The Fredonia Village Board this week approved a one-year agreement with the California-based Bird scooter company to start a program in the village.

The company has had a similar ride-sharing program in the neighboring city of Dunkirk since late April. The program is in dozens of other cities around the country. A small fee, around 20 cents, gets paid to municipalities for each ride.

Trustees voted 3-2 to invite Bird in. The “aye” votes were David Bird, Jon Espersen and Nicole Siracuse. Voting “nay” were James Lynden and Michelle Twichell.

Before voting, Lynden said he objected to “utilizing village properties without restrictions.” The program bases scooters, which are available after accessing the Bird company’s app, at sites where it is thought they will get the most usage.

Bird scooters stand ready for use near the Dunkirk Boardwalk. Fredonia will now have Bird scooter service after a 3-2 vote of the Fredonia Village Board this week. Photos by M.J. Stafford

Lynden offered more objections to the service during the workshop before Monday’s meeting.

“I still feel that this service is in conflict with our village code, because it allows a private business to utilize public properties for the use of marketing its business,” he said. He added that they can be dropped off anywhere in the village.

“They’re marketing it by putting a scooter in a park? That’s marketing?” Espersen questioned.

“Well, it is, because their scooter is essentially their signage because it has their name on it. … They have no location. Their business is now every village-owned property,” Lynden said. A brick-and-mortar business that rents scooters from a storefront would be much better for the village, he said.

Mayor Douglas Essek said the program would be a quality-of-life improvement for residents. Espersen said if any issues were to come up, they could be addressed when the contract comes up next year.

“So we’re just going to wait and see what happens?” asked Twichell, who several weeks ago warned a boy to stop riding a scooter near the Fredonia Farmer’s Market.

“Yeah. Like with any business, you wait and see what happens,” Espersen replied.

Twichell said she “has already witnessed what has happened in Dunkirk,” referring to misuse of the scooters. Espersen said, “And yet, Dunkirk hasn’t withdrawn the contract, so it’s not that bad.”

Twichell said that if residents wanted scooters, they should just buy them. She also worried that some of the Bird company scooters will wind up in Canadaway Creek when SUNY Fredonia students return.

At the end of the workshop discussion, Lynden laughingly denied that the trustees’ stances had anything to do with party politics — though he and Twichell are Democrats and the other three trustees are Republicans. Trustee Bird also offered assurance that he is not connected to the Bird scooter company at all.