jward@observertoday.com
The Fredonia Farm Festival is considering relocated to Dunkirk due to food truck fees.
OBSERVER file photo
Talks of the Fredonia Farm Festival possibly moving to the Chautauqua County Fairgrounds this year came up briefly at the Board of Trustees meeting last month.
“The board (FestivalsFredonia) was in discussion and it looks like they’re going to be moving this year’s Farm Festival to the fairgrounds,” Trustee Roger Britz stated. “One of the reasons they discussed is our food truck law. It seems to be putting a big hamper on getting food vendors in our village to participate in our festivals. I’d like to discuss this in more detail with the board and possibly working out some sort of fee structure so that we could accommodate the Farm Festival and have our festival kept in our village.”
jward@observertoday.com
The village of Fredonia is looking at hiring a law firm to represent them as opposed to a single attorney. At Monday’s Board of Trustees meeting discussions abounded over the potential hiring of a firm that represented Chautauqua County in some matters.
“We spent a lot of time going through these costs and needs and things and I don’t think all of my questions are still addressed,” Trustee James Lynden stated. “The cost factors are hard to get over with me on this. We’re looking at a very limited number of hours according to what they would allow us. We wouldn’t have anyone at the meetings which I find might be really tough to deal with.”
The OBSERVER s View
Jan 16, 2021
Judging from the most recent Fredonia Village Board meeting, there is a definite divide among trustees and Mayor Doug Essek. Adding to this current problem is the lack of two representatives on the board as well as the growing amount of major issues that face the municipality.
At this week’s virtual gathering, there were more concerns and criticisms voiced than having action taken on any issue. Most of the discussion revolved around Roger Britz, village trustee, who commented in the OBSERVER that with illness and two open trustee seats it is a “weird time.”
Both Essek and Trustee James Lynden went on the offensive. “I want to make it clear to the board and village residents that I was able to communicate to our residents, department heads, trustees and many of my constituents every day except the day of my surgery as a result of my heart attack,” said Essek, who had been battling pneumonia and COVID earlier this month. “I spoke to many
“It’s a challenge right now with just three trustees.”
That’s how Fredonia Trustee Roger Britz described the current situation in the village.
The board is currently down two trustees, a lawyer and the mayor, and according to Britz, they are managing OK while all these new changes are sorted out.
“The new trustee (Heidi Powell) who was appointed has not gotten up to speed yet in what’s going on in the village,” Britz said, “and with Doug (Essek, mayor) being out of service, we haven’t had a structured meeting yet with all the things that need to be addressed and need to keep the business of the village moving forward. Right now it’s three trustees running the village.”
jward@observertoday.com
Resignations abounded at the village of Fredonia’s Board of Trustees meeting Monday.
Trustee Kara Christina resigned effective immediately citing the need to focus on other things in the coming year.
“Going into the new year I need to focus my energies elsewhere, this is not due to any person, event or issue, I have been contemplating this for sometime now,” Christina wrote in her resignation read aloud at the meeting. “You have several good people who have expressed interest in gaining an appointment to the board, I trust that you will choose well. It has been a privilege to serve the residents of the village and I’m honored that they voted for me to remain on the board twice. Each and every one of you desires to do the best that you see fit for the village and the time and effort that you spend doing so is to be commended.”