About that $105,000 National Grid Bill

Last night, Gossips published the link to a Times Union article about the City's current predicament with National Grid, which is threatening to disconnect our streetlights if we don't pay $105,000: "Hudson upgraded its streetlights. Then it got a $105,000 National Grid bill."

After that article was published (and Gossips posted the link to it), Rob Perry, Superintendent of Public Works, issued this statement about what happened and how it happened. The statement is shared here with his permission.

Street Lighting (5182.46) is the budgetary account for the 891 streetlights in the city, and it averaged $200,000/year before 2024. There were annual fluctuations with the lowest being $188,288 in 2016 and the highest being $208,058 in 2022. These variations were purely a matter of energy cost and any other charges approved by the NYS Public Service Commission (PSC).

Within the annual bill was $8,000 per month for "equipment lease." That was a charge that National Grid assessed the City for every arm, pole and light fixture. While National Grid owned everything, they would change bulbs, migrate arms & fixtures from old poles to new poles and also reattach arms & fixtures to new poles if one was broken by nature or accident. $8,000 per month (or $96,000 per year) would never go away, unless the City agreed to acquire all the assets.

Although several acquisition discussions took place from 2017 to 2023 at DPW & Finance committees of the Council, at full Council, and with every mayor, nothing moved forward until the City contracted with an agency of the State, the New York Power Authority (NYPA). With the assistance of NYPA, the City was able to purchase the Street Light assets from National Grid in May 2024. After acquisition, NYPA presented a contractor, Guth DeConzo, to perform two tasks:

• Task 1: install DISCONNECTS between the light fixture and the power supply from the pole. A requirement from National Grid, and
• Task 2: remove every High Pressure Sodium (HPS) fixture and replace with energy efficient LED fixture with Smart Nodes.

Guth DeConzo began this work in July 2024 and completed their work in December 2024.

Even though the City legally took ownership of the assets in May 2024, we were billed for the lease of assets for months after assuming ownership. Eventually we began to receive credits to reimburse those overcharges in 2024. Our 2024 invoices = $128,533.

The next and last step was for Guth DeConzo to prepare a quantitative report that identified the old and new condition of each fixture. That is, they had to detail all 891 fixtures by what the previous light fixture was, AND what the new fixture is. And National Grid had to amend their billing to represent the delta between old and new. Did this take 18 months from the date of transfer? Yes. But Guth DeConzo had to actually perform the work first (6 months), then audit and certify and submit. Then National Grid had to audit and certify, internally.

In the meantime, whatever happens in the nebulous realm of National Grid . . . invoices were generated, credits were issued and according to Grid . . . replacement invoices were sent, but none received.

The City and its leadership were well aware that our annual costs for street lighting would decrease at the close of this project. We knew the "lease price" would no longer apply. And we knew our energy costs would decrease as the average light was 150 watt HPS and was replaced by a 75 watt LED. What those exact numbers would be was a factor of National Grid rates that are approved by the PSC.

Meanwhile, we continued to receive energy bills for streetlights in 2025. Some had high balances and some had high credits. The City paid EXACTLY what balance was due. For 2025 that was just over $15,000. Was this amount reasonable? No. But we aren't in the habit of overpaying bills because we think it's too low. We wait for the vendor to correct their error.

The DPW 2026 Budget request for streetlights was $120,000. BEA [Board of Estimate and Apportionment] conversations are unknown to me, but at some point the budget was reduced to $30,000.

The resolution before the Council this month uses surplus funds in twelve (12) individual accounts to cover what is outstanding for 2025 charges. It also used Fund Balance to make the 2026 streetlight account "whole" for what we now believe are actual costs.

The resolution Perry references can be found here.

Celebrating Ellen Thurston

Ellen Thurston, one of Hudson's great treasures, died in early January. On Saturday, May 9, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., at the Hudson Opera House, there will be a celebration of her life.

All who knew and loved Ellen are welcome to attend. For more information about the event, click here.

Money Woes Everywhere

It's curious that the residents of Hudson are hearing about this first from the Times Union, but so it goes. The City owes National Grid $105,000: "Hudson upgraded its streetlights. Then got a $105,000 National Grid bill." This is the first paragraph of the article:

Earlier this month, National Grid sent the city of Hudson a notice threatening to disconnect its 891 streetlights, along with a bill for $105,000 in unpaid electricity costs dating back at least a year.

According to the Department of Public Works, National Grid had not been billing regularly for streetlight electricity since the City began upgrading to LED bulbs in 2024. According to National Grid, the City and its contractor failed to submit updated wattage readings in a timely manner. No explanation is given for why no one seemed to notice that the electricity bills were unusually low.

There is, however, a plan to pay the unexpected bill for $105,000 and keep the streetlights on.

[Mayor Joe] Ferris said Hudson will pay most of the outstanding amount using unspent funds from 2025 budget lines. The remainder will be covered by a proposed 2026 budget amendment. City officials officials hope to move money from 12 different municipal accounts to cover the cost, according to a copy of the proposal.

The resolution transferring unspent funds from various accounts and $75,000 from the General Fund can be viewed here. The resolution is on the agenda for Monday's informal meeting of the Common Council.

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Who Is Getting the Money?

Yesterday, the Common Council Finance Committee met to decide how to divvy up the $30,000 allocated to support "events, event series, or other tourism-related initiatives." The Finance Committee has four members--Rich Volo, Lola Roberts, Mohammed Rony, and Margaret Morris--but only two--Volo and Morris--showed up for the meeting. In about half an hour, they made decisions about awarding $23,500. 

• $2,000 to Bindlestiff Family Cirkus/Bindlestiff Cirkus Afterschool for its annual summer artist-in-residence program
• $1,000 to FASNY Museum of Firefighting for its annual Dalmatian Day
• $3,000 to OutHudson for the Pride Parade
• $1,000 to Hudson Family Reunion
• $1,000 to Hudson Area Library History Room to design and print Hudson Whaling & Maritime Commerce Walking Tour brochures
• $5,000 for Hudson Flag Day Parade and Festival 
• $1,000 to Who Be We! for Juneteenth programing
• $3,000 to Hudson Sloop Club for Waterfront Wednesdays
• $5,000 to Hudson Hall for the Hudson Jazz Festival
• $1,500 to Hudson Film Festival

Decisions were not made on funding requests from Hudson Open Studios and the Hudson Mile. Regarding the former, it was not clear if the event would meet the requirement for ADA compliance. The organizers of the Hudson Mile were asked to reschedule the event in the morning so it would not interfere with business of Warren Street, but so far they have not agreed to do that. Rich Volo suggested the leftover money--$6,500 at this point--could be redirected to the Police Department and the Department of Public Works to help defray the cost to these departments of some of the events, particularly Flag Day and the Pride Parade.

Henry Hudson Riverfront Park the morning after Flag Day

The spreadsheet containing all the information about the projects that applied for funding can be found under Documents on the Finance Committee page of the City of Hudson website.

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More About the HCSD Budget Crisis

Roger Hannigan Gilson reports on Tuesday's school board meeting in the Times Union: "Hudson school board balks at cutting 33 positions to fill budget gap." Just to review: Even if taxes were raised by 5.8 percent, the maximum allowed, and the maximum allowable amount to were taken from the fund balance, the district would still be $2.58 million short in meeting its proposed budget for 2026-2027. 

The following, quoted from Gilson's report, is of interest to those who pay property taxes in the Hudson City School District:

The school board also asked about overriding the tax cap. That would require 60% approval from voters, as opposed to the simple majority that suffices when the budget does not go above the tax cap.

According to a state law, if the budget does not pass after two votes, New York state would step in and prepare a contingency budget under which many new costs are prohibited, including equipment purchases, salary increases for non-union employees and new capital projects. A contingency budget would have deeper cuts than the district's proposal, Bailey said.

"A contingency budget would be a disaster, that's safe to say," school board President Mark DePace said.

Where are Ben Wyatt and Chris Traeger when you need them? 

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Another Sidewalk-Related Issue

Sidewalks have been a topic of discussion in Hudson for years. In all discussions of sidewalks, many of which are admittedly in bad shape and unsafe, not just safety but also uniformity have been put forward as goals to be achieved. Back in September 2018, Rob Perry, Superintendent of Public Works, pointed out a problem with the quest for uniformity. At a meeting of the then Public Works and Parks Committee, he showed pictures of some of the most handsome sidewalks in Hudson--sidewalks that had one thing in common: they are not in compliance with city code.

Insistence on uniformity would also eliminate the many bluestone sidewalks that have survived for more than 150 years in the city.

At the meeting of the Common Council Code and Infrastructure Committee this week, Perry brought up another issue that makes uniformity problematic. The city code is inconsistent when it comes to the required width of the sidewalks. In one place, the code indicates sidewalks must be 4 feet wide; in other, it specifies 5 feet. The committee seemed interested in eliminating the inconsistency, but how might they do that? 

In the oldest parts of the city, the position of the houses in relation to the street would make a 5-foot width requirement challenging, and it would eliminate altogether creating wells for street trees on these blocks.

UPDATE: After this post was published, Public Works Superintendent Rob Perry contacted Gossips to explain that, after the committee meeting in September 2018, Jeff Baker, who was the city attorney at the time, recommended that the Council amend the code to allow for sidewalks of nonstandard materials. Subsequently, the clause "unless permission in writing is granted by the Commissioner of Public Works" was added to Chapter 266-2 C (3) of the city code:

No material other than the mix above specified shall hereafter be used for the construction or reconstruction or repair of sidewalks in the City of Hudson, unless permission in writing is granted by the Commissioner of Public Works. 

One hopes the current Commissioner of Public Works, Tyler Kritzman, who sits on the Public Works Board, as well as our new Code Enforcement Officer Nick Fox are aware of this clause. 

At a recent Historic Preservation Commission meeting, Matt McGhee brought up the historic brick sidewalk on South First Street, running along the west side of the street from Union Street to Cherry Alley. The proposed demolition and replacement of the garage behind 30 Union Street is currently being reviewed by the HPC, and McGhee expressed concern that the sidewalk in front of the proposed new building be repaired and preserved.

Responding to McGhee's concerns, someone pointed out that the sidewalk was not in compliance with code, seemingly dismissing the notion that the sidewalk should or could be preserved. Actually, given the clause in the code, it does not seem the case that all nonconforming sidewalks need to be replaced so long as they are or can be restored to be ADA compliant.

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Happening This Saturday

The Hudson Farmers' Market returns to its outdoor location at Sixth and Columbia streets this Satuurday. In preparation for that, the Department of Public Works has painted the carrots on the street, marking the way to the market.

Photo: Hudson Farmers' Market | Facebook

The carrots are a tradition almost as old as the market itself. An allusion to the old carrot and stick metaphor, the carrots, meant to entice and guide people to the Hudson Farmers' Market, were the brainchild of my dear departed friend Norman Posner.

Norman Posner

With Milt Meisner, Posner established the market in 1997 to support small farms and start-ups that had no other outlets to sell their produce. The carrot idea came a year or so after HFM got started, and DPW has been faithfully painting the bright orange root vegetables on the pavement every year since, in preparation for the market's spring return to its outdoor location.

This year, the opening of the outdoor market coincides with the second anniversary of Posner's death on April 18, 2024.

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News from the Planning Board

Last night, the Planning Board began its task as lead agency in the SEQR (State Environmental Quality Review) process for the proposed Hudson Housing Authority redevelopment project by considering the eighteen questions in Part 2 of the Full Environmental Assessment Form (FEAF). That whole discussion can be viewed here, beginning at 46:17.

Beginning the SEQR process was the first of several steps outlined by Planning Board chair Ron Bogle. The next will be a design review, then an engineering review, then a public hearing, and finally board action. In preparation for the design review, which is expected to begin at the May meeting of the Planning Board, Bogle explained that the architect, Quncie Williams of Alexander Gorlin Architects, was unclear about what information the board was seeking. It will be recalled that at the March meeting of the Planning Board, when Peter Spear asked for renderings that were closer to reality, and Bogle asked if the renderings were "conceptual illustrations, or do they really reflect what is currently planned to be built?" (the renderings have been around since the fall of 2024), Williams responded, "Architects deal with intent. . . . My intent is to have this built as it's shown." 

Williams (left) at the March meeting of the Planning Board with one of the two renderings

To assist Williams in understanding the Planning Board's expectations and concerns regarding the design, Bogle said the board was submitting a set of questions about the design. Those questions--more areas of concern than questions--can be found here. Several of them address issues of context and compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood. One in particular asks: "Stepping back, please describe how the project as a whole fits within its context."

Similarly, questions 17 and 18 in Part 2 of the FEAF address, respectively, "Consistency with Community Plans" and "Consistency with Community Character." When they got to the latter question, Bogle asked if "community character" referred to "the immediate neighborhood, or is it something beyond?" Planning Board member Veronica Concra responded, "If it's already existing, how could it inconsistent? I don't understand. It's the exact same thing, just newer and safer." 

Bogle went on to say, "I think based on what we know right now, we'll know more at the next meeting when we have our design review, but directionally it feels like they are representing what they believe is consistent with the neighborhood."

Sara Black, recently appointed to the board and previously on the HHA board, agreed with Concra that what was being proposed could not possibly be inconsistent. She added, "Compared to Schuyler Court and the townhouses . . . I don't have an architectural problem with the community character."

It's worth pointing out that Concra and Black live in parts of the city that are far away from the HHA site, about as far away as you can get in a city that's only a little more than two square miles. Peter Spear, who lives only a block or so away, offered this opinion: "I think there's legitimate questions about the scale and the degree to which it fits with the scale of the neighborhood that it's in."

When Black made a comment about the proposed project being totally consistent with the urban renewal neighborhood in which is was located, Spear responded, "This is where things get complicated, because the comprehensive plan requires that we repair the harms of urban renewal and that repairing the harms of urban renewal in the built environment orients the design toward the historic character of the neighborhood."

The review of the proposed design is expected to happen at the May meeting of the Planning Board, which is currently scheduled to take place on May 12. 

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Cutting the HCSD Budget

At last night's meeting of the Hudson City School District Board of Education, interim superintendent Brian Bailey presented some ideas for cutting the budget proposed for 2026-2027 school year. Earlier this evening, the Register-Star published this report on the meeting: "Hudson schools proposed budget cuts 33 positions." According to the article, the positions are: "one central office administrative position, one building administration position, 14 classroom teacher or student support positions, 15 aides, one clerical role and one custodian position for a savings of more than $2.4 million." Other possible cuts were mentioned in the article as well.

To review, the proposed budget for 2026-2027, before any cuts, is $63.1 million--$4.6 million more than the budget for the current school year. Even if taxes are increased by 5.8 percent--the maximum allowable--and maximum allowable amount is taken from the unassigned fund balance, the district would still be $2.58 million short if no cuts are made to the budget.

The video of the school board meeting can be viewed here.

Of Interest

Today on imby.com, the following was announced: "Bard College Completes Its Landmark Endowment Challenge." 

Photo: Peter Aaron

The challenge was to match a $500 million commitment from George Soros made in 2021 by raising an additional $500 million from other donors. The $500 million match is made up in part by the gift from the Galvan Foundation of most of its vast inventory properties here in Hudson.

Meeting Reminder

The Hudson City School District Board of Education holds a Community Budget Workshop tonight at 6:00 p.m. in the library at Hudson High School. The proposed budget for the 2026-2027 school year is now $63.1 million--$4.6 million more than the budget for the current school year. To quote an article by Roger Hannigan Gilson in the Times Union: 

Even if the school board were to approve a budget that would raise taxes by the maximum allowable this year--5.8 percent--and spend the maximum allowable amount of the unassigned fund balance, the district would be $2.58 million short. . . .

BOE president Mark DePace has asked the district to cut $2.5 to $4.5 million from the proposed budget. It will be interesting to see what cuts will be proposed. 

The meeting takes place in person in the library at Hudson High School and will be livestreamed on YouTube.

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A Little History of Freedom of the Press

This story appeared today in the New York Times: "Judge Dismisses Trump's Suit Against the Wall Street Journal." The following is quoted from that article:

A federal judge on Monday dismissed President Trump's $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the publisher of The Wall Street Journal over its report of his lewd birthday greeting to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Judge Darrin Gayles in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida said in his decision that Mr. Trump had not "plausibly alleged" that The Journal published the article with "actual malice," a legal standard meaning that it knew what it was publishing was false or had acted with reckless disregard as to its accuracy.

In the evolution of the laws that protect freedom of the press in this country, there have been many significant milestones. One of them, as has oft been recounted on Gossips, has a Hudson connection. 

In 1803, Harry Croswell, who, under the nom de plume Robert Rusticoat, wrote and published a newspaper here in Hudson called The Wasp, was indicted for "seditious libel" for reporting that Thomas Jefferson had paid a Washington newspaper publisher to run articles in his paper that were hostile to Jefferson's political opponents. At Croswell's trial here in Columbia County, a request to introduce the truth of the story as a defense was denied, and Croswell was found guilty. Croswell appealed the decision, and in his second trial, in New York Supreme Court, he was represented by Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton argued that the press had the right to print the truth, "with good motives or for justifiable ends," even of the truth reflected badly on "the government, magistracy or individuals." In 1805, Hamilton's argument that reporting the truth is not libel was incorporated into law.

An even earlier event in the history of freedom of the press in America is the trial of John Peter Zenger. In 1735, Zenger was tried for libel after he published opinions critical of the colonial governor, William Cosby, in his newspaper, the New York Weekly Journal.  

On Wednesday, April 15, Zenger's trial, in which he was acquitted, will be reenacted at the James T. Foley U.S. Courthouse in Albany. The reenactment begins at 5:30 p.m. The courthouse is located at 445 Broadway. For more information, click here.

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Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead

Warm days with temperatures rising into the 70s are expected in the week ahead. The water will be turned back on at the Hudson Dog Park. And here's what else is happening.

• On Monday, April 13, the Common Council Code and Infrastructure Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. On the agenda for the meeting, in addition to the monthly report from Department of Public Works superintendent Rob Perry, is a proposal from LaBella Associates for "preliminary investigations and concept development" for what is being called "Priority Pedestrian Safety Improvements in the City of Hudson"--pursuing Mayor Joe Ferris's oft-stated goal of improving pedestrian safety and walkability in Hudson. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Teams. Click here to join the meeting remotely.

• On Tuesday, April 14, the Hudson City School District Board of Education holds a Community Budget Workshop at 6:00 p.m. It will be interesting to see if the district has managed to cut $2.5 to $4.5 million from the budget proposed for 2026-2027, as BOE chair Mark DePace requested. The meeting takes place in person in the library at Hudson High School and will be livestreamed on YouTube.
• Also on Tuesday, April 14, the Planning Board meets at 6:00 p.m. The agenda for the meeting, which can be found here, includes public hearings on the plans to build an addition to accommodate an elevator and make interior renovations to the building once known as Helsinki Hudson and to adapt the interior of the houses at 14 and 16 North Fourth Street as hotel rooms, to be part of Hudson Public Hotel. 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.   

• Wednesday, April 15, is the deadline for filing income tax returns.
• Also on Wednesday, April 15, the Hudson Housing Authority Board of Commissioners meets at 6:00 p.m. As always, the meeting offers a chance to learn about HHA's redevelopment plans, and this time we may also learn if Mayor Joe Ferris has appointed someone to replace Sara Black on the HHA board. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person in the Community Room at Bliss Towers and on Zoom. Click here to join the meeting remotely.  

• At the very same time on Wednesday, April 15, the Zoning Board of Appeals holds its monthly meeting. On the agenda for the meeting are the area variances needed to construct a new house and carriage house on the site of the current house and outbuildings at 309-311 Union Street, which are being demolished. The meeting takes place in person only at City Hall.

• On Thursday, April 16, the Common Council Finance Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. This is the meeting at which the Finance Committee will divvy up the $30,000 allocated in the 2026 city budget to support "events, event series, or other tourism-related initiatives." There is still time to submit an application. The committee will be accepting them until 4:00 p.m. on April 16, just an hour and a half before the meeting begins. Click here to submit an application. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Teams. Click here to join the meeting remotely.

• On Saturday, April 18, Return Brewing hosts its 1st Annual Hudson Neighborhood 5K in support of Greater Hudson Promise Neighborhood. The event starts at 10:00 a.m. at Return Brewing, 725 State Street. The 5K race goes from Return Brewing to the waterfront and back again, where it finishes in the taproom with celebrating and music. For more information and to register for the race, click here.

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Restoring What Was

At the Historic Preservation Commission on Friday, plans for the rehabbing of 345 Union Street, which once served as the lobby for the Union Street Guest House compound, were presented for review. A welcome part of that proposal is making the window on the second floor, over the door, the same size as the other windows on the facade.

Scrutiny of the picture above suggests there is ample physical evidence that the window opening was once the same size as the others, but there are also these pictures, found on PhotobyGibson.com, which show the building in January 1977, after the building had been damaged by fire.

PhotobyGibson.com

PhotobyGibson.com

The pictures show, too, that the windows were originally taller than they are now. It appears the sills were raised at some point, probably to make the openings a standard size for the replacement windows that were installed after the fire. 

The pictures also provide the answer to the mystery of this strange feature on the facade.

In 1977, it was an opening for an air conditioning unit.

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