COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since Friday, there have been 76 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 48 fewer than on Friday, from which it can be inferred that, since Friday, 124 county residents have recovered from the virus. There are 2 more county residents hospitalized today than on Friday, but the number in the ICU remains the same. There has not been a death from COVID-19 in Columbia County since Friday, January 27. 

The New York Forward dashboard is reporting a positivity rate for Columbia County yesterday of 5.7 percent and a seven-day average of 12.0 percent. By comparison, the positivity rate for the Capital Region for the same period was 6.9 percent and the seven-day average was 9.8 percent.

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 1 death from COVID-19 and 37 new cases of the virus. The total number of cases was 3,165, and the number of active cases was 474. There were 404 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 19 were hospitalized, and 1 was in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 71.

Public Planning for the Public Square

Mark your calendars. Friends of the Public Square (FOPS) has scheduled a Community Engagement Workshop for Friday, February 18, at 6 p.m., at the Hudson Area Library, 51 North Fifth Street.

The meeting will be held workshop style, with smaller groups generating ideas and then presenting to the group. Attendees will be required to wear masks, no matter what their vaccination status. After this session, FOPS expects to initiate an RFQ for landscape designers to begin developing options based on the input gathered. The chosen designer will be asked to participate in two additional community sessions on the proposed design options.

Meetings of Interest in the Week Ahead

Wednesday is the day to look forward to this week, not because it's Hump Day or because there are two meetings scheduled for that day, but because it promises to be the warmest day of the week, albeit cloudy, and it's Groundhog Day! Here's what else is happening.

• On Monday, January 31, the Hudson Housing Authority Board of Commissioners holds a special meeting at 5:00 p.m. The purpose of the meeting, as chair Revonda Smith told her colleagues at HCDPA (Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency) on Friday, is to consider a resolution to hire a firm to do the search for a new executive director of HHA. Nick Zachos is currently serving as interim director. His commitment to serve in the position runs through April 2022. Click here to join the meeting on Zoom.
• On Tuesday, February 1, the Conservation Advisory Council meets at 6:00 p.m. The most interesting and ambitious item on the agenda for the meeting is developing an outline for creating a Parks Department. The meeting takes place on Zoom. Click here to join the meeting.

• On Wednesday, February 2, the Hudson Industrial Development Agency (IDA) meets at 1:00 p.m. So far, no agenda for the meeting is available. The meeting takes place on Zoom. Click here to join the meeting.
• On Wednesday, February 2, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., the Columbia County Department of Health is offering a COVID vaccine walk-in clinic at the Hudson Youth Center, 18 South Third Street. Anyone 5 years or older can be vaccinated. No appointments are needed.

• Also on Wednesday, February 2, the Common Council Legal Committee meets at 6:00 p.m. At the Council meeting on January 18, Council president Tom DePietro announced which alders would serve on the Legal Committee. They are Theo Anthony (Fourth Ward), Art Frick (First Ward), Ryan Wallace (Third Ward), and Margaret Morris (First Ward). He also indicated that the members of the committee would pick their own chair. It will be interesting to see what initiatives from the previous Council the Legal Committee will decide to carry forward. The meeting will take place on Zoom. The link to the meeting should be available on the City of Hudson website prior to the meeting. Scroll down to the calendar. 
• On Thursday, February 3, the Affordable Housing RFQ Selection Committee meets at 6:15 p.m. to begin its review of the responses from developers interested in partnering with the City to implement the City's Affordable Housing Development Plan. There were eleven of them. The committee is made up of Mayor Kamal Johnson, Council president Tom DePietro, Commissioner of Public Works Peter Bujanow, First Ward Alder Art Frick, Mayor's Aide Michael Hofmann, and Housing Justice Director Michelle Tullo. Members of the public can observe the meeting but not comment. Any questions or comments about the responses to the RFQ, all of which can be viewed here, should be directed in advance of the meeting to Michelle Tullo at housing@cityofhudson.org. The link to the Zoom meeting should be published on the City of Hudson website prior to the meeting. Scroll down to the calendar.  

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Of Interest

In December, in a somewhat surprising turn of events, the amended version of Hudson's "good cause" eviction law failed to pass in the Common Council. The major change to the law, which the Council had voted to pass prior to the amendment, was to eliminate transfer of ownership as an allowable cause for eviction.

Recently it was reported that the City of Beacon, which was considering its own "good cause" eviction law, has received a second opinion that cities do not have the authority to impose such a law. The first opinion came from attorneys retained by the City of Beacon; the second came from the New York Conference of Mayors (NYCOM). The story was reported in MidHudson News: "Localities cannot impose good cause eviction legislation, Beacon maintains."

Responding to the Decennial Census

Once upon a time in Hudson, changes in the population of the wards triggered changes in the weighted votes of members of the Common Council. This happened back in February 2013, after the 2010 census. The population figures for the wards, which were configured differently back then, were sent to Professor Lee Papayanopoulous at Rutgers University, who, as he had for decades, analyzed the numbers and recommended weighted voting schemes that would achieve the constitutional principle of "one person, one vote."

In 2016, the people of Hudson voted in a referendum to change the ward boundaries to create five wards of equal population. Prior to that, the configuration of the wards had not changed since 1886, when the Fifth Ward came into being. 

Now, with the 2020 census numbers in, the population figures for the five wards are different. When the new boundaries were adopted in 2017, the difference in population between the wards with the greatest numbers (Second and Third) were no more than 24 higher than the ward with the lowest number (Fifth). In the 2020 census, some wards gained population, others lost, and now the difference in population between the ward with largest population (First) and one with the smallest (Fifth) is 136. 

The ideal number for each ward, if the total population of the city were to be divided evenly by 5, would be 1,162. It appears that the ward boundaries will have to be adjusted to achieve the goal of equal population in each ward. According to Steve Dunn, who played a major role in calculating the ward boundaries adopted in 2017, "Hudson under both its law and the US Constitution as interpreted by the US Supreme Court must redistrict in the event the population deviation between the wards exceeds 10%." It seems we have achieved that level of deviation, and redistricting is in order.

Dunn posted his entire analysis on Facebook, and it can be found here. Dunn, who never shies away from diving into a rabbit hole of numbers and possibilities, created a few maps to show possible adjustments that can be made to achieve five wards of equal population. Gossips will simplify things by sharing just three. In the map that Dunn describes as the one with the "least change," the south side of upper Warren Street, from about Park Place to Worth Avenue, moves from the First Ward into the Third Ward, the east side of the stretch of Harry Howard Avenue that is now in the Fourth Ward moves to the Fifth Ward, and the little section off State Street, defined by Dodge Street and Rope Alley, which is now in the Third Ward, moves to the Fourth Ward.  

In the map Dunn describes as the one with "less deviation," a bit more of the area on the north side of State Street between Fifth and Sixth streets moves from the Third Ward to the Fifth Ward.

Dunn also offers another map that includes both parts of Hudson Terrace, north and south of Promenade Hill, in the Second Ward. 

Of this map, Dunn comments:

. . .  I drew a 4th map that unites the Hudson Terrace Apartments in the 2nd ward, an approach that had its advocates in the 2017 redraw, but was not practicable at the time. With the 2020 census numbers, it turns out that the Hudson Terrace Apartments can more easily be united into the 2nd ward, with the 2nd ward giving up in exchange the two census blocks adjacent to Warren St between 1st and 3rd streets, that without any further changes other than eliminating the split census block along Harry Howard Blvd, also gets the population deviation down below 10%.

This solution does not seem practicable this time either, although for different reasons. Claire Cousin, who is now the county supervisor for the First Ward, lives in the southern part of Hudson Terrace, which would become part of the Second Ward in this scheme for redistricting.

Dunn has labeled all his maps "Hudson ward map 2023," which is the local election year in which the new boundaries would take effect. According to the city charter, though, this redistricting needs to be done this year, in the next five months. The following in quoted from § C1-4:

If after any decennial federal census, the population of the wards is not in compliance with the law, the Common Council by not later than July 1 of each year ending in "2" shall reapportion the wards and change their boundaries in order to cause their respective populations to be in conformance with the law.

It seems the Common Council needs to act on this soon. 

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Of Interest

The chefs who created Lil' Deb's Oasis, Carla Perez-Gallardo and Hannah Black, have written a cookbook called Please Wait to Be Tasted. You can read all about it in Chronogram: "Finally! A Lil Deb's Oasis Cookbook Coming Soon."

The cookbook is scheduled to be released on June 21. You can pre-order a signed copy from Spotty Dog Books & Ale and get 10 percent off your next meal at Lil' Deb's Oasis.

News of the Housing Trust Fund

In September 2020, the Common Council passed a resolution in support of establishing a housing trust fund. That resolution included three things:

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the City of Hudson supports

1) The creation of a Housing Trust Fund to serve residents of Hudson at risk of displacement

2) Applying for Anti-Displacement grant funds to seed a Housing Trust Fund

3) Applying for Anti-Displacement grant funds to support a Housing Justice Manager, whose responsibilities will include the management of the Housing Trust Fund

In fulfillment of the second two items in the resolution, the City received a $1 million grant in January 2021, which allowed the City to, among other things, hire Michelle Tullo as Housing Justice Manager and pay her salary for the first year. Of the $1 million grant, $600,000 was designated to seed the housing trust fund. In the 2022 city budget, $20,000 was allocated for the housing trust fund. During the budget process, it was made clear that the City is expected to make annual contributions to the fund. (The original request for 2022 was about $200,000--10 percent of the City's ARPA [American Rescue Plan Act] funds and 50 percent of the revenue from the lodging tax.) During the review of the redevelopment of the Pocketbook Factory, the Community Benefits Alliance asked that 10 percent of the profits from the hotel and restaurant go to the housing trust fund.

While the fund is being amassed, it is still not clear exactly how the fund will be used. The following is a generic definition of housing trust fund found in a search of the internet:

Housing trust funds are distinct funds established by city, county or state governments that receive ongoing dedicated sources of public funding to support the preservation and production of affordable housing and increase opportunities for families and individuals to access decent affordable homes.

At Friday's HCDPA (Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency) meeting, Michelle Tullo, the Housing Justice Manager, said the fund would be used "to support and leverage other programs," as well as paying her salary so that she can apply for grants. Oversight of the fund will be the responsibility of a board of directors, which is currently being assembled. The board of the housing trust fund is to have two ex officio members: the Common Council president and the executive director of the Hudson Housing Authority.

Members of the housing trust fund board must be residents of Hudson and should have some experience in managing funds. Letters of interest in serving on the board are still being accepted and can be sent to Michelle Tullo, Housing Justice Manager, at housing@cityofhudson.org.

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been 60 new cases of COVID-19 and 2 more deaths caused by the virus. The number of active cases being reported today is 24 fewer than yesterday, from which it can be inferred that, since yesterday, 82 county residents have recovered from the virus. There are 3 more county residents hospitalized with the virus today than yesterday, but the number in the ICU remains the same.   

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

A year ago, the CCDOH reported 56 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 3,024, and the number of active cases was 442. There were 586 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 32 were hospitalized, and 5 were in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 68.

News of Hudson Connects

Hudson Connects, which will be most extensive of the DRI (Downtown Revitalization Initiative) projects and the one taking the lion's share of the $10 million, is the project that seems to be most elusive. The last time the public heard anything about it was in September 2021, when, while the Delta variant was surging, Arterial held a poorly attended in-person meeting at Hudson Hall. The PowerPoint from that meeting is still not available on the project website, but recently there has been some news of Hudson Connects.

Last night, at the special meeting of the Common Council, Council president Tom DePietro announced that the website HudsonConnects.com was now live. As Gossips reported, it was live back in November, but since then it has been updated. Unfortunately, the link to the September 22, 2021, workshop still takes you to the PowerPoint for a presentation made in December 2020.

This morning, James Ribaudo of Arterial, the group doing the project, appeared at the Historic Preservation Commission meeting. When Arterial made a presentation to the HPC in August 2021, David Lustberg said, "By November-ish, we want to be narrowed in on what we're doing," and promised to return to the HPC before presenting the final plans to the Common Council in December. The goal at the time was to go out to bid in January 2022. Obviously, that goal has been missed.

Because Hudson Connects was not on the HPC's agenda for the meeting, and two members of the HPC--chair Phil Forman and Hugh Biber--were absent, Ribaudo agreed to postpone his presentation until the commission's next meeting. So, mark your calendars. Friday, February 11, at 10:00 a.m., will likely be the first opportunity to see the latest iteration of the plans to transform the streetscape of Hudson, from Second Street west to the river.

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Council Appoints Community Member of IDA

One of the three purposes for tonight's special meeting of the Common Council was appointing a community member to the Industrial Development Agency (IDA). Six of the seven members of the IDA are ex officio: the mayor, the Common Council majority leader and minority leader, the city treasurer, the assessor, and chair of the Planning Board. There were five candidates vying to be the seventh member of the IDA, the one chosen from the community. They were, in alphabetical order: Tiffany Garriga, Julie Goldweitz, Jane Trombley, Richard Wallace, and Rebecca Wolff. 

In responding to questions from the alders prior to the vote, Garriga defined one of her greatest strengths as communicating with the community, Goldweitz spoke of qualitative and quantitative guidelines and accountability, Trombley stressed job creation and said the IDA should be more proactive rather than reactive, Wallace said that landscape of Hudson is changing--socioeconomically and politically--and stressed the importance of reflecting the wishes of the community as a whole, Wolff said the goal of the IDA should be to balance out development with delivery of economic stability for the city's residents. 

The IDA member would be elected by a simple majority: six votes. The plan was to have the alders vote for candidates by name. They would eliminate the candidates getting the least number of votes and repeat the process as often as needed until one candidate received six votes. That wasn't necessary. One candidate received six votes on the first go round. Theo Anthony (Fourth Ward) voted for Rebecca Wolff; Margaret Morris (First Ward) voted for Jane Trombley; Art Frick (First Ward) and Malachi Walker (Fourth Ward) voted for Tiffany Garriga; Vicky Daskaloudi (Fifth Ward), Amber Harris (Third Ward), Dominic Merante (Fifth Ward), Mohammed Rony (Second Ward), Dewan Sarowar (Second Ward), and Ryan Wallace (Third Ward) voted for Richard Wallace. 

Although Richard Wallace already had the six votes needed for a majority, when it was his turn to vote, Council president Tom DePietro voted for Wolff, stating, "I can attest that Rebecca Wolff has done more on the IDA than anyone. . . . She initiated so many projects on the IDA, in terms of making sure that they had new standards for giving PILOTs, and the workforce development project she did. So anyway, I vote for Rebecca. Obviously, she doesn't get it, but that's where we are."

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COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been 91 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 29 fewer than yesterday, from which it can be inferred that, since yesterday, 120 county residents have recovered from the virus. The number of county residents hospitalized and in the ICU today remains the same as yesterday. There has not been a death from COVID-19 in Columbia County since Wednesday, January 19.  

The New York Forward dashboard is reporting a positivity rate for Columbia County today of 20.6 percent and a seven-day average of 13.2 percent. By comparison, the daily positivity rate for the Capital Region is 10.5 percent and the seven-day average is 11.3 percent.

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 40 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 2,968, and the number of active cases was 426. There were 555 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 31 were hospitalized, and 3 were in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 68.

Unveiling on Allen Street

What appears to be two different layers of siding were being removed in the bitter cold this morning at 223-225 Allen Street to reveal the original clapboard beneath. 

The building, which was damaged by fire in May 2020, is being restored and will have six residential apartments.

 

The restoration of 223-225 Allen Street is being carried out by A Squared Building LLC, one of the groups that responded to the City's request for qualifications for an affordable housing development partner. A Squared Building LLC is also undertaking the restoration of 205-207 Warren Street.

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Mark Your Calendars

It's painful even to think about this when the temperature is in the single digits, but the Oakdale Plunge is coming up. The word about the 2022 event went out yesterday. 

ICE ICE BABY!

It's nearly time to suit up. The Oakdale Plunge returns for the 5th year on Saturday, March 5, 2022.

This kooky community fundraiser at Oakdale Lake is a wintertime favorite and has become one of Hudson's signature events. All proceeds are evenly spilt between the Hudson Fire Department Water Rescue and Dive Team and the Hudson Youth Department.

The all-volunteer Water Rescue Team answers about a dozen calls a year from people in trouble on the Hudson River, from Dutchess/Ulster to Rennselaer counties. Proceeds from the event allow the team to keep up with industry standards and replace aging equipment. It costs approximately $10K to train and fully outfit one rescue diver for all types of water rescue.

The Youth Department provides free recreation, enriching activities, and safe space for local kids. It uses the funds to support their Waterfront Program, providing critical lifeguard training which in turn allows expanded beach hours for community swimming at Oakdale Lake during the summer.

Last year, 75 plungers braved the freezing waters of Oakdale Lake to raise over $35,000. Crazily costumed teams from local organizations supported the effort, and numerous local businesses make this event possible through their generous sponsorship.

This year, the Plunge is playing it Hudson Safe. Intrepid plungers will jump into Oakdale Lake's frigid water in staggered shifts. Spectators can attend if they mask, distance, and remain outdoors, or can enjoy the show via live stream. Updated information on the schedule and live stream will be available at OakdalePlunge.com closer to the event.

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been 79 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 10 fewer than yesterday, from which it can be inferred that, since yesterday 89 county residents have recovered from the virus. There is 1 more county resident hospitalized with the virus today than yesterday, but 2 fewer are in the ICU. There has not been a death from COVID-19 in Columbia County since Wednesday, January 19.

The New York Forward dashboard is reporting a positivity rate for Columbia County today 0f 12.1 percent and a seven-day average of 13.2 percent. By comparison, the daily positivity rate for the Capital Region is 11.3 percent and the seven-day average is 12.2 percent.

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 23 new cases of COVID-19 and 4 deaths. The total number of cases was 2,928, and the number of active cases was 456. There were 583 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 32 were hospitalized, and 2 were in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 68.

HDC Contemplates Its Future

For the past decade, a consuming occupation for the Hudson Development Corporation was the Kaz site, which was acquired back in 2010. With the sale of the property set to close any day now and $2 million about to flow into its coffers, HDC is focused on the future and the role it should play in the city's development going forward. 

Yesterday's meeting of the HDC board began, as HDC meetings typically do, with comments from board president Bob Rasner. For the first meeting of the year, Rasner riffed on the idea that the Chinese New Year, which begins on February 1, is the Year of the Tiger. Rasner's comments began, "Determined, confident, trustworthy, and frank, the tiger personality is the symbol of power." He proposed three New Year's resolutions for HDC--"resolutions that launch the change from the napping tiger to one that is ready for its role in life":

• Stop relying on good intentions
• Think of the future as a continuous stream of changes, not just a single change
• Quit assuming that we are prepared to succeed

Rasner urged, "It is clearly time for us to carefully think through our structure and plan the path forward." Given that HDC is about to become a very well endowed agency, one of the issues he advocated for was "protecting the integrity of the board." To achieve that, he recommended three things: reviewing and updating the bylaws; reviewing the role and function of ex officio positions; defining the role and function of an executive committee. Rasner ended his comments with this call to action: "Slip into your tiger suits, gang. This is going to be fun."

The first steps along the path turned out not to be entirely fun. When the discussion turned to the question of ex officio members (there are two on the HDC board: the mayor and the Common Council president), things got a little heated. In introducing the subject for discussion, Rasner noted that criticism of local development corporations (LDCs) "is frequently around comingling of city officials and the board." He stressed that they were considering "the positions and not the people in them." HDC executive director Branda Maholtz made the point that with "most LDCs, if they have ex officio members, they are non-voting members."

Mayor Kamal Johnson expressed the opinion that to remove ex officio members or make them non-voting members "sets a bad precedent." Returning to Rasner's tiger metaphor, Johnson complained, "You want to take the stripes off our tiger suits."

Later in the discussion, Johnson asserted, "Being blindsided by this is unprofessional." He contended he was the only person of color and the youngest person on the HDC board. 

Maholtz reiterated, "The question is not about personalities but about positions." Rasner took issue with Johnson's claim that he was blindsided. "Did you get advanced notice?" he asked Johnson. Johnson answered, "One day." Rasner continued, "You were not blindsided. You were called last week, not one day."

Board member Seth Rogovoy rebuked Rasner for talking to the mayor "like a schoolchild" and "speaking disrespectfully to the mayor." Rasner argued that it was important the situation not be misrepresented. Maholtz confirmed that she had called the mayor last week and he had "fair warning that this discussion was going to happen." Rogovoy urged that the members "speak to each other respectfully" and no one be "talked down to." Johnson claimed the last word, writing in the meeting "Chat": "I will say that my temperament was not high. I expressed my opinion in a respectful manner and was met with disrespect."

It is not clear what the outcome will be regarding ex officio members on the HDC board. There was no consensus on their inclusion on the board and no consensus about their voting. There did, however, seem to be consensus on adding a third ex officio member to the board: the city treasurer.

Questioning the appropriateness of ex officio members on the board is not new for HDC. Up until 2015, there were four ex officio members: the mayor, the Common Council president, the Common Council majority leader and the minority leader. At the end of 2015, when four of the nine members of the HDC board were ex officio, HDC decided to amend its bylaws to reduce the number of ex officio members to two, eliminating the majority leader and the minority leader. At that time, Tiffany Garriga was the majority leader, and the Staley B. Keith Social Justice Center alleged that the board's decision was an attempt to "remove any voices from the minority community." What happened as a consequence was documented by Gossips: "HDC and SBK." History may be repeating itself.

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History Talk on Thursday

On Thursday, January 27, at 6:00 p.m., the History Room at the Hudson Area Library in collaboration with the Jacob Leisler Institute for the Study of Early New York History presents Fanatic or Martyr: Jacob Leisler, a Window into an Age, a talk by Dr. David Voorhees.

On May 16, 1691, Jacob Leisler, de facto governor of New York, was hanged until half dead, then beheaded before the largest gathering in New York City up to that time. Leisler's administration had created a bitter division in New York. This presentation looks at how the deep emotions Leisler aroused reveal much about the milieu in which he lived and continued to echo in historical evaluations. Moreover, Leisler's immediate family and their households of servants and enslaved persons, their trade and marital connections, and their actions provide insights into the broader social, ideological, economic, artistic, and political events of colonial New York and its place in the larger world at a time of tremendous change.

The talk takes place on Zoom. For more information and to register to receive the Zoom link, click here. 

If You Haven't Already Been Vaccinated

The Columbia County Department of Health will be offering a COVID vaccine walk-in clinic on Wednesday, February 2, from 3 to 5 p.m., at the Hudson Youth Department, 18 South Third Street. Anyone 5 years old or older can be vaccinated. No appointments are needed. Free at-home test kits and masks will also be distributed on a first come, first served basis.  

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been 87 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 13 more than yesterday, from which it can be inferred that, since yesterday, 74 county residents have recovered from the virus. There is 1 fewer county resident hospitalized today than yesterday, but the number in the ICU remains the same. There has not been a death from COVID-19 in Columbia County since Wednesday, January 19.

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

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 46 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 2,905, and the number of active cases was 444. There were 590 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 32 were hospitalized, and 2 were in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 64.

Ice Yachts on the Hudson

One effect of the recent frigid temperatures is ice on the river. Last Sunday, the ice lured skaters, walkers, a dog, and a couple of ice yachts out onto Athens Bay from Murderer's Creek. Glenn Wheeler was there with his drone to capture it all in an amazing video, which can be viewed on YouTube. Click here to watch it.

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since Saturday, there have been 70 new cases of COVID-19--enough to put the total number of cases in the county since the beginning of the pandemic over 10,000. The number of active cases being reported today is 199 fewer than on Saturday, from which it can be inferred that, since Saturday, 269 county residents have recovered from the virus or the number of active cases being reported today is incorrect. There are 5 fewer county residents hospitalized with the virus today than on Saturday, but 1 more of those hospitalized is in the ICU. There has not been a death from COVID-19 in Columbia County since Wednesday, January 19.

The New York Forward dashboard is reporting a positivity rate for Columbia County today of 6.6 percent and a seven-day average of 13.7 percent. By comparison, the daily positivity rate for the Capital Region is 10.4 percent and the seven-day average is 13.2 percent.

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 21 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 2,859, and the number of active cases was 502. There were 709 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 35 were hospitalized, and 6 were in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 63.

More About Charles S. Williams

On Saturday, Gossips published an account of a memorial service for Charles S. Williams, the superintendent of the Hudson Public Schools, which took place at Hudson High School on January 20, 1922. Today, we share the obituary for Williams that appeared in the Columbia Republican on January 24, 1922. 

When Williams took over as superintendent of schools in Hudson, the high school was located in "a portion of the second floor . . .  and the top floor" of this building, the Fourth Street School. 

The Fourth Street School was located at the corner of North Fourth and State streets. The building was demolished in early 1994.

The obituary says "he was called home thus early." The 1920 census gives his age as 49. It is likely he was only 50 when he died in 1922.

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A Lecture Series of Interest

The Columbia County Historical Society has announced its 2022 Winter-Spring Lecture Series entitled Early & Diverse New York. The first lecture in the series, "On Researching African American History in the Hudson Valley," takes place on Zoom this Saturday, January 29, at 4:30 p.m. The announcement of the upcoming lecture describes it in this way:

While much has been written about the Black Diaspora from the south to the north, relatively little is known about Blacks who were brought directly from Africa to the slave market in 'Albany' and sold locally. Unlike the South where slavery was abolished in 1865, manumission in New York State occurred gradually from 1785, onwards.

As a result, northern Black experiences were far different than those in the south. Even as slaves, some skilled craftsmen traveled freely for their work. Most freed people were educated in local schools. Some owned businesses or were farmers. Many were members of the Dutch Reform Church, while others started the first African Methodist Episcopal Church in the area. They formed relationships with other residents--both Black and white.

To this day, many Black families continue to bear the surnames of the County's Dutch founding fathers (Van Ness, Van Buren, Gardiner, Van Alen, Witbeck, etc.) and continue to live in Columbia County and the surrounding area.

To learn more about the lecture and to purchase tickets, click here.

Another Meeting This Week

Hudson Development Corporation meetings don't get listed on the City of Hudson website anymore. As a consequence, the HDC meeting that takes place tomorrow, Tuesday, January 25, was omitted from the list of meetings published earlier today. Among the items on the agenda for the meeting are an update on the disposition of the Montgomery Street property, a.k.a. the Kaz site, and the strategic plan for the future of HDC. The meeting takes place at 12:00 noon. Click here to join the Zoom meeting.

Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead

The last week in January gets off to a slow start. There are no meetings until the last two days of the week.   

• On Tuesday, January 25, City Hall will be closed until 1:00 p.m. for a scheduled power outage. Phone lines for City Hall offices will be down, but staff who are able to work remotely can be reached by email. City Hall is expected to resume normal operations at 1:00 p.m.
• On Thursday, January 27, the Common Council holds a special meeting at 6:00 p.m. to consider three issues.
• Although there doesn't seem to be a Tourism Board at the moment, all the members' terms having expired and no new appointments having been made, the Council will consider a request from the Tourism Board to approve an expenditure for a "tourist bus." 
• Issuing a request for proposals (RPF) for the adaptive reuse of the Dunn warehouse. The resolution and the RFP can be found here.  

• Appointing a community member to the Industrial Development Agency (IDA). The Council has received letters of interest from four people: Richard Wallace, who is currently the community representative on the IDA; former First Ward alder Jane Trombley; former Council minority leader Rebecca Wolff; and Julie Goldweitz, a Hudson resident who has an MBA and is an attorney. There is a fifth candidate interested in the post, although apparently she did not submit a formal letter of interest: former Council majority leader Tiffany Garriga.

The meeting will be held on Zoom. The Zoom link will be posted prior to the meeting on the City of Hudson website. Scroll down to the calendar. 

• On Friday, January 28, the Historic Preservation Commission holds its second meeting of the month at 10:00 a.m. The meeting will take place on Zoom. Click here to join the meeting.
• Also on Friday, January 28, the board of Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency (HCDPA) meets at 11:00 a.m. Because the HCDPA board is made up of five ex officio members--the mayor, the Council majority and minority leaders, the chair of the Planning Board, and the chair of the Hudson Housing Authority Board of Commissioners--there will be three new members this year. Dominic Merante replaces Tiffany Garriga, Ryan Wallace replaces Rebecca Wolff, and Theresa Joyner replaces Stephen Steim. It is expected that the meeting will take place on Zoom, but the link to the meeting has not yet been published.

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Pleasant Diversion for a Winter Afternoon

In the spring of 2017, the Thomas Cole House mounted an exhibition of the work of a Hudson River School artist with close ties to Hudson: Sanford Robinson Gifford. The exhibition, Sanford R. Gifford in the Catskills, was curated by Kevin Avery, senior research scholar at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In conjunction with the exhibition, Avery presented a lecture on the life and work of Sanford Gifford. A recording of that lecture can be viewed on YouTube, by clicking here.

A Story Behind a Name

The building at North Third and Robinson streets that is now Second Ward Foundation was constructed in 1924 as a neighborhood elementary school and dedicated in September of that year as Charles S. Williams Memorial School, named for the late superintendent of the Hudson Public Schools. 

The name Charles Williams now survives only as the name of the park down the hill on Mill Street, which originally served as a playing field for the school.

Today, while perusing the Columbia Republican from a hundred years ago, I came upon this account of a memorial service for Charles S. Williams that took place on January 20, 1922, at Hudson High School. 

In 1922, Hudson High School was located at 401 State Street, a building that was constructed in 1915 and dedicated as Hudson High School at the beginning of 1916. The auditorium where the memorial service took place is now the meeting chamber for the Columbia County Board of Supervisors.

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COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health released its numbers today at 11:30 a.m. Since yesterday at 3:00 p.m., there have been 55 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 2 fewer than yesterday, from which it can be inferred that, since yesterday, 57 county residents have recovered from the virus. The number of county residents hospitalized and in the ICU remains the same as yesterday. There has not be a death from COVID-19 in Columbia County since Wednesday.

The New York Forward dashboard has not yet been updated today.

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 68 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 2,791, and the number of active cases was 515. There were 597 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 36 were hospitalized, and 5 were in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 61.

"The Wealthiest Dog in the Show"

On Monday, Gossips shared an account discovered in the Columbia Republican for January 17, 1922, of the Columbia County Kennel Club dog show that took place at City Hall, in what is now the second floor performance space at Hudson Hall. The mention in the account of John Tucker, who showed "the wealthiest dog in the show," prompted Bruce Mitchinson to post a comment sharing some very interesting information about John Tucker. Mitchinson tells us that John Tucker was the chauffeur for a woman named Amanda Limbrick, and his wife, Adelaide, whose mother was a niece of W. E. B. Dubois, was Amanda Limbrick's seamstress. Limbrick, who was both rich and generous, built the house at 433 State Street for John and Adelaide, as a wedding present. 

The Tuckers were active in AME Zion Church and the Colored Citizens Club, and their house was a social hub for the black community. It was also what Mitchinson describes as "an early B&B for black visitors" to Hudson, when public hostelries were segregated. The house is still owned by descendants of John and Adelaide Tucker.

The story of John Tucker piqued my curiosity about their benefactress, Amanda Limbrick, and the prize-winning collie to whom, according to the newspaper account, she had bequeathed a small fortune. From her obituary, which appeared in the Columbia Republican on November 15, 1921, we learn that she was born in Catskill, her family moved to Hudson when she was very young, and her father was "a cattle buyer on an extensive scale and amassed a fortune by his chosen profession."  

More information gleaned from old newspapers makes it possible to deduce that the amazing house pictured below, which once stood at Cross and South Front streets, was Amanda Limbrick's home, which she had inherited from her father in 1892.   

On January 27, 1901, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reported that the residence of Miss Amanda Limbrick on Cross Street was totally destroyed by fire. 

After the fire, Amanda Limbrick moved to a new house at 535 Union Street, where she lived until her death in November 1921.

Amanda Limbrick had inherited her father's vast fortune, and although in her lifetime, according to the Catskill Recorder, she "did a vast amount of charitable work while never letting the public know of her ministrations," her estate at her death was valued at $200,000. Today that would be about $2.8 million. Most of the money went to an aunt and female cousins in Catskill, who were her only surviving relatives, but $3,000, which would have the value of more that $41,000 today, was put in trust for the care of her beloved collie, Blink. John Tucker, who showed the collie at the Columbia County Kennel Club dog show in January 1922, was entrusted with the care of Blink.

Tragically, although his future was well provided for, Blink survived his human by only a little more than three months. On February 28, 1922, the Columbia Republican reported his death.

The account of Blink's death indicates that half the money put in trust for Blink was to go, at his death, to the Humane Society and the other half to John Tucker. The final sentence of the account is likely to inspire a new Gossips investigation: "The canine will be given the finest burial any dog ever had here." The burning question is: Where was Blink buried? 

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COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been 75 new cases of COVID-19, as compared with 121 new cases yesterday. Commenting on today's number, CCDOH director Jack Mabb said, "It's nice to see that drop-off." The number of active cases being reported today is 28 more than yesterday, from which it can be inferred that, since yesterday, 47 county residents have recovered from the virus. There are 3 fewer county residents hospitalized today than yesterday and 1 fewer in the ICU. There has not been a death from COVID-19 in Columbia County since Wednesday.  

A press release issued today by Matt Murell, chair of the Columbia County Board of Supervisors, included this information:

DOH Director Mabb noted that New York State reports that since December 1, 2021, there have been 169,764 cases of reinfection, which represents an infection more than 90 days after first being infected. This number represents 3.6 percent of all new COVID-19 infections in that time frame. 

The New York Forward dashboard is reporting a positivity rate for Columbia County today of 14.4 percent and a seven-day average of 16.9 percent. By comparison, the daily positivity rate for the Capital Region is 13.6 percent and the seven-day average is 15.0 percent.

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 49 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 2,723, and the number of active cases was 496. There were 636 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 36 were hospitalized, and 6 were in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 61.