Watch Your Steps

This morning, Freddy and I went down to Cross Street to check on the progress of the Second Street stairs. It appears the concrete stairs have now been poured. What remains to be done is the final landing at the bottom and the sidewalk down to Cross Street.

The staircase falls far short of the unrealistic fantasy presented early on in the process.  

But it is longer and less steep than what was there before. A significant improvement.

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Meetings of Interest in the Week Ahead

As we move deeper into autumn, enjoying day after day of spectacular weather, here is what's happening on the meeting front.

• On Monday, October 7, the Common Council holds its informal meeting at 6:00 p.m. So far, there is nothing of interest on the agenda, but, if you're interested, there are seventy-four communications regarding the Good Cause Eviction Law, which the Council is expected to vote on this month. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.
• On Tuesday, October 8, the Planning Boards holds its monthly meeting at 6:30 p.m. Lots of familiar things are on the agenda, including the apartment building proposed for Fairview Avenue between Oakwood and Parkwood boulevards. It is expected that the applicant will present a response to the Planning Board's requests for change to the proposed project. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Zoom. Click here to join the meeting remotely.

• On Friday, October 11, the Historic Preservation Commission holds the first of its two monthly meetings at 10:00 a.m. As always, no agenda has been made available for the meeting. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.

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BEA Budget Workshops This Week

For those following the crafting of the city budget for 2025, here are the BEA budget workshops scheduled for the coming week. BEA stands for Board of Estimate and Apportionment, and it is made up of the mayor (Kamal Johnson), Common Council president (Tom DePietro), and city treasurer (Heather Campbell). The workshops are hybrid, taking place in person in the Council Chamber at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click on the department name to find the link to join the workshop remotely.

• Wednesday, October 9
• 2:30 p.m.--Police Department
• 3:30 p.m.--Housing
• Friday, October 11
• 2:30 p.m.--Mayor's Office
• 3:00 p.m.--Senior Center
• 3:30 p.m.--Treasurer's Office
• 4:00 p.m.--Planning Board

Dog Owners of Hudson: Mark Your Calendars

Last year, Americans spent $147 billion on their pets. For many dog owners, some of that money went for gear that didn't work out as intended--expensive harnesses that didn't fit or work as hoped, stairs and ramps dogs refused to use, beds they didn't like, toys they weren't interested in, crates they outgrew or you decided not to use, sweaters, coats, boots, and Halloween costumes they wouldn't wear. If your house is cluttered with such gear, an opportunity to unload it and benefit a good cause at the same time is coming up.

On Saturday, October 26, in celebration of its fifth anniversary, the Hudson Dog Park is holding a Flea Market. (Needless to say, there will be no actual fleas involved.) People who have dog gear, in good condition, that their pups have outgrown or rejected can bring it to the dog park. The items will be sold for significantly less than they originally cost, and the proceeds will go to the maintenance and improvement of the dog park.  

If you need dog gear, come to the Hudson Dog Park on October 26 to see what's on offer. You might snag a plush, fluffy, never used bed like this one for a fraction of what it originally cost.

The Flea Market will open at noon and run until 4:00 p.m. Items to be donated for sale at the Flea Market can be delivered to the dog park beginning at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 26. 

The Hudson Dog Park, which opened its gates on October 26, 2019, is located on North Second Street, just beyond the intersection with Dock Street and Mill Street.

Ribbon cutting at the Hudson Dog Park, October 26, 2019

Exploring Our City's Beginnings

As regular Gossips readers know, Hudson was founded in 1783 by New England seafarers engaged in whaling and maritime commerce. The History Room at the Hudson Area Library, in collaboration with the Hendrick Hudson Chapter of the DAR and the Columbia County Historical Society, is currently in the process of researching and planning an exhibition about our city's beginnings, called History of Whaling & Maritime Commerce in Hudson, to happen in the spring, from March 6 through June 30, 2025.

Capturing a sperm whale. Whaleship Superior, 1835. Aquatint engraving by William Page from an original painting by Cornelius Hulsart. © Mystic Seaport, Mystic, CT

The History Room and its collaborators have important documents from Hudson's early years, but there are other institutions, such as the New Bedford Whaling Museum, the Nantucket Historical Society, the New York Public Library, and Mystic Seaport Museum, that hold Hudson-specific items--logbooks, letters of local whalers, drawings and paintings of Hudson's whaling history. The History Room is working to obtain digital facsimiles of these items, both for the exhibition and for the library's permanent archival collection, so that this period of Hudson's history can be preserved locally.

To raise the money needed for these acquisitions, a GoFundMe campaign has been created. Click here to make a contribution. All donors will have a unique opportunity to view the exhibition and learn details about the research into this important history at a special pre-opening event.

All That Jazz

The Hudson Jazz Festival begins today. Tonight's concert at Hudson Hall and the opening night party at Return Brewing are both sold out, but there are still tickets available for events tomorrow and Sunday.

Click here to view the full festival schedule.

Then and Now and Mill Street

Recently, a reader reminded me of a press release issued by Mayor Kamal Johnson and Michelle Tullo two years ago, on September 21, 2022. The purpose of the press release, which can be found here, was to announce that Kearney Realty & Development and Hudson River Housing had been selected to develop new housing for low- and moderate-income households on three parcels that belonged to the City of Hudson. Rereading the press release two years later, one sentence struck a false note, particularly in light of the proposal for Mill Street that is being fast-tracked through the Planning Board. 

We heard from the community that people prefer smaller buildings scattered across different sites, which allows for more gentle density that fits with the surrounding neighborhood and allows households seeking affordably priced housing more choice in the neighborhoods they live in.

Smaller buildings? Smaller than what? Granted the buildings proposed for Mill Street are smaller than the destined-to-be demolished Bliss Towers, with its nine floors and 132 units, but the two buildings to be called Mill Street Lofts will have a total of 70 apartments, which makes the project bigger than the 63-unit building now going up on North Seventh Street.

Most stunning in this sentence is the clause "which allows for more gentle density that fits with the surrounding neighborhood." What is "gentle" about increasing the population density of Mill Street by 600 percent? And in no way is what's being proposed something that "fits with the surrounding neighborhood." 

When the Planning Board was considering Question 18 on the SEQR Full Environmental Assessment Form, "Consistency with Community Character," Theresa Joyner, who chairs the Planning Board, asserted that the "community" with which this project should be compatible is "not just one block but the whole area . . . the high-rise and everything around that lower part of Hudson." Looking at a Google map of the area shows that Bliss Towers--"the high-rise"--is the anomaly in "that lower part of Hudson" and probably shouldn't be used to justify a decision about the compatibility of another out-of-scale building being proposed for the area.

Besides, when you are actually on the ground on Mill Street, Bliss Towers seems like another world.

What has changed in the past two years to make Johnson and Tullo abandon the notion of "smaller buildings scattered across different sites, which allows for more gentle density that fits with the surrounding neighborhood" when it comes to Mill Street? Or were they being disingenuous, parroting the language of good urban planning, when they crafted that press release two years ago?

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Thrice Blessed

October 4 is the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. For this reason, October is the month when churches typically offer a blessing of the animals. This year, there are three opportunities for our furry (and feathery) friends to be blessed.

• On Saturday, October 5, there will be a blessing of the animals at noon in the plaza at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, 429 East Allen Street.
• On Sunday, October 13, there will be a blessing of the animals at the First Presbyterian Church, 369 Warren Street, from noon to 2:00 p.m. Those who plan to attend are asked to register in advance, which can be done here.
• On Saturday, October 19, there will be a blessing of the animals at Christ Church Episcopal, 431 Union Street, at 10:00 a.m. Those who cannot bring their pets or who want to honor a pet who has passed are welcome to bring a picture or other memento of their pet to be blessed.

Animals attending any of the events should be leashed or crated.

Crafting the Budget for 2025 Redux

Since I published information about the BEA (Board of Estimate and Apportionment) meetings earlier today, two things have happened: the meetings are now hybrid; the departments presenting their budgets are now identified. So, here is a revised list. Unfortunately, the budget for the Department of Public Works was presented earlier today. (Click on the department name to find the link to join the meeting remotely.)

• Monday, September 30, at 2:30 p.m.--Public Works
• Wednesday, October 2, at 2:30 p.m.--Youth Department
• Friday, October 4
• 2:30 p.m.--Assessor's Office
• 3:00 p.m.--Conservation Advisory Council
• 3:30 p.m.--Attorneys

Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead

Today is the final day of September. October begins tomorrow, and autumn is definitely here. As we move closer to peak leaf-peeping season and savor the final month of daylight saving time, here is what is happening in Hudson.

• On Tuesday, October 1, the Conservation Advisory Council meets at 6:00 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.
• On Wednesday, October 2, the Hudson Industrial Development Agency meets at 10:30 a.m. The September meeting of the IDA was canceled because there were "no pressing issues needing a vote." An agenda for Wednesday's meeting has not yet been made public. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at 1 City Centre, Suite 301, and on Zoom. Click here to join the meeting remotely.
• Also on Wednesday, October 2, the Common Council Legal Committee meets at 6:00 p.m. No agenda for the meeting is yet available. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely. 
• On Thursday, October 3, at 4:00 p.m., Mayor Kamal Johnson holds a public hearing on the proposed law regarding commercial filming and photography in the City of Hudson. The hearing takes place in person in the Council Chamber at City Hall.
• On Saturday, October 5, from noon to 6:00 p.m., Upper Depot Brewing Co. presents Hudson Oktoberfest. The event takes place on State Street between Seventh and Green streets and features eight craft breweries and three food vendors. Tickets are available at the Upper Depot taproom, 708 State Street. Click here for more information. 

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Crafting the Budget for 2025

The process of determining the city budget for 2025 begins today. Department heads present their proposed budgets to the Board of Estimate and Apportionment (BEA), made up of the mayor (Kamal Johnson), the Common Council president (Tom DePietro), and the city treasurer (Heather Campbell). This year, as in recent years past, the BEA meetings, which take place in the Council Chamber at City Hall, are open to the public. This year, unlike years past, the meeting times are noted on the city calendar but not which departments are presenting their budgets. So, if your interest in the budget is voracious and catholic, or you're seeking a distraction to fill your afternoons, here's the schedule of BEA meetings for this week.

• Monday, September 30
• 2:30 p.m.
• Wednesday, October 2
• 2:30 p.m.
• Friday, October 4
• 2:30 p.m.
• 3:00 p.m.
• 3:30 p.m.

Food, Glorious Food

It seems the partnership between the Hawthorne Valley Farm Store and Ben Fain's Nice and Weird LLC, which in August announced plans to "explore the potential of bringing a new retail grocery store to the South Bay of Hudson," is moving closer to making that happen. In Friday, Chronogram published this article: "Affordable, Organic Groceries Coming to Hudson Waterfront in 2026."

Photo: Hawthorne Valley | Chronogram

The following is quoted from the article:

"It's going to be a full-scape grocery shopping experience," says Hawthorne Valley's Director of Retail Jeremy Laurange, "with the center aisles, frozen foods, dairy--everything you'd expect, plus robust bulk foods and produce sections. The bulk foods section will be similar to what Honest Weight offers up in Albany, and the produce selection will be large and fresh, highlighting local farms. . . ."

The article also reports that "the goal is to being in fresh, affordable food at prices that rival those at the chain supermarkets on the outskirts of Hudson." It is anticipated this goal will be realized by the end of 2026.

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Coming to an Italian Villa Near You

On Friday morning, the Historic Preservation Commission unanimously voted to grant a certificate of appropriateness to the plans for converting the Terry-Gillette mansion at 601 Union Street, for many years the Hudson Elks Lodge, into a boutique hotel. The project received site plan approval from the Planning Board in June.

Gossips has shared the renderings for the restored and renovated building a few times in the past, as well as for the new building to be constructed behind the existing building, but here they are again.

Attendees at Friday's HPC meeting to see got to see a new rendering, which shows the interior of one part of the building: the porte-cochère. 

The porte-cochère is not original to the building. According to the preservation consulting firm working on the project, the mansion was built in about 1865. The porte-cochère was added sometime between 1903 and 1911, when the mansion was the home of John W. and Grace J. Gillette. Carriages and later automobiles would drive into the porte-cochère, where passengers could exit the vehicle and enter the house protected from the elements, and then continue on through.  

The plan is to enclose the porte-cochère by filling the arched openings with glass. This rendering shows what the space inside the porte-cochère will look like when finished.

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The State of the Stairs

At Thursday's meeting of the Public Works Board, mayoral aide Justin Weaver reported that pouring the cement for the Second Street stairs has begun. 

This morning, Freddy and I headed down to Cross Street to check out the progress and took this picture.

The Second Street stairs are part of "Hudson Streetscapes" (formerly known as "Hudson Connects"), the City's largest DRI (Downtown Revitalization Initiative) project. Just as a reminder, this is how the rebuilt stairs were fantasized in early DRI documents.

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