Three familiar critics of Fredonia’s dance with outside water suppliers strode to the podium again during the public comments portion this week. Two of them, Rob Clark and James Lynden, joined Twichell in Mayville last week to speak against the county’s funding of the new study.

“Whatever decision is made about water, we agree, needs to be made with all the information — but not just information needed to choose the Lake Erie option,” Clark said. “For me, this conversation has always been about the faulty process and not including more about the current system in the 2023 study. These two defects persist in the proposed update.”

He went on, “Here’s the sticker: You’re stacking the deck, again, with the county smoking hot to take over the village water. You’ve got a Buffalo law firm (Webster Szanyi) that’s all too unfamiliar with the village, and again, we’re pushing a need to rush. Meanwhile, you retain for comparison, the bloated estimates for upgrades to the current system. That needs to be updated, too.”

Clark concluded: “It’s still our call here in the building what we do. It’s still our call. … I urge this board to settle into more cooperative dialogue, and really look at this completely honestly.”

Ex-Trustee Lynden opened by demanding the answer to a question: “If the village needed the two (existing) water connections on Route 20 with the North County Water District turned on today, would they function to serve the village as contracted?”

Someone, it wasn’t clear who, called out “Pressure differentials.” Trustee Nicole Siracuse said, “This isn’t a question and answer, this is your time.”

Lynden continued, “This community has made multigenerational investments in what they believe is a valuable asset in the reservoir and filtration plant. … This board must open their eyes to what is going on around them. The county, city (of Dunkirk) and town (of Pomfret) claim they, too, have made or are making long term investments in water as providers. They want you to believe that eliminating our village-owned utility and going with them is smarter.”

However, he said, “The county has mismanaged the district illegally, using property tax dollars from the general fund, since 2016 because they don’t have enough revenue to pay it back as required by law. But, they claim it will be paid back by December — with funds from yet another loan. Then what?”

Lynden said the city of Dunkirk is “in financial crisis” and expected to raise its water rates again, while Pomfret “does not own a water source but has been and intends to expand water districts into very rural areas with few users. All three of these governmental entities will have long term struggles with substantial debt.”

Sam Drayo, the former village attorney, was the third speaker. He wondered about the varying costs reported for dredging the reservoir. “What is a realistic estimate? The village should obtain an estimate from a qualified dredging contractor,” he said.

Drayo criticized a plan for a water tower to be shared by Fredonia and Pomfret. “Joint ownership of a facility serving two different entities will be faced with problems of administration and usage,” he said. Similar issues derailed talks on a joint police station with Dunkirk a few years ago, he said.

Drayo rattled off a list of questions about the tank. Among them, he queried if construction and maintenance costs would be shared equally, what would happen if one entity wanted to quit using the tank, how disagreements on repairs and maintenance would be resolved, and which municipality would officially operate the tower. Mayor Michael Ferguson asked Drayo to send him the questions.