Council Appoints Daskaloudi to IDA

Last night, the Common Council appointed former Fifth Ward councilmember Vicky Daskaloudi as the community member on the Industrial Development Agency (IDA). The vote was 9 to 2, with Jason Foster (Third Ward) and Claire Cousin (Fifth Ward) being the only councilmembers to vote against the appointment. 

Although Mayor Joseph Ferris announced last Thursday, June 18, that Michael Chameides was withdrawing his name from consideration and hence he, Ferris, was withdrawing his recommendation, Foster asked before the vote what happened to Chameides. Council president Margaret Morris had to explain that Chaimeides had withdrawn from consideration.

It will be remembered that in March 2025, at the public hearing held by the IDA on the tax abatements sought by the Galvan Foundation for the building proposed for 75 North Seventh Street, a 75-unit building that would have been primarily market rate, Daskaloudi spoke out against granting a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes), citing longtime homeowners struggling to pay their property taxes and warning that granting a PILOT to a project that was primarily market rate would set a bad precedent. 

The IDA, of course, never got a chance to make a decision about the PILOT for 75 North Seventh Street. A few weeks later, in early May 2025, Galvan withdrew its application and announced the project had been put on pause "due to macroeconomic uncertainties." Two months after that, in early July 2025, Galvan announced it was giving most of its real estate holdings in Hudson to Bard College.

COPYRIGHT 2026 CAROLE OSTERINK

Election Results: Last Update for Now

The Times Union has declared Didi Barrett the winner, with 73.0 percent of the vote to Sam Hodge's 26.9 percent.

In Columbia County, the unofficial results are:

• Didi Barrett     2,881     75.62%
• Sam Hodge     925     24.28%
• Write-ins     4     .11%

The results for Third Ward Supervisor are:

• Sonya Okun     138     94.52%
• Lloyd Koedding     8     5.48% 

More Election Results

The Times Union is reporting that Didi Barrett is leading Sam Hodge by a significant margin:

Election Results So Far

Twenty minutes after the polls closed, here are the unofficial and partial election results:

Assemblymember for District 106

• Didi Barrett    1,104
• Sam Hodge   307 

Third Ward Supervisor

• Sonya Okun   58
• Lloyd Koedding   1

At this point, it appears the only vote Koedding received was his own. 

The Issue with Mill Street

The extension of the terms of the contract to sell two City-owned parcels to Kearney Realty & Development was a topic of discussion at tonight's Common Council meeting. Council president Margaret Morris read the amendment to the contract, which alters the deadline for closing on the sale from a fixed date to an open-ended one: thirty days after pending litigation is settled in a manner that would allow the sale to go forward. 

There was significant discussion about whether or not the mayor could amend the contract without the authorization of the Common Council. Before I could write a post about what happened, I received the following statement from Mayor Joseph Ferris:

In response to discussion about Kearney Group's contract with the City of Hudson at this evening's formal Common Council meeting, Mayor Ferris released the following statement:

The contract closing date was not extended. The amendment simply clarified the current state of the contract and provided the closing will occur pending the Court's Article 78 determination.

The City of Hudson cannot unilaterally cancel the contract. If we were to do so, Kearney Group would have a breach of contract claim against the City and could seek damages for the City's termination.

Corporation Counsel [City Attorney] advised me that since the City was already in contract with Kearney Group, is a named party in the Article 78 proceeding, and has a legal obligation to perform under the contract until such time as a Court rules otherwise, it was necessary to execute the amendment to maintain the status quo.

Much of this was discussed at a March 6 meeting attended by myself, Council President Morris, Mill Street petitioners, and the respective legal representatives.

The Council can debate prior resolutions of support but as this city's mayor, my responsibility is to protect the city and at this point in the Article 78 process, that means doing everything in my power to avoid unnecessary and expensive legal actions whose cost will be borne by the taxpayers.

Gossips' coverage of the discussion of this issue at the Common Council meeting will follow, although reporting on the outcome of today's primary election may take precedence. 

COPYRIGHT 2026 CAROLE OSTERINK

Interesting Revelation

The Register-Star just published a kind of midday check on today's primary election, visiting various polling places around the region. At St. Mary's Academy here in Hudson, where at 1:20 p.m. only 65 people had voted, the reporter, Spenser Walsh, ran into Lloyd Koedding, who is challenging Sonya Okun to be the Democratic candidate for Third Ward supervisor. Walsh reports the following about Koedding's reason for entering the race: 

Koedding said he chose this path to run for the supervisor role as a way of getting back at Michael Chameides, who was 3rd Ward Supervisor until the end of 2025. Koedding holds a grudge against Michael Chameides because his wife, Hudson Area Library director Emily Chameides, threw Koedding out of the library for failing to wear a mask during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, Koedding has begun to regret the revenge-focused nature of his candidacy.

Gossips will publish the results of the election as soon as they are available later tonight.

The Townhouses of HHA

Part of the Hudson Housing Authority's redevelopment plan is the construction of townhouses at the corner of Columbia and North Second streets, on a parcel of land they plan to acquire from Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency (HCDPA). The project--four attached three-story townhouses containing six dwelling units--requires multiple area variances, all of which are identified in the chart below.

HHA presented its application for variances to the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) on Wednesday, June 17. At that meeting, new elevation drawings of the block of buildings were presented. 

South elevation--Columbia Street

North elevation--Long Alley

West elevation--North Second Street

East elevation--adjacent to existing houses

This is the corner on which the proposed building will be situated.

HHA has not provided any renderings of what the proposed townhouses will look like in context, but for those able to visualize, immediately to the east of the proposed new building is this pair of two-story passive homes constructed by Habitat for Humanity in 2014, with side yard and front yard setbacks and some amount of usable open space.

The ZBA has scheduled a public hearing on the project for its July meeting, which is slated to take place on Wednesday, July 15.

COPYRIGHT 2026 CAROLE OSTERINK

Lining the Streets

At the Common Council Legal Committee meeting last Thursday, Councilmember Jason Foster (Third Ward) shared these photographs of accidents that have happened on Green Street--accidents involving drivers rear-ending parked cars. Foster presented the photographs as evidence that Green Street needed more striping. 

Green Street currently has yellow lines at the approaches to the intersection with Fairview Avenue, but for most of its length, Green Street was no center line or other lane markings.

Foster pointed out that federal regulations specify that streets with daily traffic of 6,000 vehicles or more must have center lines. The traffic on Green Street meets that threshold. In addition to center lines, Foster argued that Green Street needed white lines to demarcate the parking lane and prevent drivers from rear-ending parked cars. 

Somehow it doesn't seem likely a driver who fails to recognize that the car in front is not moving would notice a white line, but maybe it would help. Newer cars would likely beep to warn drivers they had strayed out of their lane.

COPYRIGHT 2026 CAROLE OSTERINK

News of Greenport

In 2018, ShopRite left its location on Healy Boulevard and moved mile farther north on Fairview Avenue to what had been the location of competing supermarket chain PriceChopper. Since then, the old ShopRite building and its vast parking lot have been vacant and fairly untended. 

Today Gossips learned from a post on Facebook that the former ShopRite location is to be auctioned next month, July 27-29. The starting bid is set at $750,000. To learn more about the auction, click here and here.

COPYRIGHT 2026 CAROLE OSTERINK

Update on Mill Street

At the informal Common Council meeting last Monday, Mill Street resident Jack Hornickel raised the issue of the sale of the Mill Street property to Kearney Realty & Development. He pointed out that according of the agreement of sale, which was approved by the Common Council in January 2023, the closing should have taken place by May 3, 2026, a date now past. Because the closing had not yet happened, the developer was now in default. 

Hornickel spoke of the two other properties the City had agreed to sell to Kearney in January 2023: a parcel on Rossman Avenue and the lot at the corner of State and Fourth streets. The plan for Rossman Avenue was abandoned early on because of problems with the site; there has been no progress on the project proposed for State and Fourth streets since March 2025. Hornickel told the Council, "If the developer is asking for an extension to pursue a closing on the Mill Street property, you should be aware that they are not fulfilling their other obligations under that contract." 

It is within the powers of the Common Council to deny an extension of the sale agreement, but Gossips has heard that Kearney may have already gotten an extension on the closing without the knowledge or authorization of the Common Council. How that came about is not known, nor is it known what may happen going forward.

Regarding the lawsuit filed last year, an interim decision was made on June 15 denying motions to dismiss brought by the City of Hudson, Kearney Realty & Development, and Hudson City School District. The legal action is moving forward. The respondents have until July 30 to submit "responsive papers."

COPYRIGHT 2026 CAROLE OSTERINK

Barges at the Dock

Yesterday's post about the barge extending beyond the dock and blocking the view from Rick's Point inspired a reader who kayaks on the river to submit this recent photograph of the barge that partially sank at the Colarusso dock last October. 

Eight months after the incident occurred, the partially sunken barge is still there, tied up to a tree on the shore.

To be reminded what T. J. Ruane, attorney for Colarusso, and JR Heffner, Colarusso's vice president for operations, had to say about the barge incident when questioned by Randall Martin at a Planning Board meeting last year, see this post: "About That Barge." 

COPYRIGHT 2026 CAROLE OSTERINK

Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead

Today marks the summer solstice--the first day of summer and the longest day of the year. As we move on into the lazy days of summer, here is what's happening.

• On Monday, June 22, the Public Works Board meets at 5:30 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Teams. Click here to join the meeting remotely.
• Tuesday, June 23, is the Primary Election. The polls are open from 6:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. The polling places in Hudson are (note that the polling place for the Fourth Ward is different from what it has been in the past):
• Wards 1, 2, and 3--St. Mary's Academy, 301 Allen Street
• Wards 4 and 5--Central Fire Station, 77 North Seventh Street

• On Tuesday, June 23, the Common Council Finance Committee meets at 5:15 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Teams. Click here to join the meeting remotely.
• At 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday, June 23, there is a public hearing on the resolution relating to the use of videoconferencing for public hearings. The hearing takes place in person and on Teams. Click here for the link to join the hearing remotely. 
• Also on Tuesday, June 23, the Common Council holds its regular monthly meeting at 6:oo p.m. An addition to the agenda since the informal meeting last week is a resolution authorizing a budget amendment to hire a second full-time code enforcement officer. It will be remembered that last September, when the Board of Estimate and Apportionment was crafting the 2026 budget, former code enforcement officer Craig Haigh requested a 40 percent increase in his department's budget. One of the reasons for the increase was to hire a second full-time code enforcement officer. The BEA denied the request, and Haigh resigned in January. Now the Council is being asked to approve a budget amendment to add a second code enforcement officer. The Council meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.

• On Thursday, June 25, Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency (HCDPA) meets at 6:00 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.

Update: The HCDPA meeting has been canceled.

• On Friday, June 26, the Historic Preservation Commission meets at 10:00 a.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person and on Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely. 

COPYRIGHT 2026 CAROLE OSTERINK

Sunday on the Waterfront: A Barge Too Far

During the interminable review of Colarusso's dock operations by the Planning Board, there was much talk about number of trucks and number of barges, but it seems the Planning Board never anticipated this.

Photo: Richard Wallace

A barge parked in such a way that it extends completely beyond the dock, encroaching on the park, blocking access to the slips, and obscuring the view of the river and the mountains from Rick's Point. 

COPYRIGHT 2026 CAROLE OSTERINK

News for R. B. Schlather Fans

Two years ago, at around this same time, Hudson Hall announced the second opera in its "Handel on the Hudson" series--Giulio Cesare, Handel's most popular opera. The opera, to be produced and directed by R. B. Schlather, would be performed at Hudson Hall in April 2025. The announcement was exciting news for those of us who had experienced Schlather's production of Handel's Rodelinda in 2023 and his production of Virgil Thomson and Gertrude Stein's opera about Susan B. Anthony, The Mother of Us All, in 2017. 

This past week, Hudson Hall announced that 2027 will bring R. B. Schlather productions of two works by Handel: Deidamia, Handel's final Italian opera, in the spring, and a staged production of the beloved oratorio Messiah in December. Both productions feature the early music ensemble Ruckus.

The following is quoted from the Hudson Hall announcement:

Composed in the same year, Messiah and Deidamia reveal the full range of Handel's legacy. Messiah is a cultural touchstone. Deidamia is one of Handel's best-kept secrets, rarely staged and hiding in plain sight. Presented together in the same year at Hudson Hall, they offer a rare opportunity to move beyond a composer's greatest hits and discover the deep cuts. With R. B. Schlather and Ruckus as expert guides, it promises to be an unforgettable adventure.

Tickets for Deidamia go on sale to Hudson Hall members in Fall 2026 and to the public in January 2027. Tickets for Messiah go on sale in Spring 2027.

Open Season on Alley Buildings

At its meeting last Friday, June 12, the Historic Preservation Commission formally voted on the certificate of appropriateness to demolish the carriage house/garage behind 30 Union Street and replace it with a new building which lacks the character of the original structure.

At that same meeting, the HPC heard a proposal to demolish a garage on Prison Alley, behind 222-224 Warren Street, to provide parking spaces for the tenants of the building in front.  

The owner of the building maintained the building was "ready to fall apart" and he had been advised by his insurance agent to demolish it. Nick Fox, code enforcement officer, said he had inspected the building and expressed the opinion that the building was not deteriorated beyond repair. After reviewing photographs provided by Fox, John Schobel, who as vice chair of the HPC was chairing the meeting, told the applicant, "It doesn't look as bad as you say it is."

It was suggested that the opinion of a structural engineer was needed. When the building's owner said that he was an engineer, HPC member Miranda Barry had to inform him, gently, that an opinion was needed from an unbiased engineer. 

The issue will be taken up again at the next meeting of the HPC, which is scheduled for Friday, June 26. That meeting may or may not include a public hearing on the demolition. Before Friday, Gossips will confirm if there is to be a public hearing or not.

COPYRIGHT 2026 CAROLE OSTERINK

Of Outdoor Classrooms and State Aid

The recently announced grant of $1.6 million for an outdoor classroom at Montgomery C. Smith Elementary School was a topic of conversation at the HCSD Board of Education meeting on Tuesday.

The topic of the outdoor classroom was introduced by Kjirsten Gustavson in her Facilities Committee report. This prompted Maureen Sheridan to make a statement. After offering profuse congratulations to the community members who spearheaded the project and expressing the hope that what she was about to say would not interfere or jeopardize the funding, Sheridan asked, "How is it that we are laying off staff, cutting programming, raising school taxes to close a multimillion dollar spending gap in part because the State of New York is not able to or willing to increase its aid allocation this year, but there's 1.6 million readily available and offered to a grassroots parent group for an outdoor project that just a week ago few people knew about?" In her subsequent comments, Sheridan said, "No one had any idea that this kind of money was going to be allocated to this project," noting that organizers had originally hoped to get just $100,000 or $200,000. Diana Howard concurred, saying that her first knowledge of the project was when she read about it in the Register-Star. Howard and Sheridan stressed the fact that the board knew nothing about this.  

Board president Mark DePace explained that the $1.6 million was coming from the Community Resiliency, Economic Sustainability, and Technology Program, for which more than $300 million had been earmarked specifically for capital projects. He told the board that he and interim superintendent Brian Bailey had used visit by Assemblymember Didi Barrett and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie to talk about the shortcomings of the state's Foundation Aid funding, explaining that "districts like Hudson, who have both extreme poverty and extreme wealth, are punished by the formula" used to calculate Foundation Aid.   

Bailey said the visit from Heastie was "an opportunity to tell how different Hudson was from all of the neighboring schools that people constantly compare us to . . . and it needs different care from our legislators." He said there were "good conversations that happened that hopefully will have a lasting impact."

The entire discussion can be heard here, from 33:30 to 46:40.

COPYRIGHT 2026 CAROLE OSTERINK

News from City Hall

Gossips just received this announcement from City Hall.

MAYOR WITHDRAWS IDA APPOINTMENT RECOMMENDATION

Last week, Mayor Ferris asked Michael Chameides to serve on the City of Hudson Industrial Development Agency, Chameides was glad to accept, eager to put his experience to work for Hudson's economic development. At the time, the Common Council had not yet moved to fill the vacant seat.

Since then, it has become clear that the Common Council intends to appoint one of its former members. That choice is theirs to make, and out of respect for it, Chameides is withdrawing his name from consideration.

Mayor Ferris said, "Michael Chameides and Vicky Daskaloudi are both committed public servants that Hudson is lucky to have call home. I have no doubt Michael will continue to help shape our community's future for the better moving forward. I am eager to work with Vicky on the IDA."

"I'm glad to have been considered by Mayor Ferris," said Michael Chameides. "I wish Vicky Daskaloudi well in the role."

Parking on Saturday

This Saturday is the Pride Parade. Its impact on traffic flow and parking in the city is significantly less extensive than that of the Flag Day Parade last Saturday, but there are still street closures and parking restrictions to be aware of. (Click on the image below to enlarge.)