What $315,000 Buys

Last month, Gossips reported the list sidewalks to be replaced this year using Sidewalk Improvement District funds. At last night's Public Works Board meeting, Tyler Kritzman, who chaired the meeting in the absence of Gary Purnhagen, presented a revised list.

• Third Street from Union to Partition streets, west side
• Fifth Street from Rope Alley to State Street, east side
• Fifth Street from State Street to Long Alley, both sides
• Fifth Street from Prison Alley to Warren Street, west side
• Fifth Street from Warren to Union streets, west side
• Sixth Street from State to Columbia streets, west side
• Sixth Street from State Street to Long Alley, east side
• Sixth Street from Rope Alley to State Street, west side

Kritzman also mentioned two alternate sites that will be added if the bids come in under budget.

• Fifth Street from Cherry Alley to Union Street, east side
• The 700 block of Warren Street, from 711 to 731

The meeting, which began at 5:30 p.m., was adjourned at 5:37. 

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Nothing Is Ever Easy

Tonight, it is expected that Friends of the Public Square (FOPS) will present an update on the proposed restoration of Seventh Street Park.

Yesterday evening, Brian Belt, who lives in Philmont and is the founder and director of ARTLife717, the Mental Health Awareness & Creative Arts Gallery at 717 Columbia Street, published an alternative vision for the park on Facebook, which he argues could "improve the square now--while preserving the trees, respecting its current users, adding the public restroom downtown needs and avoiding construction that is more extensive than necessary." Belt's post, which appeared on several different pages on Facebook, can be found here. Below are the visuals that accompanied it.

Belt is calling for "FOPS, Mayor Ferris, the Common Council and the Department of Public Works to meet publicly and compare the two approaches before a final construction contract is awarded."

It will be interesting to see if Belt appears at City Hall tonight to present his alternative vision to the Council.

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More Awnings Coming to Warren Street

Last month, when the proposal to install awnings on the buildings at Warren and North Fourth streets, in the process of becoming the Hudson Public Hotel, was presented to the Historic Preservation Commission, the HPC wanted to know how the building would look when the retractable awnings were extended.

Last Friday, Joshua Moon was back before the HPC with a rendering that showed just that.

 

HPC member John Schobel commented that the awnings diminished the ability to appreciate the architecture of the building because they covered the marble colonnade. Responding to Schobel's observation, Hugh Biber said, "That may be true, but there are a lot of other awnings on Warren Street."

Prior to last Friday's meeting, Paul Barrett, the historian member of the HPC, shared this historic photograph of the building, showing a canopy on the front of the building that extended over the sidewalk. The picture seemed to make the HPC more comfortable with the proposal for awnings that would project out over the sidewalk. 

When the vote was taken to grant a certificate of appropriateness, all but one of the members present (Biber, Phil Forman, Jeremy Stynes, Miranda Barry, Cara Cragan) voted in favor; Schobel abstained.

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Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead

It's the last week in July. We are now more or less midway between the summer solstice and the autumnal equinox. In this last week of July, there aren't too many meetings scheduled, but here is what's happening.  

• On Monday, July 27, the Public Works Board meets at 5:30 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at the City Hall and on Teams. Click here to join the meeting remotely.
• On Tuesday, July 28, 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.
• Also on Tuesday, July 28, the Common Council holds its regular monthly meeting at 6:00 p.m. Among other things that might happen at this meeting, it is expected that representatives of Friends of the Public Square (FOPS) will present an update on the restoration of Seventh Street Park. 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, July 29, Waterfront Wednesdays features Ruckus, the early music band known to Hudson from R. B. Schlather's productions of Rodelinda and Giulio Cesare at Hudson Hall. At the Waterfront Wednesdays event, they will be performing an Edinburgh Rollick, beginning at 6:00 p.m.

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Celebrating Trees

The loss of a tree in Washington Park yesterday inspires contemplation of trees and their value, both to the environment and to our overall well-being. Coincidentally, and also appropriately, next Saturday, August 1, is the opening of an exhibition of the work of Kim Bach at Cornell Cooperative Extension's Agroforestry Resource Center titled The Secret Life of Trees. 

Of the exhibition and trees, Bach made this statement:

I am obsessed with trees, the magic they create, the coolness they provide, the wonder they inspire. One of my earliest memories is of a tree next to a polo field in Lima, Peru. I sat for hours nestled in the branches of that tree, feeling safe and adventurous as I gazed quietly down on the world.

In the last nine years, I have walked the ancient Camino de Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage routes through Spain and Portugal. Each time, varying in length from 100 miles to 500 miles, the adventures have taken me through woods, meadows, forests, and streams in all kinds of weather. Sometimes, I walk alone, but at other times I get to share the awe of a moment with another. Either way, the wonder of it always surprises me.

The same sense of peace often follows me into the studio at the back of my house, which is an inspiration in every season. The changes in leaf colors, weather, birds, wind, and temperature are constant. Those trees are my best studio models.

The opening of The Secret Life of Trees takes place from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 1. The Agroforestry Research Center is located at 6055 Route 23 in Acra. This map will help you find it.

Happening Today in Riverfront Park

After drawing hundreds of attendees in its first year, the Columbia County Jewish Festival is returning for its second year today, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., at Henry Hudson Riverfront Park.

The festival, which brings together residents and visitors of all backgrounds, celebrates Jewish life and culture through music, food art, family fun, and community connection. Admission is free.

Kosher food will be a major highlight of the festival, with a dairy menu of freshly prepared festival favorites available for purchase. Guests can look forward to a variety of satisfying kosher dairy options, along with Rita's Italian Ice, which will be onsite with refreshing summer treats for kids and adults.

Families will find plenty to enjoy throughout the afternoon, including a Kids Fun Zone with a moon bounce, inflatable slide, face painting, a balloon artist, and other activities. Additional highlights include wine tasting, a family friendly bubble show and foam party, and "The Art of Jewish Scribing," a hands-on presentation led by skilled scribe Rabbi Leibel Kremer.

The festival will also feature a Hudson Valley Marketplace with local vendors offering unique gifts, handmade items, art, crafts, and more.

Washington Park Loses Another Tree

At 7:00 a.m. this morning, work began on removing the tree at the corner of Union and West Court streets, in the park in front of the courthouse. These pictures were taken by Gossips about a half an hour into the process.

These pictures, provided by readers, were taken at various points later on in the process.

Photo: Verity Smith

Photo: Verity Smith

Information received by Gossips is that the tree had reached the end of its life and had to come down. That is not an opinion universally shared.

Back in 2021, when two other trees in the park--a maple tree along West Court Street and an ancient locust on Union Street--were cut down, this tree was pruned. 

Photo: Bill Huston

But today was its turn to be felled.

The County frequently removes trees from Washington Park, but the trees lost are never replaced. 

When the first courthouse--the first of three--stood on this site, there was order and pattern to the trees in the park.

That is not so today.

As the trees in the park are removed, it would be nice if there were a plan for replacing them, one that brought symmetry and design back to the park, as well as desirable shade.

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The Mayor, the Council, and Mill Street

Rural Intelligence has an article today about the situation surrounding the proposed sale of the parcel of land on Mill Street: "New Hudson Mayor Extended Contentious Development Deadline Without Telling City Council or Public." 

Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc

Post hoc ergo propter hoc: "After this therefore because of this." It is usually considered a logical fallacy to assume that because Event Y happened after Event X, Event X caused Event Y. In this case, it isn't.  

Event X  On June 23, it was revealed that Mayor Joe Ferris had amended the contract for the sale of the Mill Street property, changing the deadline for closing from a fixed date (one that had already passed) to an open-ended one (thirty days after pending litigation is settled in a manner that would allow the sale to go forward). This was done without the authorization or the knowledge of the Common Council. Indeed, the Council and the public would likely have known nothing about it had a Mill Street resident not pointed out, at a Council meeting on June 15, that the deadline for closing the sale, as specified in the original contract, had already passed. 

Event Y  On July 20, at the informal meeting of the Common Council, a resolution was presented "stating the Common Council's power to authorize sale of real estate." The resolution reads in part:

WHEREAS, Section 41.1 of the City of Hudson Code states that no sale or lease of City real estate or of any franchise belonging to or under the control of the City shall be made or authorized except by a vote of 3/4 of the weighted vote of members of the Common Council, and 

WHEREAS, the Common Council requires that contracts of sale be submitted for review as part of the authorization process, and  

WHEREAS, any subsequent substantive change to a contract authorized by the Common Council is subject to review and further authorization by the Common Council . . . 

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Common Council of the City of Hudson does hereby assert its right to review contracts and subsequent substantive changes to previously authorized contracts in compliance with Section 41.1 of the City of Hudson Code. 

When Councilmember Claire Cousin (Fifth Ward) asked if there was "something that the City has discovered that makes this clarification necessary," Council president Margaret Morris explained there were two reasons--both having to do with the contract for the sale of the Mill Street property. First, the contract that was signed by Mayor Kamal Johnson on May 3, 2023, is not the same as the contract that had been approved by the Council on January 17, 2023. Second, the amendment to the contract made by Mayor Joseph Ferris on May 20, 2026, was a "substantive change" which needed Council approval, and that did not happen. 

Authorization of real estate transactions requires a supermajority, which back in the days of the weighted vote was three-quarters of the votes but today is nine affirmative votes.

With reference to the resolution, First Ward resident Matt McGhee put the issue in a larger context and urged the Council to "fulfill their promise to support by Constitution by defending their prerogatives against usurpation by the executive branch."   

It is expected this issue will be discussed further at the regular meeting of the Common Council on Tuesday, July 28.

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Time and Again

There is a clock in the pediment of the historic Montgomery C. Smith school that hasn't worked in decades.

At the last night's Hudson City School District Board of Education meeting, a plan was presented and approved to make the clock work once again. Lance Wheeler reports the story in a video that can be viewed here.

Comic Relief

For those who know a bit about education and "edu-speak" and can appreciate satire, here is a piece by Frederick M. Hess, senior fellow and director of Education Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), set in our fair city: "The Art of Being an Education Guru." One of its most quotable lines is this: "An innovation is just an old idea that hasn't been funded lately."

Gratitude to Peter Meyer for bringing this to Gossips' attention.

Last Night's Public Hearing

Last night, the Planning Board held a public hearing on the Hudson Housing Authority's proposal to construct new buildings on their site at 41 North Second Street. The community space at the Central Fire Station was nearly filled to capacity. Among the notables spotted in the room were Mayor Joseph Ferris, architect Alex Gorlin, and Fourth Ward supervisor Linda Mussmann. 

At the outset, Planning Board chair Ron Bogle suggested, "The subject matters that might be most useful are focused around your observations as a neighbor or of the neighborhood--comments about traffic, safety, design, environmental issues, or other matters that you believe are relevant for our review." Of the thirteen members of the public who commented, only three touched upon the issues Bogle suggested. The rest presented some version of the argument that the people currently living in Bliss Towers deserve new and safe housing (no one is disagreeing) and people who have been forced to leave Hudson deserve to come back (there is no guarantee that can happen). Among the people urging the Planning Board act expeditiously to grant site plan approval were many of the usual suspects--Kaya Weidman of Kite's Nest, Bill Hughes, Claire Cousin, Abdus Miah--and some we don't hear from as often--Nona Walthour and Kim Singletary, neither of whom lives in Hudson. 

Of the three speakers whose comments related to the issues Bogle suggested, Alan Weaver, who chaired the HHA Board of Commissioners in 2018-2019, when HHA last had plans for redevelopment, reminded the board that the earlier plans were abandoned because the land on the north side of State Street was determined to be unstable and unable to support the building to be constructed there. He noted that the building now being proposed for the site is even larger than the one proposed earlier. Weaver called the current plan "out of scale with the current neighborhood" and questioned the need to build so many units when there were now, according to some accounts, only 84 tenants in Bliss Towers. Of the current proposal, he asserted, "We don't know what it's going to cost; we don't know what it's going to look like." He called for a project that would be of benefit to Hudson and not just to the developer and urged that the project not be approved until all the information was available.

Britt Zuckerman, a landscape architect, pointed out that the site plan involves destroying mature trees, noting that the Second Ward is "the least planted of any ward." She criticized the overall design, calling it "towers around a park . . . with no streetscape engagement." She said the design "segregates residents and creates a dead zone."

Carla Sadoff expressed the opinion that too many things that she considered "red flags" were being ignored--mentioning specifically the issues with the soil and management during construction. She asked rhetorically, "Is there sufficient information to the Planning Board? Does the Planning Board have any doubts about what is being presented to them?" She concluded by saying, "There are too many things that have been said, that have been discovered, that have been revealed that leave certain things in question that make me question the immediate acceptance of this."

The entire hearing can be viewed here. Spenser Walsh from the Register-Star, Jeanette Wolfberg from The Columbia Paper, and Roger Hannigan Gilson from the Times Union were all present at the hearing so there will soon be several other accounts of what transpired.

The Planning Board is accepting written comments about the project until its next meeting, which takes place on August 11. Comments can be submitted by email to the Planning Board clerk Linda Fenoff at lfenoff@cityofhudson.org. 

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