Anyone who is opposed to the idea of a fence surrounding Barker Common is opposed to much more than just a fence, a flustered Fredonia mayor contended Monday.

Athanasia Landis once again addressed the controversial proposal for the historic downtown park during a village board meeting. She explained a soon-to-be submitted state grant application details an estimated $400,000 budget, with a 3-foot-high enclosure comprising only $50,000 of that amount, and needed repairs and modernizations to other items comprising much more than $50,000.

“This is not a fence project,” Landis argued. “This is the first step toward not beautification only, but making the downtown more marketable to people. If we don’t do the fence – let me tell you, this grant that we’re asking for, first of all it’s competitive – we may not get it. We’re not going to get the grant just for fixing things that the state thinks we should fix ourselves.”

A bulk of the money – almost $200,000 – would go to fixing Barker Common’s eight broken sidewalks, its diagonal walkways and the perimeters of the fountains, including the bricks. In addition, money would be spent to refurbish the fountains and redesign them so they reuse water instead of wasting it. An irrigation system would also be installed. New topsoil, grass and plants would be put in, while an arborist would be brought in to inspect and evaluate the trees. High-efficiency, LED lighting and decorative columns would be installed, and about 16 ramps for disabled people would be repaired, as well.

All of that, plus design costs, come as a package deal with the hype surrounding the fence, Landis pointed out.

“So, let me make it very clear: when you say, ‘I’m against the fence,’ you’re against the sidewalks, the crosswalks, the irrigation system, the trees being fixed, the topsoil, new grass – you’re against the project,” she stated. “Fair enough, people are against it; I accept it. However, if you are against it, I want to know how are we going to ever pay to fix the broken sidewalks? Where are we going to find $200,000 just for the sidewalks? Do we need to raise taxes? Do we need to go into debt even more?”

The grant – which must be applied to the parks and only the parks, since it comes from the New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation – would pay 75 percent of the project, with the other 25 percent coming from local sources.

Landis combed through what she claimed were about 20 to 22 letters from people urging her to go forward with the park plan, which they say will make a positive impact by bringing in new people and traffic to an aesthetically pleasing village center. She charged residents against the project to send her letters, as well, as she is counting.

“Please don’t tell me, ‘I don’t like the fence,’ because that doesn’t tell me anything,” she remarked.

Landis mentioned she is leaning toward having additional openings in the fence other than just for the diagonal walkways, as heavy equipment will be needed in Barker Common from time to time. Those openings would be located on the Day and Park streets sides and they would also help alleviate concerns associated with vendor placements during festivals, Landis noted.

“No festival is going to die because of fences,” she added. “I’ve been to many festivals all over. They all have fences and they all prosper.”

In February, Fredonia, along with the city of Dunkirk and the State University of New York at Fredonia, applied for a technical assistance grant to help formulate a much-larger grant application geared toward revitalizing and developing the communities. That funding was awarded in March, with help provided by the University at Buffalo Regional Institute to compile a joint consolidated funding application.

Landis noted the institute is well-versed in these grant plans. It actually brainstormed the fence idea in the first place.

All the trustees appeared to back the park proposal, with none speaking out against Landis’ remarks.

The grant application must be submitted before Friday. The village should know by the end of the year if it will be awarded any money.

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