EPA meets with Fall River officials, RDA over city pier

The EPA met with the RDA and the administration at the city pier on Tuesday after a meeting last week put the redevelopment of the city pier on hold.

According to City Administrator Cathy Ann Viveiros, in today’s meeting, the EPA instructed all parties involved in the city pier, including Pare Engineering who had been taking samples, to turn over any information collected. Once the EPA reviews the information collected, they will determine what else is needed going forward.

Viveiros told the Redevelopment Authority on May 30th that the EPA notified the city that quarterly soil samples, which was under the direction of Ken Fiola, had not been collected for the past two years. The RDA was surprised to be notified by Viveiros of the issue. A subcontractor, hired by Pare, has stated they will not do the work due to not getting paid. Pare was not under contract due to an amendment not being executed by Fiola. Collecting samples is part of an agreement with the EPA concerning contamination at the pier.

The RDA has been critical of Fiola and his work on the pier and claimed that issues are arising that they were unaware of. Bob Smith stated that he was being sued by Fiola and that he wants Fiola to be held accountable for the job done. Other board members also stated that they are being sued as well. The lawsuits concern the severed relationship between Fiola and the RDA.

The Redevelopment Authority had previously unanimously agreed to grant a seasonal license to Riverfront Promotions LLC to use the pier. The proposal consists of an entertainment venue which would be a multifaceted facility to hold family, community, and musical events among others. The group claims they would not be using the total available area of the pier and was hoping to be ready this summer.

The Redevelopment Authority stated in the May 30th meeting that it will take approximately $1.5 million dollars to prep the property for use.