COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been 61 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 30 fewer than yesterday, from which it can be inferred that, since yesterday, 91 county residents have recovered from the virus. There are 42 more county residents in mandatory quarantine today than yesterday, but 1 fewer is hospitalized. None of those hospitalized is in the ICU. There has not been a death from COVID-19 in Columbia County since Wednesday, November 17.  

The New York Forward dashboard has not been updated since yesterday.

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 7 new cases of COVID-19 and a death. The total number of cases was 991, and the number of active cases was 54. There were 243 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 20 were hospitalized, and 1 was in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 46.

Pocketbook Factory Public Hearing

The IDA public hearing on the application from PBF Hudson LLC for financial benefits for the redevelopment of the Pocketbook Factory will be accessible on Zoom. The meeting takes place at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 30, at the Hudson Area Library. The link to the Zoom meeting can be found here. Written comments can be submitted prior to the meeting to mtucker@columbiaedc.com. If you wish to comment by Zoom during the public hearing, you must submit your name, email address, and phone number t0 mtucker@columbiaedc.com. In your email, make reference to "Pocketbook Hudson Project public hearing."

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since Saturday, there have been 46 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 6 fewer than on Saturday, from which it can be inferred that, since Saturday, 52 county residents have recovered from the virus. There are 31 fewer county residents in mandatory quarantine today than Saturday, but 3 more are hospitalized. None of those hospitalized is in the ICU. There has not been a death from COVID-19 in Columbia County since Wednesday, November 17. 

The New York Forward dashboard is reporting a positivity rate for Columbia County yesterday of 9.7 percent and a seven-day average of 7.8 percent. By comparison, the positivity rate for the Capital Region yesterday was 8.4 percent and the seven-day average was 7.8 percent.

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 6 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 984, and the number of active cases was 69. There were 269 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 20 were hospitalized, and 1 was in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 45.

COVID Closes Building Again

It was announced this afternoon that 325 Columbia Street, the location of the Columbia County Human Services/Mental Health Department, is now closed because of a positive COVID exposure and will remain closed until Wednesday, December 1.

Meetings of Interest in the Week Ahead

In this week between Thanksgiving and Winter Walk, there's not much happening on the meeting front, but those scheduled are sure to be interesting.

• On Tuesday, November 30, the Hudson Industrial Development Agency (IDA) holds a public hearing on the proposal from PBF Hudson LLC for financial assistance for the Pocketbook Factory project. The hearing takes place at 6:00 p.m., in person only, at the Hudson Area Library, 51 North Fifth Street. Click here to review the documents relating to the project.

• On Wednesday, December 1, the Common Council Legal Committee meets at 6:00 p.m. This is the committee's last meeting of the year. It will be interesting to see what legislation, if any, they try to push through before a new Council is seated in 2022. The meeting is expected to take place on Zoom. The link to the meeting should be posted on the City of Hudson website prior to the meeting.
• On Friday, December 3, the Historic Preservation Commission meets at 10:00 a.m. Click here to join the Zoom meeting. 

COPYRIGHT 2021 CAROLE OSTERINK

COVID-19 Update

After taking two days off for the holiday, the Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since Wednesday, there have been 61 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases in the county during the pandemic to 6,000. The number of active cases being reported today is 40 fewer than on Wednesday, from which it can be inferred that, since Wednesday, 101 county residents have recovered from the virus. There are 106 fewer county residents in mandatory quarantine today than on Wednesday, but 2 more are hospitalized. None of those hospitalized is in the ICU. There has not been a death from COVID-19 in Columbia County since Wednesday, November 17. 

The New York Forward dashboard is reporting a positivity rate for Columbia County from Thursday to Friday of 5.5 percent and a seven-day average of 7.9 percent. By comparison, the positivity rate for the same 24-hour period for the Capital Region was 7.3 percent and the seven-day average was 7.0 percent.

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 18 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 968, and the number of active cases was 63. There were 338 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 15 were hospitalized, and 2 were in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 45.

HFM for the Holidays

There was no Hudson Farmers Market today, but next Saturday, the Holiday Market begins in HFM's winter location at the Hudson Elks Lodge, 201 Harry Howard Avenue. The Holiday Market runs for three Saturdays in December leading up to Christmas--December 4, 11, and 18--from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Something to Think About

Sam Pratt ponders the future of Columbia County on his blog: "The Glacier Cometh."

Winter Walk 2021

A week from today, Warren Street will be abuzz with last minute decorating and preparations for Hudson's best loved holiday event--Winter Walk. This year, Hudson Hall presents the 25th Winter Walk from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 4. This year's lineup of includes a brilliant array of music, dance, projection, and more.

Photo: JD Urban

Here are the latest events to join the roster of Winter Walk activities--all of which have been designed to provide maximum safety with an equal measure of merriment.

Winter Walk Kick-Off
The evening begins with a tribute to the resiliency of our community and to our friend Vincent Mulford. Mulford, who passed away this October, was a longtime resident and pioneering antiques dealer in Hudson, as well as a long-standing champion of Winter Walk. To commemorate his life and the silver anniversary of Winter Walk, the bells at the First Presbyterian Church will ring twenty-five times at 5:00 p.m.

Seventh Street Park will then burst into color with a Holiday Tree lighting, thanks to Friends of the Public Square. The tree lighting will be accompanied by a performance by the children of Harmony Project Hudson and the Hudson City School District band program. The park will also be the scene of a Menorah Lighting Ceremony at 6:00 p.m., and the Hudson High School Marching Band will lead revelers from Seventh Street Park to the Park Theater, where the HFO Brass Quartet will perform a selection of songs featuring many local special guests.

Rip the Nut Reimagined

In a nod to the earliest days of Winter Walk, many Warren Street shop windows will feature dancers participating in a reimagined production of Rip the Nut--a raucous mashup of the Rip Van Winkle story and Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite ballet, choreographed by Adam Weinert. Typically performed on Hudson Hall's stage, this year the show comes down onto Warren Street and unfolds along the mile-long promenade.

In addition to live dancers, this production will also feature Rip the Nut Redux, a series of handmade installations by R. B. Schlather at Like Minded Objects and a video projection titled "Ghosts of Winkles Past" at Hudson Hall.

 

Santa Claus

Visitors can drop by City Hall to meet Santa Claus. The jolly little elf will be on hand for socially distanced consultations with the little ones, assisted by our friends from the Hudson Youth Center. Whether they've been naughty or nice, every child will receive a free age-appropriate book from Santa. 

Dance Party at the High-Beam

At 7:00 p.m., join the cast of Rip the Nut for a dance party at the corner of Front and Warren streets with DJ Ronnie Rave at the High-Bean Stage. Special guest performances include Chase Buntrock, Moscelyne Parkeharrison, Bodysonnet, and more.

As always, the evening will end at 8:00 p.m. with a magical fireworks display from the Hudson River, viewable for miles around.  

Holiday Honky-Tonk at WYLDE Hudson

After Winter Walk proper has come to an end, scurry over to WYLDE Hudson in time for their own tree lighting at 8:00 p.m. This kicks off a two-hour "After Hours" Holiday Honky-Tonk featuring Brett Miller and The Neon Moons.

 Enjoy Your Thanksgiving!

Gossips is taking the holiday off.

Parking Advisory

Tonight, because it is the eve of Thanksgiving, cars can be parked overnight on either side of the street. Tomorrow night, however, all cars must be parked on the even side of the street. Come Friday night and Saturday night, it's either side again. 

Be aware that this is the final weekend that alternate side of the street parking is suspended for overnight parking. Come December, alternate side of the street parking will be in effect seven days a week.

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been 26 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 8 more than yesterday, from which it can be inferred that, since yesterday, 18 county residents have recovered from the virus. There are 20 more county residents in mandatory quarantine today than yesterday, but the number hospitalized and in the ICU remains the same. There has not been a death from COVID-19 in Columbia County since Wednesday, November 17. 

The New York Forward dashboard is reporting a positivity rate for Columbia County from Monday to Tuesday of 8.5 percent and a seven-day average of 8.6 percent. By comparison, the positivity rate for the same 24-hour period for the Capital Region was 8.6 percent and the seven-day average is 6.8 percent.

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 12 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 940, and the number of active cases was 66. There were 450 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 16 were hospitalized, and 3 were in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 45.

Black Friday in Hudson

This year, Basilica Farm & Flea returns, not virtually but in person.

 

Certain concessions are being made because there's still a pandemic going on. This year's Farm & Flea Market will take place in the open air to accommodate social distancing. Admission will be with timed entry tickets, which can be purchased here. Walkups will also be accepted, but those who buy their tickets online will be able to skip the line at the event.

The vendors will be spread throughout Basilica Hudson, the large doorways of which will be kept open for constant air flow, as well as outdoors on the Basilica campus. Among the vendors will be the History Room of the Hudson Area Library, offering gifts of Hudson's history.

Basilica Farm & Flea Market takes place on Friday, November 26, and Saturday, November 27, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Dress warmly and wear a mask.

Meeting Canceled

It was predictable, given that it was scheduled for Thanksgiving Eve, but anyone who was looking forward to this evening's meeting of the ad hoc "Properties" committee should note, the meeting has been canceled.

How's It Coming?

At ground level, it's hard to tell what's happening at Promenade Hill. It's clear that the work will not be done in time for Winter Walk, as it was hoped, but beyond that, it's impossible to assess the progress. All is revealed, however, by this amazing drone photograph that Glenn Wheeler posted on Facebook today. I share it here, hoping that he won't be upset by my giving his work a little wider exposure.

Photo: Glenn Wheeler

COVID Closes City Hall

The Register-Star reports that City Hall was closed today and will be closed tomorrow because of COVID-19: "City Hall shuts due to COVID-related staffing woes." 

About Those COVID Numbers

A press release today from Matt Murell, chair of the Columbia County Board of Supervisors, contained this information about the current COVID-19 infections in the county:

The Columbia County COVID-19 infection rate now stands at 9.5 percent, said county DOH Director Jack Mabb today, adding, “There are no significant clusters and the infections are confined to no specific area of the county.”

Director Mabb said that “positive cases seem to be half vaccinated and half not vaccinated, with the vaccinated not having significant illness. Another plus of the county’s high vaccination rate is that hospitalizations remain low with the majority of those hospitalized being unvaccinated.”

Good reason for even those vaccinated and boosted to wear a mask and keep a safe distance from others.

Winter Walk Remembers Vince Mulford

This year marks the 25th year of Winter Walk, and the first year without the participation of one of Hudson’s “New Proprietors,” Vincent Mulford, who passed away just a month ago. The term “New Proprietors,” with its reference to the founders of Hudson, was first used many years ago by the late Timothy Dunleavy, himself one of the New Proprietors, to refer to the visionary property and business owners whose passion and investment in Hudson, of both wealth and work, brought the city back from the edge in the last decade of the 20th century and the first decade of the new millennium.

Vince Mulford is fondly remembered for many things by those who knew him. What he may be remembered for by the greatest number was his commitment to the city clock located in the tower of the First Presbyterian Church. Vince knew well the long tradition of the clock residing in the church tower, a tradition that dates back to 1802. He was always first to raise the alarm whenever the clock had stopped, usually because it hadn’t been wound in a timely fashion. His dedication to the clock compelled him to volunteer to be the one who climbed up into the tower every week to wind the clock, but he was never taken up on his offer.

Vince will also be remembered for his enthusiastic embrace of Winter Walk. It was he who first commissioned Sax O Claus to play his jazzy versions of Christmas favorites in front of 419 Warren Street, the location of Vincent Mulford Antiques and also Vince’s home. In the ensuing years, Sax O Claus has become an icon of Winter Walk.

When decorating the windows of 419 Warren Street for Winter Walk, Vince always went all out, year after year creating something new and stunning, the product of his unfailing eye and impeccable taste. Time and again, his window decorations were acknowledged with awards from the secret team of Winter Walk judges—“Best New Year’s Countdown” in 2013; the “Spirit of Hudson Award” in 2015; “Best Overall” in 2017; “Best Use of Lights” in 2018.

And, of course, there was the eggnog, served during Winter Walk by Vince himself, just inside the door of his shop. This wasn’t any run of the mill holiday potable. It started out with eggnog available only from some dairy in Vermont, and every year, Vince drove to Vermont on the day before Winter Walk to purchase his supply of the precious nog. To this he added a secret touch of spice and holiday spirits, the nature of which he never divulged. Vince’s shop was a favorite place to see and be seen during Winter Walk and to catch up with other revelers, but Vince was careful never to serve his delectable concoction to anyone more than once in an evening. For a few years, from 2010 to 2013, BeLo Third held an annual Eggnog Challenge during Winter Walk. Galleries and shops located below Third Street offered up holiday nogs and grogs, gluhwein and mulled cider in a contest judged by those sampling the quaffs. Though all were amazing, none ever equaled the eggnog Vince served up every year.

This year, the first year of Winter Walk without Vince Mulford, his elegant window decorations, and his incomparable eggnog, Hudson Hall will celebrate his life and his many contributions to our community. At 5:00 p.m., the bell of the First Presbyterian Church, the bell that tolls the hours for Vince's beloved clock, will peal 25 times to ring in the start of the 25th Winter Walk and pay tribute to Vince. After the bell has rung, the festivities will begin with the lighting of the tree in Seventh Street Park, sponsored and organized by Friends of the Public Square. During the hours of Winter Walk, Sax O Claus will be at his old stand in front of 419 Warren Street, and Vince's longtime friend Sarah Lipsky will be there ladling out eggnog. A festive and fitting tribute to a man who embodied the spirit of Hudson.

COPYRIGHT 2021 CAROLE OSTERINK

A Time of Change at HCSD

Maria Suttmeier will be retiring as superintendent of the Hudson City School District at the end of this year. Since Veterans Day, the Board of Education has been holding special meetings, in executive session, to review applications and interview applicants for the job. The meetings continue in December. On Thursday, December 2, the board will discuss the interviews, in executive session, and on Monday, December 6, the board will interview the finalists, also in executive session.

Meanwhile, there is an opening on the HCSD Board of Education. It was recently announced that Carrie Otty, who has been president of the Board of Education since 2011, is also resigning. This is the notice that appears on the HCSD website:

The Hudson City School District Board of Education is seeking candidates to fill a vacant seat after Carrie Otty announced her resignation for personal reasons prior to the end of her term. The temporary appointment will begin on January 19, 2022, and expire on May 17, 2022.*

Anyone interested in serving the school district as an interim Board member should send a letter of interest to districtclerk@hudsoncsd.org by Wednesday, December 15, 2021. Candidates must be at least 18 years old and reside within the Hudson City School District.

Interested candidates should plan to attend the Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, December 21, 2021, at 6 p.m., in the HHS Library so that the Board can meet the candidates before deciding on an appointment. Learn more about what prospective school board members should know.   

Since Ms. Otty is currently serving as the Board president, the Board will nominate and vote on a new president in the coming weeks.

* The remainder of Ms. Otty's term, which runs through June 30, 2023, will be included on the May 2022 ballot. The interim candidate may choose to run for election to serve the remainder of the term, if desired.

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been 28 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 19 fewer than yesterday, but since yesterday's number seemed inflated, it is hard to infer how many county residents have recovered from the virus since yesterday. There are 2 fewer county residents hospitalized today than yesterday, and none is in the ICU. There has not been a death from COVID-19 in Columbia County since Wednesday, November 17.  

The New York Forward dashboard is reporting a positivity rate for Columbia County from Sunday to Monday of 11.1 percent and a seven-day average of 8.6 percent. By comparison, the positivity rate for the same 24-hour period for the Capital Region was 7.2 percent and the seven-day average was 6.8 percent.

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 6 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 928, and the number of active cases was 72. There were 409 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 16 were hospitalized, and 3 were in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 45.

The Future of the Community Theater

As we know, the Galvan Foundation purchased the former Community Theater at Columbia and Seventh streets earlier this year. In announcing its intention to acquire the building last November, Galvan expressed the intention "to develop the building as a gateway to our Depot District Initiative." Today, Galvan made public its plans for the building. The announcement, which appeared on Facebook, is quoted below.

We are pleased to announce our plans to restore the Hudson Community Theater building to create Hudson Forum. This project provides needed entertainment and economic opportunities for the entire community.

Hudson Forum is planned as a regional theater with flexible performance space and room to fit 400 seated attendees and many more for standing room only events. It is adaptable for a range of different performance, including:

• Plays
• Musicals
• Film Screenings
• Concerts
• Lecture Series
• Community Events

We are thankful for Governor Hochul and New York State's decision to support this project with a $900,000 Empire State Development Grant.

Don't we already have Hudson Hall, doing this very thing?

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since Saturday, there have been 52 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 64 more than on Saturday, which suggests there may have been an error in recording the numbers. There are 81 fewer county residents in mandatory quarantine today than on Saturday, but the number hospitalized remains the same. None of those hospitalized is in the ICU. There has not been a death from COVID-19 in Columbia County since Wednesday, November 17.

The New York Forward dashboard is reporting a positivity rate for Columbia County from Saturday to Sunday of 7.8 percent and a seven-day average of 9.1 percent. By comparison, the positivity rate for the same 24-hour period for the Capital Region was 5.9 percent and the seven-day average was 6.8 percent.

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 3 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 922, and the number of active cases was 87. There were 424 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 17 were hospitalized, and 2 were in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 45.

Hudson Is on the Map!

Today, I received an email from Strong Towns, which informed me:

It's 2021. And chances are, your city still has some antiquated, wealth-destroying rules on the book regarding minimum parking standards. But communities across the United States and Canada are putting their foot down, and reducing or eliminating minimum parking requirements for new construction. 

"Well, no," I thought. "My little city did away with its minimum parking requirements two years ago." The initiative for the move, according to Gossips' reporting, began with the Planning Board, but Laura Margolis, who was on the Planning then and is on the Planning Board now, has denied that the Planning Board had anything to do with it and is among those suggesting that the Common Council should reimpose some parking requirements for new construction and redevelopment. 

The purpose of the email from Strong Towns was to announce the relaunch of its "crowd-sourced map of cities in the U.S. and Canada that have ended or sharply curtailed their parking requirements." The map is reproduced below, but, if you want the interactive version, you need to click here. Yes, one of the three red dots that appears in New York is Hudson. The other two are Buffalo and Rochester. 

The map is introduced with this text:

Costly car parking mandates are required for housing and commercial uses in most North American cities and towns. Over the last century, these costly requirements have contributed to urban sprawl, lack of abundant and affordable housing, car dependency, and climate change. In recent years, however, many places have implemented reforms to these mandates, exempting new buildings from parking. Sometimes these reforms are limited to certain streets or businesses, sometimes to particular land uses, and sometimes based on requirements like proximity to transit or inclusion of affordable housing, but it's clear that parking reform has momentum!

All that may be true, but it seems, given the angst about parking that has accompanied the Planning Board's review of the projects that have come before it recently, that Hudson is having some reformer's remorse.

COPYRIGHT 2021 CAROLE OSTERINK

Looking Forward to Winter Walk

Plans are moving forward for 25th Winter Walk, which takes place this year on Saturday, December 4. Since 2016, Rip the Nut has been a regular feature of Winter Walk, and it will return again this year. This year, however, Rip the Nut has been reimagined. The following press release from Hudson Hall explains how.

Now in its sixth year, Rip the Nut--a raucous mashup of the Rip Van Winkle story and the Nutcracker Suite conceived by Adam Weinert--returns for the 25th Anniversary of Winter Walk on Saturday, December 4, from 5 to 8 p.m. Weinert has reimagined the performance this year to be experienced outdoors, with dancers performing in shop windows along the mile-long stretch of Hudson's historic main street.

This family friendly production has proven itself a Hudson holiday staple since it premiered at Winter Walk in 2016. "I grew up performing in The Nutcracker," says Weinert, who co-directs this year's production with his husband, R. B. Schlather, who is know for his innovations as an opera director and is critically acclaimed for site specific performances and process-art installations. "When I moved to Hudson, I found that the story of Rip Van Winkle very much permeates the area. It felt right to bring these stories together."

Weinert believes that the Rip Van Winkle fable has particular resonance in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. "It feels a little but like we've all been slumbering in isolation," he says, "and we're emerging into a world that feels very different."

Traditionally, Rip the Nut has been presented at Hudson Hall, with local children and community partners joining the dancers onstage for a variety of whimsical numbers. This year, Winter Walk attendees will experience the show as they walk along Warren Street and encounter dancers, digital projections, music, and text in storefront windows.

"We're lucky to be working with members of the community who've been at this a long time," says Weinert, who points out that the first Winter Walk closely resembled this year's storefront-centric edition, with dancers appearing in windows to the delight of children and families. "It feels great to bring that tradition back this year--for different reasons but to similar effect."

Murell Responds

On Friday, Gossips published a press release from the Columbia County Democratic Committee, which reported on a resolution to "defund the Columbia County Sheriff's Office" and characterized the move as "a case of sour grapes" in response to Don Krapf's victory over David Bartlett in the recent election. Today, Gossips obtained this memo from Matt Murell, chair of the Columbia County Board of Supervisors, responding to those allegations.

This memo is in response to inaccurate information that was released by the Columbia County Democratic Chairman on Friday, where he said the Republicans were defunding the Sheriff’s Department to the tune of $250,000. This is not true. It is a proposed transfer of specific Emergency Management funds and not a reduction of funds.

This transfer does not affect people’s safety whatsoever and does not affect the Sheriff’s Office at all. The budget lines that will transfer with the Emergency Management Office are already designated specifically to Emergency Management in the Sheriff’s budget, and will not change. They will continue to be used for the exact same reasons. There is no defunding of anything as the funds will continue to be used as already designated.

The operating budget designated specifically for Emergency Management is between $139,000-$140,000. In the proposed transfer, $65,000 will stay with the Sheriff’s budget as it pays for software maintenance agreements utilized by various programs in the jail, civil and law enforcement areas.

The remaining $70,000+ would transfer with Emergency Management. Any grant budget lines are applied for and used strictly for what they are awarded for--this cannot and does not change.

All county level emergency coordinators (who are not part of Emergency Management) such as the Fire Coordinator, EMS Coordinator and 911 Director were contacted about their opinion and ALL approve the move as it will make EMO more efficient.

EMO in Columbia County does not oversee emergency services as it does in some other cities and counties in NYS.

Whomever makes a comment that this will negatively affect public safety did not view the last open Public Safety meeting and does not understand the purpose and structure of our county EMO.

This move is something that has been discussed in the past with the outgoing Sheriff and would have happened whether or not Sheriff Bartlett had won the election.

Very few counties have the EMO as part of the Sheriff’s Office.

Everyone agrees, having EMO as an independent county department makes sense and is good management. Reporting to only the County Chairman during large countywide events (like the pandemic) instead of two people is much more efficient. Article 2B of the NYS Executive Law is clear: the Chairman of the BOS (or County Exec) has the ultimate responsibility for countywide State of Emergencies. This is why NYS requires the Chairman of the BOS to complete emergency management training AND refresh every year.

Meetings of Interest in the Week Ahead

This week is a short one--just three days before the long Thanksgiving weekend--but on those three days, there is a meeting (or three) on every day.

• On Monday, November 22, the Common Council holds a special meeting at 6:00 p.m. to consider and act on the proposed budget for 2022. The proposed budget can be found here. The link to the Zoom meeting will be published on the City of Hudson website prior to the meeting. Scroll down to the calendar. 
• On Tuesday, November 23, the Hudson Development Corporation Board meets at noon. Among the items on the agenda are updates on the disposition of the Montgomery Street parcel and HDC's strategic plan for its future. The meeting takes place on Zoom. Click here to join the meeting.

• On Tuesday, November 23, at 6:00 p.m. Mayor Kamal Johnson and Michelle Tullo, Housing Justice Director, hold a town hall about the recently completed Affordable Housing Development Plan. To review the plan, click here. The meeting will take place on Zoom. Click here to join the meeting.
• At 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 23, the Greenport Planning Board holds its regular monthly meeting. On the agenda for the meeting is the proposal from Redburn Development to construct an apartment complex, described as "workforce housing," on Healy Boulevard. The Greenport Planning Board meeting takes place in person at the Greenport Town Hall, 600 Town Hall Drive.

• On Wednesday, November 24, the ad hoc "Properties" committee meets at 5:00 p.m. The meeting may provide an update on the progress in selling 429 Warren Street now that the Code Enforcement Office was been relocated to 751 Warren Street. The meeting will take place on Zoom. The link will be published on the City of Hudson website prior to the meeting. Scroll down to the calendar. 

COPYRIGHT 2021 CAROLE OSTERINK

Who Wants to Be an Alderman?

At the Common Council meeting last Tuesday, Council president Tom DePietro announced that there was a position open on the Council in the Third Ward. He invited anyone in the Third Ward to apply for the job and said, "The Council will decide." 

Presumably, the way to apply for the position is to send a letter of interest to DePietro and the aldermen. The timing of this announcement suggests that DePietro intends that the decision be made before the end of the year, before the current Council is retired and the new Council takes office on January 1. Somehow it doesn't seem appropriate that this group of aldermen, 60 percent of whom are now lame ducks, should make a decision about the makeup of the next Council. A vacancy on the Council does not currently exist. It will only exist in January, when Calvin Lewis declines to take the oath of office.

COPYRIGHT 2021 CAROLE OSTERINK

The Folks Who Want to Build Us a Solar Farm

On Friday night, the three companies that responded to the City's RFEI (request for expression of interest) for installing a solar farm somewhere in the vicinity of North Bay made presentations to the Common Council. Only half the aldermen were part of the meeting. Absent were Eileen Halloran (Fifth Ward), Shershah Mizan (Third Ward), John Rosenthal (Fourth Ward), Jane Trombley (First Ward), and Malachi Walker (Fourth Ward). 

In their responses to the RFEI, all three companies--AC Power, BQ Energy, and Nexamp--expressed a preference for siting the solar farm on the capped landfill, which is being discouraged by the Conservation Advisory Council. In their presentations, they had been tasked by Peter Bujanow, Commissioner of Public Works, with explaining why they had opted for the landfill. All three cited their past experience and expertise in siting solar arrays on landfills and brownfields and made assurances that there was no conflict between trails and solar farms. Paul Curran of BQ Energy warned that opening landfills for public use is risky and declared, "The idea that in time the landfill will be healed . . . it's not going to happen."

The presentations of two of the companies included maps showing where they would site the solar arrays. AC Power would position them all on the capped landfill.

BQ Energy identified three sites for the solar panels, one of them being just west of the Hudson Dog Park, another being the capped landfill. The third was the site that was the beginning of this all.

The idea of siting solar panels adjacent to the Hudson Dog Park is not likely to sit well with the many users of the dog park, since it would require the removal of many of the trees that surround the park.

Photo: Jonathan Simons

Ryan McCune, who presented for Nexamp, did not have a visual, but it was clear that the landfill was the focus of his attention. He offered assurance that solar development can coexist with "what people want for the landfill."

The presentations are certain to be a topic of discussion at the next meeting of the Conservation Advisory Council on Tuesday, December 7, and at the informal meeting of the Common Council on Monday, December 13.

COPYRIGHT 2021 CAROLE OSTERINK

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been 33 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 65 fewer than yesterday, which suggests, as we suspected, there was something wrong with the number of active cases reported yesterday. There are 21 more county residents in mandatory quarantine today than yesterday, but the number hospitalized remains the same. None of those hospitalized is now in the ICU. There has not been a death from COVID-19 in Columbia County since Wednesday.

The New York Forward dashboard has not been updated since yesterday.

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 16 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 910, and the number of active cases was 92. There were 285 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 17 were hospitalized, and 3 were in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 45.

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today, and they are staggering. Since yesterday, there have been 50 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 72 more than yesterday, which suggests there has been error in recording and reporting somewhere along the line. There are 56 more county residents in mandatory quarantine today than yesterday, and 3 more are hospitalized. The number of those hospitalized who are in the ICU remains the same. There has not been a death from COVID-19 in Columbia County since Wednesday.  

The New York Forward dashboard is reporting a positivity rate for Columbia County yesterday of 6.3 percent and a seven-day average of 7.7 percent. By comparison, the daily positivity rate for the Capital Region is 6.7 percent and the seven-day average is 6.7 percent.

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 21 new cases of COVID-19 and a death. The total number of cases was 894, and the number of active cases was 91. There were 361 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 19 were hospitalized, and 3 were in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 45.

Meeting Reminder

Today at 5:00 p.m., the three companies that responded to the RFEI (request for expressions of interest) for developing a solar farm on City-owned land near North Second Street. Instead of the parcels designated by the Conservation Advisory Council, all three companies—BQ Energy Development, Nexamp, and AC Power LLC—are eyeing the capped landfill as the site for solar arrays. Click here to join the Zoom meeting.

Library History Room Launches Website

Just in time for the holidays, the History Room of the Hudson Area Library announced today the launch of its new website and onsite shop with the following press release.

Locals, transplants, and visitors alike are all fascinated with the history of Hudson. With the planning of the city by a group of merchants and whalers from their homes in Rhode Island and Massachusetts; the seedy stories of Diamond Street brothels, Legs Diamond and other characters; the historic shad fishing shacks at North Bay; and Hudson's decline and rise time and again, the city has a colorful history and lessons for all of us.

Responding to the ever increasing interest in the history of Hudson and the surrounding area, the popularity of its local history talks, and the increasing use of its archives, the History Room of the Hudson Area Library has launched its own website: historyroom.hudsonarealibrary.org.

“Hudson is hot now, but in many ways, it has been a fascinating place for more than two centuries,” said Gary Sheffer, library board trustee and chair of the History Room Committee. “There have always been people who saw Hudson’s beauty, its gritty and friendly nature, and its potential. The history of the city has ups and downs and unexpected outcomes. Our website will give visitors an idea of the valuable collections we have about Hudson’s history including photographs, oral histories, historic maps, city directories from 1851, yearbooks from 1914 to  2021, news clippings, articles, books, pamphlets, physical items, and much more.”

In addition, there is an online shop on the website with archival quality copies of historic maps, aeroviews, and posters of Hudson; sets of night-scene and Warren Street postcards and a set of note cards of prominent buildings from an 1871 map of Hudson; tote bags and tea towels with a line drawing of the historic Armory by local artist and musician Tony Kieraldo.

“Consider giving the Gift of Hudson’s History this holiday season! Your friends and family will receive unique items and you will be funding the work of preserving and making accessible to the public the history of the Hudson area,” stated Brenda Shufelt, History Room coordinator. “Our current projects include developing online websites for our oral history collections, digitizing City of Hudson directories from 1851 to 1940, and archiving the Arthur Koweek Urban Renewal Papers. All our funding is from grants, donations, and History Room Shop sales. We have a federal grant for our oral history project, and AmeriCorps workers for our directory digitization, but are hoping to fund our latest archiving project through our holiday sales.”

The Hudson Area Library has a dedicated History Room whose primary mission is to acquire, preserve, and make accessible the history of the library’s service area, which includes Hudson, Greenport and Stockport. These holdings are maintained, preserved, and protected in a secure, conservation-quality repository that is open to the public by appointment only at this time, due to concern for the health and safety of our patrons. Online research requests for information on local history are available on the History Room website. This is a free service to the public. To learn more about History Room offerings, visit historyroom.hudsonarealibrary.org.

Partisan Politics in Columbia County?

The following press release was issued minutes ago by the Columbia County Democratic Committee:

On November 19, 2021, at a Public Safety Committee meeting, Matt Murell, the Republican Chairman of the Columbia County Board of Supervisors, introduced a resolution to defund the Columbia County Sheriff's Office (CCSO). The resolution would slash over $250,000 from the CCSO's budget and sever the Sheriff's Emergency Management Division from the Sheriff's control and place it under the control of Chairman Murell.

Sheriff-elect Don Krapf is currently opposed to the resolution. It was just two weeks ago that the voters of Columbia County elected Krapf, the Democratic candidate, to lead the Sheriff's Department which includes oversight of the Emergency Management Division.

"This is a case of sour grapes," said Sam Hodge, Chair of the Columbia County Democrataic Committee. "Their candidate lost decisively and now, out of nowhere, they want to cut a quarter of a million dollars from the budget and take away important responsibilities from the Sheriff's control. The Republicans are playing politics with people's safety and it's not right."

Even more troubling, there was little notice provided to the public or other Supervisors of the proposed change. It was included at the end of an agenda that was distributed only briefly before the committee met. The resolution appeared to have been drafted with haste, as it was dated incorrectly and listed the wrong committee in its first paragraph.

"Creating a new department is a big decision," said Tistrya Houghtling, Minority Leader and New Lebanon Town Supervisor. "This sort of drastic change warrants more discussion and research."

The Public Safety Committee only considered the resolution for approximately 15 minutes before passing it through committee on a vote of 5-3.

The Sheriff's Emergency Management Division is currently led by David Harrison, a donor and supporter of Sheriff Bartlett. If the resolution is successful, Harrison would report to Murell, rather than Sheriff-elect Krapf.

The stated mission of the Sheriff's Emergency Management Division is to minimize personal injury, loss of life and damage to property and the environment from man-made or natural disasters through mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery; while working with local, state and federal agencies, overseeing operations of the county Emergency Operation Center, all in accordance with the Columbia County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan.

An Evening with the Planning Board

Tonight's special Planning Board meeting set a record for its brevity compared with recent Planning Board meetings. It lasted just a little more than two hours. In that time, the Planning Board managed to accomplish three things. 

First, after an executive session with David Luntz, the attorney who represented City in the lawsuit brought by Verizon over the conditions imposed by the Planning Board in their approval of the project to site wireless communications antennas on Providence Hall, the members of the Planning Board voted to adopt the resolution accepting the settlement. The vote was 5 to 2 in favor, with the two members who voted against approving the project back in June--Theresa Joyner and Laura Margolis--voting against accepting the settlement agreement.

Next on the agenda was the Colarusso applications for conditional use permits. The Planning Board made a positive declaration in the SEQR process as an outcome of its completion of Parts 2 and 3 of the Full Environmental Assessment Form. The completed Part 2 can be found here. The completed Part 3 can be found here. The resolution making the positive declaration can be found here. The vote to make a positive declaration was unanimous.   

Finally, the Planning Board granted site plan approval to the redevelopment plans for the Pocketbook Factory. The vote to approve came after a rather protracted discussion of how the Planning Board could hold the developers to their commitment to making the courtyard at the Pocketbook Factory open to the public without requiring an easement on the property. In the end, it was decided that the following statement would be appended to the resolution:

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Planning Board acknowledges the Applicant's intention to provide public access and encourages it [to] work with the Common Council to enter into a license agreement to allow such access.

The resolution to approve the project passed with only Margolis voting against it.

COPYRIGHT 2021 CAROLE OSTERINK

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been 27 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 37 fewer than yesterday, from which it can be inferred that, since yesterday, 64 county residents have recovered from the virus. There are 26 more county residents in mandatory quarantine today than yesterday, but the number hospitalized and in the ICU remains the same. There has not been a death from COVID-19 in Columbia County since yesterday.

The New York Forward dashboard is reporting a positivity rate in Columbia County yesterday of 9.6 percent and a seven-day average of 7.3 percent. By comparison, the daily positivity rate for the Capital Region is 7.3 percent and the seven-day average is 6.2 percent.

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 11 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 873, and the number of active cases was 92. There were 371 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 19 were hospitalized, and 3 were in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 44.