Scott Baldinger comments on his blog about two projects now happening or being considered in Hudson--the Armory houses and the proposed senior center: "Not Too Shabby."
This is basically the Letter I wrote to Scott Baldinger,and 1st Alderman Marston&3rd Aldermen Friedman&Wagoner.I did not have email for Haddad or any other member of HPC.i heard back from Alderman Friedman and Marston.I feel they are aware of the bigger issues than compatibility of design.
I am a big supporter of Scott and his being on the HPC.I am a fan of his blog and ideas
But as a member of the Historic Preservation Commission he has approved publicly
and endorsed the building of the proposed Senior Center before the HPC meets for the 1st time with new design.
It has not been approved that anything can be built there yet.
this is not about ,NEW &OLD Architecture being able to be harmonious.
There are a millions of examples all around the world
this about a Historic Church and its formerly tree filled side yard.having a small Senior Center be crammed into Youth Center's side yard,spending 200,000 over budget so Seniors have an elevator to the kids gymnasium.(CC Pres.Moore's obsession) It is being attached to a Historic Building in a Historic Land Marked District in badly need of restoration. the Youth Center or anything else surrounding this proposed buildings are not WHITE,as shown in pretty pictures
City Hall's consistent choice, Crawford & Assoc have done an admittedly brief assessment of the structural soundness of the Youth center bldg.Even though it was thier brick bldg.renderings that were used to get the grant money.Isn't that fraudulent? Was any of this bid out? Does Jane Smith have structural engineers on staff at her company?
My only relief is that no one seems to propose digging a foundation(as mechanical HVAC,elevator shaft are proposed to be on 1st story roof) that could seriously, compromise structural foundation of Church Hopefully the design is such that if Future Citizens& Stewards of Hudson would like to Historically correct this decision, little to none of the Historic bldg will be disturbed,compromised or stressed
by the addition of this annex.
and it can be removed.
If this SPACESMITH bldg was built in a non historic district.,it wouldn't matter
what anyone on HPC thought about it.Its a pleasant building as drawn.
The $800,000 price tag for just the small building
may have been a problem for taxpayers
considering no land purchase ,parking or green space,is in that $800,000 price tag
Senior center currently doesn't have enough money to pay for seniors Yoga class. If this was built in a historically unprotected area,which is most of Hudson
it would be refreshing.
Too bad Space Smith wasn't consulted on all the ugly other civic Bldgs,built in the last decades in Hudson ,not in Historic designated areas.
Architect Jane Smith could have kept her position as the architectural consultant member of HPC
which she was ,up until very recently.She was very far along with Senior Center design process
before the conflict of interest was publicly voiced and she stepped down
The location of the Senior Center is what the issue is and for that amount of money
it is being Crammed into the Former Methodist Episcopal Church 1854 tree filled side yard
and being attached to historic Bldg.the foundation is by most written historical accounts
the foundation of Friends meeting house 1794.
This is also all being built on State 23B9G Trke RTE,between 2 traffic lights, trucks the size
illegal in Manhattan,barreling through night and day
and trucks will be constantly stuck at lights idling in front of Senior Center. There is no parking and what appears in the drawings as barely a sidewalk. There would be no possibility for green space or parking for Youth Center or seniors
these architect renderings are sales presentations,
there is no reality in them,that could possibly convey the reality
of the true proximity of this new structure
and ALL the surrounding buildings,yards , alley& streets--to scale .A model would be best
Not like that absurd rendering of "Civic" that shows grassy lawns where River Studio & Etsy
a house and Helsinki exist.
. The whole concept for locating the Senior Center there was so ill conceived
and a knee jerk idea originally from Scalera ,
to increase grant funding for Youth Center
by piggybacking the "concept" of a Senior Center in 2005
City seeks funds for Boys and Girls Club renovation By Bob MitchellPublished: Friday, January 21, 2005 12:37 AM EST HUDSON -- The Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency board on Thursday unanimously
chose the Boys and Girls Club as applicant for the next round of Community Development Block Grant funds. The competitively sought $400,000 grant, if the city is successful at obtaining it, would be used to renovate the club. The application deadline is in April, and the city will know by September if the application was successful
.Last week, HCDPA conducted a public hearing to solicit ideas for the grant application
. There were several, but a suggestion to combine a senior center with the Boys and Girls Club
appeared to be the most attractive. Peter Markou, executive director of HCDPA, said Thursday that presenting the project as beneficial to seniors
as well as to youth might enhance the application's chances of success. The panel said the intergenerational concept for the club presented at the hearing last week might work. "We need input from seniors," said Mayor Richard Scalera, HCDPA board member. The money will not go far, said Scalera. Initial work includes restoration of windows, doors, heat and electric, he said. This grant is called a single-purpose grant. Municipalities also have the option of applying for a comprehensive grant for up to $600,000.
Those grants are used to fund more than one project. Scalera asked Markou if HCDPA could apply for a $600,000
comprehensive grant if a senior center was to be part of the Boys and Girls Club. "Now it is one site with two programs," Scalera said. Markou said he would look into it. The city plans to have its Youth Department operate the financially strapped club. Opening of Boys and Girls Club pushed back one week
- - - - - - - - - - - -
No more thought than that was put into this Not location,its safety or how it would impact Seniors,
the Youth Center and Youth at the Youth Center
neighbors. No thought about
it was a historic building in very bad repair
Then it just took on a life of its own
a shared space became a building
an elevator,
No more thought than what do we do to keep the grant money and get more
and still start 200k over budget,before overruns,before a hammer has been lifted.
This is a very disturbing phenomenon ,here in
modern day Hudson of no City Planning
in the 2nd Planned City in the United States 1784 and no respect for that
A half baked plan is mentioned one day
next day there are pretty ,unrealistic pictures,
and then CC votes to build it
always grandstanding if you object
that you are heartlessly against the poor,the homeless,children and old people.
This is basically the Letter I wrote to Scott Baldinger,and 1st Alderman Marston&3rd Aldermen Friedman&Wagoner.I did not have email for Haddad or any other member of HPC.i heard back from Alderman Friedman and Marston.I feel they are aware of the bigger issues than compatibility of design.
ReplyDeleteI am a big supporter of Scott and his being on the HPC.I am a fan of his blog and ideas
But as a member of the Historic Preservation Commission he has approved publicly
and endorsed the building of the proposed Senior Center before the
HPC meets for the 1st time with new design.
It has not been approved that anything can be built there yet.
this is not about ,NEW &OLD Architecture being able to be harmonious.
There are a millions of examples all around the world
this about a Historic Church and its formerly tree filled side yard.having a small Senior Center be crammed into
Youth Center's side yard,spending 200,000 over budget
so Seniors have an elevator to the kids gymnasium.(CC Pres.Moore's obsession)
It is being attached to a Historic Building in a Historic Land Marked District
in badly need of restoration.
the Youth Center or anything else surrounding this proposed buildings are
not
WHITE,as shown in pretty pictures
City Hall's consistent choice, Crawford & Assoc have done an admittedly
brief assessment of the structural soundness of the Youth center bldg.Even though it was thier brick bldg.renderings that were used to get the grant money.Isn't that fraudulent?
Was any of this bid out?
Does Jane Smith have structural engineers on staff at her company?
My only relief is that no one seems to propose digging a foundation(as mechanical HVAC,elevator shaft are proposed to be on 1st story roof)
that could seriously, compromise structural foundation of Church
Hopefully the design is such
that if Future Citizens& Stewards of Hudson
would like to Historically correct this decision,
little to none of the Historic bldg will be disturbed,compromised or stressed
by the addition of this annex.
and it can be removed.
If this SPACESMITH bldg was built in a non historic district.,it wouldn't matter
what anyone on HPC thought about it.Its a pleasant building as drawn.
The $800,000 price tag for just the small building
may have been a problem for taxpayers
considering no land purchase ,parking or green space,is in that $800,000 price tag
Senior center currently doesn't have enough money to pay for seniors Yoga class.
If this was built in a historically unprotected area,which is most of Hudson
it would be refreshing.
Too bad Space Smith wasn't consulted
on all the ugly other civic Bldgs,built in the last decades in Hudson ,not in Historic designated areas.
Architect Jane Smith could have kept her position as the architectural consultant member of HPC
which she was ,up until very recently.She was very far along with Senior Center design process
before the conflict of interest was publicly voiced and she stepped down
.
The location of the Senior Center is what the issue is and for that amount of money
ReplyDeleteit is being Crammed into the Former Methodist Episcopal Church 1854 tree filled side yard
and being attached to historic Bldg.the foundation is by most written historical accounts
the foundation of Friends meeting house 1794.
This is also all being built on State 23B9G Trke RTE,between 2 traffic lights, trucks the size
illegal in Manhattan,barreling through night and day
and trucks will be constantly stuck at lights idling in front of Senior Center.
There is no parking and what appears in the drawings as barely a sidewalk.
There would be no possibility for green space or parking for Youth Center or seniors
these architect renderings are sales presentations,
there is no reality in them,that could possibly convey the reality
of the true proximity of this new structure
and ALL the surrounding buildings,yards , alley& streets--to scale .A model would be best
Not like that absurd rendering of "Civic" that shows grassy lawns where River Studio & Etsy
a house and Helsinki exist.
.
The whole concept for locating the Senior Center there was so ill conceived
and a knee jerk idea originally from Scalera ,
to increase grant funding for Youth Center
by piggybacking the "concept" of a Senior Center in 2005
on shared site.
--------------------
City seeks funds for Boys and Girls Club renovation
ReplyDeleteBy Bob MitchellPublished:
Friday, January 21, 2005 12:37 AM EST
HUDSON -- The Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency board on Thursday unanimously
chose the Boys and Girls Club as applicant for the next round of Community Development Block Grant funds.
The competitively sought $400,000 grant, if the city is successful at obtaining it, would be used to renovate the club.
The application deadline is in April, and the city will know by September if the application was successful
.Last week, HCDPA conducted a public hearing to solicit ideas for the grant application
. There were several, but a suggestion to combine a senior center with the Boys and Girls Club
appeared to be the most attractive.
Peter Markou, executive director of HCDPA, said Thursday that presenting the project as beneficial to seniors
as well as to youth might enhance the application's chances of success.
The panel said the intergenerational concept for the club presented at the hearing last week might work.
"We need input from seniors," said Mayor Richard Scalera, HCDPA board member.
The money will not go far, said Scalera. Initial work includes restoration of windows, doors, heat and electric, he said.
This grant is called a single-purpose grant.
Municipalities also have the option of applying for a comprehensive grant for up to $600,000.
Those grants are used to fund more than one project.
Scalera asked Markou if HCDPA could apply for a $600,000
comprehensive grant if a senior center was to be part of the Boys and Girls Club.
"Now it is one site with two programs," Scalera said.
Markou said he would look into it.
The city plans to have its Youth Department operate the financially strapped club.
Opening of Boys and Girls Club pushed back one week
- - - - - - - - - - - -
No more thought than that was put into this
Not location,its safety or how it would impact Seniors,
the Youth Center and Youth at the Youth Center
neighbors. No thought about
it was a historic building in very bad repair
Then it just took on a life of its own
a shared space became a building
an elevator,
No more thought than what do we do to keep the grant money and get more
and still start 200k over budget,before overruns,before a hammer has been lifted.
This is a very disturbing phenomenon ,here in
modern day Hudson of no City Planning
in the 2nd Planned City in the United States 1784
and no respect for that
A half baked plan is mentioned one day
next day there are pretty ,unrealistic pictures,
and then CC votes to build it
always grandstanding if you object
that you are heartlessly against the poor,the homeless,children and old people.
fait accomplis
before anyone has time to stop it.
I hope if this very ill conceived idea is slammed through,
ReplyDeleteHPC forgets about SpaceSmith pretty pictures and
does its due diligence on the Historic Building in a Historic District
it is being proposed to attach to
and side yard it is being built on
that has
never been built on,sacred in that way
A yard of Friends Meeting House 1794
and Methodist Episcopal Church 1854.
since 1925 a yard for boys and girls club
and in 2005 it was seized by city ,
to run Youth Center,and not well
It was then,2005,Scalera started to try to get more
than the allotted$ 400,000 grant
for Youth Center improvement by adding "idea"
of a Senior center to the grant ,for an extra$200k
Would HPC think this same Building design concept
would be appropriate smacked up next to Presbyterian Church
on East side yard covering every inch,on Warren and 4th St?
It is the same thing.
This 1960ish elementary school annex / carport design
might look great on its own lot with parking and gardens.
Not in a Historic District,crammed between a Historic Church and an alley on a 23b/9g Rte
with no parking or green space.The gate way into Hudson
the neighboring building on the other side of Youth Center /Church
is the historic Masonic Hall
how do these buildings relate with the 1960ish scholastic annex?
We need the open space there. Trees.Like it was,historically
This unofficial public pre- approval of pretty pictures
by members of HPC,however well intentioned
is extremely harmful to the purpose of HPC
premature , inappropriate and creates undue influence.
the grant to build there, isn't even approved yet.
there are many citizens against building anything in the side yard.
HPC can barely enforce any laws as is
Very little of Hudson is historically protected
This will set a standard,that will make it
much harder to protect other historic buildings and sites
We have very important buildings on the horizon
If this is OK with HPC,prior to State Historic approval
Proper structural evaluation of the Historic Building
and the appropriateness to attach to it
on the formally tree filled 1/4 lot belonging to
the former Episcopal Methodist Church1854
Friends Meeting House1794
What isn't going to be OK with HPC ?
and how are they going to defend their decisions,
knowing
how little power Scalera has left the HPC.
Why wouldn't the restoration of the Methodist Episcopal Church
that is on the Gateway into Hudson,be HPC,first priority.
Then the condition of the youth center its self
is there any money for the Youth?
It's only through the youth,that this grant for senior center was conjured up in the first place
How much real time was spent looking for a much better
location for a senior center?
Or ,besides Peter Myer,a safer location for a Youth Center,for that matter?