News of the Charter Revision Commission

This post might better be titled "Nothing Is Ever Easy," but that title was already used once this week. 

If you are going to revise the city charter, who would you want crafting the proposed changes? The task promises to be an arduous and tedious one. The charter is not a simple document. It is the framework for how a municipality governs itself. Given that, it would seem reasonable to want people assigned to the task who can think analytically, are willing to do the hard work, are familiar with the charter as it exists now, and have knowledge of how government functions. Not everyone fits the criteria.

At the Common Council meeting on Tuesday, Council president Margaret Morris presented for discussion a proposed local law establishing a charter revision commission. She explained that there were basically three ways to approach charter revision: the mayor can appoint a charter commission; the Common Council can appoint a charter commission; a citizens' group can form to propose revision. "At the end of the day," Morris told the Council, "everything ends up on the ballot for referendum." 

According to the proposed law, the commission would consist of seven members. Six would be community members appointed by the Council president, and the Council president would serve ex officio as the seventh member. At the meeting, Morris amended the suggested makeup of the commission to include the Council majority leader as an ex officio member. She explained that, since announcing her intention to create a charter revision commission,  members of the public had approached her and expressed interest in serving on the commission. She had five people in mind who might serve. She did not, however, disclose who those five people were.

Jennifer Belton (Fourth Ward) was the first councilmember to comment, saying she wanted the selection process to be "more open and inclusive." She objected that she didn't know who the five people were. Morris responded, "These are people who raised their hands and said they are willing to do the work."

Claire Cousin (Fifth Ward) said she agreed with Belton, and Gary Purnhagen opined, "It's hard to fully reflect Hudson with seven people." Belton suggested that each ward should be represented on the commission. She noted there was a problem with the citizens' group that proposed a charter amendment last year "because they all looked alike."

Ken Dow, counsel to the Council, explained that, once a commission is established, "a lot of what they do is dictated by New York State law."

During the public comment period, Ron Kopnicki pointed out that the Common Council could constitute itself as a charter revision commission. Matt McGhee called for a public hearing on starting a commission. Lloyd Koedding wanted the five people Morris had chosen identified, suggesting they "might have an agenda." He went on to allege that last year's Citizens' Initiative for Charter Change "had it out for the mayor."

Morris invited councilmembers (and presumably also the public) to send their comments about the proposed law to her, indicating that she wanted to bring a revised version of the law before the Council at its August meeting. She also made the point that meetings of the charter revision commission would be open meetings.

COPYRIGHT 2026 CAROLE OSTERINK

Building Collapses on Columbia Street

It was first reported on the Columbia County Fire-Rescue Facebook page that this building at 225 Columbia Street had collapsed.

A video of the scene by Brian J. Decker, Jr., has been posted on Facebook. It can be viewed here.

Of Interest

Columbia Economic Development Corporation (CEDC) sent out its August newsletter this afternoon. Among the items in the newsletter is this:

CEDC is partnering with Greene County Economic Development Corporation and The Hunter Foundation on the Greene & Columbia Counties Brownfield Assessment Initiative, a $1.5 million EPA-funded effort to identify blighted, abandoned, and underutilized properties that may be impacted by environmental contamination and have the potential for future redevelopment. The initiative aims to turn neglected sites into productive community assets that attract investment, create jobs, and strengthen our local tax base.

We are asking residents, property owners, municipal leaders, and community stakeholders to help us identify potential properties--vacant, distressed, or long-neglected sites that may be holding back neighborhood revitalization. If you know of a property that should be considered, please visit the Greene & Columbia Counties Brownfield Assessment Initiative page at http://greenecountyny.gov/brownfield-assessment/ and submit the property information for review.

Community input is essential to helping us uncover redevelopment opportunities and build stronger communities throughout Columbia County.

The Evolution of Route 66

Spenser Walsh reports in the Register-Star about an apartment complex being proposed for Route 66: "120-unit apartment complex proposed in Greenport."

The site for the proposed 120-unit apartment complex is the site of the former V&O Press building, next to the Sunoco gas station and the A&W, almost right across the street from the 116-unit apartment complex known as The Falls. 

The report of the new proposal brings to mind that fifteen years ago, there was a different proposal for the site. Gossips reported about it here: "Get Your Kicks on Route 66." A developer named Harbalwant Singh wanted to create on the site what he called "Greenport Crossing," which he predicted would cause a "ripple effect," with the result that "Route 66 will be totally Route 9 in Poughkeepsie." 

Greenport Crossing was to be built in two phases. The first phase would consist of an A&W restaurant, a twelve-pump gas station, and an "upscale" liquor store. The second phase was to consist of an 80-room Comfort Inn, with an indoor pool and fitness center, and a family entertainment center, with, among other attractions, "boutique" bowling lanes, laser tag, bumper cars, a carousel, a climbing wall, and "upscale" arcade games.

For his ambitious project, Singh sought a 100 percent tax abatement for twenty years from the Columbia County Industrial Development Agency (IDA). He didn't get it. In the end, only the first part of the project was built: the gas station, with the A&W and the liquor store.

COPYRIGHT 2026 CAROLE OSTERINK

The Hudson Wail Nails It

This Instagram post by The Hudson Wail is too good not to share. You can view it for yourself, with all the comments, here.

Help for Flood-Impacted Businesses

The following announcement was just received from Columbia Economic Development Corporation (CEDC):  

In response to the recent devastating flooding across Columbia County, the worst flooding to hit the area since Hurricane Irene fifteen years ago, the Columbia Economic Development Corporation (CEDC) is making $200,000 in emergency relief financing available to local businesses impacted by the disaster. Small businesses that have experienced physical damage, business interruption, or other flood-related financial hardships may be eligible for an expedited five-year microloan up to $15,000 at 3.75%, to support recovery efforts, stabilize operations, and fund critical repairs. . . .

CEDC’s Rapid Recovery Microloan program is designed to provide flexible and timely financing for businesses facing immediate recovery needs, helping to bridge the gap while insurance claims, state assistance, or other recovery resources are being pursued.

“CEDC stands ready to support the businesses that drive Columbia County’s economy,” said Jonathan T. Spampinato, President and CEO of CEDC. “We understand that cash flow disruptions and unexpected repair costs can threaten the viability of even the strongest businesses following a natural disaster. Our goal is to provide fast, accessible financing that helps business owners recover, rebuild, and emerge from this challenge stronger than before.”

For more eligibility information or to apply, please email us at loans@columbiaedc.com or call (518) 828-4718.

News of Seventh Street Park

At the Common Council meeting last night, Katherine Kanaga, co-chair of Friends of the Public Square (FOPS), presented an update on the renovation of Seventh Street Park. Kanaga began her presentation by reminding the Council that FOPS has been working on the project for five years. The plan now being pursued, which was unveiled in June 2022, was developed through community workshops and online surveys to learn what changes and improvements the public wanted to see in the park.

Kanaga said they are currently soliciting bids for Phase 1 of the project, which includes the following:

• New pathways
• Repositioning of the war memorial
• Additional lighting
• Some landscaping
• All new site furnishings
• Removal and replacement of selected trees

The bids for the project are due on August 11. Work on Phase 1 is expected to begin in the fall.

Kanaga said the group is currently working on a consolidated funding application (CFA) for $675,000 (the maximum ask) for Phase 2, the fountain phase. That application is due this Friday, July 31. The $250,000 grant secured by Congressman Josh Riley and $125,000 of the grant initiated by State Senator Michelle Hinchey are also designated for the fountain phase of the project.

Although she did not mention it explicitly, Kanaga seemed to be responding to the alternative proposal that appeared on Facebook in recent days when she explained that most of the money that has been raised for the project is in the form of grants. The grants are for very specific purposes, so they cannot be redeployed. Also the grant money is released only after the work has been done. The project does not have the money now; the money is released as reimbursement. 

Kanaga mentioned that Mayor Joseph Ferris was applying for a grant for the sidewalk improvements around the perimeter of the park, which is Phase 3. Later in the meeting, the Council unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the mayor to submit an application to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) for a Climate Smart Communities Implementation Grant "to make pedestrian and streetscape improvements around Hudson's Public Square."

COPYRIGHT 2026 CAROLE OSTERINK

More Documentation of the Flooding

Lance Wheeler was also out this morning, recording what was happening in the vicinity of Mill Street, North Second Street, and Dock Street. His video of the conditions can be viewed here.

Waterfront Wednesdays Not on the Waterfront

Hudson Hall just made the following announcement:

Due to predicted inclement weather, tonight's edition of Waterfront Wednesdays is moving indoors to Hudson Hall.

Early music band Ruckus will bring the spirited dance tunes of 18th-century Scotland. There will also be free pizza for kids and all the fun of Waterfront Wednesdays, including the Hudson Juggling Club, knot-tying and microscopes with the Hudson Sloop Club, arts and crafts, drumming with the Ujima Community Collective, and even a spot of badminton.

Doors open at 4 p.m. Drumming begins at 5:00 p.m. Ruckus performs at 6 p.m.

So embrace the rainy gloom and come dance up a storm with us! 

Flooding Closes City Offices

City Hall has issued the following statement:

Due to today's flooding and several more inches of rain expected to fall throughout the day, all non-essential City offices are closed. This includes City Hall, Code Enforcement, and the Youth Department.

Please be safe and stay off roads to whatever extend possible.

Flooding in Hudson

The editors of Hudson Common Sense were out and about early this morning surveying the flooding. Mill Street, where the addition of a 70-unit apartment complex has wrongheadedly been proposed, is completely impassable.

Photo: Hudson Common Sense

Photo: Hudson Common Sense

Dock Street as it approaches North Front Street is also closed because of flooding.

Photo: Hudson Common Sense

Abandoned But Now Redeemed

Last month, the church building at 448 Warren Street was the subject of a Facebook post by The Hudson Valley Explorer. This month, there is different news of the building.

As Gossips has reported in the past, the building was on the City's foreclosure list for unpaid property taxes. When last reported, the amount was $359,763.89. At the Common Council Finance Committee meeting tonight, city treasurer Heather Campbell reported that last week the amount owed in back taxes and penalties was paid full and in cash.

COPYRIGHT 2026 CAROLE OSTERINK

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. 

COPYRIGHT 2026 CAROLE OSTERINK

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.

COPYRIGHT 2026 CAROLE OSTERINK

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.

COPYRIGHT 2026 CAROLE OSTERINK

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.

COPYRIGHT 2026 CAROLE OSTERINK

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.

COPYRIGHT 2026 CAROLE OSTERINK