News of the Public Square

At the Common Council Code & Infrastructure Committee meeting on Monday, Rob Perry, superintendent of Public Works, reported: "7th Seventh Street Park rebid is on street, again." The bid opening will take place on Wednesday, December 2.

The first time around, the bids were opened on August 11. Two bids were received, and both were significantly higher than expected and more than the funds currently available. At that time, it was decided that some costly infrastructure work would be moved from Phase 1 to Phase 2 in the hope that would bring down the cost for Phase 1. The drawing below shows the work included in Phase 1 for the current rebid.

The objectives of Phase 1, as it is being rebid, are defined in this way:

• Axial design is retained but orientation of the axis is rotated, acknowledging pedestrian flow to adjacent intersections.
• Demolition of the existing concrete basin clears the way for the future fountain. A flexible seating area will occupy the area until the fountain is built.
• Installation of new water and electric lines for the future fountain and for additional lightning is included in Phase 1.
• A repositioned Veterans Memorial to Warren Street improves its visibility and accessibility.
• New landscaping includes a planted border along the CSX corridor, new understory and canopy trees. Flexible open lawn areas are expanded.

Commenting on the current scope of work for Phase 1, Gail Wittwer-Laird of Starr Whitehouse, the landscape architects for the project, told Gossips:

The scheme keeps the restoration of the primary axial path, still relocates the Veterans Memorial to Warren Street, making it accessible. The existing concrete basin is removed, and the area is programmed as a flexible seating area until the fountain comes online. 

This scheme preserves mature trees, provides expanded flexible lawn space, yet still restores the primary pathways, benches, and lighting. Additionally, the planted bed along the CSX corridor is further enhanced with shade tolerant perennials, ferns and grasses, softening that edge.

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Sidewalk Replacement Update

City Hall issued the following statement this morning:

Sidewalk replacement on the east side of N 6th Street between State Street and Long Alley will begin next Monday, November 16. Please heed the direction of the crew and any traffic control devices/signage to ensure everyone's safety and allow ample room for work and equipment.

About the Moratorium

At the October meeting of the Common Council Safety Committee, Nick Fox, director of Code Enforcement, reported that a group interested in siting a large capacity battery storage facility at the end of Hudson Avenue, on land surrounding the building constructed in 1910-1911 as the new plant for the Gifford-Wood Company and most recently used by McGuire Overhead Door, had contacted his office seeking information about the city's code regarding battery energy storage systems. As Fox told the committee, there is nothing in the code about battery energy storage systems. 

For those unfamiliar with battery energy storage systems, this information is provided on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website: 

Battery Energy Storage Systems, or BESS, help stabilize electrical grids by providing steady power flow despite fluctuations from inconsistent generation or renewable energy sources and other disruptions. While BESS technology is designed to bolster grid reliability, lithium battery fires at some installations have raised legitimate safety concerns in many communities.

BESS incidents can present unique challenges for host communities and first responders:

• Fire Suppression: Lithium battery fires are extremely difficult to extinguish and may reignite hours or days later.
• Emissions: Battery fires can release harmful gases that pose health risks to nearby residents and first responders.
• Environmental Impact: Proper cleanup and disposal of damaged batteries requires specialized procedures.

The initial consensus among members of the Safety Committee seemed to be that such facilities did not belong within Hudson's two square miles because of the potential hazards, but three days later, at the Common Council Legal Committee meeting, it was suggested by Ken Dow, legal counsel to the Council, that moratorium on siting such facilities be put in place to give the Council time to study the issue further before proposing code amendments to regulate or prohibit them. The proposed moratorium was introduced at the informal Common Council meeting on October 19 and referred to the city and county planning boards for a recommendation.

At last night's Planning Board meeting, the moratorium was the only item of business on the agenda. Although Ron Bogle, who chairs the Planning Board, introduced the topic by saying, "I don't see any obvious reason why we wouldn't support this," there was considerable discussion before the board voted 5 to 1 to issue a favorable opinion about the moratorium. Bogle, Nathan Woodhull, Peter Spear, Sara Black, and Veronica Concra voted in support of the moratorium; Gene Shetsky voted against at; Kali Michael was absent from the meeting.

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Following the 2027 Budget

At a special meeting last night, Mayor Joseph Ferris--flanked by the other members of the Board of Estimate and Apportionment, Treasurer Heather Campbell and Council President Margaret Morris--presented the proposed budget for 2027 to the Common Council.

Ferris noted that, at the start of the BEA review, requests for expenditures totaled $17,229,318, leaving a gap of $2.6 million between revenues and expenditures. During the BEA process, expenditures were brought down to $16,621,744.

The budget was balanced by increases in projected revenues from what Ferris called "user fees": the cost of trash bags, parking rates, and parking fines, as well as increases in interest and penalties for late payment of property taxes. 

The big takeaways from the mayor's presentation were that the 2027 budget involves no increase in property taxes and no decrease in the City's fund balance.

All the visuals from the mayor's presentation can be found here. The budget documents can be found here. 

The Common Council holds a special meeting to discuss the proposed budget on Thursday, November 12, at 6:00 p.m. A public hearing on the budget is scheduled for Tuesday, November 17, at 6:00 p.m.

Silent Nights . . . or Rather Early Mornings

Six years ago, Gossips shared this picture, from PhotobyGibson, of Hudson's street sweeper in 1956 and speculated about what it must have sounded like making its way through the streets of Hudson.

Tonight, at the Common Council Code and Infrastructure Committee meeting, Rob Perry, Superintendent of Public Works, shared these pictures of the City's newly acquired street sweeper, delivered last Friday.

As soon as DPW workers have been trained in its operation, this new street sweeper will be plying the streets of Hudson in the wee hours of the morning. According to Perry, the new sweeper is silent. "You won't ever hear it coming."

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Recommended Viewing

Modern Witness, Karl Frederick Mattson's documentary about Hudson's iconic First Presbyterian Church, which premiered yesterday at Time & Space Limited, can now be viewed on YouTube.

This Saturday at Clermont

This year marks the 250th anniversary of the country's founding. It also marks the 280th birthday of Chancellor Robert R. Livingston, a member of the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration of Independence. On Saturday, November 14, the Chancellor's birthday will be celebrated at his home, now the Clermont State Historic Site, in Germantown.

On Saturday, November 14, 2026, the public is invited to visit Clermont State Historic Site for an all-day celebration of a favorite, often forgotten, Founding Father, with fun for the whole family! From 11:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Clermont’s Visitor Center will host games, a magazine launch, pub trivia, and a toast, all in honor of Chancellor Robert R. Livingston’s 280th birthday.

From 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., visitors can enjoy a Ballooning Story Hour, celebrating early flight and the Chancellor’s technological advancements. Visitors can look forward to a balloon-themed story time, historic games, and the launch of a miniature balloon. Fun for kids (and adults) of all ages and abilities. At 2:00 p.m., join the staff of Clermont State Historic Site for the official launch party of The Clermont Dispatch, Clermont’s brand-new in-house publication. Sip Clermont-blend coffee and enjoy light refreshments while reading the new scholarly magazine. At 4:00 p.m., Livingston Trivia Night begins. Register a team, enjoy the cash bar, and play a rousing game of American History pub trivia with fabulous Clermont-related prizes. To cap off the celebration, at 5:30 p.m., the staff at Clermont will raise a toast to the Chancellor and serve cake.

This event is free to attend. Trivia team registration is $10. Tours of the historic mansion will be offered on the hour from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Tour tickets cost $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, and $8 for students. Children under 12 are free but must be accompanied by an adult.

Clermont State Historic Site is a riverside mansion and park with a rich and varied history. It was home to seven generations of Livingston family, as well as dozens of enslaved people and paid servants. Clermont’s most famous resident is Chancellor Robert R. Livingston, who served in the Second Continental Congress and was appointed to the Committee of Five who authored the Declaration of Independence. Late in the war, Chancellor Livingston served as the nation’s first Secretary of Foreign Affairs, a position that became Secretary of State. He would go on to be the chief negotiator of the Louisiana Purchase and the co-inventor of the first practical steamboat.

To See Hudson as It Is Presented to Others

As Gossips reported in May, Eric Galloway has created a new not-for-profit for his acquisitions and activities in Savannah called the Civis Foundation. The logo for the new foundation is curiously similar to the logo of the Galvan Foundation.

This morning, a reader sent me a link to the Civis Foundation website, where the Hudson Public Hotel is presented as one of the foundation's projects.

This is what the Civis website has to say about the project:

Civis is working to repurpose vacant land and historic commercial buildings into an affordable hospitality destination in Hudson, New York. This project expands inclusive access for visitors while helping to reactivate the town center through increased foot traffic and support for local businesses. The landmark hotel seeks to preserve the architectural character that anchors the civic identity of the city.

Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead

As we move deeper into November, and the days grow shorter and colder, here is what's happening. 

• On Monday, November 9, the Common Council Code and Infrastructure Committee 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.
• At 6:00 p.m. on Monday, November 9, the Board of Estimate and Apportionment presents the proposed budget for 2027 to the Common Council. That budget can be found here. 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 Tuesday, November 10, the Planning Board meets at 6:00 p.m. After months of meetings focused on reviewing the Hudson Housing Authority's ambitious, transformational project, the only thing on the agenda for this meeting, aside from such housekeeping chores as approving minutes and reviewing escrow payments, is making a recommendation on the proposed local law to enact a one-year moratorium on commercial battery energy storage facilities. Appropos this, the Athens Town Board recently adopted legislation to regulate the development of battery energy storage facilities after enacting a moratorium more than two years ago. The Planning Board 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, November 11, is Veterans' Day. Hudson's observance of the day honoring all who served begins at Seventh Street Park with a parade down Warren Street to the Columbia County courthouse. The parade steps off at 10:00 a.m.  

• On Thursday, November 12, at 6:00 p.m., the Common Council holds a special meeting to review and discuss the proposed budget for 2027. 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 Friday, November 13, the Historic Preservation Commission meets at 10:00 a.m. On the agenda for the meeting is the continuation of review of the Hudson Public Hotel, a project that has been subject to a stop-work order since August. 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. 

• Friday, November 13, marks the end of the suspension of alternate side of the street rules for overnight parking on weekends. In the night from Friday, November 13, to Saturday, November 14, cars should be parked on the even side of the street; in the night from Saturday, November 14, to Sunday, November 15, cars should be parked on the odd side of the street.  

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Resolving the Violations at Hudson Public

Since August, there has been a stop-work order in place at 402-406 Warren Street, the buildings that are being redeveloped as the Galvan Foundation's Hudson Public Hotel. 

The stop-work order was triggered by violations to the certificate of appropriateness granted by the Historic Preservation Commission in March 2023. The following is the list of violations identified by Code Enforcement Director Nick Fox.

On September 14, Walter Chatham, advising architect for the project, submitted a new application for the project which reflected things that had already been done, many of which were in violation of the original certificate of appropriateness. The HPC has discussed the project a few times since then, and at a special meeting last Friday, it appeared the HPC had reached some conclusions about what should be done.

The HPC seemed to agree early on that, although the certificate of appropriateness specified that the corrugated metal siding on the walls of the building not visible from the street "shall be unpainted galvanized or ungalvanized metal," they did not have a problem with the black painted metal that had been installed. 

Other violations were not as easily dismissed. Ninety-five windows were installed without approval from the HPC. The configuration of all the windows is two-over-two--two panes in the upper sash and two panes in the lower sash. The HPC had not deemed that configuration appropriate to the building. Chatham argued that because all the renderings presented during the original review process showed two-over-two windows, the HPC had given tacit approval to that configuration. 

At the October 23 meeting of the HPC, Matt McGhee maintained that the original buildings--402-404 Warren Street and pair of townhouses facing North Fourth Street--were Greek Revival, built at a time when it was not yet possible to make large panes of glass, and hence the original windows would have been six-over-six. McGhee suggested that the original buildings should have six-over-six windows and the new infill buildings should have two-over-two. 

This picture, which is believed to date from 1866, is the oldest visual documentation of the building. Unfortunately, it does not provide clear evidence of the configuration of the windows, and, given that it was likely taken three or more decades after the building was constructed, it is possible that the windows on the building's primary facade may have been updated. 

At last Friday's meeting, the HPC agreed that the Greek Revival townhouses on North Fourth Street should have six-over-six windows, and the two-over-two windows already installed would be appropriate for the other buildings. 

Photo: Matt McGhee

The building's colonnade was also a topic for discussion at Friday's meeting. The original certificate of appropriateness contained the following condition, which was not met:

The applicant shall return to the Historic Preservation Commission for approval of specifications and details for all windows, doors and light fixtures. The applicant shall also provide additional information on existing storefront marble at the time windows and doors are reviewed.

As Gossips reported in August, two of the three original marble elements were removed, and the third is now covered over with new material. 

At last Friday's meeting, Cara Cragan, the architect member of the HPC, presented what she called a "more detailed approach" to the colonnade. Using 701 Warren Street as a model, whose relevance to 402-404 Warren was noted by McGhee, Cragan suggested there should be marble at the bottom of the colonnade openings. This, she said, would make the colonnade "reminiscent and reverential of what was originally there."

701 Warren Street--Photo: Matt McGhee

Chatham cited possible "water issues" as a reason not to include the marble piece at the bottom of the windows in the colonnade.

Cragan also recommended detailing in the application of the marble veneer, which Chatham referred to as "little cushion capitals."

Cragan suggested that the infill structures--at 406 Warren Street and on North Fourth Street between 402-404 Warren and townhouses--be whitewashed or stuccoed to distinguish them from the historic buildings. In the original proposal, these buildings were to have a "slurry wash." Cragan expressed the opinion, "Stucco feels like a clearer distinction." HPC member John Schobel, however, commented, "We have so much brick and clapboard on Warren Street, but no stucco. Limewash [i.e., whitewash] feels more in keeping with the context."

The HPC has its regular meeting on Friday, November 13. Chatham is expected to have new drawings of the enhanced colonnade, as well as pictures of the proposed doors, for presentation at that time.

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News of Proposed Housing Nearby

Billy Shannon opens his most entry in his Substack column Middle Sphere with these lede:

In a cluster-development partnership with the Columbia Land Conservancy, Habitat for Humanity plans to build and sell 23 starter homes near Hudson in the coming years. The people who will buy the homes will get them for a price significantly lower than they'd fetch on the open market.

Titled "The Missing Rung on the Housing Ladder," the entry features an interview with Columbia County Habitat for Humanity executive director Al Bellenchia. It can be read here.  

The proposed development will be located near the Habitat for Humanity ReStore on Route 23/Route 9.  

Good News on the Budget Front

Gossips was mistaken. The 2027 budget was not balanced by raising property taxes the maximum allowed. The projected revenue from taxes for 2027 is exactly the same as it was for 2026: $5,973,844.

What made the difference between the $171,000 gap at the end of the BEA meeting on Wednesday and the $61,000 surplus reported at the start of the meeting on Friday was an amended calculation of projected revenue from sales tax. 

The current budget documents can be found here.

The budget will be presented to the Common Council in a special meeting on Monday, November 9, at 6:00 p.m., at City Hall. 

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What Brought Us to This Place

On Thursday, Friends of Second Street (FoSS) and Project7Hudson held a community forum about the proposed Hudson Housing Authority redevelopment. The forum was introduced by a comprehensive, meticulously researched video recounting the history of Bliss Towers, charting Hudson's population decline, summarizing the current redevelopment plan, and introducing an alterative. That video can be viewed here. It is about half an hour long and well worth the time.

A report about the forum appears today in the Register-Star: "Residents hope Bliss revamp returns to drawing board."

Money for Hudson Infrastructure

The Register-Star reported late this afternoon that Hudson has received grants from the State of New York to improve its infrastructure: "Hudson receives $11.9M from state." The grant for $11,897,604 supports the city's ongoing effort to separate its stormwater sewer from its sanitary sewer, so that in significant rain events effluent from the sanitary sewer does not spill into the Hudson River, a phenomenon known as combined sewer overflow, or CSO. 

According to the article, Rob Perry, Superintendent of Public Works, estimates the sewer separation project will cost $180 million over fifteen years. Perry is quoted as saying, "Twelve million is a nice win, but we're going to keep applying for more and more grants because we want to bring the local costs down as low as possible. Over the next couple of years, we'll continue to apply for as many funding sources as we can get to help offset the cost."

A second grant was also received today: a cybersecurity grant for $50,000 to protect the city's water treatment plant and waste water treatment plant.

The Word on the Proposed 2027 Budget

At the beginning of this afternoon's Board of Estimate and Apportionment session, Mayor Joe Ferris asked City Treasurer Heather Campbell to review "where we stand." Campbell reported that projected revenues for 2027 were $16,673,584 and projected expenditures were $16,612,514. This was assuming a 3.16 percent increase in property taxes.

By the end of the session, the BEA had balanced the budget by reducing the anticipated lodging tax to eliminate the projected three months' of collecting lodging tax at 7 percent, since it is not entirely certain that an increase beyond 5 percent would be approved by the New York State Legislature. 

The BEA will present the budget to the Common Council on Monday, November 9, at 6:00 p.m., at City Hall, after which it will be available online for all to scrutinize.

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Update: Gossips was mistaken. The 2027 budget was not balanced by raising property taxes. The projected revenue from property taxes for 2027 is exactly the same is it was for 2026: $5,973,844.

Of Interest

Roger Hannigan Gilson explores the circumstances surrounding the abrupt departure of Bob Gibson from the Department of Social Services in the Times Union today: "Columbia County social services commissioner suddenly resigns." Among other things, the article confirms that Galvan Civic Motel is one of the properties that has been given to Bard College.