Michelle Twichell, center, speaks with former Dunkirk Mayor Wilfred Rosas. At left is former village trustee James Lynden, who also voted against the water plan.
Fredonia Trustee Michelle Twichell sharply criticized the Dec. 26 vote to decommission the water treatment plant and purchase water from Dunkirk in a conversation Thursday with the OBSERVER.
“They rushed in. We didn't really have a chance to talk much. she says. “Then all of a sudden, it’s like we’re voting.” Twichell and James Lynden, who is no longer on the Fredonia board, voted against the move. Trustees Jon Espersen, David Bird and Nicole Siracuse voted in favor. Bird is also no longer an administrator.
Twichell said she understands the Chautauqua County Health Department is seeking to make a decision regarding the village's water system by the end of 2023, as part of its action plan to address to the serious shortcomings of the factory. However, she said the chosen plan "that seems crazy to me," noting that no one knows exactly how much it will cost to install water pumps to get Dunkirk's water, nor the cost of electricity to power them.
She criticized a proposal to build a new storage tank on Spoden Road or at the treatment plant site. “If we were to build a new reservoir like they're proposing … to pump that water up to the top and distribute it, it wouldn't make any sense.”
Twichell added that the village would eliminate an important source of revenue if it stopped producing water. She is seeking an estimate of the amount she could lose from the village treasurer, Erlyssa LeBeau.
Fellow trustee Jon Espersen was criticized by Twichell for several of his positions in the water debate.
Espersen said Dunkirk would offer water at an annual rate of increase of 3 percent per year. “How do you know that’s what they’re going to do?” » » asked Twichell. “What if all of a sudden they said, 'This is the only amount of water we can give you and you are responsible for pumping it to every corner of the village?' » She also wonders whether future expansion of commercial activities in the village might be hampered by Dunkirk's refusal to increase Fredonia's water supply.
She addressed Espersen's concerns about SUNY Fredonia's water supply, “And the residents? And the village taxpayers?
Twichell noted that Dunkirk recently made tens of millions of dollars in improvements to its water system. “They are having trouble paying this bill. They would just love for all of our customers to…pay off their debt. But why are we helping another community when we should be helping ourselves?
Criticism of Twichell continued:
— She said the board failed to do its due diligence in not bringing the water issue to the Fredonia Planning Board. Also, she said, on December 26 “The resolution did not take into account competitive offers from other regional suppliers. »
— She said Dunkirk's water source, Lake Erie, is full of contaminants. “We don't have sewage flowing into our water. We have no microplastics. Fredonia Reservoir is fed by groundwater.
“I want to take another look at what we need to do in our water plant,” » said Twichell. “It would be a huge loss of revenue if we let someone make money from us. »
She concluded on the plan adopted by the administrators, “There are still so many questions. How much will all this cost?
Stating that she had received numerous complaints about the Dec. 26 vote, Twichell contacted the OBSERVER in part because “These people need a voice” she says.