WINDHAM - Groundbreaking has occurred for what will be a completely modernized transfer station in Windham, and while the reconstruction period won’t be pretty, the end result will be gorgeous, officials say.
A different shared entranceway/exit has already been set up at the site, along Michell Hollow Road, a mile or so from Route 23.
And dropoff service is temporarily limited to residential trash, recyclables (plastics, glass, paper, electronics, etc) and metals. Recyclables will be single-stream, deposited in one elevated bin.
Commercial debris must be taken to a different location such as the town of Hunter transfer station or similar spots in the towns of Coxsackie and Catskill. Hours of operation have not changed.
It is hoped the multi-million dollar project will be functional by next spring or summer, continuing the New Age of waste disposal and recycling, establishing direct haul for all four county transfer stations.
“This will be an inconvenience for a while but when it’s done it will be nicer for everyone,” Windham town supervisor Thomas Hoyt says.
Greene County Legislature members, in December, 2025, agreed to move ahead with the job, paying $268,500 for engineering services and $7,500 for an asbestos evaluation
Bids were opened in July, 2026, coming in higher than hoped, which is not particularly startling in the current construction market, although needed greenbacks had already been piggy-banked.
The overall cost will be $4,928,126 following the awarding of bids for General Construction ($4,010,326) and Electrical ($241,800).
Expenses also include Contingency ($160,000) and Equipment ($240,000 for $225,000 excavator and $15,000 dumpster), officials said.
County highway superintendent Scott Templeton, while acknowledging the gasp-inducing price tag, say it is a necessary and wise investment.
The quartet of county transfer stations are increasingly busy, and direct haul will save significant money, eliminating the need for redundant handling.
Similar transfer station makeovers the past four years exceed $12 million while showing “good stewardship,” says county administrator Shaun Groden as New York State and the nation deal with disposal realities.
“The question has to be asked and answered, ‘what is the future of municipal waste?” Groden says.
“We send multiple trucks 300 miles a day to a landfill” in western New York. “We certainly aren’t alone, doing that. Nobody wants a landfill near them, but everybody needs a landfill,” Groden says.
“This is a good story from several vantage points,” Groden says, with the county also putting an emphasis on its new composting program, simplifying residential and commercial dropoffs.
The cost is, “absorbed by budgets and Fund Balances, as we have planned on the improvements and reserved funds accordingly,” Groden says.
Windham has a longstanding lease agreement with the county for use of the land that is expected to be maintained, charging a nominal fee.
When the remodeling is done, there will be separate entrances for residential and commercial dropoff, easing congestion.
Remodeling, when it is done, will include:
—Demolition and removal of existing retaining walls, structures, foundations, and utilities;
—Construction of an 8,500 square foot pre-engineered metal building with concrete foundations including incidental ventilation fan and louvers;
—Installation of an 8’ x 30’ pre-fabricated climate controlled container office with bathroom to be used as scale house including incidental plumbing and well pump connections;
—Salvage of existing trash compactor unit and re-installation in new building including steel fabricated garbage chute;
—Relocation of existing 70’ truck scale; salvage of existing scale, installation of new concrete foundations;
The exterior of the pre-engineered structure has been designed to match the color, height, etc. of the nearby town highway department garage.
Photo: Windham transfer station is undergoing a complete makeover, temporarily reducing dropoff services to residential garbage, recycling and metals, an operation overseen by Mike Lamanda.
