News of Pocketbook Hudson

On Tuesday, the Common Council approved the lease agreement between the City of Hudson and Pocketbook Hudson which, for an annual fee of $18,000, gives PBH the use of 10,458 square feet, the space needed for 34 parking spaces, in the vacant lot across Washington Street from Central Fire Station. Perhaps this will alleviate some of the issues arising from patrons of Pocketbook Hudson Hotel and Baths taking up onstreet parking spaces in the immediate neighborhood typically available to residents. 

In its continuing effort to be good neighbors and a vital part of the community, Pocketbook Hudson announced yesterday on Instagram "Luncheonette: A Free Community Meal," to take place on June 15, beginning at 1:00 p.m.

The event, which is to happen every month, is described in this way:

A community gathering that brings people together over a nourishing free lunch. Each month, Lunchbar Project crafts meals rooted in the seasonality of local farm purveyors, using organic, high quality, whole ingredients to create healthy, nutritious, beautiful, and accessible food for everyone. Share a meal, connect, and indulge in conversation.

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Not Yet Done with the Dunn

Spenser Walsh reports on Tuesday's contentious meeting of the Hudson Development Corporation, during which Mayor Joe Ferris, who serves on the HDC Board ex officio, accused HDC officers Chris Jones and Nick Haddad of "blindsiding" him at the Common Council's informal meeting on May 18: "Ferris urges HDC to stay on 'sidelines' in Dunn deal."

At Tuesday's HDC meeting, Ferris suggested the incident at the Council meeting had been a "setup" because Council president Margaret Morris had violated Council rules by allowing Jones and Haddad to speak before the public comment period on the agenda. Jones denied that this was the case. Haddad reminded Ferris that they had expressed their concerns about the sale to him two months ago. Ferris is quoted in the article as saying, "If this falls through, HDC better be willing to buy the building, because it will have been the efforts of HDC leadership that have helped end this process."

This isn't the first time an elected official serving ex officio on its board has locked horns with HDC. In 2018, then Council president Tom DePietro expressed that opinion that HDC was "a quasi-agency that is outdated and should probably no longer exist" and asked the city attorney to "look into how does one get rid of an LDC [local development corporation]."

But help is on the way to bring this Dunn dilemma to a satisfactory end. Lloyd Koedding, now identifying himself as the "Savior of the Tree of Peace," has announced, at several public meetings in the past week, that he is actively working on an amazing plan for the Dunn warehouse, which he proposes should be called by its original name, "Boston Hudson Railroad Shop," a plan he predicts will "put Hudson on the map big time."

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Happening Tonight

Tonight, Wednesday, May 27, there is a community town hall about the downsizing of Columbia Memorial Hospital. The event takes place from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the theater at Time & Space Limited (TSL), 434 Columbia Street in Hudson.

Community residents, frontline hospital workers represented by 1199SEIU, and elected officials including State Senator Michelle Hinchey, Assemblymember Didi Barrett, and Mayor Joseph Ferris will gather to speak out against the proposal to slash inpatient beds at Columbia Memorial Hospital from more than 192 certified beds to just 25 in order to apply for Critical Access Hospital designation. Leaders and advocates warn the proposal could increase emergency room wait times, delay lifesaving care, strain EMS services, force more patients to Albany, and deepen transportation barriers for vulnerable residents. They maintain the plan prioritizes finances over community need and follows a decade of disinvestment at the hospital since its affiliation with Albany Med. 

At the town hall, organizers will present findings from a community "health equity impact assessment" informed by more than 400 surveys and in-depth interviews of residents, EMS workers, patients, and hospital staff.

Contradictions and lack of essential information plague the publicly available request for state approval submitted by CMH administrators last year. A heavily redacted version of their initial plan is available on Albany Med's website: https://digital.1199seiu.org/CMHcutsCON.

Addendum

The following was left out of this week's "Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead":

• On Thursday, May 28, Mayor Joe Ferris holds a town hall meeting for the First Ward at Christ Church Episcopal, 431 Union Street. Coinciding with a special Planning Board meeting devoted to the Hudson Housing Authority redevelopment plan, the town hall takes place from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.

Change of Leadership at CEDC

Last week, the imminent retirement of Mike Tucker as president and CEO of Columbia Economic Development Corporation (CEDC) was in the news. This week, CEDC revealed Tucker's successor. The following is the press release making the announcement:

The Board of Directors of the Columbia Economic Development Corporation (CEDE) is pleased to announce the appointment of Jonathan Spampinato as the organization's next President and Chief Executive Officer.

Spampinato brings more than 25 years of leadership experience spanning economic development, sustainability, strategic communications, public affairs, and organizational management across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. He will succeed longtime President and CEO F. Michael Tucker and will lead the organization's continued effort to strengthen Columbia County's economy, support local businesses, expand housing and workforce opportunities, and advance strategic development initiatives throughout the county. . . . 

Most recently, Spampinato served as Senior Manager of Global Sustainability for Wallenius Wilhelmsen, a publicly traded international shipping and logistics company, where he worked across global business units to integrate environmental, social, and governance practices into corporate strategy and operations. Prior to that, he held senior leadership roles with the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), the IKEA Foundation, and other organizations focused on communications, stakeholder engagement, and sustainable economic development.

Earlier in his career, Spampinato worked in Massachusetts state government, including positions with the Massachusetts Office of International Trade & Investment and the Office of Consumer Affairs & Business Regulation, where he developed experience in public policy, economic development, and regulatory affairs.

A resident of Hudson, Spampinato has also become deeply engaged in local civic and economic development efforts. He currently serves as Vice Chair of the Hudson Industrial Development Agency and is involved with several local nonprofit and community organizations, including the Columbia Memorial Health Foundation and Friends of Park Square [sic]. . . . [Gossips Note: That should be Friends of the Public Square (FOPS).]

In the coming months, Spampinato will work closely with CEDC staff, Board members, local governments, business leaders, nonprofit organizations, and regional partners to ensure a smooth leadership transition and maintain continuity across the organization's ongoing initiatives and programs. The transition process will prioritize collaboration, relationship-building, and continued progress on the organization's strategic priorities, while creating opportunities for community stakeholders to engage with the new President and CEO as he begins his tenure.

Spampinato will officially begin his role on June 15, 2026.

A Hundred Years Ago in Hudson

The following item, first published on May 26, 1926, appeared in the Times Union today.

Curious to know more about Emmanuel Volk, I checked the city directories, made available online by the History Room of the Hudson Area Library. Alas, the directories for the years immediately prior to 1926 only list an E. Volk at 14 South Front Street, an address that is now a vacant lot.

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Many thanks to Virginia Martin for bringing this to our attention.

Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead

Starting out with a holiday, this final week in May is a short one but possibly a consequential one when it comes to meetings. 

• On Tuesday, May 26, Hudson Development Corporation meets at 4:00 p.m. in the conference room at 1 North Front Street. This will be the first meeting since HDC's president and vice president, Chris Jones and Nick Haddad, appeared at the Common Council meeting to urge that the City not sell the Dunn warehouse, and it is likely that proposal and the response from Mayor Joe Ferris, who serves ex officio on the HDC board, will be a topic of discussion. The meeting can be joined remotely on Zoom. Click here for the link. 

• Also on Tuesday, May 26, 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.

UPDATE: The Finance Committee meeting has been canceled.

• At 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 26, the Common Council holds its regular monthly meeting. As Gossips has already reported, Ben Fain is expected to be at the meeting to speak about the proposed "Waterfront Village" and address concerns that have been raised by councilmembers. 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.

• On Wednesday, May 27, at 4:00 p.m., Mayor Joe Ferris is holding a public hearing on a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application the City of Hudson is proposing on behalf of Return Brewing LLC. The hearing will be a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Teams. Click here to join the hearing remotely.

• Also on Wednesday, May 27, 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.
• Thursday, May 28, is Grievance Day. From 3:30 until 8:00 p.m., members of the Board of Assessment Review (BAR) will be at the Central Fire Station, 77 North Seventh Street, to hear and examine all properly filed complaints about assessment of real property. For more information, click here.
• Also on Thursday, May 28, the 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.
• At approximately 6:45 p.m., on Thursday, May 28, or whenever the HCDPA meeting adjourns, the Planning Board holds a special meeting devoted to the Hudson Housing Authority's redevelopment plan. In particular, the meeting is meant to review the design of the proposed buildings. 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.

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It's Gonna Rain on Our Parade

Because this dismal rain is expected to continue tomorrow, the Memorial Day parade has been canceled. The following is the announcement just received from City Hall: 

Due to expected inclement weather, tomorrow morning's Memorial Day parade has been canceled. Everyone is invited to the Memorial Day Ceremony which will be held at St. Mary's Academy, 301 Allen Street. The event will start promptly at 10 a.m.

An Invitation to Make Your Voice Heard

Now that the school budget vote is behind us and the selection of a new superintendent of schools has not yet been made, it seems an appropriate time to share this information. 

Peter Meyer is working on story about the Hudson City School District for a national publication. Meyer is not only a journalist who writes about education, a former news editor for Life Magazine, and the author of numerous nonfiction books, he is also the father of an HCSD graduate (who went on to the University of Chicago), a former member of the HCSD Board of Education, and the creator of a successful student journalism program at HCSD which was discontinued in 2024 by former superintendent of schools Dr. Juliette Pennyman.

The story will be published sometime this summer. In the meantime, Meyer invites people who were engaged in the budget struggle or affected by it and/or are involved in some way in the selection of a new superintendent to respond to a survey he has created. The survey can be found here. Completed surveys should be returned to Meyer at the email address provided on the survey.

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The Problem with Renderings

Gossips has on a few occasions bemoaned the shortcomings of renderings of proposed projects. Renderings can be downright inaccurate, or, as is usually the case, they can make what is proposed look a whole lot better than the reality of the finished project. 

On May 12, the plans for the proposed "Waterfront Village" were presented to the Planning Board. Although the project will be completed in three phases, the entire project was presented to avoid the misfeasance of segmentation. All the drawings and renderings for the project that were submitted to the Planning Board can be found here. Gossips reproduced some of them here. One of the renderings also appeared in the Register-Star. Although the project is currently before the Planning Board, the renderings are being scrutinized and commented on in other public meetings.

At the Common Council Legal Committee meeting on May 14, when the committee was discussing the rezoning petition received regarding the project, Hudson resident Ronald Kopnicki made reference to the rendering shown below and cautioned the renderings were not to be trusted because the crane in the rendering does not appear to be where it currently is. 

At the informal meeting of the Common Council on May 18, when Council president Margaret Morris called for New Business, Councilmember Henry Haddad (First Ward) brought up the proposed Waterfront Village and mentioned in particular this rendering:

Haddad said the rendering "shows properties not owned by Ben Fain demolished and used as parking lots." He alleged that residents of Cross Street and Tanners Lane have been "muscled out." He also claimed that there were only three occupied houses left on Tanners Lane.

Gossips has learned that Ben Fain, who is proposing the project, will be at Tuesday's Common Council meeting to clarify the renderings and respond to concerns. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place at 6:00 p.m. in person at City Hall and on Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely. 

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Of Interest

The first item in the weekly catalog of happenings in Hudson on Trixie's List today is a review of an hour-long walking tour of Hudson offered by US Ghost Adventures: "Hudson Ghost Tour Adventure."   

Photo: Trixie's List

Trixie reports: "The tour guide started by explaining how Hudson is possessed by spirits who are unhappy and not at rest." That statement should surprise no one. There are many among the living in Hudson who could be described as "unhappy and not at rest."

More "Accidental Beauty" to Be Lost

Since January, the Historic Preservation Commission has been considering a proposal to demolish this historic accessory building at the corner of South First Street and Cherry Alley, behind 30 Union Street, and replace it with a new building.

The desire to eliminate this building, which was probably originally a carriage house, and replace it with something new has been shared by at least two owners of the property. As Gossips has recounted before, in 2017 the HPC received a proposal for a new building that was at least an attempt to replicate the character of the historic building, but that proposal was never pursued. 

Elevations for the 2017 proposal

In January, the HPC received a new proposal to demolish the building and construct something new. The renderings below show the building that was originally proposed.

The HPC was concerned about the height of the new building, the orientation of the roof with the gable on the narrow side, and the overall modern look of what was proposed. At one point in the review process, HPC chair Phil Forman and architect member Cara Cragan made a visit to the site to see if the existing building might not be salvaged. Members of the HPC were concerned about losing a building that had "enormous charm" and contributed to the character and unconventional beauty of Hudson's alleys. Sadly, the owner of the building considered it a "dilapidated eyesore," maintaining that it had no history and was "just a shack in the middle of town." 

At the May 8 meeting of the HPC, as an "homage to the original structure," it was agreed that a faux hayloft door would be added to the design, "to capture what would have been the vernacular of a horse barn." And so it was.

At its meeting this morning, the four members of the HPC present--Forman, Cragan, Jeremy Stynes, and Paul Barrett--agreed to grant a certificate of appropriateness to the proposed building with a faux hayloft door in the north gable. 

It should be noted that the height of the roof has changed since the building was first proposed, and the applicant has agreed to use real wood siding instead of Hardiplank.

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The Perils of Trucks in the City

It's been a while since the plight of an outsized vehicle straying onto Hudson's narrow streets has come to Gossips' attention, and I was beginning to think that somehow, miraculously, the drivers of such vehicles had learned the hazards of driving in Hudson. That fantasy was dispelled today. 

A reader sent me these pictures of a car hauler trying to execute a right turn from North Fifth Street onto Columbia Street. 

What a truck pulling an auto transport trailer was doing on North Fifth Street is anyone's guess.

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Considering the Dunn Warehouse . . . Again

Gossips began publishing in January 2010. In December 2010, Gossips posted its first report about a plan for the Dunn warehouse: "On the Waterfront." Everyone is encouraged to read this post from almost sixteen years, which describes a plan for the Dunn warehouse proposed by T. Eric Galloway, even before there was such a thing as the Galvan Foundation. 

The plan proposed by Galloway never happened, and since 2010, there have been a couple of different plans proposed for the adaptive reuse of the Dunn building. 

Last year. the City issued an RFP (request for proposals) for the sale of the building. A committee formed to review and evaluate the proposals received deemed two of them worthy of consideration: one from Ben Fain and Caitlin Baiada; the other from Hudson Brewing Company. In December 2025, the Common Council heard presentations on both proposals. This post reports what happened at the meeting: "Two Plans for the Dunn Warehouse." Again, it is recommended reading. It should be noted that, although the committee recommended the plan proposed by Hudson Brewing Company, the Common Council never actually made a choice.

At the informal Common Council meeting earlier this week, a resolution was introduced authorizing the mayor "to execute a real contract of property sale with Hudson Brewing Co., Inc." Details of the terms of the contract were revealed during the Council discussion. Hudson Brewing Company would pay $500,000 to the City for the property. If they failed to complete the stabilization of the building within one year of purchase, they would pay the City a penalty of $90,000. If they sold the building to another party within two years of acquisition, they would have to pay the City $90,000. Members of Council were not happy with the terms. They wanted to contract to specify that if the stabilization of the building were not completed within one year, the ownership of the building would revert back to the City, and in the case of a sale of the building, they wanted the City to have right of first refusal in perpetuity.

Chris Jones and Nick Haddad, president and vice president respectively of Hudson Development Corporation (HDC), appeared at the meeting to argue that the building, which Jones called "a major asset on the waterfront," should remain in City ownership and to offer HDC's assistance in stabilizing the building and developing it for future use. Jones spoke of the feasibility study done by Saratoga Associates in 2015 and the options for redevelopment proposed in that study, one of which was a combination of retail space and community space. The illustrations below are from Saratoga Associates study.

The discussion of the proposed contract and the presentation by HDC can be heard here, beginning at 1:17:45 and ending at 1:37:17.

This afternoon, Mayor Joe Ferris issued the following statement regarding the proposed sale and the Council's discussion of it at Monday's meeting:

At this week's informal Common Council meeting, the public was witness to the orchestrated takedown of a small business that wants to continue to grow in Hudson. The proposed half-million-dollar sale of the Dunn Warehouse to Hudson Brewing Company will bring much needed revenue to the City's fund balance, turn a liability into a property and sales tax generator, and give a local business the chance to build on their decade worth of success.

Instead of a good-faith discussion by the Council about ways to improve the draft contract between the City and HBC, this local business was described as "snake oil salesman" and Council Members trafficked in knowingly false information in an effort to persuade their colleagues to reject the sale outright.

Even worse was that two members of the Hudson Development Corporation's executive committee--a body charged with "strengthening the City of Hudson's tax base," "support[ing] and further[ing] the interest of city-based businesses," and "assist[ing] the . . . development of sites, buildings, infrastructure, programs. and events to facilitate business development and expansion"--did not come in support of the local business that employs a dozen of our neighbors.

They were there to swoop in at the 11th hour with grandiose promises backed by little more than suggestions that HDC might collaborate with the City on a new vision for Dunn predicated on a study and plan created more than a decade ago.

Elected officials and organizations in Hudson use up a lot of oxygen positioning themselves as advocates for supporting and growing local businesses. Anyone who watched Monday's Council meeting would conclude that it is nothing more than lip service.

To borrow a phrase from Council President Margaret Morris during that meeting, when one Council Member and a HDC executive committee member have a vested private interest in the waterfront, "it leaves me with more questions than answers" when it comes to the motivation for this last-minute interjection. An interjection about a building that during their presentation they acknowledged their decade-long failure to take action on.

It is imperative that the Common Council act in good faith, provide my office with feedback on the contract, and for the City to come to an agreement with Hudson Brewing Company that is a win for the entire community.

For what it's worth, Gossips has always believed that it would be a mistake to sell the Dunn building. The fault is with the previous administration, which, from all appearances, seemed to want to sell the building as a way to close a budget gap. It is exceedingly unfortunate that Hudson Brewing Company is now caught in the middle of this controversy.

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