Millerton opens bidding period for new pool at Eddie Collins park

MILLERTON — Village trustees marked another milestone for a planned pool at Eddie Collins Memorial Park after approving a bid solicitation.

Board members voted unanimously to send plans for the swimming pool and poolhouse out for bidders at a special meeting on Monday, April 6, following a brief report on the planned septic system from senior landscape architect Kevin Hasselwander of LaBella Associates.

Mayor Jenn Najdek explained the project will be split into four separate contracts, all going out for bids at the same time.

The resolution opened the bidding period on Tuesday, April 7, with a set deadline of May 13 at 2 p.m. Najdek said that timeline paved the way for construction to begin on Aug. 3, with a projected opening date for the pool of July 30, 2027, but cautioned that construction delays can be unpredictable.

“Weather’s a big factor in that,” Najdek said. “If we get a winter like we got last year, it may take some time.” Najdek and Hasslewander said favorable conditions through the winter season could allow builders to continue working through the colder months if foundation work can be completed in time.

Hasselwander reported Dutchess County’s Department of Health has chosen to support a proposed septic system that operates on a smaller footprint. He said the proposed septic system uses technology developed by Eljen Corporation, based in Windsor, Connecticut.

The system uses fabric mats filled with plastics to provide surfaces for bacteria to grow that treat the wastewater. Treated wastewater then flows through sand for further filtration before leaching back into the soil. The result is a smaller septic leach field that lasts longer.

“They used to not allow Eljen systems in Dutchess County,” Hasselwander said. “The footprint of the septic system is actually about three-quarters what it was before.”