The Fredonia Board of Trustees approved some equipment purchases, and a new mechanic for the Department of Public Works, at its final meeting of 2025.

The board agreed to purchase a new police car. Utilitac Equipment of Ridgway, Pa. quoted a price of $50,740.86 for a 2023 Dodge Pursuit Charger, along with the necessary equipment to outfit the vehicle.

Trustees a pproved a $29,000 transfer from an employees’ health insurance line to help pay for the car.

The trustees also approved the purchase of a new plow. Southern Tier Trailer Sales of Jamestown is set to provide the plow at a cost of $7,687. The vote was 4-1, with Trustee Michelle Twichell voting “no.”

“I just want the public to know, we are down to one snowplow right now,” Mayor Michael Ferguson said. “This was a suggestion from our new DPW Director (Dave Bird) — a new truck is a lot more than this.” Bird suggested putting the plow “on one of the pickups that we have so that we can focus on parking lot and side street plowing, as opposed to going out and buying a second large truck.”

Fredonia also agreed to purchase a drive salter, for $17,162 from Southern Tier Trailer Sales. The company will take a tractor in trade to help defray the cost.

Jack Ippolito of Fredonia was appointed as a DPW mechanic at a rate of $20.92 per hour. He was to start the job Dec. 23.

“Good name, because he’s a Jack of all trades,” Ferguson said. “Not only is he a mechanic for DPW, he’ll be a mechanic for the village. We have a lot of vehicles in the village.

Jack is also an operator, meaning that you have to pass a civil service test and he has successfully done that.

“It’s a great addition, because he can serve as a Swiss Army knife for many positions throughout the village, but it also fills another position where we are down in the DPW. This is not a new add on to the staff, this is replacing one of probably two other people that were still short on.”