Editor, OBSERVER:

The signatures at the end of this letter represent a combined total of many decades of service to the government of the village of Fredonia in various capacities. We are all from different backgrounds, experiences, education and age levels but we all have something in common — we are all in favor of saving the village reservoir as a source of water for the village of Fredonia and surrounding area.

Some of us feel that losing the reservoir would place the village in financial distress. Some of us feel that the undetermined costs of water would create an undue financial burden on the residents of the village and the town of Pomfret water customers. Some of us believe that the monies generated by water over the past 40 years have been misappropriated and utilized for other village budgeted expenses instead of spending it on the maintenance and upkeep of the reservoir, water plant and distribution — which is all perfectly legal — just shortsighted.

All of us believe that the reservoir and water plant are commodities that should not be decommissioned. The reservoir’s water has served its residents well for nearly a century and could continue to do so far into the future. The monies it would take to repair and update the reservoir are better spent investing in something we already own and control.

An engineering study on the water system was completed in 2016-17 and gave us the direction needed to begin repairs and update maintenance which began with a $3.5 million project to update the plant — completed in 2021. A second study was conducted by a different engineering firm that gave the village multiple options from which to choose. One option called for the reservoir and water plant to be repaired and updated with an interconnection with Dunkirk to be constructed as a back up. A second option, which was approved by resolution on Dec. 26, was to decommission the reservoir which included drawing down the water level and shuttering the plant — thereby receiving all water needs from the city of Dunkirk. It should be noted this decision will likely result in the future displacement of employees from the water plant and possibly a portion of employees from the DPW.

A public hearing that was on Dec. 18, 2023 at the Fredonia Opera House included a presentation made by the engineer with little comment from the board. When a trustee asked the audience of approximately 50-plus people for a show of hands of those in favor of keeping and repairing the reservoir, the majority of the audience raised their hands indicating their desire to keep the reservoir. When reminded of this feedback from their constituents, the trustees replied that it wasn’t an accurate representation of the residents opinion — the numbers were too small. When 30 residents attended the Feb. 20 Village Board meeting in support of keeping the reservoir and asking the board to rescind their approved resolution — a trustee stated that it still did not warrant enough of a community response for the trustees to consider valid. What will it take? How many residents need to be heard from?

With national concerns regarding climate change and the potential movement of the U.S. population in search of water sources, the challenge of providing safe, reliable water will only become more difficult in the future. We question the wisdom of eliminating a water source that has served us well for so long, and we are concerned with the potential danger of creating a single source of water for our community and surrounding communities that we will not control in the decades ahead.

So many intricate layers of facts and pieces of knowledge that can not possibly be covered in a single letter. Certainly this very complex decision and its far reaching consequences can not be thoroughly comprehended by the people who will be affected most without further discussion and detailed information being provided. So many answers and crucial information is missing. We would ask that this resolution be rescinded until a more thorough understanding and discussion can be held with all cohorts. This decision is far too important to have been made in an end of year/end of term resolution that was made under pressure from the county health department and upheld despite the outcries from residents by a neophyte board ranging in experience from two months to two years.

We would urge all residents and water customers to gather the necessary information and seek the facts regarding this far reaching decision. Talk to neighbors, family and friends, attend a village board meeting, sign a petition, attend a Save Our Reservoir meeting, write an email or make a call to village trustees. Let your opinion and voice be heard regardless of your position on this issue. If the current board still feels that there is not enough validity in the numbers or percentage of residents heard from — then we would ask that a referendum be held to a voice to all residents.

EvaDawn Bashaw, Roger Britz, Kara Christina, Stephen Keefe, Athanansia Landis, James Lynden, and James Sedota signed this letter. Four served as village trustees, Keefe and Landis served as mayors and Sedota was a village administrator.