One Man’s Trash is the County’s Toughie

Engineer’s rendering of the planned restructured county waste transfer station in the town of Windham which may break ground this fall.

CATSKILL - A multi-million dollar reconstruction project was expected to be approved by the Greene County Legislature, this week, for the waste management transfer station in the town of Windham.

Lawmakers gave the job a preliminary okay during an August 17 Finance Committee meeting, the final step toward passage, anticipated at the board’s August 19 regular monthly session (too late for this edition).

Bids were opened in late July - coming in higher than hoped which is not particularly startling in this economic day and age - although needed greenbacks have already been piggy-banked.

Lawmakers, in December, 2025, opted to move forward with the job, paying $268,500 for the engineering services of Barton & Loguidice, based in Albany, and $7,500 for a required asbestos evaluation

The new bottom line will be $4,928,126 following the anticipated awarding of bids for General Construction ($4,010,326) and Electrical ($241,800), legislature resolutions show.

Five offers were received for General Construction with the lowest qualified bidder determined to be Jersen Construction Group, in Waterford.

Seven estimates were submitted for Electrical with the lowest qualified bidder determined to be CDE Electric Inc., in Cairo.

Overall cost includes Contingency ($160,000) and Equipment ($240,000 for $225,000 excavator and $15,000 dumpster), legislature papers show.

Groundbreaking could take place this fall, if time allows the majority of the concrete work to be completed prior to winter, says county highway superintendent Scott Templeton.

Templeton, while breaking down the numbers for lawmakers, noted the nearly $5 million price tag represents a needed and wise investment.

Similar upgrades were performed at transfer stations in the towns of Coxsackie and Hunter in recent years, revealing a dichotomy.

The Coxsackie station was redone in 2022, costing $2,061,000 for General Construction and $122,680 for Electrical, totaling $2,183.680.

The Coxsackie Transfer Station measures 3,360 square feet which factors out at $649.90 per square foot, according to Templeton.

Windham’s transfer station measures 8,628 square feet which factors out at $492.80 per square foot, according to Templeton.

The county highway chief also presented facts and figures for increases in the volume of refuse and customers in Hunter, justifying the Windham modernization, hopefully reducing the load in Hunter.

In the year 2018, Hunter handled 17,168 customers and 1,840 tons of trash (bagged garbage and vehicles going over the debris scale).

That rose to 39,347 customers and 11,698 tons in 2025 while not factoring in recycling which is a free service, Templeton noted.

In other words, the county’s four transfer stations, including one in the town of Catskill, are busy places, open seven days a week with varying hours.

Investments over the past four years exceed $12 million, representing “good stewardship,” says county administrator Shaun Groden, as the nation and State of New York deal with disposal realities.

The question has to be asked and answered, “What is the future of municipal waste,” Groden says.

Windham by virtue of the restructuring, will become a direct haul station, eliminating an expensive middle man in transporting materials from this county to a massive landfill in Waterloo, in western New York.

“We send multiple trucks 300 miles a day to the landfill.  No one wants a landfill near them, but everyone needs a landfill,” Groden says.

There is no certainty that current system will be sustainable for the long term, motivating Greene County to make tough, proactive decisions.

“This is a good story from several vantage points,” Groden says, with the county putting an emphasis on its new composting program, simplifying residential and commercial dropoffs and improving safety.

Plans call for the creation of a new entryway and separate sections for residential and commercial dumping, easing congestion.

“By making all the facilities new, modern and efficient, are we encouraging better environmental actions of residents?” Groden asks. “Are we being good stewards of household and municipal waste? We think ‘yes.’”

And as for we mules of taxation, the $12 million 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, along Mitchell Hollow Road, charging a nominal fee.