Open space and park development and community gardens were among the many topics discussed at the first quarterly Healthy City Fall River Design Team meeting of 2010 held in the classroom at Stanley Street Treatment and Resources (SSTAR) on March 11, 2010. Mass In Motion coordinator Julianne Kelly displayed a newly-drawn map of potential bicycle paths linking some of parks, waterways and natural space in the City created by Al Lima of Green Futures through a Healthy City micro-grant awarded last summer. Julie also described an upcoming workshop that will bring representatives of Groundwork Lawrence and members of the Urban Land Protection Coalition to Fall River in April to: 1) meet with City department heads to learn from other communities, 2) spark ideas and enthusiasm to work on open space issues, and 3) to help to finalize the City's Open Space Plan and find sources of funding. Design Team members also had the opportunity to meet newly-hired community garden coordinator Nicole Fortier and parks advocacy coordinator Sandy Dennis. Both will be working about ten hours a week to help City residents develop those resources in order to encourage more active lifestyles and improved nutrition, two of the goals of Mass In Motion and Healthy City Fall River. Click here for photos of the December 2009 Design Team meeting. For more information, contact Julie Kelly at 508-324-2405 or David Weed at 508-324-2411.

(Top row) Mass In Motion coordinator Julie Kelly displays a map of potential bicycle routes throughout the City that could link many of the parks, waterways and open spaces created by Al Lima of Green Futures. (Bottom row, center) Newly-hired community garden coordinator Nicole Fortier and parks advocacy coordinator Sandy Dennis met with members of the Design Team to hear about the different aspects of work underway within the Healthy City initiative from Design Team members who were present at this meeting, including:

• Fall River Youth Coordinator Christian McCloskey, 

• Tobacco Control coordinator Marilyn Edge, 

• Children In Balance project manager Marcia Picard, 

• CD-REC program manager Jamison Souza, 

• Healthy Lives coordinator Mike Ramos, 

• University of Massachusetts Extension Nutrition Education Program director Pat Bebo, 

• Mass In Motion coordinator Julie Kelly, 

• BOLD Coalition director Karen Fischer, 

• Power 2 Save Lives coordinator Jenna Lagasse, 

• Family Service Association representative Pat Fanning, 

• Key Program representative Melanie Leiter, 

• Partners for a Healthier Community steering committee chairperson Billie Jane Valente,

•  former City Councilor Steve Camara, and 

• Fall River grant writer Jane,Dibiasio.