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Fredonia has approved a comprehensive study of its water issues that will consider doing business with Dunkirk.
The village Board of Trustees approved the study by a 3-2 vote Monday night. Voting in favor were Republican Trustees David Bird, Jon Espersen and Nicole Siracuse. The "no" votes came from Democrat Trustees James Lynden and Michelle Twichell.
The village's engineer of record, LaBella and Associates, will conduct the study and a cost-benefit analysis of water options. The cost is supposed to not exceed $144,000.
Fredonia will use American Rescue Plan Act funding to pay for it, as suggested by Mayor Douglas Essek. That's "minus any contributions made from other localities," as the resolution to pass the study puts it. Dunkirk Mayor Wilfred Rosas has offered city funding for up to 20% of the study if it considers Dunkirk as a water source.
Essek virtually demanded Monday that the trustees get moving on the study, so the village can get all the information it needs on its water infrastructure. Noting that the issue has been heavily debated before, Essek pressed trustees to stop talking about the study and approve it.
Lynden and Twichell, however, read statements expressing opposition to the study.
Lynden said a 2016 study determined that Fredonia should continue its water system but boost connections with neighboring districts in case of emergency.
"The village has in recent years made vast improvements to its water system, including the rebuilding and upgrading of the plant, purification equipment, maintenance and upgrades to the water storage tank, and the complete rebuild and upgrade to the Vineyard Drive pump station, some water main replacements and contracts for emergency and as needed use of additional connections with the North Chautauqua County Water District," he said. It is "unwarranted" that Dunkirk, and the NCWD that it supplies water to, want to supply Fredonia's water, he added.
"Nowhere in this (study) proposal do I see where it says we agree to buy water from anybody," Espersen said in response to Lynden's statement. "I want the professionals to tell me what we should do, based on a current study on our current infrastructure."
Espersen added that, with outside funding sources available, a comprehensive study would cost Fredonia less than a study that doesn't look at outside options.
"Not getting a comprehensive study, and just ignoring that there are multiple factors at play, is an incredible disservice to our residents," Siracuse said. "You're just sticking your head in the sand and saying, 'this is what we've always done, this is what we should continue to do.'"
Twichell then read her statement opposing LaBella's proposed study. "As it is written … this is far from comprehensive and allows for little updated understanding of the various factors at play," she said.
"The proposed study should include a clear pathway to future improvements and maintenance," she continued. The study will not properly look at costs to the village for closing down its water plant and reservoir, she said.
"Intangible qualities of maintaining Fredonia's water autonomy include security for village residents, as well as redundancy for residents of the city and district," Twichell said.
She later added: "I have spoken with some constituents who appear to favor shutting down Fredonia's valuable governance. I suspect they also favor additional measures by other entities to restrict the village's self-determination. We can all agree that once we lose Fredonia's privilege of water system management, we will never get it back."