OBSERVER Photo by Greg Fox Fredonia Trustee Phyllis Jones is seen at Monday’s village of Fredonia workshop.

The village of Fredonia has not refused a water interconnect with the Northern Chautauqua County Regional Water District, contrary to what some district officials say.

During Monday’s village board workshop, Trustee Phyllis Jones addressed a rumor that has spread like proverbial wildfire: that Fredonia is not interested in allowing the hookup on the western end of Route 20. She said she was surprised to see in Monday’s OBSERVER that Pomfret Town Supervisor and District Chairman Donald Steger stated she wrote about the village’s supposed decision in an apparent letter to the district — a letter Jones wasn’t even aware of herself.

“At no time was I representing a decision of this board,” Jones clarified.

Jones explained that back in February, Kathy Tampio, the water district’s secretary, asked the village if it would be willing to allow the connection, with the village keeping the key and flipping the switch if the district needed it in an emergency situation. At that time, the village did not feel comfortable committing to the proposal right away, as the board did not have enough time to properly consider it, Jones noted.

“Well then, the next thing we know, time went by and as what often happens with the North County Water District, they came just a few days before it actually had to get signed so that it could go into effect,” Jones continued. “And she (Tampio) said, ‘Well, are you ready? Have you thought anymore in regard to us being able to tap into the water connection?’ And (I) said, ‘No, we really hadn’t.’ So that was the way it was left; we get an email and the email went to the mayor, the four of us (trustees) who have emails and also to (Village Administrator) Rick St. George.”

Jones said when she replied to Tampio’s email, she was acting strictly on her own and expressing her own opinion; she was not acting as a trustee representing the entire board. According to her, the reply stated that at that time, she was not comfortable with giving the go-ahead because the village did not have an attorney on board — an attorney that would have the best interests of Fredonia in mind.

The rest of the board backed Jones up, with Trustee James Lynden and Mayor Athanasia Landis pointing out that is precisely what Jones said in her reply to Tampio. Jones had cc’d all of the other board members into her reply email.

Jones speculated her reply to Tampio was ultimately considered “the letter” that was presented at a recent district board of directors meeting. That meeting is where Steger relayed Fredonia had rejected the district’s communication requesting the interconnect.

Fredonia appointed a new attorney last week. Todd Thomas of Jamestown replaced Samuel Drayo Jr., who retired at the end of last year.

Email: gfox@observertoday.com. Twitter: @gfoxnews