Hillsdale has had a central wastewater system for 17 years. Millerton is about to build one. Their experiences may be informative for Pine Plains, which has been exploring the possibility of building such a system for the central business district since 2018.
In Hillsdale, the Roe Jan Brewery is a thriving business. In 2018, the owners, Kathy and Steve Bluestone, bought an abandoned building that dates back to 1851, turning it into an energy efficient micro-brewery that opened in 2020. “It is a large building on little land,” Steve Bluestone says. “It would be impossible to have an adequate individual septic system in place given the requirements.” So, before building the brewery, he checked that the sewage plant, which was built with the ability to expand, had the capacity for the brewing business. “Without the central sewer system, the Roe Jan Brewery could not exist.”
Fortunately for this business, as well as others in town, Hillsdale put in a central wastewater system 17 years ago. It was compelled to by the state: the old leach fields were failing. “There was an odor in the summer in the town. With the central system, there is no smell,” Bluestone says. Hillsdale obtained grants to help put in the system, which serves 70 properties in the center of the hamlet, some of them multi-family dwellings. Each building in the district is assessed an annual estimated charge based on the number of bedrooms or units.
The village of Millerton is in the process of finalizing plans for a sewer system with the eventual capacity to expand to serve the entire water district, although it will initially serve 110 properties. “We want to assure the ability for Millerton to be able to grow,” says Mayor Jenn Najdek. As in Hillsdale and in the Pine Plains business district, some potential businesses or homes are sited on small parcels that can’t be expanded due to county septic system requirements. “The inability to expand septic limits business growth,” Najdek said. “Some homes can’t go from one to two families or can’t convert a garage into an apartment/workshop.”
A central wastewater system usually entails fees for the homeowners or businesses it serves, depending on usage, but it eliminates the potential for replacing an individual septic system if it fails. One property owner in Millerton, with two residences on the property, was faced with a $15,000 bill for a new septic, which had to be installed immediately, according to Najdek. Jeanne Vanecko, who, as chair of the wastewater committee, has visited 62 of the 110 properties that will get the new wastewater service, said that “the number of antiquated tanks is appalling.” Some places with systems on the way out are anticipating costs of $30,000 each. With a new central system in place, the costs of maintaining the system and pumping the tanks becomes the responsibility of the district rather than an individual property owner’s expense.
While discussions about a sewer system go back many years in Millerton, the movement forward really started about nine years ago, when North East Town Supervisor Chris Kennan recruited Jeanne Vanecko to be part of Townscape, a non-profit that provides support to community projects in the Town of North East and the Village of Millerton. In small towns with part-time governing bodies that are in office for relatively short periods, an organization like Townscape helps bridge the gap between administrations. “It’s important to have non-elected people involved who are committed to seeing a project through,” Vanecko noted. While considering different projects that could be promoted, people at the Dutchess County health department suggested that Vanecko meet with Tighe & Bond, the engineering and design firm which created the feasibility study initiated by former mayor Debbie Middlebrook. (Tighe & Bond has also done a feasibility study for Pine Plains.)
The Village of Millerton is working with the Town of North East to fully realize the project. The village does not require a referendum, although the wastewater committee has talked to and worked with the property owners who would be included in it. According to Najdek, the potential stakeholders in the sewer district are in favor of installing the system—even the person who had to put in a new septic recently, as well as the owners of the Millerton Inn, which has its own expensive septic system. “They are behind it because they realize the infrastructure benefits the community,” Najdek says. With the system, it is likely that property values will increase, she adds. Only properties in the district will pay for its upkeep. With assistance on applications from Erin Moore of Tighe & Bond, the town has received design grants from the county.
Millerton already owns nine acres of property on the outskirts of the village, off Mill Road, that the feasibility study by Tighe & Bond determined is the best site for the processing wastewater. In the Millerton plan, each property will have a tank for solids, and wastewater will be piped underground to the central site where it will be treated before being released into a the Webatuck Creek.
The town and village will need grants to build the system, which will cost more than $13 million. They are currently about six months from being shovel ready. Mayor Najdek is confident the town will be successful in obtaining funding, although so far the majority of towns receiving federal money, such as Millbrook, already have systems that are getting necessary upgrades. (The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, passed in 2022, authorizes $50 billion for drinking water and wastewater systems, and the state of New York has already begun releasing funding to municipalities.) Building the infrastructure should not be unduly disruptive to the town, as it is now possible to drill horizontally, under roadbeds, for instance, rather than having to dig trenches to lay pipe.
In Hillsdale’s system, several properties share a tank for solids, and the wastewater is pumped to the central field. The position of operator of the sewer plant is part-time. According to deputy town clerk Emily Stalker, the position of engineer for the sewer system is currently open; the town will appoint someone with the requisite license.
While the system in Hillsdale functions well, notes Bluestone, the engineering company “that put in the system no longer exists.” It’s out of business and can’t be held accountable if, for instance, it’s discovered that a meter was incorrectly installed and the town has to hire someone to fix it. One piece of advice he offers to towns such as Pine Plains that are considering putting in sewer systems: “The low bidder is not necessarily the best bet. If the lowest bidder is new to the business and hasn’t done it before, best to go with someone experienced.”