Mayor Michael Ferguson

Fredonia Mayor Michael Ferguson punched back Monday against an OBSERVER editorial criticizing his plan for a new Fredonia Police Department building next to the village fire department.

Ferguson took time at a Board of Trustees workshop to defend against the editorial.

“This administration has gone beyond, beyond trying to find ways to roll projects into one another to save the taxpayer money. I am a taxpayer, everyone in this room is a Fredonia taxpayer,” the mayor began.

“Trust us when we say, no one’s spending frivolously here,” Fergsuon continued. “In fact, connecting the police department to an existing building like the fire department, would probably be the cheapest, most effective way of building a new police department that is woefully needed.”

The editorial, published Saturday, suggested that “any hopes for north county mergers (of police departments) will vanish” if Ferguson’s plan is enacted.

Ferguson replied, “We are unsure of continued discussions to merge police departments, at this time. It’s certainly something we’re considering. But no matter what we do, even if we did consolidate, you need a headquarters. I’m quite sure that Dunkirk would have one, we would have one.”

Ferguson expressed his consternation about the editorial to the OBSERVER at a separate event before the trustees workshop. He was asked about the possibility of retrofitting one of the large, vacant buildings at the D&F Plaza for a new police station. Ferguson responded that his plan would cost less.

The mayor also addressed the issue during his statement at the trustees workshop. “When you compare the cost of retrofitting… compared to adding onto a building that already exists — I ask, who’s really saving the taxpayers money? My phone rings both ways, I’m happy to talk about it long before articles are written.”