Former council member Richard Makuch started the discussion during the public comments portion of the meeting by blasting the hospital’s administration.

“The hospital in Westfield serves approximately 2,000 people — doing fine, under their leadership. We have nine (board members) who don’t live in Dunkirk but are willing to downsize our hospital,” he said. “My question is, how did these people obtain this power to decide to move our hospital and downsize it?”

Makuch added that there are plenty of other places to build a new hospital besides what he called “a congested area in Fredonia.” The hospital plans to erect a new building on Main Street in Fredonia near Fredonia Central School, but the move is on hold.

“My suggestion is to sue and take these nine individuals to court, now!” Makuch said. He challenged Mayor Wilfred Rosas and his administration to take action against the hospital administration.

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Rosas said he agreed the hospital should stay in Dunkirk. “However, I think that the public should be aware that the hospital is not doing well, and not only is it not doing well, but my understanding now is that we could be in jeopardy of losing a hospital in the Dunkirk-Fredonia area, period, if it is not given the opportunity to move.”

The mayor said he thought the city government should “regroup and take a stance on how we should move forward.” He added that many letters to state officials have already gone out expressing opposition to a move from Dunkirk.

“However, as a leader in our community, I have to recognize the fact that having a hospital just three miles away is still better than having no hospital in this community,” Rosas concluded.

Makuch was unsatisfied by the mayor’s comments. “There’s no leadership of the people who are running this hospital,” he said. “I was informed by maintenance people at the hospital that all they need is $7 million to remodel this hospital the way it is.”

Raising his voice, he declared, “Now, I don’t know what kind of gossip is going around this city, but this city should not tolerate losing this hospital. I think the people have the right to stand up and fight this, right to the very end! We don’t need this nonsense from some outsiders from Fredonia!”

Rosas replied that the city cannot force the hospital to stay in Dunkirk, and that Brooks has been approved for approximately $70 million to make the move.

“There’s very little, if anything, that the city can do,” he said, reiterating that in recent discussions with hospital officials, they told him their existence is in jeopardy without a new building.

Councilman Natalie Luczkowiak wondered if the citizen movement that led to a 2019 protest rally in front of the hospital, should be reactivated. She offered to take a role in it. “Absolutely, it can’t hurt,” Rosas said.

Councilman James Stoyle complained that a “fly car” that was supposed to transport patients starting in May, never materialized.

Councilman Marty Bamonto criticized a citizens advisory committee that was convened in 2019 when the plan to move was originally proposed. The committee was supposed to consider reuse options for the current hospital site on Central Avenue.

“The only thing we got out of that first meeting, which was an hour and 45 minutes, was, ‘Please go back and tell the public of the city of Dunkirk what a good thing this is by going to Fredonia,’ and that turned me off,” he said.

“The whole thing stunk off the bat and I went to two meetings and never showed up again, knowing where this was going to go,” he concluded.