LaBella’s Matt Higgins offered an update to Fredonia’s Board of Trustees this month on a study of the village’s water system.
Fredonia’s trustees got an update about the study of its water system this month. Matt Higgins of LaBella, the engineering firm doing the study, offered it at a Board of Trustees meeting.
Higgins said the study would offer a “high level set of recommendations regarding the long-term future of the village water system, whether repair and maintain its own system (or) decommission and go with another water supply from elsewhere. What are the pros and cons of each, what are the costs involved what are the timelines involved?”
LaBella is also assisting on “some of the items” cited as violations either in a July health inspection or previously.
Higgins said in a recent conference call, Mayor Douglas Essek sought to address three items he said would be needed, no matter what the study finds and Fredonia decides to do with it. Those are a second water storage tank, a new interconnection with the city of Dunkirk, and replacement or rehabilitation of problematic water mains, Higgins reported.
The LaBella engineer then laid out funding options for those projects, including grants, loans and bonds. He noted that “even with self-funding, even if you were to do it this month … there’s things the village would likely undertake.” That includes getting all the necessary state permits and sign-offs, design, and going through the bonding process.
Higgins said he always counsels the municipalities he works for to pursue as much grant money as possible. However, it does lengthen the time frame, he said.
“If something’s really, sincerely needed short-term… making that argument that it should be eligible for emergency financing (from the state) seems like a path forward,” he said. “For the items where existing conditions can stand for another three-ish years, taking advantage of all the grant opportunities we can and shooting for construction in 2025 or 2026.”
Essek noted that emergency financing the village previously received had 0% interest. Natalie Whiteman, Chautauqua County Health Department water specialist, said she would help make the village’s system look “as bad as we can” to the emergency financing decision-makers in Albany, to spur funding.
Trustee David Bird said she could just show OBSERVER articles on the situation.
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