OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen
Town of Dunkirk Supervisor Priscilla Penfold recently discussed the Town’s desire to proceed with a capital project to improve the Shorewood Water District.
The need for a new water line in the Town of Dunkirk’s Shorewood Water District is more dire than many residents might realize.
“Fire protection is compromised in Shorewood,” Town of Dunkirk Supervisor Priscilla Penfold.
The Town has been seeking to upgrade the water system in the district, but because the system requires many easements from the area’s property owners, the Town has been unable to address the issues. What was once a four-inch pipe has become so crowded, it now operates at half its capacity. Multiple residents have informed the Town that water pressure has been impacted.
When the Town Board addressed the issue in June, only 18 of the 89 required easements pertaining to the Shorewood Water Project had been returned. Since that time, the outstanding easements have dropped from 71 to 28. While that is significant progress, 28 outstanding easements still prohibits the Town from doing the necessary work. Homeowners will be responsible for the cost to hook up to the water main, so if it is installed further from their property to avoid securing an easement, the cost will increase.
“When all of this is said and done, it is going to be up to the homeowner to hook up to the main, at the homeowner’s expense. The further away from your home the main line is, the more expensive it is going to be to the homeowner to hook up to the main,” Penfold said.
If the Town is unable to secure the necessary easements for the project to proceed, the Town reserves the right to pursue legal proceedings through eminent domain – a government process that converts private property to public use. Any costs incurred by the Shorewood Water District in the process would be applied to all members of the District, not just those who did not submit their easement.
“It isn’t that the Town is out to create any kind of problem. It’s the Town’s job to take care of our citizens. We believe that this is right for our residents in the Shorewood District,” Penfold said.
Regarding another water related issue in the Town, several officials have been offering assistance to comply with the federal and state mandates regarding documentation of lead pipes. Town Board member Bob Price plans to visit residences in the Town who have not completed the necessary documentation to offer his assistance, and Town Board member Shari Miller has also been in contact with homeowners who have not yet completed the documentation. Penfold also offered thanks to Mitch Magierski of CBI for his support with lead pipe documentation in the Town.