Through generous funding from The Cogswell Benevolent Trust, Mayhew will soon be able to add much needed additional bathroom facilities to the island in the form of two new Clivus composting toilet systems.
Why are these new facilities important for Mayhew Island?
Each summer Mayhew welcomes 84 10-12-year-old boys to the island and over 30 staff for our rigorous residential summer program. These two new systems will be added to locations on the island that currently don’t have bathroom facilities nearby to better serve the summer staff and boys. One system will be sited adjacent to staff housing and the second will be on the south end of the island, near the athletic field and swim area. We are especially excited about this important second location. Currently there are no facilities on the south end of the island, and it’s a 10-15 minute walk to the existing bathrooms. Given Mayhew’s 60-minute-long activity periods, a boy and accompanying staff member trekking back and forth for a bathroom break lose half of the activity period. We enthusiastically believe these two new systems will better support our current programming needs, while also preparing Mayhew for future program growth or change.
What is so exciting about a Clivus composting toilet?
Mayhew installed its first Clivus system on the island in 2001 – over 20 years ago! – and it has proved to be reliable and simple to maintain. The Clivus system is a self-contained, waterless, odorless toilet treatment system. It uses no chemicals, heat, or water, and has no polluting discharge. It can handle volume, save up to 60,000 liters of water per year, and costs much less than regular treatment systems. As a program, Mayhew wants to be good stewards of the island and of Newfound Lake, and this toilet system helps us achieve that goal.
When will these new toilets be installed?
We hope to begin construction in Spring 2024 to have the new toilet systems installed and ready to go before the summer session gets underway. Stay tuned for project updates!
Mayhew maintenance staff Jim and Keith inspect the current Clivus system and discuss plans for the new system with the Clivus representative.
Update 12/13/23: The Clivus toilet systems have arrived at Mayhew! Operations Director Ed Thompson organized the unloading with Grayson, Jim O., and Mayhew friend Rich. The systems will be stored for winter until construction begins in the spring!
Thank you to The Cogswell Benevolent Trust for their strong support of Mayhew and for making this project possible!