The installation of the concrete barriers along Warren Street, to protect diners and shoppers from the hazard of passing cars, began yesterday and continues today. Facebook is abuzz with photographs, videos, and complaints about them, and you have to admit that sitting in the street, unenhanced by planters or dining tables or merchandise, they look pretty brutal.
At the Tourism Board meeting, John Kane, whom Tourism Board member Chris McManus referred to as "critic in exile," asked about an incident that had taken place a couple of hours after the first cement blocks had been put into position: a car collided with one of the barriers and moved it. Kane wanted to know the make and model of the vehicle. Members of the Tourism Board, who seemed to have no knowledge of the incident, suggested that Kane should be directing his question to the Hudson Police Department. DePietro later commented about the incident, "If we had what we had last year, it probably would have hit a person."
Tourism Board member Kate Treacy told the board there was "an overwhelming number of businesses that did not make the April deadline" for requesting use of the parking spaces and urged, "We should be providing for all businesses that want to participate." As it was explained on Sunday by Purnhagen, businesses that had not registered in April would receive the concrete barriers only if businesses that had registered decided not to participate. Without concrete barriers, businesses will not to allowed to expand into parking spaces. Last night the Tourism Board decided to allocate another $2,000 to purchase more concrete barriers to accommodate businesses now on a waiting list.
Update: Gossips has learned there has been another collision of car and concrete barrier. A car making a right turn onto Warren Street from Third struck with a barrier at Lawrence Park.
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I am sorry but referring to the concrete barriers as 'Donald Judd-esque blocks'is an insult to Donald Judd. I am deeply saddened that beautiful Warren Street looks more like a war zone now than a charming, inviting 19th century Main Street.
ReplyDeleteYes it reminds me of Belfast N.I in 1970's and 80s when the IRA were at it's worst.
DeleteIt looked to me like the self-appointed Vanguard of the Revolution was staging a production of Les Miserables.
DeleteThe grey concrete blocks really blend in visually with the color of the street in a very dangerous way, especially at night. If they have to be there I don’t think that the answer is to decorate them, they should be painted bright yellow. Otherwise I’m a afraid that they are just an accident waiting to happen.
ReplyDelete"Donald Judd-esque blocks"? What ignorance! And to have intended it as a tribute! I'm speechless for a change.
ReplyDeleteMy thanks go out to both drivers who struck the blocks with their vehicles. Their good efforts are noted.
I worked for years in product development. If there was a problem this serious during rollout of any product, any sensible or responsible party would stop the rollout and investigate.
ReplyDeleteInstead, the Tourism Board just showed hostility to any criticism that might make them look bad. How it matters where I'm staying right now has nothing to do with the safety and liability issues these monstrosities have created for residents and local businesses.
Steamrolling over legitimate concerns about safety is unfortunately part of the arrogant, dismissive attitude this Board has taken to the Hudson community. At this point, everyone involved in this debacle should be asked to resign, DePietro included.
By the way, the car in question was a Honda Element, which is not a heavy car, nor one laden with torque. This is all very, very messy.
DeleteI respond here as an individual and not representing the entire Tourism Board. Just as last night, I and I alone, pushed back at your comment. Try to be more articulate in the future rather than broadbrushing your comments.
DeleteTo be clear, I am very open to all feedback, including constructive criticism. I will not, however, pay heed to a bully who actively roots against Hudson and sits on the sidelines, waiting for something bad to happen so he can jump in and comment. You know, like how you laughed last night at the person involved in the car accident. Shameful.
I suggest you finally move on and leave Hudson to those who actually live here.
There a person named Hudson Hudson who lives in the City of Hudson?! Why the chances of that have to be quite small. More likely it’s a coward who’s afraid to write except under a pseudonym. I gather from its comments that the author is a member of the benighted Tourism Committee; it’s this type of anti-leadership — the kind that begins with prevarication and not honesty — that ends up with brutalist blocks of concrete blocking our most important street. Grow a pair, Hudson Hudson, and maybe your committee may rise to meet its obligations rather than continue to waste money and be the butt of jokes.
DeleteMy apologies for not signing my post. I assumed everyone knew that HudsonHudson is me -- Chris McManus. It's a username I created years ago for Blogger.
DeleteAnd I stand by my comment. I will listen to and hear all feedback that is genuine. But I will not give credence to an individual who actively cheers someone having an accident merely to prove a point.
As for 'growing a pair,' perhaps John you could refrain from such sexist terms. Just a recommendation. I wouldn't want to step on your first amendment rights to be a complete misanthrope! Cheers!
Pointing fingers instead of accepting responsibility for bad judgement is typical of Hudson - the Tourism Board would rather shoot themselves in the foot than do the right thing.
DeleteMeanwhile the same board could have had the 7th street park fountain repaired for tourism instead of creating this mess.
It is Mr. McManus, right? Perhaps you should share your pronouns. Or brush up on your idiomatic English.
DeleteI have driven on Warren twice since these blocks were put in place. The extend into the road much further than the planters last year. I am not surprised that a car making a turn hit one. 2 accidents in 2 days. Accidents 2020 - none. I recommend against trying to park behind a space with these blocks. It is like trying to parallel park behind a large invisible barrier. It is almost impossible to gauge your distance from the blocks in front of your car because -- unlike a large bus -- you cannot see them.
ReplyDeleteIf the intent was increased safety, it is time to go back to the drawing board
Someone certainly F--k up this project. I personally got a response from a Tourist board member when I made my observation clear with the response ,"you dont attend meeting so I am not listening to you". This looks like the attitude of the whole Tourist Board.
ReplyDeleteThat's an appalling response to a reasonable question-but let's dog into just how accessible these meetings are-
DeleteHow would you know which meeting to attend? The meetings are scheduled with insufficient notice and without agendas.
How would you know what's being talked about? I've asked multiple times for copies of the agenda and have been routinely ignored. They are held scatter shot and poorly managed. I and others have muted when we were trying to speak.
Whether through negligence, incompetence, or competent complacence, the entire Board has shown a derisive attitude to the community whose money they've been wasting.
I'm all for expanding the ability for businesses to succeed in town, which drives sales tax, jobs, and a place people want to come to visit and spend money that we can keep in the community.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious - did the Tourism Board speak to the city's property and casualty insurance carrier and confirm that the current city insurance will cover litigation should someone be hurt by the barriers?
Did we purchase a rider to mitigate the risk of the barriers being placed temporarily on the streets?
Or, are we hoping that no on sues The City, or perhaps, there is a reserve fund held by the Tourism Board to self-fund any claims or actions against the city.
If, in fact, there have been 2 or 3 incidents already, what mitigation has been put in place to protect the city. If it's a scrape, perhaps the driver's insurance will not subrogate against the city, but what happens if a driver hits a barrier, which then is pushed out into traffic (as two are already in the 300 block) and someone swerves out of the way, only to cause a greater accident or potential pedestrian injury? At that point, I am 99% sure, the insurance company will subrogate as will the injured sue.
Finally, while JK's delivery might not be everyone's cup of tea, I find he brings up points that should spur further discussion about protecting the city. I, for one, don't think we should shut him down, just because he might not type his comments from the 12534, he's still allowed to care for the city and comment on it. I also don't think city elected or appointed committee members get the ability to step out of their constitutional role when they feel like it in order to tell people to leave Hudson to those that live here. You're either in office or on committee appointment or you not.
I will continue to oppose an individual who actively roots against Hudson at every turn, sitting back and waiting for an accident or something bad to happen. John Kane was gleefully clapping on the TB call that someone had had an accident. It was shocking and shameful. It's more than his delivery Rob. It is the way he proactively is looking for something bad to happen to our city. We can disagree on solutions, aesthetics, and other points, but we should have a shared compassion for people involved in an accident. -- Chris McManus
DeleteI have to agree with Rob, whether you like the delivery, or even the individual personally, John does bring up valid points, and it could be said that in his criticism he is actually fighting for Hudson to be it's better self, rather than fighting against Hudson. Sometimes it's important to separate the issues from the individual, and personal likes or dislikes as well.
DeleteAside from the aesthetic factor, the bottom line is that there is zero regard for those who rent apartments and have lost parking. Why are the barriers there when stores are closed? This plan gave no regard to residents and only the businesses. Residents pay taxes too. I don't understand why the businesses were not mandated to pay the $200 suggested fee. It should have been required, especially if the business received pandemic grant money. Economics in Hudson is NOT just the businesses. It affects everyone.
ReplyDeleteWhy so many concrete blocks for spaces in front of businesses that do not serve food? 2 Hot Teez in the 700 block?
ReplyDeleteOrange poles, about 3 feet high, should be on the corners of all blocks nearest the traffic. Like the poles found on some fire hydrants.1 B Huston
It was suggested that food businesses be prioritized since there is a limited number of "barriers" available, but sadly it fell on deaf ears. Regardless of appearances, most restaurants are struggling, having had diminished or no capacity to operate in the last year, going into debt to the tune of 100's of thousand of dollars, in an industry that already exists on extremely thin margins. In addition many of us are shifting from a tipped based wage for staff to higher more livable one, yet, finding staff is extremely hard this year. So any assistance the small and micro restaurants can get is very much needed.
DeleteAnyone in favour of getting the entire Tourist Board to resign immediately It is obvious that this shared street project is their TURF, any and all criticism is not listened to. These blocks are in place until Nov.
ReplyDeleteThe Board has at this point blown any sense of usefulness of utility it had in promoting Tourism. They can each resign, though it should be made known that they were asked to if the City wants to be taken seriously again as delivering on any of its promises.
DeleteOf course expect 'irritation' and accidents, this idea is a mish mash doomed to failure. Either Warren St should be shut down to vehicular traffic on weekends or be fully open as usual. European cities have it down for decades. Who wants to wash down their dinner with a dash of car exhaust in their face? Indeed lucky are the restaurants with backyard patios! I always looked forward to Ca Mea's - along with Food Studio and Red Dot. Oh grief, there will be the usual question about parking. The city council and committees should have pondered this long ago, as far back as Summer 2020. Coordination instead of dysfunction is an interesting idea. Besides, mask mandates are updated starting Wednesday (Oops, that's today!). Has everyone heard the news? Shouldn't there be a discussion responding to it? Monies have been spent on monstrous concrete blocks that are difficult to see and maneuver. At the very least, secure planters with thick vegetation on top of them (and, I mean bolt them down and, I mean, THICK vegetation). Would solve the visibility and aesthetics to some degree. Chalk this off as a lesson learned. Hudson 'government' can't seem to see beyond the city limits for solutions of its myriad problems. Provincialism isn't pretty.
ReplyDeleteTHE TOURISM BOARD MUST BE REMOVED- PT 1
ReplyDeleteThis Tourism Board is an absolute failure and everyone involved needs to be removed.
Chris McManus, or HudsonHudson, or Good Grief, you are, once again, lying through your teeth to the residents of this community in a shallow, easily-dismissed effort to paint yourself and the feckless Tourism Board in a better light. I'm afraid your recent actions have cast aside any remaining doubts about your aptitude or your ethics. You are a coward, a bully, and a narcissist, as you prove time-and-time again.
I certainly wasn't laughing at the Tourism Board last night when I asked if anyone on the board knew details of the accident within hours of the installation of the concrete blocks. I did laugh when not one person on the board had an answer to my very simple, very basic question that should have been simply answered, or at least researched, before the meeting on Monday. Sometimes things are even more absurd than you imagine.
I also laughed at the Common Council President's unresearched, unsupported, and ludicrous claim that without the concrete barrier, someone would have been hit. These blocks sit below the eyeline of most drivers, and a standing person would have shown up in anyone's rearview mirror. His assertion was insipid in its arrogance. Truly, this has become a carful of clowns.
Either way, McManus (and Tom DePietro in the Register-Star) trying to make my outburst at your collective ineptitude sound like laughing at someone injured in an accident (there were no reported injuries) is incredibly disingenuous.
I was in Hudson today and spoke to business owners and residents up and down Warren Street. All told, including the collision mentioned at the meeting and the one in front of Lawrence Park that Gossips reported on, I counted six separate reports of collisions on or around Warren Street. Vehicle damage varied and was thankfully mostly light, but in three of the collisions the concrete barriers shifted.
A seventh collision (to my knowledge-there may be more) happened in front of me at about 4 pm. There was some paint damage to the front fender of the vehicle.
If a barrier is shifted by a collision and pushes into a group of diners, the restaurant serving those diners may be held legally liable. If there is damage to a car, from scraping against the barriers (Warren St, after all, is narrow as is, and a car shifting slightly to the right to avoid oncoming traffic also trying to avoid barriers can swerve right into these things) the City is liable. It is very unclear that either restaurants or the City carry the necessary insurance to cover this scenario, and it may be repeated over and over for the next 5 months.
Businesses up and down Warren St have been waiting to have these installed and staffing up to employ them, in addition to purchasing extra equipment for outdoor dining. Businesses and their employees depended on the City to get this right so they could have meaningful income opportunities this tourist season. The rollout is late, the product is shoddy, and the people in charge seem to be scrambling to save face with lame excuses and threatening phone calls to try to quell any dissent from business owners, often demanding public praise for the project, which is embarrassingly Trumpian. In any professional organization, there would be a sit-down to figure out what went wrong and how to correct it for the client. Instead, here we are, talking about whether I laughed or not. Much like her performance as Chair of the HCDC, which resulted in almost half the committee resigning in protest, Kate Treacy has once again created a disaster out of a simple task, but she certainly didn't do it alone.
THE TOURISM BOARD MUST BE REMOVED- PT 2
ReplyDeleteRestaurants and lodging tax operators paid into the Lodging Tax expecting an ROI not just for themselves, but for the community. The Tourism Board has wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars, and failed to engage the business community or the community at-large in any meaningful way. Meetings are poorly-scheduled, agendas are unavailable, and the discussion amongst Board members is an obnoxious exercise in self-congratulatory navel-gazing. People who speak up during meetings are cut off and muted by the host. Multiple efforts to get this behavior corrected have gone unaddressed.
This project has been an unmitigated disaster, and the only solution I can see is to remove the Board, let business owners along Warren St willing to help staunch the bleeding take the vacated seats, and allow Mr. Purnhagen do his job with people with competence and some skin in the game. Any funds not already approved by the Common Council should be clawed back to help businesses impacted by the incredibly bad execution of this.
It will be expensive, but losing tax revenue from potential sales and lodging tax will be an even bigger disaster in the long-term, and will result in the City having fewer opportunities to help people who need it.
As soon as FOILed information I requested starts coming back, I will be sure to pass it along to the community at-large. The details of the money wasted by this Board as a constellation of political patronage and self-dealing should be known by everyone. For over a year they've been acting like a sophomoric clique instead of doing the research and hard work to improve tourism in the city, which is such an important driver of tax revenue.
(I will make notable exceptions here for Kristan Keck and Ivy Dane, the former being a competent business owner who hasn't used the Board to engage in shameless self-promotion or steered funds to her own enterprise, and the latter being at this point too new to make any judgments about.)
And thanks, Chris, for your unsolicited suggestion that I leave Hudson, but I'll pass. I care enough about the people of Hudson to stand up to bullshit they have to deal with from inept City 'leaders' who want to self-glorify at the expense of their neighbors. That hasn't changed because my zip code has. I think everyone knows if they are looking for competent advice, they needn't bother looking to Chris McManus.
I asked a Tourist Board Chair on 2 separate conversations who's idea was it to place the concrete bunkers 6 to 12 ins
ReplyDeleteoutside the white line that define parking space. The answer was that" Rob Perry & Chief Moore made that decision". I now hear that this is not true. Would the Tourist Board chair care to clarify her response . Wait a minute, I forgot my question and opinions are not valid ,because I don't attend meetings.
Calvin Lewis is the Chair- I assume you're talking about Kate Treacy. At any rate, that's a pretty sloppy way to try to throw other departments under the bus for the project mismanaged by the Tourism Board.
DeleteYes the question was asked twice to K T . Did Rob Perry & Chief Moore make that decision? Would the chair of the Tourist Board care to answer my question. Who made the decision to place the concrete bunkers outside the white lines of a designated parking space. Members of the T B dont see a problem where they are now. If I parked outside the white lines I would get a ticket and rightly so.... All I am asking is who signed off the Location,Location,Location.
DeleteTo all the posters here, encourage you to contact the CC - your aldermen/women and voice your concerns about the safety issues. Rob Bujan did an excellent job in laying out potential city liability. This is an unsafe situation. Those of us who live here full time can figure out not to drive on Warren. But others coming into town are at higher risk. We need to tell CC that this is not acceptable.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate the public service that Carole provides here, but we need to contact our city reps.
Rob does bring up excellent pointsm I would add that the project manager, Gary Purnhagen (who is coming into this fresh and should have community support), reports to the mayor, and concerns should be brought to his office, as well.
DeleteI did speak to the City - they confirmed they are insured for these cement blocks.
ReplyDeleteJust an FYI. I reached out to CC and received responses from my reps and from Tom who gave me Gary's contact information -- which is now posted on the City website. Contacted Gary and got a responsible and responsive answer to my email. Not surprising but very welcome. If you have constructive comments, please contact Gary. He will listen and is working on practical steps to mitigate risk.
ReplyDelete