Legislators approve multimillion-dollar renovation of Windham Transfer Station

CATSKILL―A multimillion-dollar reconstruction project was approved last week by the Greene County Legislature for the waste management transfer station in the town of Windham.

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 of 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, including $4,010,326 for general construction and $241,800 for electrical.

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. of Cairo.

Overall cost includes $160,000 in contingency and $240,000 for equipment, including $225,000 for an excavator and $15,000 for a dumpster.

The Town of Windham has a longstanding lease agreement with the county for use of the land, along Mitchell Hollow Road, charging a nominal fee.

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

The Coxsackie Transfer Station was redone in 2022, costing $2,061,000 for general construction and $122,680 for electrical, totaling $2,183,680. It measures 3,360 square feet which factors out at $649.90 per square foot, according to Templeton.

Windham’s transfer station is 8,628 square feet which factors out at $492 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 2018, Hunter handled 17,168 customers and 1,840 tons of trash, including 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 deal with disposal realities. Those $12 million are, “absorbed by budgets and fund balances, as we have planned on the improvements and reserved funds accordingly,” Groden says.

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

Windham by virtue of the restructuring, will become a direct haul station, eliminating an expensive middleman in transporting materials from Greene County to a massive landfill, Seneca Meadows, 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 in Windham 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.”