Reservoir backers offer their points of view

Fredonia Mayor Michael Ferguson's recent comments regarding the Article 78 filed on behalf of a group of concerned citizens regarding the trustees' vote on Dec. 26 to draw down the reservoir and decommission the water treatment plant demands a response. The Article in no way prevents or stalls the village from addressing deficiencies or violations at the water plant. It does compel the village to take time to consider more facts related to their choice and to address questions which remain unanswered.

Ferguson's attempt to define us as a group of individuals who are trying to stall progress is inaccurate and insulting. We have voiced our very valid concerns repeatedly, by speaking directly to trustees and the mayor, in writing to the OBSERVER, and in statements made at board meetings and public forums. The board has been unwilling or unable to address our concerns satisfactorily and thus, we felt we had no choice. We waited to file the Article 78 until the last possible date, hoping that reason would prevail and the board would change course.

Various statements made by the mayor and trustees at board meetings on Jan. 8, 22 and 31 that they are only pursuing options at this point is disingenuous. The vote on Dec. 26 was for a very specific course of action that we believe was the plan all along. According to the mayor's most recent statements that the board is going to move forward with their plan no matter what appears to confirm our suspicions. The only way to change this course of action is to rescind the original resolution.

As members of the Citizens Action Group for Saving Our Reservoir, here is our agenda:

-- Mission Statement -- We are committed to securing Fredonia's future prosperity by saving our most valuable asset.

-- Who and what we are -- We are a group of concerned citizens from diverse economic, political, and educational backgrounds who are all gravely concerned about choices made that will affect life and livelihoods of residents in the village for decades to come.

-- What we know -- The water treatment plant, reservoir and dam are in need of immediate and serious attention and repair.

-- What we want -- Full and complete upgrading of Fredonia's reservoir, dam and water treatment plant, and proactive long-term plans for maintaining them.

-- Why -- Upgrading the water treatment plant and reservoir preserves a valuable source of fresh water and an environmentally priceless tract of land. It positions the village for growth over the next twenty to thirty years. Upgrading the water treatment plant and reservoir maintains a redundant source of supplemental water for other communities in emergency situations.

We offer these beliefs:

-- Trustees have offered no data, proof, examples, explanation or justification for their decision. The decision was made despite evidence from two studies, one commissioned in 2016 and the most recent in 2023, that the least expensive option is to upgrade and maintain our current system.

-- Buying water is expensive. It will not fix or repair aging water pipes. It will not address brown water that some residents and businesses experience.

-- The cost to buy water would be equal to the entire village water budget.

-- Estimates provided by two experienced accountants with knowledge of Fredonia's water budget indicate that if the village buys water, household water costs will increase dramatically and will likely triple.

-- The boil water order last year was caused by mismanagement and lack of oversight, not because of deficiencies with the reservoir or the plant.

-- Our water is currently safe to drink and meets all safety standards set by the department of health.

-- Carriage House/ConAgra left the village based on a corporate decision to consolidate operations, not because of any concerns with village water.

-- Construction of a new hospital has not stalled due to the water system. Money has not yet been released by the state due to financial issues at the current Brooks hospital.

-- College enrollment has not been affected by water issues. Enrollment has declined for the last decade due to underfunding by the state and exacerbated by the pandemic.

-- Lake Erie water, although consumed by millions of people every day, has been shown to contain pollutants that are harmful to health.

Questions that demand answers:

-- Why did the county health department force a decision by Dec. 29 when the public health was not in imminent peril, only a few weeks after publication of the LaBella report, before any consent order was issued?

-- Why are there so many redactions to the LaBella report? Who made the redactions and who approved them?

-- The city of Dunkirk, as a water provider for the North County Water District, is inextricably tied to the NCWD that was cited by Comptroller DiNapoli for financial mismanagement. Why would the village enter into a financial contract with an entity under investigation?

-- Why would we build a series of expensive pump stations and generators when we currently have a system that is gravity fed?

-- Why did the board of trustees call for a public forum and then dismiss public comments that were overwhelmingly in favor of upgrading and maintaining our own system?

-- Is the idea of turning the reservoir into a recreational or housing area, as mentioned by Mayor Ferguson and others, a legitimate reason to destroy a source of fresh drinking water?

Without satisfactory, substantial answers to these questions, we will not stop our efforts to save our reservoir.

Kara Christina, Athanasia Landis and Dadie Sedota are Fredonia residents and three of the five who have filed the lawsuit against the village.