HDC and JLE

The City's plan to acquire the former John L. Edwards school building and relocate all city offices as well as the Youth Department to the building withered on the vine during the pandemic. Since then, the idea of acquiring JLE and repurposing it for some community purpose has been taken up by Hudson Development Corporation (HDC). In July, HDC sent a letter of intent to the Hudson City School District (HCSD) requesting a six-month due diligence period, to begin on July 1, 2023, and end on January 31, 2024. The letter, which HDC member John Friedman described as "uniquely devoid of content," states the purpose for the request in this way:

HDC has been exploring the feasibility of creating a work force/job training facility at JLE in order to provide job opportunities not only for the residents of the City of Hudson but also for the surrounding communities in Columbia County. 

JLE is centrally located, with parking, as such, relieves the City of Hudson of dealing with any parking issues. The development of JLE will complement its original design of a building for knowledge. JLE will house job training, workshops, social gatherings and meeting venue within walking distance for City of Hudson residents and the availability of parking allows the surrounding residents of Columbia County a place for opportunities.

Although the letter of intent doesn't mention it, HDC is also thinking City Hall, the Youth Department, and the Senior Center might move into the building. 

Photo: Jonathan Simons

At the last HDC meeting, which took place this past Tuesday, board president Chris Jones reported that she had gone to the July meeting of the HCSD Board of Education to talk about HDC and its interest in JLE. According to Jones, the school board and interim superintendent Cheryl Rabinowitz were very interested in what HDC is contemplating for the building. At the meeting on Tuesday, Mark Thaler of Lacey Thaler Reilly Wilson Architecture & Preservation, the group that did the feasibility study of the building for the City in 2019, made a presentation of that feasibility study via Zoom. The study can be found here.

HDC is planning a walk-through of the building for its board members, and Jones announced she would be attending the August 8 school board meeting to talk more about the possible future of the building.

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