The Gossips of Rivertown

Thursday, November 5, 2026

Making Connections . . . and Playgrounds

Last week, the Columbia Land Conservancy (CLC) hosted a ribbon cutting to mark the official opening of the new connector trail from the north end of Third Street down to Mill Street and Charles Williams Park.

The trail is Phase 1 of CLC's work on Charles Williams Park. In the spring, Phase 2 will begin, which involves the revitalization of Charles Williams Park--creating a destination playground with nature play features, adult fitness stations, pickleball courts, and a public restroom. Last year, in the Regional Economic Development Council initiative, CLC was awarded $675,000 for the renovation of Charles Williams Park.

Rendering: Starr Whitehouse

Wednesday, November 4, 2026

Ear to the Ground

Almost a year ago, in December 2025, the Hudson Industrial Development Agency (IDA) approved a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) for Hudson Mansion, the project that would develop 601 Union Street, for decades the Hudson Elks Lodge, into a boutique hotel. In June 2024, the Planning Board granted the project site plan approval, after a review that went on for eighteen months. The Historic Preservation Commission gave the project a certificate of appropriateness in September 2024.

The terms PILOT agreement offered by the IDA were less generous than the terms originally sought by the developer, Casetta. After the PILOT had been approved, Mike Tucker, then administrative director of the Hudson IDA, commented, "The IDA has seen developers that do not have the wherewithal to complete a project, but these people do." In the post reporting on the IDA action, Gossips commented, "It is not clear, however, given that the benefits of the PILOT being offered are less than what were requested, if the project will move forward."

Nearly a year has passed since the IDA granted the project a PILOT agreement, and in that time little has been heard about it, until last week. At the meeting of the Columbia Economic Development Corporation (CEDC) last Tuesday, October 27, Jonathan Spampinato, who succeeded Tucker as president and CEO of CEDC and administrative director of the Hudson IDA, reported on the status of Hudson Mansion: "We've received some inquiries from them about adding condominiums and how that would impact benefits. So, I'm guessing their investor stack needs a little massaging."

Later, Spampinato explained how the hotel/condominium combination works: "What's becoming trendy with a lot of hotels is having condominium properties on the property as well that they would manage and will get rolled into the hotel's management, so when you're not there, it's kind of like Airbnb. It just reverts into their inventory, and they manage renting it out."

Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Closing the Gap

At the beginning of yesterday's BEA budget workshop (BEA being the Board of Estimate and Apportionment), the gap between projected revenues and expenditures stood at $1.16 million.

Early in the session, City Treasurer Heather Campbell reported that, given the tax cap in New York State, the maximum property tax increase for Hudson this year is 3.16 percent. If Hudson were to "max it out," the increase in revenue would be about $189,000.

The BEA came up with two ways to increase revenue. The first is to increase the fee for parking in the Amtrak lot--the big city-owned lot across the street from the train station--from $10 a day to $15 a day. Mayor Joe Ferris, who suggested the increase to $15 (the BEA had previously discussed an increase to $12.50), said the greater increase was "a reasonable change, since so many people who use the lot do not live in Hudson."

The second way to increase revenue was the lodging tax, which the BEA is proposing to increase from 5 percent to 7 percent. Since this increase must be approved by the NYS Legislature, it is not certain exactly when the increase could be put into effect.

On the cutting expenditures side, the BEA eliminated the new garbage truck requested by the Department of Public Works and the Hudson Police Department's proposal to hire two new officers. Another proposed cut from HPD's budget was the long-term lease agreement for vehicles.

At the end of the BEA workshop on Monday, the gap had been whittled down to $264,092. But that might not be the final word.

At the Common Council Safety Committee meeting last night, Chief Mishanda Franklin and Detective Sergeant Nick Pierro argued for the advantages of the long-term lease agreement proposed by HPD, which would keep City departments in new vehicles and save the City money over time.

The BEA meets again tomorrow, Wednesday, November 4, at 2:30 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Teams. Click here to join the meeting remotely.

Update on the Cats

Last week, Gossips shared an appeal from the Columbia-Greene Humane Society for homes for cats rescued from hoarding situations. Today, CGHS made the following announcement on Facebook.

On behalf of the entire Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA (CGHS/SPCA), we would like to thank everyone for the incredible outpouring of support following three recent cat hoarding cases.

Thanks to the compassion and generosity of our community, we received and processed more than 250 adoption applications. We are delighted to report that all of the cats and kittens have either been placed in loving new homes or are awaiting pickup by their new families. . . .

Monday, November 2, 2026

Some Things Never Change

Over the years, Gossips has reported many times about Galvan projects flouting the rules and skirting the regulations. The practice continues.

At the Common Council Safety Committee meeting tonight, Code Enforcement Director Nick Fox reported discovering workers grinding lead paint off the side of the building at 16 North Fourth Street. This is one of the two houses that are to be the annex to the Galvan hotel project at Warren and Fourth streets--a project that has been subject to a stop-work order since August for violations to the certificate of appropriateness granted by the Historic Preservation Commission.

None of the workers was certified to do lead paint removal. The technique they were using allowed the paint dust to become airborne, endangering the workers themselves and creating a threat to public safety.

The incident has been reported to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Fox is monitoring the site to ensure when work resumes it is done properly.

It's Happening on Friday the 13th

This past weekend saw the return of standard time. Weekend after next will see the return of alternate side of the street rules for overnight parking. The summer suspension of the rules on weekends ends on Friday the 13th.

Sunday, November 1, 2026

Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead

Here we are--in the month of November and back in standard time. As we are engulfed in early darkness, here is what's happening.

On Monday, November 2, the Board of Estimate and Apportionment (BEA) meets at 2:30 p.m. to continue its review of the proposed budget for 2027. Time is running out to find a way to balance revenues and expenditures. The charter indicates that the budget must be presented to the Common Council on or before November 10, and a special meeting of the Council for that purpose has been scheduled for November 9. The BEA workshop is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Teams. Click here to join the meeting remotely.
At 5:30 p.m. on Monday, November 2, the Common Council Safety Committee holds its monthly meeting. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Teams. Click here to join the meeting remotely.
Tuesday, November 3, is Election Day. The polls are open from 6:00 a.m. until 9:oo p.m. In Hudson, Wards 1, 2, and 3 vote at 11 Warren Street, and Wards 4 and 5 vote at the Central Fire Station, 77 North Seventh Street.

Also on Tuesday, November 3, the Conservation Advisory Council 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.
On Wednesday, November 4, the Board of Estimate and Apportionment (BEA) meets at 2:30 p.m. to continue its efforts to balance the budget proposed for 2027. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Teams. Click here to join the meeting remotely.
On Thursday, November 5, the Common Council Services Committee (Youth Department and Senior Center) 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.
Also at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 5, Friends of Second Street (FoSS) and Project7Hudson hold a community forum on the proposed redevelopment of Bliss Towers and its potential consequences for the city as a whole. The forum takes place at Time & Space Limited (TSL), 434 Columbia Street.

On Friday, November 6, at 10:00 a.m., the Historic Preservation Commission holds a special meeting to consider the application for a new certificate of appropriateness for Hudson Public Hotel, the project at 402-406 Warren Street which is now subject to a stop-work order for violations of its original certificate of appropriateness. 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 2:30 p.m., on Friday, November 6, the Board of Estimate and Apportionment (BEA) holds its final workshop before the proposed 2027 budget is presented to the Common Council on November 9. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Teams. Click here to join the meeting remotely.
On Sunday, November 8, at 1:00 p.m., Modern Witness: The Future of Hudson's First Presbyterian Church, a new documentary by Karl Frederick Mattson, premieres at Time & Space Limited (TSL), 434 Columbia Street. The trailer for the film can be viewed here.

Hudson's St. Winifred(s)

Because today is All Saints Day, the timing of this post, inspired by something that happened yesterday, seems appropriate.

Yesterday, for Hudson Halloween, the very creative and inventive Lisa Durfee of Five and Diamond took her St. Winifred costume out of storage. At some point in the afternoon, she posed with the statue of St. Winifred on Promenade Hill, and Rich Volo of Trixie's List took these amazing pictures of the two Winifreds together.

Photo: Rich Volo

Durfee created the costume in 2002 for a Halloween party at Hudson River Theater, once upon a time located on the second floor of 521 Warren Street. The costume made another appearance in Fourth Down fashion show--Fourth Down being an organization dedicated, in the early years of the 21st century, to promoting the area of Warren Street before Fourth Street.

The costume got its greatest exposure in 2005, when Durfee as St. Winifred was featured on the Friends of Hudson float in the Flag Day Parade. That appearance was documented in the film Two Square Miles. You can watch the film here. St. Winifred appears briefly at 1:26:43 and again, for a bit longer, at 1:27:26.

Attention to St. Winifred usually raises the questions of who is St. Winifred and why there is a statue of her on Promenade Hill. The story of St. Winifred, a 7th-century Welsh saint who was beheaded when she refused the advances of a suitor and whose head was miraculously reattached, can be found here. The story of how the statue came to be situated on Promenade Hill was told by Mrs. Marion C. Smith in her book, The Hudson Valley Sketchbook, self-published in 1964.

In 1795 when the city was young and a source of pride to its citizens, this section, then called the Parade, was granted to the Common Council, forever, as a public walk or mall, and for no other purpose whatever. About 100 years later, still recognizing it as a spectacularly attractive park, Hudsonians decided it should be beautified. By July 1896, eight flower beds had been laid out in the form of stars, crosses, crescents and four leaf clovers. Coleus and bright, blossoming flowers painted the hill with patches of gorgeous color. Still one thing was lacking. Such a charming garden was not complete without a fountain.

Consequently, C. H. Van Deusen was named to take subscriptions to provide something suitable. Although the response was good, those accountable for the welfare of the city's population were uneasy with the idea. The "Register" worried editorially because "engines at the pumping house are working night and day, seven days in the week" trying to supply barely enough of that important commodity, water. Planning to use it in such a frivolous manner was disconcerting. But a solution seemed imminent for "it is proposed," continued this article, "to put meters into public houses and manufactories and to charge for the water allowed to escape needlessly."

So the fountain project progressed unimpeded. A local architect, Michael O'Connor, was a personal friend of General John Watts de Peyster, a renowned philanthropist living in Tivoli. Knowing of his penchant for donating fine sculpture, Mr. O'Connor made known the yearning of the local people for a fountain. By a lucky coincidence, the general just happened to have one on hand. It had been intended for the Watts de Peyster Hospital and Invalid Children's Home, operated by the Women's Board of Domestic Missions of the Methodist Church near Verhank [sic], N.Y. Those good ladies, faced with the same problem that was plaguing the Hudsonians, refused to provide the water supply.

General de Peyster was more than glad to come to Hudson with his friend and inspect the possible site for his fountain. He found it most desirable, but wanted the approval of the sculptor, George E. Bissell of Poughkeepsie, before making his decision. Bissell, who also executed the statue of Abraham de Peyster, first mayor of New York City, which stands in Bowling Green, was "enraptured with the location," declaring that it overlooked some of the finest scenery he had ever witnessed. The general is said to have remarked facetiously that although Hudson had many saints, he thought they would use one more.

St. Winifred was not a fountain in the same way Venus which once graced the Public Square was. Rather the statue was surrounded by water that flowed out of the statue's base. The water created a pool around the statue that was stocked with goldfish. The image below shows St. Winifred in the early days, before the pool surrounding the statue was filled with soil to create a bed for planting.

Saturday, October 31, 2026

Tonight Is the Night for Falling Back

The sun set today at 5:52 p.m. Tomorrow, it will set at 4:51 p.m.

The early darkness of standard time returns in the wee hours of the morning. Don't forget to turn your clocks back an hour before retiring tonight.

Scaling Things Back

Plans for the renovation of 537 Warren Street, formerly the location of Mexican Radio, were presented to the Historic Preservation Commission in March 2025. At that time, they included an elaborate configuration of windows and doors on the east side of the building, opening onto the pocket park and outdoor seating.

On Friday, October 23, the project was back before the HPC, this time seeking approval to utilize window openings in the wall discovered during renovation work.

HPC member John Schobel asked of the new proposal, "Does this proscribe you from ever doing that ambitious but beautiful project that you had in the beginning?" He was told by the architect presenting the project that the client doesn't want to do that anymore. He explained, "The client would have loved for the park to have been a more beautiful park and a more beautiful space to try to utilize and have the ability to put chairs out there, and it's just too much of a risk that they wouldn't be able to do that."

Friday, October 30, 2026

HCDPA and HHA: The Second Parcel

The Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency (HCDPA) meeting on Wednesday provided a reminder that HCDPA has an agreement to sell two properties to the Hudson Housing Authority: the lot at the corner of Second and Columbia streets, which is currently used as a community garden, and the lot at the corner of Warren and Front streets, an Urban Renewal-era park fondly dubbed in recent years "Promenade Prospect Park."

In October 2024, HCDPA agreed to sell the two parcels to HHA for 50 percent of their fair market value. The fair market value was established by appraisals that determined the value of the Columbia Street parcel to be $170,000 and the Warren Street parcel to be $200,000. Hence, HHA will pay $85,000 for the Columbia Street parcel and $100,000 for the Warren Street parcel. HHA's plan was to build townhouses on both parcels.

At one point, it seemed the construction of townhouses on both site was part of Phase 1 of HHA's redevelopment plan, but it seems only the plan for townhouses on Columbia Street is part of Phase 1. This is what is proposed for that site: a block of four three-story townhouses.

Although rarely mentioned anymore, it seems HHA is still interested in acquiring the lot at the end of Warren Street. Perhaps constructing something on that parcel is part of HHA's plan for Phase 2, along with demolishing Bliss Towers and Columbia Apartments and constructing another apartment building with a hundred or more apartments on the current Bliss Towers site.

Back in 2020, Betsy Gramkow, who was then chair of the Planning Board and served ex officio on the HCDPA board, suggested that low-income housing at Warren and Front streets would not be "the highest and best use" of the lot and that a mixed-use building on the site, with market-rate rental units, would increase the city's tax base. Many in Hudson would agree with Gramkow. It is worth noting that when the agreement with HHA was made, Theresa Joyner chaired the Planning Board and served ex officio on the HCDPA board.

If HHA were to build townhouses on the site, it would complete the streetwall and return that corner to something resembling what it was before Urban Renewal.

Also, because this location is in a locally designated historic district, the design for the building(s) would require a certificate of appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Commission.

HPD Seeks Assistance

The Hudson Police Department is asking for the public's assistance in identifying the individual pictured above in connection with a graffiti complaint that occurred on Warren Street sometime early this morning.