For the safety of bikers participating in the Bike Rodeo tomorrow [Thursday, July 9], Glenwood Blvd will be closed between Parkwood Blvd and the entrance to Oakdale between 4:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Please plan accordingly. Please spread the word and if you're free tomorrow evening, stop over!
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| Photo: The Humane Society of the United States |
Friends of the Public Square (FOPS) and the City of Hudson are pleased to announce that new bids are being solicited for the first stage of renovating the Seventh Street Park. The revised bid documents, prepared by Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects & Planners, cover improvements that will cost around the $1 million in funds that FOPS has raised to date.
Requests for Information will be due on July 31, and bids will be due on August 11, 2026. A committee that includes New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) and Hudson Mayor Joe Ferris will select the winning bidder in August.
Once a bid is accepted, groundbreaking in the park can happen in Fall 2026. FOPS co-chair Katherine Kanaga said, “We are thrilled that we now have the pieces in place to break ground this year. Hudson, more than ever, deserves a beautiful oasis in the heart of its business district.”
The $1 million to pay for this first phase comes from a $500,000 matching grant OPRHP and grants from Spark of Hudson and grants initiated by Assembly Member Didi Barrett and Senator Michelle Hinchey. It does not include a federal grant of $250,000 obtained for the park by Representative Josh Riley. This additional funding, once it is received, will be used for a new fountain at the square’s center.
"Hudson's original gathering place is one step closer to once again becoming a public space for everyone," said Hudson Mayor Joseph Ferris. "The release of the construction bid for phase one of restoration work for the Seventh Street Park means shovels will soon be in the ground. This will bring an expanded plaza, new open seating area and lighting, restored pathways and a new location for the veterans memorial that provides it the greater place of prominence it deserves. Today's milestone is the result of a true team effort. Representative Josh Riley, State Senator Michelle Hinchey, Assembly Member Didi Barrett and their offices have done incredible work securing crucial grant funding. New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation have been an essential partner in this project as have the community partners who have provided generous support. And none of this would have been possible without the tireless work and unflagging commitment shown by the Friends of the Public Square team."
On the first weekend of August, the Hudson Film Festival returns for its fourth season of showcasing diverse and award-winning films. The 2026 lineup expands programming for youth education, short films, events, and special presentations, with a total of twenty-five films and a presentation of preserved video art from XFR Collective's "Monday/Wednesday/Friday" archival tape collection (1980-1985). The festival returns to venue partners Hudson Hall, Time & Space Limited, Basilica Hudson, and The Spark of Hudson, along with screening technical partner Story Screen. In 2026, there are also new venue partners: Community Theater and Avalon Lounge in Catskill.
Clearwater was removed from the Sail4th 250 Parade of Sail by the USCG and escorted out of the Exclusion Zone by the US Coast Guard, US Navy, and NYPD.
Captain Rory Kane inquired why, and was informed the removal was due to the presence of banners reading: "Save the Clean Water Act" and "Indigenous Rights, Racial Justice, Climate Solutions."
A representative from Sail4th 250 informed the Captain the decision was "above them."
The sloop has a long and storied history of using the mains'l to share messages of hope and advocacy.
The Clearwater will continue sailing south of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge until 3 p.m. and has 29 passengers and 19 crew aboard. . . .
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| Photo: Occupy Demorcrats | Facebook |
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| Photo from Anthony Garand vid Unsplash |
The Hudson Catskill Housing Coalition (HCHC) is calling for immediate action after learning that Richardson Hall, a Galvan/Bard housing project in Philmont long known as senior housing, has been evacuated.
Residents, many of whom are seniors and people with disabilities, have now been placed at the Churchtown Firehouse. For years, residents have complained about conditions at Richardson Hall, just as many tenants across Columbia County have complained about having to rent from Galvan-controlled housing.
This crisis did not happen overnight. The evacuation of Richardson Hall raises serious questions about Galvan's responsibility, but it also raises questions about Columbia County's role, oversight, and absence when it comes to housing.
"Residents should not have to wait until a building is evacuated before their complaints are taken seriously," said Shirle Cross, Co-Founder and Board Chair of HCHC. "These are seniors and people with disabilities. They deserved safe, stable, accessible housing long before they were forced into an emergency shelter situation."
HCHC has attempted to reach out to Galvan regarding these concerns. We have also regularly asked our state partners to hold a public town hall meeting with the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) so tenants and community members can speak directly about unsafe housing, tenant protections, housing discrimination, and the lack of accountability in Columbia County.
The evacuation of Richardson Hall shows exactly why that kind of public meeting is urgently needed.
"We need more than private conversations and closed-door decisions," said Shirle Cross. "Residents deserve answers. The public deserves answers. Galvan must be held accountable, and Columbia County must explain where it has been."
HCHC is calling on the Columbia County Board of Supervisors, state officials, federal officils, and housing agencies to act immediately.
We are demanding:
Columbia County cannot continue to be absent when it comes to housing, especially when seniors, people with disabilities, low-income tenants, and other vulnerable residents are the ones being harmed.
From an HCHC lens, housing is not just about buildings. Housing is about health, safety, dignity, civil rights, and whether people can remain in their communities without being ignored or pushed aside.
"The County must stop acting like housing is someone else's problem," said Shirle Cross. "When seniors and people with disabilities end up in a firehouse because their building has been evacuated, that is not only a landlord problem. That is a public failure."
HCHC stands with the residents of Richardson Hall and calls for immediate action, public accountability, and long-term housing solutions rooted in fairness, safety, and dignity.
All City offices will be closed Friday, July 3rd, in observance of Independence Day. We wish you a very happy and safe holiday weekend!
