OBSERVER Photo by M.J. Stafford Members of the North Chautauqua County Water District administrative board chat before the group’s April meeting.

The North Chautauqua County Water District has lost $102,000 so far this year, administrative board chairman Daniel Pacos said at the board’s April meeting.

Pacos did not comment about the figure — except to note that work is still ongoing on the rate that the district buys its water from the city of Dunkirk. The rate is adjusted yearly by City Hall in conjunction with SUNY Fredonia economist Peter Reinelt.

Pacos said he spoke with Randy Woodbury, who runs Dunkirk’s water system as Department of Public Works Director, about this year’s rate adjustment process. “He said he didn’t figure it would go up or down by a lot,” Pacos said.

Water board member Dave Hazleton wondered if the district and the city should amend their contract to allow for a later rate change date. He stated that according to the current contract, a rate for the year is supposed to be set by the second Tuesday in February — but Dunkirk has never met that deadline.

In other business from the water district board’s April meeting:

— Bid requests for master meters have gone out, according to Alison Vento, the district’s executive director.

The bids will be accepted next month. Water district officials want the master meters set up so they can properly measure the flow of water between each municipality.

— Hazleton complained that CPL, the water district’s engineers, have not sent a representative to a water board meeting for about six months. “Do they still work for us?” he cracked.

Vento said she emailed CPL requesting that they resume sending representatives to the meetings — but received no response.

“Everybody’s having these same frustrations with engineering firms,” commented Natalie Whiteman, a Chautauqua County Health Department water specialist, from the audience. She said there is a nationwide shortage of engineers.

“It’s not just you, it’s every project we’re working on,” Whiteman said. “The village (of Fredonia) is having the same problems with LaBella.”

— Speaking of Fredonia, there was no other mention of the village, which plans to connect with the water district, at the meeting. The village government sent no representatives to the meeting — though notably, the water board now includes Bob Scudder, a Chautauqua County legislator who represents Fredonia.