250,000) and that larger capital work is typically funded from a combination of enterprise funds, bonds or grant programs. He said the specific gatehouse request did not have another dedicated funding source and that CPA support would avoid adding to rate-payer burdens; he estimated that bonding the project would add roughly half a cent per year to water rates over a 10-year amortization, or a small one‑time increase to annual rates if paid from operations in a single year.
Committee members asked for a clearer breakdown of estimates (roofing, gutters, windows) and recommended coordination with the Historical Commission on materials and exterior design. Furlan and Lavosier said they would provide a more detailed budget breakout and engage an architect and the Historical Commission in design decisions. No vote was taken at the hearing.