The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
FLAGSHIP MAY CLOSE
Sewer problem could force bustling Perk on Main to shutter after 15 years
DURHAM >> The owner of a wellknown coffee shop is holding out hope she can negotiate an agreement with the building’s landlord after learning her lease will not be renewed after 15 years in the plaza.
On May 10, owner Katie Hughes-Nelson made the announcement on Perk on Main’s blog and Facebook page that she likely will have to close her flagship location at year’s end due to a septic system overload issue that complex owner Pat DiNatale told her about earlier this year.
She also owns Perk on Church near the Guilford Town Green at 20 Church St., and Perk on Main in Middletown, at 344 Main St., which opened last May.
The building’s 2007 permit allows up to 732 gallons of discharge per day. Assistant Health Director Bill Milardo said, however, the recommendation is for
488 daily, which is deemed a safe amount. The septic system is “as large as it can be,” he said.
On May 15, Hughes-Nelson acknowledged the huge outpouring of support from the community once she shared the news and explained more about the problem.
“Amazing things have happened within these four walls (at 6 Main St.),” said Hughes-Nelson about the eatery that has become a community gathering place. “We have fine-tuned every inch of the space 10 times over. While it’s devastating to think of losing it, it’s not our nature to feel sorry for ourselves.”
She said she and staff pride themselves on the restaurant’s mission of environmental responsibility and sustainability.
Hughes-Nelson said she received a one-sentence certified letter at the end of last year from DiNatale saying her lease would be terminated Jan. 1.
DiNatale did not return four phone calls seeking comment.
Hughes-Nelson met with DiNatale at the end of last year about renewing the lease for 2017. When she learned that the landlord wanted the coffee shop’s water usage capped at 260 gallons a day, Hughes-Nelson said she was optimistic.
The building is also occupied by Middlesex Hospital Family Care and Durham Wine & Spirits.
“Once we realized the lease could be terminated based on water use and significant cuts we would have to make is when my concern really started. I was hopeful we would be able to achieve what was put into our new lease but at the same time, realistically, it was a really deep cut,” Hughes-Nelson said.
Complicating the issue, she said, is a billing mix up involving the doctor’s office in one of the units.
A water meter issue she wasn’t aware of until the end of 2016 made it difficult for her to know how much water the eatery was using.
“We were getting billed for the doctor’s office water and they were getting bills for our water, so we thought our water usage was much lower than it was.
“I think the septic was showing signs of too much water entering into it,” Hughes-Nelson said. “The need to reduce the amount of water going into it was a real one and I think we have done that.”
Ever optimistic, she was eager to make changes, but she said she also knew the coffee shop would be hardpressed to stay within 260 gallons a day.
“One of the things we looked at as a possible positive was that we hadn’t really focused on our water use before and we are always looking for ways that we can become greener,” she said. “I thought it was cool that we were motivated in new direction.”
All the building’s tenants have a maximum number of gallons of sewage that can be directed to the septic system, according to Milardo. Each of those businesses has a certain percentage of the maximum flow allowed, which depend on their use of the space, he said.
“An office uses much less than a doctor’s office, which uses much less than a restaurant,” Milardo said. Since the town’s sewage use is not metered, he said, a particular tenant’s water use is measured by the water meter.
“We reduced our water usage from a 10-year historical amount of approximately 850 gallons per day,” Hughes-Nelson said, adding that Perk had been operating for those 10 years without a water restriction.
Perk on Wheels, which operates out of the Durham space, was launched in 2014.
Hughes-Nelson said Perk’s aim is to “positively impact both our local and global community every day … by keeping its carbon footprint at a minimum.”
Some of the practices staff employ include “generating the same amount of garbage as an average single family home by using compostable and recyclable materials,” turning food waste into mulch, providing filtered water to decrease the need for bottled water, and encouraging customers to use travel mugs.
“The original intent was for a coffee shop and not a restaurant, but the menu hasn’t really changed over the years. We just got busier,” said Hughes-Nelson.
After speaking with Dinatale, she said staff began paying attention to their usage beginning Jan. 1. “It’s a lot to digest all at once,” Hughes-Nelson said.
Most recently, the lowest water meter reading was an average of 333 gallons per day, she said.
She and staff set about placing aerators on the faucets, composting more and beginning to use disposable cutlery and plates, which helped bring down the levels. Also, because Perk serves so many beverages, she said, a certain percentage of that water “goes out the door” and never reaches the sewer.
“We have probably 50 to 70 gallons a day that doesn’t end up in septic because we serve coffee… I thought that would be very fair to consider that, too.”
Milardo said sewage use is the responsibility of the landowner to monitor. “The health department will get involved when there’s a system that’s not operating correctly or not functioning,” he said.
Between the pumping company and the property owner monitoring the septic tank and grease trap, Milardo said, they may have seen need to pump more often if Perk was producing more gray water than anticipated.
“It’s not causing a public nuisance. However, the septic system may be overtaxed by the volume of effluent generated by Perk on Main,” Milardo said, adding that the health department is not “directly involved at this point.”
He acknowledged that finding another location for the restaurant “could be a bit of a challenge,” because the town is served by private sewage systems. Main Street is one of the few areas of Durham that are zoned for commercial enterprises.
Hughes-Nelson said she’s hopeful Perk will find another spot in town and she can work out an agreement with DiNatale that would allow Perk to stay a couple more years “so we’d be able to get our feet under us to build something or move somewhere and be in a better financial position to do so also.”
Meanwhile, she’s trying to look on the bright side.
“I’m really uncomfortable with finding myself in negative situations. If we do end up closing after 15 years in Durham, I really don’t want that to be a divisive thing.”
She said she does appreciate DiNatale offering her fledgling coffee shop its start in town. “It was a great big step for us. We really flourished here, grew our brand, and made lots of life-spanning relationships.
“Things have always worked out and I’m hopeful this will, too.”
For information, see perkonmain.com.