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The public will get to comment on the LaBella engineering firm’s comprehensive study of Fredonia’s water system in a hearing at the Opera House.
Fredonia’s Board of Trustees voted, 3-2, Monday to approve the hearing. Trustees David Bird, Jon Espersen and Nicole Siracuse voted “yes,” while Trustees James Lynden and Michelle Twichell were the “no” votes.
The hearing is set for 7 p.m. Dec. 18.
LaBella’s study is expected to counsel Fredonia on whether it should maintain its reservoir-based water system — recently put under heightened Chautauqua County Health Department scrutiny over numerous state citations — or sell off the reservoir and get water from the city of Dunkirk.
During a debate over the hearing, Lynden and Twichell unsuccessfully sought to get the hearing tabled until the study actually comes in. There is supposed to be a presentation of the study at the Nov. 14 trustees meeting.
Lynden was also concerned that the Opera House event does not actually constitute a hearing under state law.
"The reason we need to schedule it now is the Opera House doesn't have a lot of open dates. LaBella doesn't have a lot of open dates," Espersen said.
"You don't call for something ahead of time without that information. That's not how the process works," Lynden said.
Espersen said the hearing could always get canceled. "It really seems to me that guys you don't want the public to understand ...to get all the information," he said.
"If they're really considering what LaBella has to say, they'll come Nov. 13. You don't think 100 people will be there then?" said Twichell.
"No," said Espersen.
Siracuse said having a hearing at the spacious Opera House would be better than trying to cram people into the trustees' small second floor meeting room.
The debate closed with Fredonia Mayor Douglas Essek banging his gavel as Bird and Twichell bickered.
Fredonia resident Bob Scott, a fixture in the audience at recent trustees meetings who has previously taken officials to task on their water system moves, did so again Monday over opposition to the hearing.
He complained that recent water-related presentations by LaBella and the county Health Department did not allow for public comment, and that the limit of three minutes for each speaker at formal comment periods in trustees' meetings is too short.
Scott added that if LaBella's report is not available to the public at Village Hall or on the village website, he will file a Freedom of Information Act request for it.
"I have no interest in preventing any public hearing that is needed or required, as state policy requires us to do," Lynden said.
"I think we need more information before calling for that forum," Twichell said.