Wednesday, August 31, 2022

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been 13 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 1 fewer than yesterday, from which it can be inferred that, since yesterday, 14 county residents have recovered from the virus. The number of county residents hospitalized and in the ICU today is the same as yesterday. There has not been a death from COVID-19 reported in Columbia County since Monday, August 22.

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 8 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 4,610, and the number of active cases was 62. There were 70 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 10 were hospitalized, and 2 were in the ICU. The total number of deaths in Columbia County attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 97.

The Fate of a House

On Monday, the Register-Star reported on a firefighters' training exercise that took place on Sunday morning: "FAST firefighter teams train in Hudson on Sunday." FAST stands for Firefighter Assist and Search Team. About thirty firefighters from Hudson, Greenport, Claverack, Stuyvesant, and Niverville participated in the training, which took place in what the article described as "a vacant home at 69 N. 7th Street in Hudson."

The house, now vacant, is one of three houses slated for demolition to make way for the 54-unit apartment building the Galvan Foundation is planning to construct there.  

The recent history of the house at 69 North Seventh Street, the house used on Sunday for firefighter training, is interesting. Galvan acquired it in 2014. In March 2018, Galvan factotum Jason O'Toole announced that Galvan was developing 29 affordable dwelling units in ten of its properties. One of those properties was 69 North Seventh Street, which then stood vacant, as it had since Galvan acquired it.

In July 2019, Dan Kent, vice president of initiatives for the Galvan Foundation, reported that work on the house would soon be completed. In November 2020, when the picture below was taken, the renovation was complete, and the house was occupied.

Now, just three years after it was renovated, the house is vacant again and awaiting demolition.
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Public Hearing Tonight in Stuyvesant

Gossips is pretty singularly devoted to what's happening in Hudson, but from time to time something outside our fair city merits attention. This is one of those times.

At 7:00 p.m. tonight, Wednesday, August 31, there is a public hearing on a project being proposed for a family farm on Sharptown Road in Stuyvesant. The proposal involves constructing, on 58 acres of what is now farmland and open space, twenty "agro-tourism cabins," a guest house, a distillery and a store, and nearly ninety parking spaces for visitors and guests. 

Those proposing the project maintain that this is an example of agritourism, an increasingly popular industry meant to attract visitors to agricultural operations for recreation, entertainment, and educational experiences, while generating income to support the high cost of farming. Farmers, the applicants argue, cannot profit from agriculture alone and are encouraged by NYS Department of Agriculture & Markets to seek ancillary businesses to support agriculture. Opponents of the project argue that what is being proposed is primarily a commercial lodging development, which is prohibited by the town's zoning code, and agriculture is only a minor component of the plan. They maintain that the project will completely reshape and alter the existing agricultural and open space character of the 58 acres. 

There are some familiar names associated with this project. Pat Prendergast, best known to Hudsonians as the engineer for A. Colarusso & Sons, is the engineer for this project, and Walter Chatham, who is the architect for several Galvan projects here in Hudson, is the architect.

Tonight's public hearing, which is before the Zoning Board of Appeals, takes place at Stuyvesant Town Hall, 5 Sunset Drive in Stuyvesant. You can access the meeting remotely by clicking here.
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Tuesday, August 30, 2022

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health released its numbers earlier today. Since yesterday, there have been 13 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 5 fewer than yesterday, from which it can be inferred that, since yesterday, 18 county residents have recovered from the virus. There are 2 more county residents hospitalized today than yesterday, but there is 1 fewer, or 0, in the ICU. There has not been a death from COVID-19 reported in Columbia County since Monday, August 22.

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 15 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 4,602, and the number of active cases was 76. There were 64 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 10 were hospitalized, and 2 were in the ICU. The total number of deaths in Columbia County attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 97.

In Memoriam: Pat Fenoff

City historian Pat Fenoff died last week. Her obituary appears in today's Register-Star

Photo: Register-Star
The obituary recalls many of the countless tasks she undertook to celebrate and preserve the history of Hudson. It doesn't however mention that in 2012, Mayor William Hallenbeck honored Pat for a quarter century of dedication and service as city historian. Pat continued in that role for another ten years.

Gossips will be eternally grateful to Pat for aiding and abetting in many a historic exploration, for gently correcting when I'd gotten something wrong, and mostly for her kindness and friendship. Hudson has lost a great public servant.

Monday, August 29, 2022

Trash as Public Amenity?

In May, Gossips shared a picture of a sofa abandoned on the now defunct Ferry Street Bridge. (When last I looked, the discarded sofa was still there.) 

Photo: Bob Tomaso
A reader in a comment suggested the couch may have been positioned there on the bridge to provide a comfortable place to sit while viewing the waterfront or watching trains arrive and depart.

Today, another reader sent me a picture of another discarded sofa, this one left at the water's edge in the part of the waterfront known as East Jeezus.

Photo: Peter Jung
Given its positioning, it's easy to imagine this one was deposited here to provide a place to lounge while gazing out onto the river and the mountains beyond.
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COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since Friday, there have been 37 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 5 fewer than on Friday, from which it can be inferred that, over the weekend, 42 county residents have recovered from the virus. There are 3 fewer 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 reported in Columbia County since Monday, August 22.

A year ago, August 29 was a Sunday, and the CCDOH did not report COVID numbers. On Saturday, August 28, the CCDOH reported 10 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 4,587, and the number of active cases was 80. There were 88 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 10 were hospitalized, and 2 were in the ICU. The total number of deaths in Columbia County attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 97.

Surprising News

The wildly successful Breadfolks Bakery today announced its closing on Instagram.
When we envisioned Breadfolks three years ago, we had one goal in mind: bring world class bread and pastries to as many people, from all walks of life, as possible. We display it proudly on every door--ALL are welcome here.
In the two years we've been open, we've served over 200,000 customers and made over 400,000 breads and pastries on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. While this may seem small by some bigger bakery standards, that's a lot for our small bakery staff and our small town of Hudson. We shattered our wildest expectations, garnered industry and media accolades and secured a legion of fans--all in the pursuit of excellence. Seeing our relentless line start 30 minutes before opening every day, always left us in awe and made us grateful. All of this happening, while navigating the uncharted waters of an epidemic, compounded by personnel shortages and untenable food cost increases. To say we're proud of what we've accomplished is an understatement!
Initially, we set very specific objectives, not the least of which being our "proof of concept." We reached these milestones much sooner than anticipated and as such, have decided that today is the day to close our retail location and focus all our energy on Breadfolks' next chapter.
We are deeply grateful for each and every customer, employee and vendor who supported this chapter and look forward to Breadfolks' future. . . .

The Situation at CMH

On Thursday, September 1, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., the staff at Columbia Memorial Health, our local hospital, are having a rally in Seventh Street Park to bring attention to staffing problems at the hospital, particularly in the emergency room. 

An incident that occurred last Wednesday night illustrates the problem. A van carrying a church group back to New York City after a daytrip to Niagara Falls overturned on the NYS Thruway near Athens. Thirteen people were injured in the crash, four critically, but none was transported to CMH for care. The accident was reported in the Register-Star: "Four in critical condition after van crash." An email Gossips received from a reader who is a nurse at CMH explains why none of the injured was taken to CMH. 
Our emergency room has been operating dangerously the last few months, but in the last two weeks, it's gotten anxiety-ridden scary. 
The accident occurred on the thruway just south of Coxsackie. . . . The four most critical patients went to Albany Med. But due to CMH low-staffed emergency room, all the other patients were transported by ambulance to other hospitals like St. Peter's, Albany Memorial, Kingston, and even Northern Dutchess.
Last night, the whole emergency room was staffed by three nurses at the time of the accident, two of which were agency [nurses]. The other night, I left at 11:45 p.m., after 12-hour shift and three days in a row, to three nurses working an emergency room of 38 patients. . . . and at 3 a.m. going down to two nurses! We go on diversion it seems almost every day now . . . , but that does not close our doors to walk-ins. So at any moment that number of 38 could turn into 50 or more, with most waiting in the waiting room for who know know many hours. 
If you go to the CMH website, you will find this description of the hospital's emergency services.
The Emergency Department at Columbia Memorial Health is one of the busiest emergency care centers in the Hudson Valley region. From life threatening conditions such as stroke and heart attack to common injuries and ailments, we treat a wide range of conditions with state-of-the-art technology and a streamlined process that reduces wait times and improved patient outcomes.
There is pretty obviously a typo in the last phrase of this statement, which is reproduced exactly as it appears on the website. It is not clear exactly what the typo is, but "improved patient outcomes" is obviously not meant to be the object of "reduces." Very likely improved should be improves.

We count on the emergency room at CMH to be there should we ever need it. Showing up for the rally on Thursday could be time well spent.
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Meetings of Interest in the Week Ahead

In this week that sees August end and September begin, there's not much happening in the way of meetings. 
  • On Tuesday, August 30, the Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency (HCDPA) holds a public hearing and special meeting at noon. The public hearing is part of the process of adopting a videoconferencing policy; the special meeting involves discussing the annual budget for 2023. The meeting takes place virtually. Click here to join.
Update: At some time between Monday morning, when this post was published, and Tuesday at noon, this meeting was canceled. 
  • On Thursday, September 1, the Common Council ad hoc committee pursuing the issue of trucks passing through Hudson meets at 6:00 p.m. At the first meeting of the committee, which took place on August 4, various committee members accepted "homework" assignments.
    • Councilmember Amber Harris (Third Ward) was to gather quantifiable data about air quality to demonstrate the connection between trucks and higher rates of asthma in Hudson.
    • Mayor Kamal Johnson was to speak with the Code Enforcement Office and the Hudson Police Department about enforcing the code as it pertains to the truck route and weight limits.
    • Committee member Donna Streitz was to speak with MJ Engineering, the group that did the truck study, about getting more detailed data on the impacts of Option 6 and Option 12, the two alternate routes favored by those responding to the an online survey conducted in April 2021.
    • Councilmember Margaret Morris, who chairs the committee, was to speak with the NYS Department of Transportation (DOT) to determine what regulations regarding trucks are imposed by the state and what is within the purview of the City of Hudson.

It is expected that the committee members will report on their findings at the meeting on Thursday. The meeting will be a hybrid, taking place at City Hall and on Zoom. The link to join the meeting remotely has not yet been published.

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Sunday, August 28, 2022

An Elevator for "Apartments of Distinction"

After standing empty for close to twenty years, the historic apartment building at the corner of Union and Fifth streets, owned since 2012 by the Galvan Foundation and before that by Galvan Partners, is being restored and renovated. The plans for the exterior of the building were granted a certificate of appropriateness by the Historic Preservation Commission in April 2022.


When the restoration is complete, there will be three apartments on each of the upper three floors. The ground floor will have commercial space and residential space. 

This past Friday, the HPC approved the addition of an elevator shaft on the south side of the building. Existing window openings will be used to provide access to the elevator.


The elevator shaft will be visible from Fifth Street, but it will sit 17 to 20 feet back from the street. It will be constructed of brick and covered with stucco tinted to match the existing brick. Walter Chatham, who is the architect for the restoration of the building, suggested the possibility of eventually covering the elevator shaft with vines.
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A Tale of Two Craft Breweries

It's possible to think there might be in the future some competition between the two craft breweries Upper Hudson Brewing Co. and Return Brewing, located as they are right across the street from each other, but who imagined that the first competition would be which brewery would open first.

The restoration of Hudson Upper Depot was completed months ago, and the phasing plan needed for the building to get its certificate of occupancy was approved by the Planning Board back in May. Still, three months later, the brewery is yet to open.

Meanwhile, across the street, work proceeds apace on Return Brewing, although what's been done doesn't seem to conform with the plans presented to and approved by the Historic Preservation Commission last October.



An interesting coincidence: the buildings in which both craft breweries will be located are owned by the Galvan Foundation.
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Friday, August 26, 2022

Of COVID and Monkeypox

Today's press release from Matt Murell, chair of the Columbia County Board of Elections, contains this information of interest:
“Positive COVID-19 cases held steady for another week, with 97 reported,” Columbia County Department of Health Director Jack Mabb said this morning. “The number of people hospitalized reached a summer high of 22, but only one is in the ICU. The county has recorded another death.”
The County Department of Health held its second Jynneos monkeypox vaccine clinic Thursday, bringing in 81 for the vaccine over the two-hour event.
“We had a good turn out,” said Director Mabb, adding that staff, as they were giving the shots, asked people how they found out about the clinic and most said it was from word of mouth. “We’re finding that those folks who want the shot have a good network they can tap into.”
Another Jynneos monkeypox clinic will be held next Thursday, September 1, but will be held in the PAC building at Columbia-Greene Community College.
As of Monday, per the CDC, Columbia County’s rate of new COVID-19 cases continued in the low risk category. On Thursday, the CDC-reported current average of new daily cases per 100,000 of population stood at 21.9. The positive test rate is 16.9 percent.

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been 12 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 5 fewer than yesterday, from which it can be inferred that, since yesterday, 17 county residents have recovered from the virus. There are 2 fewer county residents hospitalized today than yesterday, but the number in the ICU remains the same. There has not been a death from COVID-19 reported in Columbia County since Monday, August 22.   

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 23 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 4,570, and the number of active cases was 68. There were 67 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 9 were hospitalized, and 2 were in the ICU. The total number of deaths in Columbia County attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 97.

A Fate of a Non-designated House

This morning, in her presentation to the Historic Preservation Commission about the Certified Local Government Program, Linda Mackey from NYSHPO showed these pictures of what happened to a house in Syracuse that was not part of a designated historic district.


Here in Hudson, we have our own example of what can happen to a house located outside one of the designated historic districts: 260 State Street. 

Gossips has posted about this house a couple of time times--when moldings over the windows in the mansard roof were removed and replaced with some new and strange "ornaments";

and when the slate on the mansard roof got replaced with asphalt shingles.

The pictures below, taken by a reader earlier today, show that the fenestration is also undergoing alteration, changing the number and placement of some windows and the size of others.


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Thursday, August 25, 2022

Tomorrow Morning with the HPC

Ever since the City of Hudson adopted its preservation ordinance back in 2003, there has been talk of the City becoming a Certified Local Government (CLG), and it seems there is finally the commitment to make it happen. The benefits of being a GLC include:
  • Ongoing, focused support from the state historic preservation office (SHPO);
  • Technical preservation assistance and legal advice;
  • Direct involvement in SHPO programs, such as identifying properties that may be eligible for listing in the State and National Registers of Historic Places;
  • Training opportunities that increase the ability of communities to protect their historic resources and integrate them into short- and long-term planning initiatives;
  • Grants designated exclusively for CLG projects; and
  • Membership in statewide and national CLG networks.
At the HPC meeting at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow, Linda Mackey of SHPO, CLG representative for NYS Historic Preservation and community liaison, will be making a presentation to the HPC. 

In addition to that presentation, the HPC will be continuing its review of restoration proposals for 717 Columbia Street and 106-108 Union Street and the proposal to add an elevator shaft to 501 Union Street.





The HPC meeting takes place virtually. Click here to join the meeting.
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COVID-19 Update

After skipping yesterday, the Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for yesterday and today. Yesterday, there were 16 new cases; today, there are 20. The number of active cases being reported today is 4 fewer than on Tuesday, when the numbers were last reported, from which it can be inferred that, since Tuesday, 40 county residents have recovered from the virus. There is 1 more county resident hospitalized with COVID-19 today than on Tuesday, and 1 of those hospitalized is in the ICU. There has not been a death from COVID-19 reported in Columbia County since Monday, August 22. 

A year ago today on August 25, the CCDOH reported 11 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 4,547, and the number of active cases was 61. There were 80 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 10 were hospitalized, and 2 were in the ICU. The total number of deaths in Columbia County attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 97.

When Things Are Not as They Were Reported

On Monday, Gossips linked to an article by Roger Hannigan Gilson about the Hudson Industrial Development Agency (IDA) that appeared in the Times Union: "Hudson rethinks how it gives tax breaks after hotel developers flock." In my post, I noted what I considered to be an obvious exaggeration: the statement about the number of hotels that had sought benefits from the IDA. Gilson informed me that his statement about "more than a half-dozen hotel projects that have started the approval process" referred to approval by the Planning Board not the IDA. Because he realized the statement had been misleading, Gilson amended it in the article.

Yesterday, Gilson's article was amended further, to remove comparisons made between tax breaks given by the Hudson IDA and other IDAs in the Capital Region. This morning, Gossips was one of the recipients of this email from Gilson.
I made a significant mistake in the article involving the data. In essence, I compared the total tax breaks given to various Hudson IDA projects over the course of their PILOTS to the compiled tax breaks given out by Cap Region IDAs over the course of a single year. When these resulting figures are compared to the total costs of the projects the tax breaks apply to, it results in inaccurately high tax rates for the other Cap Region IDAs when compared to the Hudson IDA, making it appear as though the Hudson IDA was giving far more generous tax breaks than its neighbors.

When these figures were questioned on Tuesday, I contacted the state Comptroller’s Office with questions about their annual report (where I had gotten the compiled tax break figures for other Cap Region IDAs). They were able to connect me with one of the data people who wrote the report the next day (Wednesday).

Later Wednesday, we removed the section of the article comparing the Hudson IDA’s tax breaks with those of other Cap Region IDAs, as well as a table and a chart. We also included the following correction, which appears at the top of the article:

Editor's note: This story has been updated to remove incorrect comparisons between the tax break rates given by the Hudson IDA and other Capital District IDAs. A data error was made mismatching the total, lifetime costs of projects with their tax savings over a single year, which made it appear as though the Hudson IDA gave out tax breaks that far exceeded those of neighboring communities. A graphic and chart showing the comparison has also been removed from the story.
The actual subject of the article, suggested by the headline and remaining after the redactions, is the new criteria for evaluating projects being developed by the Hudson IDA. The draft of that criteria appears below. (Click on the image to enlarge.)

Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Water Advisory

The drought in recent weeks has impacted the city's water supply. Today, the following water reserve advisory was issued by the City of Hudson Water Department.
The City of Hudson receives the raw water for its public water supply from the 78-million-gallon Churchtown reservoir. That man-made water body is primarily filled by water diverted from the Taghkanic Creek in the Town of Taghkanic. Our watershed encompasses 55-square miles in the Towns of Claverack, Hillsdale, Taghkanic and Copake and its regulations are codified by State Law under 10 NYCRR 109.1.
Since the drought conditions began a few weeks ago, the level at the Churchtown Reservoir has dropped 1 foot, or 5.5 million gallons, and continues to drop almost 1½ inches, or 675,000 gallons, per day. Daily consumption is 1.1 million gallons per day. 
At this time, the City of Hudson Water Department wants to alert the general public of this ongoing situation as a public service. We ask that residents and businesses consider how they use water and do what they can to reduce consumption. Should drought conditions persist, it may be necessary to declare a water emergency and impose formal restrictions.
What the Water Department Is Doing
  • Conducting regular inspections of feeder streams and ponds that supply the reservoir to identify any restrictions. 
  • Conducting regular inspections of all transmission main and valves to ensure no raw water is lost. 
  • Collaborating with the Fire Department to restrict “drills." 
  • Optimizing the treatment process to reduce potential losses during clarification and filtration. 
What You Can Do Indoors to Save Water
  • Turn off the faucet while shaving, washing up, brushing teeth, and washing dishes. The average person uses 10.9 gallons of water from the faucet a day. 
  • Fix dripping and leaking faucets and toilets. A faucet leaking 30 drops per minute wastes 54 gallons a month. 
  • Don't run the tap to make water cold or hot. Instead, keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator. 
  • Put a plastic jug filled with water in the tank of conventional toilets. You'll save that much volume in water each time you flush. 
  • Throw used facial tissues into the waste basket instead of using the toilet as a waste basket. You'll save up to 6 gallons of water each time you don't flush. 
  • Wash only full loads of dishes and laundry. The average dishwasher uses 8-12 gallons whether or not it's a full load. 
  • Install water-saving plumbing fixtures. A low-flow shower head saves up to 7.5 gallons a minute. 
  • Take shorter showers or fill the bathtub only part way. The average person uses 15 gallons a day in bathing and hygiene. 
What You Can Do Outdoors to Save Water
  • Raise your lawn mower cutting height. Longer grass needs less water. 
  • Use a pool cover. It will reduce water loss from evaporation. 
  • Use mulch around shrubs and garden plants to save soil moisture. Apply organic mulches 4 inches deep to keep plant roots cool, prevent soil crusting, minimize evaporation, and reduce weed growth. 
  • Wash cars less frequently. If your car desperately needs a bath, take it to a car wash that recycles water. 
  • If your community allows watering, water lawns and gardens on alternate mornings instead of every day. Less frequent watering will develop grass with deeper roots, and early morning watering minimizes evaporation. 
  • When using automatic lawn watering systems, override the system in wet weather or use a rain gauge or soil moisture sensor to control when and how much water to use. A fixed watering schedule wastes water. Irrigate only when needed. It saves water and can actually improve your lawn's health. 

More Election Results

In the Democratic Primary in the 19th Congressional District, Josh Riley defeated Jamie Cheney. 

Credit: New York Times

Election Results Update

The Associated Press has called the Special Election for Pat Ryan.

Credit: New York Times
The New York Times reported these county by county results, showing that Columbia and Ulster counties carried the day for Ryan: "New York 19th Congressional District Special Election."

Credit: New York Times



Tuesday, August 23, 2022

Election Results Update

With 95 percent of the votes reported, the New York Times indicates that Pat Ryan now has 51.1 percent of the votes and Marc Molinaro has 48.9 percent: "New York 19th Congressional District Special Election Results."

Election Results Update

With 82 percent of the votes reported, the New York Times indicates that Pat Ryan now has 53.3 percent of the votes and Marc Molinaro has 46.7 percent: "New York 19th Congressional District Special Election Results."

Election Results Update

With 50 percent of the votes reported, the New York Times indicates that Pat Ryan now has 60.7 percent of the votes and Marc Molinaro has 39.3 percent: "New York 19th Congressional District Special Election Results."

Early Election Results

The polls closed at 9:00 p.m. So far, with 32 percent of the votes reported, the New York Times indicates that Pat Ryan has 67.4 percent of the votes and Marc Molinaro has 32.6 percent: "New York 19th Congressional District Special Election Results."

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been 19 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 12 fewer than yesterday, from which it can be inferred that, since yesterday, 31 county residents have recovered from the virus. There are 3 more county residents hospitalized today than yesterday, but none is in the ICU. There has not been a death from COVID-19 reported in Columbia County since yesterday.

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 21 new cases of COVID-19 after a two-day weekend. The total number of cases was 4,514, and the number of active cases was 52. There were 77 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 10 were hospitalized, and 2 were in the ICU. The total number of deaths in Columbia County attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 97.

Waterfront Wednesdays Wraps Up This Week

Tomorrow's event is the last of Waterfront Wednesdays for this year. Along with fishing lessons with the Hudson Sloop Club, this week's On Water activities feature sails on the historic sloop Eleanor.

The On Land activities include an Ujima drum circle at 5:30 p.m., and the Bindlestiff Family Circus workshop. At 6:30 p.m., the CREATE Council will hold an awards ceremony for Columbia County grantees, among them Waterfront Wednesdays. At 7:00 p.m., the New York Dance Force and Operation Unite NY present the third and final iteration of Dance by the River! featuring the dance company A-Y/Dancers. At 8:00 p.m., Catskill-based rock diva Lex Grey performs with the Urban Pioneers.

Once again, there will be free shuttle service between Henry Hudson Riverfront Park and the Wednesday Farmers Market in the Public Square provided by The Wick Hotel in its electric minibus. The shuttle makes its first trip to the waterfront from the corner of Park Place and Warren Street at 5:00 p.m. and makes its first return trip from the waterfront back to the farmers market at 5:30 p.m.

Vote Today!

If you haven't already voted during the many days of early voting, today is the day. There are  two elections happening today.
  • The Special Election to determine who will finish out Antonio Delgado's term as member of Congress for the 19th District of New York. The choice is between Pat Ryan (Democrat) and Marc Molinaro (Republican).
  • The Democratic Primary to determine who will face Molinaro in November in the race for Congress in the new 19th District--Jamie Cheney or Josh Riley.

The polls opened at 6:00 a.m. this morning and will remain open until 9:00 p.m. tonight. The polling places for Hudson voters are:
  • First, Second, and Third Wards--St. Mary's Academy, Allen and Third streets
  • Fourth Ward--County Office Building, 401 State Street
  • Fifth Ward--Central Fire Station, 77 North Seventh Street

Monday, August 22, 2022

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since Friday, there has been another death from COVID-19 and 33 new cases. The number of active cases being reported today is 2 more than on Friday, from which it can be inferred that, over the weekend, 30 county residents have recovered from the virus. There is 1 more county resident hospitalized today than on Friday, but none of those hospitalized is in the ICU.

A year ago, August 22 was a Sunday, and the CCDOH did not report COVID numbers. On the previous Friday, August 20, the CCDOH reported 3 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 4,493, and the number of active cases was 57. There were 115 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 8 were hospitalized, and 1 was in the ICU. The total number of deaths in Columbia County attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 97.

Of Interest

Roger Hannigan Gilson has an article about the Hudson IDA (Industrial Development Agency) in today's Times Union: "Hudson rethinks how it gives tax breaks after hotel developers flock." The article begins with the Pocketbook Factory, which it claims is "one of more than a half-dozen hotel projects that have started the approval process in the city of 6,000 in the last few years." As a pretty faithful observer of the IDA, I'm at a loss to name "more than a half-dozen hotel projects that have started the approval process." There was The Wick, which was granted a ten-year PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) in 2016. (The Wick is now in Year 5 of its PILOT, which began in 2018, and its tax payment for this year is $53,125.) 


In 2020, the hotel proposed for 620 Union Street, the former Home for the Aged, was granted a PILOT and other tax abatements. (This is the project referred to in Gilson's article as "Hudson Home.")


In December 2021, the IDA approved a PILOT for the restoration of the Pocketbook Factory, the plans for which include a 40-room hotel component.


In April 2022, the Galvan Foundation made a presentation to the IDA of its plans for The Hudson Public, the hotel being proposed for the buildings at the corner of Warren and Fourth streets. The consideration of that proposal was halted in May, when the IDA decided to delay making any decisions until it had adopted its new guidelines and rubric for evaluating applications for tax benefits. Gilson includes this project in his article as if tax benefits for it had already been granted.


That makes only four hotel projects "that have started the approval process . . . in the last few years," and only if you consider six years ago to be "in the last few years." Both Mike Tucker, consultant to the IDA, and Ryan Wallace, who chairs the IDA, have made reference to two more hotels--the one being proposed for the former Elks Lodge and another at an undisclosed location--but neither has as yet presented an application. Even including those, the total is just a half dozen not more than a half dozen.

What seems strange about this article, which posits that the Hudson IDA is giving greater tax breaks than other IDAs in the Capital Region, is that there is no mention of the PILOTs given to the two apartment buildings proposed by the Galvan Foundation for the "Depot District."


The four projects Gilson focuses on are commercial projects with 10- or 11-year PILOTs structured in such a way that the amount paid in property tax increases over the duration of the PILOT. When the PILOT ends, taxes are levied on the assessed value of the property. The duration of the PILOTs for the Galvan buildings is longer: 25 years for 76 North Seventh Street and 30 years for 75 North Seventh Street. When the PILOTs on these buildings are over, it is unlikely that Galvan will start paying taxes on the assessed value of the property. Early on, a study by the Benjamin Center pointed out that, when the PILOT ends, Galvan could take the buildings off the tax rolls because they fulfill the foundation's mission as a not-for-profit. Dan Kent, vice president of initiatives for Galvan, has been quoted as saying Galvan "was completely onboard with entering into another PILOT when this one is up."
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Clarification: Roger Hannigan Gilson has informed me that when he stated that the Pocketbook Factory was "one of more than a half-dozen hotel projects that have started the approval process in the city of 6,000 in the last few years," he did not mean approval by the IDA but rather site plan approval by the Planning Board. He has edited his article to reflect that.

When the Shoe Was on the Other Foot

At the last Common Council meeting, Mayor Kamal Johnson reprimanded members of the Council for questioning resolutions that had originated with his office, in particular one that accepted a $30,000 grant for a project that was going to cost a total of $112,350. Council members wanted to know where the rest of the money was coming from. The incident was reported both by the Register-Star and Gossips. During the meeting, First Ward supervisor Claire Cousin also rebuked Council members for "interrogating" mayor's aide Michael Hofmann.

Since that meeting, while searching the Gossips archive for a picture of the original sign at Henry Hudson Riverfront Park, I came upon an account of a Common Council meeting that took place on July 16, 2019, and was struck by the parallel: "Last Night at City Hall." That night, there was a resolution before the Council which had originated in the mayor's office. It authorized the mayor to apply for a grant to do master plans for the improvement of Seventh Street Park and Henry Hudson Riverfront. In this case, the person being "interrogated" by the Council was Mayor Rick Rector, and the first member of the Council to ask a question was Kamal Johnson, who was then a First Ward alderman. Johnson wanted to know where the required $7,500 match would come from should the City be awarded the grant. Earlier that same evening, the Common Council Finance Committee had approved taking the money from the general fund. Both the Gossips post and Dan Udell's video of the meeting are worth reviewing. The discussion of the resolution in the video begins at 9:12.

In the end, the Council approved the resolution, but the application was not successful.
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