City of Fall River awarded grant to renovate Cathy Assad Tot Lot, to include spray park

According to Mayor Coogan’s Office, the Baker-Polito administration has announced more than $8.7 million in grant awards to municipalities to support the acquisition and conservation of over 676 acres of land throughout the Commonwealth. Fall River has been awarded a $338,372 grant through the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environment Affairs’ PARC Grant program to complete a total renovation of the Cathy Assad
Tot Lot on Quequechan St.

The Coogan administration states that they will be working with the CDA to provide $145,016 in matching funding. The project requires approval from the City Council.

The grant will be used to replace the deteriorated swings and basketball court with new playground and court equipment. In addition, the renovations will add an outdoor spray park, new fencing and benches as well as tree plantings.

The project is set to take two years and should be completed by June of 2022. Improvements to the Cathy Assad Tot Lot and Playground were
included in Fall River’s most current Open Space and Recreation plan.

“This funding will completely transform the Cathy Assad lot and provide a safe, state of the art recreation area for families, schools and the nearby Head Start program to use,” remarked Mayor Paul Coogan. “Following the successful renovation of the newly dedicated Paul Poulos Park on Aetna St and the forthcoming renovations to Chew Park, I am thrilled to say that Fall River’s recreational spaces are quickly becoming some of the best in the state.”

The lot was dedicated to Assad, who was a predominate figure in the city and the flint, in 2014.