Council refers Central Fire Station renovation plan after union raises asbestos, scope concerns

Fall River City officials on Jan. 13 presented a detailed plan to renovate the Central Fire Station, but a dispute over asbestos, project scope and how to sequence exterior and interior work prompted the council to refer the matter for further review.

Al Olivera, director of city operations, told the Committee on Finance that design development for the interior project is expected to be complete in February 2026, with construction documents in March and bids in April. He estimated the interior renovation at about $2,100,000 and said a separate historic-facade package would be approximately $644,100. Olivera described planned work including accessible restrooms, new lockers, bunk-room renovations, upgraded fire alarms and electrical systems and exterior repointing and copper medallion repairs on the Troy Street and Bedford Street elevations.

"The Central Fire Station project is currently underway, and designed," Olivera said, outlining the schedule and the architect's projected milestones. He said the administration is evaluating whether glass-only window repairs or full window replacements will be more cost-effective after a pilot sample.

Councilors pressed administration on whether the city should combine all work under a single contract to avoid repeated mobilization and change orders. "If we're doing projects to the scope of this, we would be looking at the entire project," Councilor Kadeem said, urging the administration not to piece the work together in ways that could increase costs.

Union president Michael O'Regan told the council his union has conducted independent testing and said asbestos is present in multiple locations in the station. "It is asbestos. It is all over the building," O'Regan said, describing debris and degraded materials in the basement and expressing concern for firefighter health if remediation is not handled thoroughly. He said some living-area concerns had been addressed previously but that the basement remained a site of concentrated contamination.

Administration witnesses said testing and abatement plans are part of the project scope. Olivera said certified abatement contractors would isolate work areas, use negative pressure ventilation and perform testing (PCM/TEM) to confirm air quality. "The testing that would normally be done is called a PCM testing," Olivera said, and he pledged to provide full specifications and test results in the upcoming design documents.

Councilors and the fire chief also discussed the role of EMS funding and bonding. Officials said Community Preservation Act funds would be used for historically sensitive facade work, while EMS-related bonding had been authorized at about $3.2 million and could cover portions of the interior scope; the administration emphasized that authorized bonding is not the same as cash on hand and that debt is typically issued when projects are expended.

Because councilors requested additional documentation on asbestos testing, remediation plans, and a clearer financing strategy that coordinates facade and interior scopes, Councilor Kadeem moved to refer the resolution to the full council with a suggestion to send it to the Real Estate Committee for detailed oversight. The motion was seconded and the council voted in favor.

Next steps: officials said they will deliver the architect's specifications and the test/abatement plans in the February and March submissions and will report back to the Real Estate Committee and full council. The administration also said it would confirm whether full-window replacement or glass-only repairs are warranted after the pilot sample analysis.