Village renovation based on green building concepts

MILLERTON — Millerton has seen a lot of renovation during the past few years — numerous buildings have had exterior and interior makeovers, adding to the sense of sophistication and charm that exudes from village streets.

Add to the list 52 Main St., the former Rexall Pharmacy, which closed a couple of years ago when the late Dick Weinstein retired.

Since then, the storefront has remained vacant, a reminder of a bygone era, with the old soda counter on one side of the store and the bottle-lined pharmacy shelves on the other. Switch gears to today, when a very modern-thinking building owner is doing all he can to keep up with the times, and then some.

Meet Geoff Bundschuh, the forward-thinking landlord who “supports the principles behind green construction.� What’s more is he supports those principles through actions, and not just words.

Bundschuh has hired EcoBuild owner/contractor Don Najdek for the project. He’s also ordered that materials be recycled and renewed to make the old space new again. That’s the goal of both men, who have been collaborating on the renovation of the village property in the aim of creating two new spaces: one for Birch Brook Capital Partners, Bundschuh’s brokerage firm that will be located there, and another commercial space, which will go up for rent once completed.

The real news here is just how Bundschuh is approaching the project — from a very eco-friendly and conscientious perspective.

“We’re going to do everything possible to renew and reuse and recycle and it’s everything from recycling old ceiling panels, using reclaimed brick on the interior walls, to using soy-based insulation, it’s all very eco-friendly,â€� he said. “In terms of some of the existing insulation, we didn’t  throw any out because Fiberglass takes a long time to break down, so it will be reused.

“Really all of the steps have been at some degree of cost,� Bundschuh added. “It’s not a cost effective way to do it, but it’s certainly a way to keep waste down to a minimum. That’s really the focus of it.�

“The initial concept was to start with demolition and energy conservation — those are two of the biggest parts of construction that I try to focus on — waste reduction and energy conservation,� Najdek said, adding the project had about 6 tons of demolition that was able to be reused.

The drop ceiling tiles will be recycled, ground down and re-implemented and remade into new ceiling tiles. Old, clean framing lumber will be dismantled and either reused or cut up and stored for this year’s fuel consumption for fire wood. All florescent tubes filled with mercury are going to be recycled (one 8 foot long tube has enough mercury to pollute 1 acre of land and the project yielded roughly 350 tubes). The project is using reclaimed brick, which has come down considerably in price. Also, more windows and doors will be installed to try and make use of natural light.

“Geoff is very aware and conscious of the environment,� Najdek said. “He wants to continue doing not only this but future projects like this.�

Najdek also has the environment on his mind. He operates his business, EcoBuild, through a mobile solar generator, through which all of his equipment is run.

“Throughout all of the old buildings in the village, the electrical systems are difficult to run high-powered equipment on, so I bring in my mobile solar generator,� he said. “I run my table saws, compressors, miter boxes, skill saws, drills — all necessary equipment to complete construction. One of the reasons I do it is yes, it’s interesting and nice advertising, but it’s really helpful to us because the old electrical system constantly pops breakers, and the down time in cooling off, this allows me not to have any issues. And it reduces my carbon footprint, which is obviously a big thing. Every little bit helps.�

It’s a popular phrase these days, and Najdek explained exactly what it means.

“I guess the best way to explain it, your carbon footprint is the lifecycle cost of energy to create a product for home or an office,� he said. “It’s the amount of energy it takes to create the electricity at a power plant that travels through a line that goes to whatever is being manufactured or made, including transportation of goods or services.�

“I think on a  broader scale you have to acknowledge that the country is certainly under President Obama’s administration to try to pursue the reduction in carbon footprints and energy efficiency and green developments across the board,â€� Bundschuh said. “Within that context I think small towns have no choice but to think about their futures this way ... and this will hopefully be available for homeowners in the future.â€�

“It’s nice to know that the impact and influence that you have is going to serve and provide energy reduction for many years to come,� Najdek added. “For example, going up and down Main Street, to know I was able to work on buildings such as Flood’s, Kamilla’s, Gilded Moon, Blue Star Gallery, Terni’s, and to constantly keep helping these historic buildings and not cripple the integrity of the buildings — many more people will be entering and looking and exiting these stores and buildings, so it will serve people. Now with Geoff, we can show people the benefit of future development and construction ... and it’s well worth it.�