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SUNY Fredonia officials offered support for the village's water system this week -- but left open the possibility that the school could make a deal with the North County Water District for emergency service.
College Council member Joe Johnson spurred a discussion when he asked if a NCWD deal was possible, in the wake of the recent boil water order for Fredonia customers.
SUNY Fredonia President Stephen Kolison downplayed the latest order, stating that it was for only a few days and bottled water was always available on campus. However, he pointed out previous incidents, including the September 2020 boil order that lasted nearly a month and forced the campus to bring in a water tanker truck.
"We're in touch with the village and we're going to work with the village in any way we can to ensure that these things do not occur as frequently as they are occurring," Kolison said.
"If the village is able to supply the water to the college, it can't leave the village system," College Council President Frank Pagano said.
A former mayor of Fredonia, Pagano said he thought it might be illegal for SUNY Fredonia to go outside the village water system for regular water supply.
"It might be worth looking into because it's gotta be a PR problem," Johnson replied.
Pagano said, "Joe, I think what the answer is gonna be, and I'm not speaking for any politician or anybody in Dunkirk or Fredonia… the college will continue receiving water from the village of Fredonia, but in an emergency situation, they're gonna put in a line through the college that they can purchase water from the North County Water District in the dire case that the village can't supply it."
Pagano pointed out that, as reported by the OBSERVER, the NCWD board recently discussed a technical proposal for putting in a new line that could supply the college.
"I think they've got to get everybody in the room together," he said. Both he and board member JoAnn Niebel noted there would be plenty of stakeholders involved. These include the village, the NCWD, local campus leadership and the SUNY administration in Albany.