Fall River Repurposes Historic Incinerator for New Recycling Facility in $16M Project

The long overdue $16 million upgrade to the Department of Community Maintenance (DCM) facility at 10 Lewiston Street is “on time and on budget,” according to Director of City Operations Al Oliveira.

The project is being funded by a portion of the $69.6 million the City of Fall River received through federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. The project by ARPA regulations requires the DCM projects be completed by the end of 2026.

Construction crews started working last spring on the challenging Phase III of the three-phase project, with major structural repairs and upgrades to the former incinerator building that had been without a roof for 10 to 15 years and wide open to the elements.

Readying old incinerator for future use

Oliveira said the plan for the old incinerator is to have the building structurally ready to create a recycling facility to serve city residents as Fall River, like many communities, struggle with the soaring cost of trash and recycling. 

Opened in the early 1970’s, city trash trucks hauled millions of pounds of garbage and waste up to large bays. Oliveira said back in the day, Massachusetts State Police used the incinerator to burn confiscated marijuana.

“In the olden days, you would have all the trash dumped into a 30-foot pit,” said Oliveira. “You’d have claws that grabbed the trash and bring it to the funnel area and right into the boilers.”

All those boilers have been removed, and Oliviera said they also took out hazardous materials, including ash left from years of burning. The pits are gone and sealed with a new ceiling on the first level and floor on the second level.

Donald Velozo, one of the project managers, said most of the metal beams were salvageable, and new lighting and fire protection systems are in place.

Panels on the two-story structure containing asbestos have been replaced with new panels and windows are being installed.

The incinerator was officially shuttered in June 2000 after the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) closed the plant after testing revealed emissions from lead and cadmium far exceeded emission standards. In 2010, the city took down the incinerator smokestacks.

“This place is all gutted out,” said Oliveira during a tour of the facility last week. “So, this right here is just amazing of what it looks like now compared to what it used to be. Can you imagine firing up all that trash. This is huge.”

Initial work has been done inside of the aging and outdated DCM headquarters with a new kitchen facility and lockers for staff. Oliveira said they will be expanding the office area and eventually will bring DCM staff located in other locations like One Government Center, so everyone will be working out of one location.

Phase III is expected to be completed in June or July, according to Oliveira.

Phase 1 and Phase II have begun

Oliveira indicated they had hoped to get one more season out of the old salt shed, but structurally it had run its course. That structure has been demolished, site is being prepared and a new salt shed will be installed by September as part of Phase II and in time for next winter.

The new shed plus needed utilities come in at about $1.7 million.

In Phase I, which includes the upgrades to the DCM office area with heating and cooling systems, the facility grounds are getting new sewer, water, gas and drainage system as well as some beautification. 

And to make the Lewiston Street facility more user friendly for customers, Oliveira said that they will be building a walk-up window for those looking to get rid of bulky items and more customer parking.