Credit: AdobeStock/Kharoll Mendoza
The newly formed Wastewater Committee held its first meeting on Wednesday, June 5, at Pine Plains Town Hall, marking the beginning of what could be a crucial initiative for the town’s infrastructure. Chaired by Town Board member Kevin Walsh, the committee comprises Town Board member Bob Ambrose, excavator Keith Bancroft, water department engineer Ray Jurkowski, Town Board member Jeannine Sisco, and former Town Supervisors Darrah Cloud and Scott Chase.
The committee aims to address Pine Plains’ wastewater challenges by leveraging funding opportunities and exploring innovative solutions like other towns in the area, such as Hillsdale. “Committee members have been reviewing old information and gathering details about current sewer projects in Dutchess County,” Walsh told the Herald before the meeting. “We want to maintain our momentum. The town needs to stay informed as we move forward.”
Currently, there is no central wastewater system in the Pine Plains business district. Some businesses share the aging septic system under the parking lot behind Bank of Millbrook, while the other individual properties have their own tanks and leach fields. Several buildings in town, such as the old grange hall and the former library, don’t have enough land to support a septic system that could serve potential businesses such as a wine bar, bakery or pet grooming facility. Restaurants like Champêtre and El Guacamole are limited in their seating capacity due to septic regulations. Dutchess County requires that properties be able to double the size of a septic system if needed, and mandates setbacks from water pipes and neighboring properties.
The Stissing Center, for instance, is spending about $600,000 to upgrade and expand their own septic system. If a central wastewater system were available, the arts center could connect to it and share the costs proportionally based on usage. If a new Town Hall is built on N. Main St. adjacent to the municipal parking lot, it will also require a septic system.
The committee will also determine the cost for a central system and propose how it will be funded. A November 2021 proposal by Tighe & Bond, an environmental consulting company, estimated costs at over $4 million. The committee is also considering an alternative proposed by Bancroft in which businesses develop communal leach fields on property behind their establishments. Jurkowski pointed out that such a plan would require unanimous agreement and a binding contract among businesses, and that most available grants for such a project are geared towards municipalities.
Jurkowski, known for designing a sewer plant for senior housing in Red Hook, emphasized the importance of balancing density, users and cost in wastewater systems. He noted that location significantly impacts expenses.
During the meeting, the committee discussed systems like the one in Hillsdale, where only properties within the designated sewer district contribute financially. The wastewater system would operate similarly to Pine Plains’ water system, where only users within the service area pay. If implemented, the sewer district in Pine Plains would be much smaller than the water district, likely including just over 30 properties in the center of town. The town’s water district supplies 221 residences and businesses.
The committee agreed to meet monthly, with various members taking on individual research tasks to report on at the next session. They also agreed that they should re-survey people in the likely service area, even informally, to confirm support for a municipal wastewater system.