Last Night at City Hall

Dan Udell has posted his video of last night's Common Council meeting on YouTube, and it can be viewed by clicking here.

A segment of interest begins about nine minutes in, when Council president Tom DePietro, with obvious disdain and skepticism, presents one of several new resolutions before the Council. The resolution would authorize the mayor to apply for a grant to do master plans for the improvement of Seventh Street Park and Henry Hudson Riverfront Park. The grant money for the project would come through the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) from the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) in the Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) process. DePietro pointed out that he had not signed the resolution because "it's not clear where it came from and what it's doing."

Alderman Kamal Johnson (First Ward) wanted to know where the required match ($7,500) would come from. He was told the Finance Committee had already approved taking it from the general fund. Alderman Tiffany Garriga (Second Ward) wanted to know, among other things, what improvements would be made to the two parks. 

Mayor Rick Rector explained that the grant, if awarded, would provide an opportunity to look at riverfront park in the context of the connectivity project that is the major part of the DRI (Downtown Revitalization Initiative), the new Ferry Street Bridge to be constructed in 2020, and the redevelopment of the Dunn warehouse and to create a master plan that would integrate all the elements at the waterfront. The grant would also fund the development of a master plan for improvements to Seventh Street Park, something that has been a topic of discussion in the city for years. 

Photo: The Urban Prospector

In the end, the Council unanimously approved the resolution authorizing the mayor to apply for the grant. 

Chief Ed Moore's comments about the violent incident that happened in Hudson on Monday night begins about 21 minutes in.
COPYRIGHT 2019 CAROLE OSTERINK