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The North County Water District Board wants to look at business with SUNY Fredonia.
Concerned about another disruption of water service on campus, as happened Feb. 26-March 1 with the village of Fredonia's boil order, the board is going to draw up a proposal to the school for a supplemental line. It would run from the city of Dunkirk, the district's sole water supplier, and enter campus near the administration building on Ring Road.
Board members stressed they are not trying to poach water service from the village of Fredonia.
Rather, they are concerned that more water problems might encourage the state to close or downsize the school, which is already lagging in enrollment.
"As residents we need to make sure that (college) stays here," said Dave Hazleton, who made the initial proposal to seek out SUNY Fredonia.
"There's two things we need in this community to function," said another board member, John Walker, the Sheridan town supervisor. "One is the hospital (Brooks). Two is the college."
Hazelton said a new connection from the North County Water District/city of Dunkirk lines down Brigham Road "makes a lot of sense." Walker said that would not service the entire village of Fredonia in an emergency, but would help.
Dan Pacos, Pomfret town supervisor, said the board should invite someone from SUNY Fredonia to its next meeting. He said the college's current position is that the village should be its water supplier, since the vast majority of the campus is in Fredonia.
"We are not trying to take their contract (with the village), we're trying to back it up," he said.
Walker said that if a new line supplied SUNY Fredonia in an emergency and other parts of the village were left dry, there would be "pushback from the rest of the community." However, "the main economic driver of the community is the college," he added.
The head of Dunkirk's water services, Randy Woodbury, offered what he said was a strictly technical idea about running a line from the city to the college.
He said the village and city water systems have different pressures so a "suction line" would be necessary. Though SUNY Fredonia is almost entirely within the village of Fredonia, a small slice of the northern part of campus near the administration building off Ring Road is on city of Dunkirk property, with another nearby parcel on town of Dunkirk property. The town is also a member of the NCWD.
Woodbury said it could be almost a direct line from the city's 2-million-gallon storage tank to that section of the campus.
"Technically and operationally, if I were the college, I would want another option," Woodbury said. At the same time, "I don't want to hurt (the village of) Fredonia. We're friends with them and want to see them succeed."
"What Randy's talking about is a backup," emphasized Terry Niebel, a Chautauqua County legislator.
Walker -- who was named chairman of the water district board earlier in the meeting -- directed their consultants from Clark Patterson Lee to draw up a proposal for SUNY Fredonia on a water line connection.