Millerton’s public composting toilets project inches forward

MILLERTON — Though not glamorous, the installation of two composting toilets by the Main Street entrance to the Harlem Valley Rail Trail, just south of the Irondale Schoolhouse, is important.

The project, to be funded by a $75,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), might be more than the village originally bargained for, said village Trustee Stephen Waite.

“We filed for this grant back in 2015,” he said, “but as we began the work on the project it became pretty clear that it would be much more complicated than anticipated. Certainly in part because there are three different departments, three different governing bodies involved: the county, the state and the village.”

The county is involved because it awarded Millerton the block grant.

The state is involved because the toilets will be on state property adjacent to the Rail Trail. 

And Millerton is involved because, of course, the project is within village limits, and spearheaded by the Village Board.

“So, as we moved forward on the project it became evident the biggest hurdle to clear was from the health department,” said Waite, who added that approval did finally come through. “There’s just so much involved, from working with the state parks to construction, it’s just a much more complicated process and it’s pretty clear we weren’t going to finish this up by the time the contract for those funds ran out.”

The deadline when the work was supposed to be completed was Oct. 31 of this year. Waite filed an extension, which is good for an additional year.

“I figured it was better off,” he said, adding the project will most likely be done in the spring. “I wanted a little leeway. We’re very close right now, but we do need to speak to the engineer about this.”

Speaking with the engineer, which Waite has been doing often, is costly. That’s why the community betterment group, Townscape, has gotten involved, said Townscape board member and newly elected North East Councilman Chris Kennan. Kennan said as Townscape representative, he met with Waite and village Trustee Dave Sherman in a three-man committee focused exclusively on this project.

“What was determined was it made sense for the village to apply for a CDBG for the composting toilets,” said Kennan. 

Ever since, the committee has been working out the logistics, and dealing with engineers and other project participants.

Kennan described the two composting toilets that will be installed, which will be part of the same structure. They’re sort of like an environmentall friendly port-a-potty. 

“But it’s really very different than a port-a-potty,” he said, describing the units as state-of-the-art, “because first of all it’s environmentally friendly. It will be attractive, and we will be making sure that it is maintained, together by the village and Townscape. Townscape has undertaken to do a lot of the work on the maintenance of it.”

The toilet itself is a dry composting unit. Basically, liquids and solids are separated. The liquids get pumped out fairly regularly while the solids are turned into compost, helped by wood chips and other organic matter.

Kennan said there are great advantages to having such a dual-unit in the village.

“First of all, the cost,” he said. “If we had to build a real building with a restroom in it, it would have been vastly more expensive. With plumbing and a septic field, it could have cost in the hundreds of hundreds of thousands of dollars. That would have been beyond the capability of Townscape, and probably beyond the capability of the village. So this is the appropriate solution, on both a cost basis and on a technology basis for that location.”

And many, many people will appreciate having such facilities smack in the middle of Millerton, he said.

“It will benefit, first and foremost, people using the Rail Trail, but also people in Millerton, because there’s no public bathroom facility in the village,” Kennan said.

Though there is still much engineering work that needs to be completed, once the project is finished, Kennan said it will be lovely.

“There will be benches, a bicycle rack and some landscaping around it,” he said, adding Townscape’s mission is to improve the look and functioning of the village, all while keeping it beautiful.

Waite said he’s grateful for the organization’s help — one of the town’s most important nonprofits.

“It’s likely this project would not have moved forward without Townscape, because I can tell you that unanticipated expenses, engineering expenses, were considerable,” he said, contributing the fact to some difficulties the project had getting health department approval. “Townscape contributed financially. They’ve been extremely helpful.

“I’ll be very happy once the project is completed,” added Waite. “I do think it will be an asset to the community, and to trail users or individuals down in that area. It’s not just for the village, it’s also for the town of North East and for the county. It’s a nice added little feature.”