I am writing in response to an article that appeared in the OBSERVER (Dec. 11) where Mayor Athanasia Landis declared that the village of Fredonia will not spend any more money on studying their water system as compared with joining the North Chautauqua County Water District. Mayor Landis also took exception with accusations that the study Fredonia paid for was “rigged.”

Although that is a harsh accusation, the following statement in the article shows how the village’s study was begun with a false premise: “Earlier in the year, the village presented findings from the study, which showed water rates would nearly triple in order to decommission the dam, close the water treatment plant and join the water district. The $150,000 study commissioned by the village was conducted by O’Brien & Gere Engineers.”

The issue is the North County Water District’s original Phase 1 proposal did not call for Fredonia’s reservoir to be decommissioned, or did it call for the water treatment plant to be closed. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Fredonia’s reservoir and treatment plant would have been used as the secondary supply and backup for the water district. Also, money was allocated in the plan to provide new infrastructure in Fredonia, including new water mains and a water retention tank, should it become part of the North County Water District.

Therefore, the study the village of Fredonia paid $150,000 for started with an incorrect assumption provided to the engineering firm. Regardless of whether that was intentional, some people might consider that “rigged.”

Also, it’s important to point out that currently the North County Water District’s construction and implementation costs have been supported by many grants that equal about 50 percent of its cost. That’s because this is an effort that supports regionalism, which is where grant funding is most available, versus going it alone. It’s fairly safe to assume that funding the needed repairs to Fredonia’s reservoir, like its cracked and crumbling spillways, could have been supported by grants had Fredonia become part of the district. So amortizing those repair costs at 100 percent into the water rate, like the decommissioning costs in the Fredonia study, would also artificially increase the anticipated water rate, substantially. Those repair and replacement costs, along with further water rate hikes, will likely become reality for the village ratepayers as Fredonia continues to move forward alone.

It seems clear that there needs to be an open line of communication between the county and the village. But that has to start with the village government’s willingness to cooperate and communicate openly and without predetermined bias. I will point out that Mayor Landis and village trustees were cooperative with our Municipal Consolidation and Efficiency Competition grant application.

As someone who grew up in Fredonia, I hope for a better future with a more open-minded village government.

George M. Borrello is county executive-elect and chairman of the Regional Solutions Commissions.