New Face Coming on Union Street

For everyone who has been distressed over the years by the picture window crudely cut into the facade at 250 Union Street, there is good news.

The plans for the restoration of this building and the one next to it (252 Union Street) came before the Historic Preservation Commission on Friday, December 13. The good news is that the picture window and the additional door are going away, and the original configuration of the windows on the first floor at 250 Union is being restored. Also, the aluminum awning over the doorway at 252 Union is going away.   

A cause for concern, however, is the doorway at 250 Union. It appears from the elevation drawing that the new design for the door surround may eliminate part of the Italianate trim over the door. Although it is unlikely this ornament was part of original house, it has probably been there for at least a hundred years and is part of the historic fabric of the house.

Members of the Historic Preservation Commission Gossips consulted were not certain if the ornamental hood would remain intact. HPC member John Schobel told Gossips, "There was no discussion, but I feel confident they wouldn't [remove it]." Schobel indicated, however, that the HPC would get clarification about the plans for the door surround before the HPC votes to grant a certificate of appropriateness at its next meeting on January 10. Gossips' inquiry to the architect of the project about this detail did not receive a response.

The restoration/renovation of these two houses is part of The Spark of Hudson's affordable housing initiative, HudsonDots.

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Celebrating the Winter Solstice

Saturday is the Winter Solstice, when the march of darkness falling ever earlier begins to reverse itself. For those of us who hate that sunset comes before 4:30 p.m., this is a significant holiday, marking the return of the light. If you are looking for a way to celebrate the day, Olana may be offering just the thing.

The Olana Partnership and New York State Parks invite the community to join in celebrating the changing season during its annual Winter Solstice Celebration at Olana. Visit the site on Saturday, December 21, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. for a series of free opportunities to experience the Hudson Valley's beautiful winter landscape.

The Winter Solstice Celebration will include free access to the historic interiors, a bonfire, a live set with DJ Jared, drop-in activities and games, refreshments for purchase from Citiot in Catskill, The Cookie Board, and Nine Pin Cider, a special visit from everyone's favorite miniature donkey, Hank, back by popular demand, and much more! Special events take place throughout the afternoon at both the Frederic Church Center for Art & Landscape and the East Lawn near the historic house.

Derek James Smith of Constellation in Catskill will share a presentation and discussion around the astrology of Frederic Church and Olana to kick off the afternoon at 1:00 p.m. This introduction will study Church's natal chart to provide an introduction to astrology's possibilities for aficionados and beginners alike. From 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., Derek will offer interactive outdoor astrological readings for those curious to learn more about the craft.

Local outdoor educator Nature Sarah will lead two family-friendly walks at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., sharing information about solstices and sunsets. A nature-themed scavenger hunt will be available for younger participants. Each hike will start from the historic house and follow Ridge Road (0.6 mile). The route is considered easy, with minimal elevation gain and short distances of steep grade. Strollers are welcome.

From 1:00 p.m. until sunset, participants can view the sun directly through specially equipped solar telescopes. Amateur astronomers from the Mid-Hudson Astronomical Association will help point out sunspots and other solar features, using specially designed filters.

The day will finish with a sunset performance by the Hudson Community Choir and sunset from one of the best views in the Hudson Valley.

House entry will be available on a first come first served basis beginning at 2:00 p.m. Last house entry will be at 4:00 p.m. Outdoor bonfire until 5:00 p.m. provided by the New York State Parks. A free shuttle will be available to Olana from Hudson with pick up and drop off at the Hudson Area Library every hour beginning at 12:30 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. This free community event is presented in collaboration with The Olana Partnership and New York State's Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, and generously sponsored by the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce and Price Chopper/Market 32.

For more information, visit olana.org/solstice.

The End of Due Diligence

Five months into its six-month due diligence period, Hudson Development Corporation (HDC) has decided it will not purchase the abandoned John L. Edwards School for the purpose of redeveloping it as a community space to be called "Hudson Hub."

The following press release announcing the decision was issued yesterday.

The Hudson Development Corporation and the Hudson City School District met in executive session on Tuesday, December 10, in the December HCSD board meeting, to discuss the HDC’s offer to purchase the John L. Edwards building at 360 State Street in Hudson, NY. As part of the contract, the Hudson Development Corporation had a six-month due diligence period to review conditions which they completed in five months' time.

The outcome of their investigations of the various systems, structure, and building conditions revealed serious and extensive environmental issues. As a result of these findings, the HDC board of directors has determined that is is not financially feasible for the organization to proceed with the purchase of the property in its challenged condition. The major concerns requiring attention are mold, asbestos, and 10,000 gallons of fuel oil in a buried tank.

In spite of the discovered defects, the HDC still sees a great potential in this building. “The vision of the John L. Edwards school building to house childcare services, as a home for the Youth Department, and for educational programs, as well as providing offices for city government, is an exciting one,” says Christine Jones, HDC President, “and we still feel strongly that the building could serve the citizens well. So we’re willing to stick with it.” The HDC put forth a recommendation that the school board to form a working collaboration between HDC and the Hudson City School District to pursue state and federal grants to completely remediate the building. “We see this as a best path forward to correct these conditions and establish the building as a viable asset to both the Hudson City School District and to the city of Hudson.”

At the HDC meeting that took place yesterday afternoon, Christine Jones told the board:

We finished our due diligence in five months.

We know this building.

We know it has no value in its current condition . . . to the HCSD or to HDC.

Now that there are reports on the conditions of the building, it will be necessary to reveal the status of the building to other buyers should there be any. . . .

The bigger question is what will the Hudson school board decide to do with this structure as it now exists?

My hope is that the work that we did will keep the building more in the public consciousness. HDC has awakened ideas for this building which I hope will stay in conversation to take it from forever unusable to a community hub.

A letter submitted to the HCSD Board of Education documents the problems discovered with the building, many of which are the result of poor stewardship.

The plumbing system is very compromised as the system was shut down but not winterized to keep residual water from freezing in pipes, causing many breaks in the lines. As it result, plumbing infrastructure will have to be evaluated throughout the whole building for viability.

Over time, the hearing system was compromised as parts were taken for use in other buildings, rendering the JLE system inoperable. With critical parts missing, the existing HVAC system cannot be "turned on" for testing. Engineers have evaluated it in its current state as unusable and recommend its removal.

As the building was not heated for five years, there is significant black mold on walls on the lower floors and in the stairwells and on handrails.

Additionally, HDC's inspections revealed a 10,000-gallon underground oil tank (used as a backup to the main system) on the property which is full of oil. HDC has not entertained any quotes for removal of the oil and the proper removal of the tank itself, but this would have to be done. There are also two transformers inside the building which are owned by Niagara Mohawk and should be moved to a safer exterior location.

Built in 1962, the standard materials of the day, used throughout the building, contained a lot of asbestos in walls, ceilings, and floors. Any changes to building configuration will necessitate removal of all of those materials before it can be rebuilt for future uses.

In July, we engaged the expertise of Ambient Environmental, Inc., who did the original assessment for the feasibility study to assess the conditions and environmental status of the building five years later. They tested the building for two weeks and sent hundreds of tests out to testing labs for results.

Ambient completed their report in September, and HDC put out an RFP to three licensed firms for asbestos and black mold abatement.

The three remediation contractors toured the building together, with copies of the Ambient report, then submitted individual proposals. Their estimates range from $3.7 million to $4.975 million. There would be an addition $125,000 for Ambient to monitor the work day to day as required by NYS law and then to do the final report indicating that the building is clean.

In the past five months, we have invested more than $150,000 investigating the building and its future uses. In light of the serious remediation estimates to get the building back to functioning, the Hudson Development Corporation board of directors has determined that it is not financially feasible for HDC to proceed with the purchase of the property in its challenged condition. So at this time the HDC board has voted to terminate the existing contract to purchase the building.

So, what will become of John L. Edwards, probably the biggest building in the City of Hudson, now that it has been determined that it is unusable in its current state and hence of no value?

Photo: Jonathan Simons

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Attention First Ward Residents

Last week, Gossips reported that Claire Cousin has resigned as county supervisor for the First Ward. Her replacement will be appointed by the Common Council at the special meeting to be held on Friday, January 3, at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall.

As a resident of the First Ward, Gossips urges readers who are also First Ward residents to consider seriously if they might have the energy and commitment to take on this role or if they know someone with the qualities needed to represent the First Ward and fight our corner on the Columbia County Board of Supervisors. 

Anyone interested should probably start by seeking the support and guidance of the First Ward councilmembers, Gary Purnhagen gary.purnhagen@cityofhudson.org and Margaret Morris margaret.morris@cityofhudson.org.

Update: At tonight's Common Council meeting, Margaret Morris, who as Majority Leader was sitting in for Council president Tom DePietro, explained that those interested in becoming supervisor for the First Ward should submit a letter of intent to DePietro councilpres@cityofhudson.org. Councilmember Rich Volo (Fourth Ward) suggested that these letters should be copied to all members of the Common Council, whose email addresses can be found here.

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HHA Redevelopment Update

At last night's meeting of the Hudson Housing Authority (HHA) Board of Commissioners, Eu Ting-Zambuto, from Mountco, HHA's development partner, presented a revised redevelopment plan. The revisions are cost-saving measures that affect the building proposed for the north side of State Street.

As originally proposed, this was to be a two-part building. The two parts were to be of different heights--one seven stories, the other five stories. One part was to be set back farther from the street than the other. There was also to be subsurface parking under one of these buildings.  

It will be remembered that in 2019 a plan to build two four-story buildings on this site (shown in the rendering below) was abandoned when it was determined that the land would not support what was being proposed. 

In the revised plan presented last night, there would be a single five-story building, with no underground parking, situated closer to State Street. Parking, which would be outside, would be located north and west of the building. According to Ting-Zambuto, there would be sufficient parking, so that "almost every household would have a parking space." 

The revisions require that the apartments be smaller. Ting-Zambuto explained that originally a one-bedroom apartment was to be 725 square feet but would now be 670 square feet. Nick Zachos, who serves on the Board of Commissioners, asked for a comparison of the size of the apartments in Bliss Towers with the size of the proposed apartments. Ting-Zambuto said the plan was to "go a little heavier on two- and three-bedroom apartments than on one-bedroom apartments" and told the board she would come back next month with more information about number of apartments of each type and sizes.

For comparison, one-bedroom apartments now being advertised in Hudson Depot Lofts, categorized as "workforce housing," range from 597 to 737 square feet. It was reported in the Albany Business Review today that Redburn Development plans to convert two former Russell Sage College buildings in Troy into market rate apartments that would average 500 square feet and lease for $1,000 to $1,200 a month.

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Good News for the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse

At a press conference in Athens yesterday, Senator Chuck Schumer announced that the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse, which is in imminent danger of collapsing into the river, has been selected for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers protection program. 

Photo: Jonathan Simons | HudsonHomeTours.com

You can read about the significance of this development in the Register-Star: "Hudson-Athens Lighthouse selected for Army Corps protection program." Or you can listen on WAMC: "Hudson-Athens Lighthouse to receive federal funds for preservation."

Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead

It's a pretty busy week, meeting-wise, but this week's meetings are last for the remainder of the year.  

• On Monday, December 16, the third and final Community Visioning Session for Hudson's new comprehensive plan takes place at The Spark of Hudson, 502 Union Street. The session is a pop-in, happening from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. This morning, the following encouragement to attend appeared on the Facebook group "Unfiltered Hudson": "Hudson residents don't let the wealthy classist snobs make the decisions. Get your friends and neighbors to show up en mass and make your voices heard." It is not known if the person posting this message is herself a Hudson resident.

• Also on Monday, December 16, the Hudson Housing Authority (HHA) Board of Commissioners meets at 6:00 p.m. As always, the meeting may yield new information about the proposed redevelopment of HHA properties. It may also provide insight into why the HHA website can no longer be accessed. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person in the Community Room at Bliss Towers, 41 North Second Street, and on Zoom. Click here to join the meeting remotely.

• On Tuesday, December 17, the Hudson Development Corporation (HDC) meets at 4:00 p.m. The meeting may provide an update on HDC's plan to acquire the abandoned John L. Edwards elementary school building and repurpose it as a community space. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at 1 North Front Street and on Zoom. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.

• Also on Tuesday, December 17, the Common Council Finance Committee meets at 5:15 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.
• At 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 17, the Common Council holds its regular monthly meeting. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.
• On Wednesday, December 18, the Zoning Board of Appeals meets at 6:00 p.m. The agenda for the meeting includes Mill Street Lofts, but the variances required for the project have been reduced to one: the size of the parking spaces. Both this project and the project proposed for Fairview Avenue are seeking variances to reduce the size of their parking spaces from 10' x 20', which is required by the current code, to 9' x 18'. The meeting takes place in person only at City Hall.
• On Thursday, December 19, Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency (HCDPA) meets at 4:30 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely. 
• Also on Thursday, December 19, the Public Works Board meets at 6:00 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.
• On Friday, December 20, the Common Council ad hoc Parking Study Committee meets at 6:00 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.

Update: The meeting of the Parking Study Committee has been canceled.

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About Those Drones

Drones similar to those that have been flying over New Jersey have reportedly been sighted over Greenport and other places in Columbia County: "Mysterious drone sightings reported in Hudson Valley, Capital Region." This morning, the Times Union reports that Governor Kathy Hochul is calling on President Joe Biden to send more law enforcement resources to New York and the Northeast to investigate: "New York-New Jersey law enforcement officials discuss mystery drones."

Word of Galvan's Theatrical Pursuits

It's been more than four years since the Galvan Foundation announced its intention to acquire the former Community Theater building at the corner of Columbia and Seventh streets and more than two years since Galvan revealed its plans for the building. 

In September, when Galvan presented the plans to develop the unused space at 724-726 Columbia Street as a theater, or "assembly hall," and restaurant to the Planning Board, one wondered how those plans would impact what had been proposed for the old Community Theater. Did Galvan really intend to operate two theaters just a block away from one another?

At Tuesday's Planning Board meeting, Charles Gottlieb, attorney for Galvan, explained the relationship between the two theater projects. Plans for the Community Theater, which Galvan has dubbed the Hudson Forum, are on hold. The Foundry, the name of the venue proposed for 724-726 Columbia Street, will be a "precursor" of the Hudson Forum.

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Ear to the Ground

Gossips has learned that Claire Cousin is resigning as First Ward supervisor. The reason given for the resignation is that she is moving out of the First Ward. Cousin has held the position of First Ward supervisor since January 2022, running unopposed for the position both in 2021 and in 2023. In 2024, she unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Didi Barrett to be the Democratic candidate for the 106th Assembly District. 

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Disappointing but not Surprising News

The Register-Star reported today that, at its meeting on Wednesday, the Columbia County Board of Supervisors voted to move ahead with the demolition and replacement of the Stuyvesant Falls Bridge.

The vote on the resolution to move forward with this unwelcome action was 19 to 4. Of the four dissenting votes, two were cast by Hudson supervisors, Claire Cousin (First Ward) and Linda Mussmann (Fourth Ward). The article indicates that Hudson supervisor Michael Chameides (Third Ward) was absent from the meeting. It can be assumed that the other two Hudson supervisors--Abdus Miah (Second Ward) and Rick Scalera (Fifth Ward)--voted in support of demolishing the 1899 iron truss bridge that is a contributing structure in the Stuyvesant Falls Mill District, listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1976.

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Parking Reminder

When you park your car for the night today, remember that, as of last weekend, alternate side of the street overnight parking is no longer suspended on weekends. Tonight, your car needs to be on the even side of the street, and tomorrow night, on the odd side.

Charter Change Update

A couple of people have asked in comments on this blog how they could sign the petition supporting the citizens' initiative for charter change. The group will be at the Hudson Farmers' Market again this Saturday, December 14, gathering petition signatures. The farmers' market is now at its winter location, the Hudson Elks Lodge, 201 Harry Howard Avenue, from 10:00 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

For those unable to get to the farmers' market, the group also makes "house calls." Go to the website hudsoncharterchange.com, scroll down, and fill out the form (pictured below). A volunteer will come to you.

Signatures on the petition must be obtained in person, and those signing must be residents of the City of Hudson and been registered to vote in the City of Hudson in the last election (November 2024).

Mark Your Calendars

In the process of revising Hudson's comprehensive plan, the third and final Community Visioning Workshop has been scheduled for Monday, December 16, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Spark of Hudson, 502 Union Street. As was the case with the first of these workshops, this is to be a drop-in session. Residents are invited to come at any time during that two-hour period to share their thoughts on draft recommendations for Hudson's new Comprehensive Plan.

 

Unfortunately, the workshop will be taking place at the same time as the monthly meeting of the Hudson Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, which begins at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, December 16. People interested in monitoring the progress of the proposed redevelopment of public housing in Hudson will have to drop in to the workshop in the first half hour or the last half hour.

The invitation to the third and final Community Visioning Workshop makes this statement:

The City of Hudson is actively developing an updated Comprehensive Plan to guide its future land use and legislative priorities. The Plan will focus on all aspects of the City's future, including housing, transportation, parks, economic development, and urban design, among other areas. At the first two workshops, residents shared their values and needs and discussed a guiding vision for Hudson's future. At this final workshop, residents can provide feedback on the plan's recommendations, drafted from the input residents provided at earlier meetings.

If memory serves, sixty-five to seventy people attended the drop-in workshop held in early June. At the September workshop, Gossips counted about twenty people present who were not part of Hudson government or the thirteen-member Steering Committee. The survey that was done to inform the revised comprehensive plan received responses from 366 Hudson residents, 6.28 percent of the population. It is unclear how much influence the survey results will have on the comprehensive plan since it has been reported that the demographic distribution of the respondents did not match the demographic distribution of the city as a whole. The majority of the survey respondents were white women who lived in the First or Third ward and had an annual household income of more that $50,000.

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Shocking News from Mill Street

Chief Mishanda Franklin just issued the following press release:

This morning at approximately 11:18 a.m., the Hudson Police Department (HPD) received a call transferred from the New York State Police reporting that a survey crew on Mill Street in the City of Hudson discovered skeletal remains. 

HPD Patrol and Detectives division promptly responded and confirmed human skeletal remains in a wooded area. HPD is actively working with the New York State Police BCI and FIU to conduct a thorough investigation and identify the discovered remains. We will provide more information when able to do so.

Mill Street, of course, is the site of the proposed Mill Street Lofts housing development. It is possible, although it is not known for sure, that the survey work was being done in connection with that project.

Parking in Hudson

Despite all the talk about Hudson being a walkable city, it's unlikely many of us are going to give up our cars anytime soon. In the meantime, Hudson officialdom is obsessed with parking—on-street parking, off-street parking, but no one ever mentions this variety of parking: on-sidewalk parking.

How's that for an impediment to walkability?
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Revised Harassment Law Returns

After being discussed in the Legal Committee meeting last week and subsequently revised by Crystal Peck, counsel to the Council, the proposed law making harassing City officials a Class B misdemeanor is expected to be introduced at tonight's informal Common Council meeting. The revised law can be found here.

Tiffany Greenwaldt-Simon reported on the discussion of the law at last week's Legal Committee meeting: "Revised harassment law to go before Hudson Common Council." Her report omitted a few interesting details. Among them that the City Clerk's office keeps a list of people who come in and scream at them. That list has the names of about a dozen repeat offenders.

As Greenwaldt-Simon reported, Hudson resident Ronald Kopnicki questioned how the law might affect freedom of speech, but she didn't report the specifics of the discussion that followed. Making explicit reference to Bill Huston being banned from attending Common Council meetings, Kopnicki asked if questions that are critical and hence considered annoying would be subject to the law. He further asked, "Could it be applied to a blog and comments on the blog that could be considered annoying?" 

Peck told Kopnicki there are "clear speech protections in state and federal law." 

Councilmember Margaret Morris (First Ward), who chairs the Legal Committee, said there needed to be a tighter definition of "annoying a city official" in the law. She continued, "I'm an annoying person. Do I have to go to court and defend myself for being annoying?"

Hudson resident Matt McGhee also expressed concern about "the potential of the law to dampen speech" and said he feared it would "inhibit freedom of speech."

Morris asked Peck to revise the law to "add protections for speech." 

The law as it was originally proposed can be found here. The revised law can be found here. Although the word annoy does not appear in the revised version, no protections for speech have been added. 

Also of interest, although at its meeting on November 19, the Council, "in light of some of our experiences last week," wanted the law to apply to them, it appears that the law applies only to a "City Officer or City Employee who is engaged in the performance of their duties."

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Meetings of Interest in the Week Ahead

With Winter Walk behind us, we are now officially in the holiday season. As we move deeper into the final month of 2024, here is what's happening.

• On Monday, December 9, the Common Council holds its informal meeting at 6:00 p.m. After being discussed in the Legal Committee meeting last week (more about that later), an amended version of the proposed law making harassment of a city official a Class B misdemeanor will be introduced and, no doubt, discussed further. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely. 
• On Tuesday, December 10, the Planning Board holds its monthly meeting at 6:30 p.m. No agenda for the meeting is yet available. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Zoom. Click here to join the meeting remotely.
• On Wednesday, December 11, at 4:00 p.m., Mayor Kamal Johnson holds a public hearing on two proposed local laws: one having to do with the regulation of tow truck operators in the city; the other having to do with brush, grass, and weeds. The hearing takes place in person only at City Hall.
• On Thursday, December 12, the Conservation Advisory Council meets at 6:00 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely. 
• On Friday, December 13, the Historic Preservation Commission meets at 10:00 a.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.

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Hudson in the Times Union

Roger Hannigan Gilson had an article in yesterday's Times Union about the citizens' initiative for charter change: "Hudson group pushes to replace mayor with city manager." The article, at least in the online version, is accompanied by the smiling face of Mayor Kamal Johnson.

Gilson choses some rather loaded words to describe the initiative: pushing, slashing, arguing, figurehead. He reports what we all already know: "Current Mayor Kamal Johnson and Common Council President Thomas DePietro are against the proposal." Gilson quotes a written statement from DePietro in which he calls the initiative a "a power-play by, mostly, failed politicians who accomplished little in their tenure." DePietro goes on to say:

Now, they and a few other out-of-touch citizens want to replace the current administration because it doesn't serve their narrow interests. Charter revision should enhance democracy in Hudson, not diminish it, as the current proposal does. Why replace a democratically elected public servant with an over-priced bureaucrat?

You can read what's actually being proposed for yourself here.

Meanwhile, members of the citizens' group presenting the proposal for charter change, Bob Rasner, Kristal Heinz, and Don Moore, were at the Hudson Farmers' Market on Saturday, gathering signatures on the petition.

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And the Winners Are . . .

One of the revered traditions of Winter Walk is the Winter Walk Window Decorating Contest, and that tradition was carried on this year. The holiday displays, which range in style from quirky to glamorous, were judged by a distinguished panel of anonymous local gallerists and artists. The winners were announced this morning. 

Neven & Neven Moderne

618 Warren Street

Vintage Christmas

524 Warren by Sebastian Li

Holiday Disco

Made X Hudson

343 Warren Street

Bespoke Christmas

Finch

427 Warren Street

Holiday Splendor

Rebus

337 Warren Street

Playing in the Snow

Clove and Creek

613 Warren Street

Beribboned Christmas

Jamestown Hudson

548 Warren Street

Animals in Holiday Style

Bones Barber Co.

540 Warren Street

Waiting to Trim Santa's Beard

Westerlind

419 Warren Street

Giant Balls

Foley & Cox

317 Warren Street

White Christmas on Warren

Petition Ready for Signing

Signatures on the petition in support of the citizens' initiative for charter change are now being collected. As regular readers already know, the principal goal of the initiative is to transition Hudson from at a Mayor-Council form of government to a Council-City Manager form of government. The entire proposal can be found here.

The petition will be available for signature at the Hudson Farmers' Market this Saturday, December 7. The farmers' market is open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at its winter location at the Hudson Elks Lodge, 201 Harry Howard Avenue.

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Why Have a Bully Pulpit . . .

if you don't use it to promote the things you care about?

As many readers may already know, the Hudson Dog Park is a cause dear to my heart.

The dog park is located on land owned by the City of Hudson, but it was built with private funds. The Department of Public Works mows the lawn, hauls away the trash, and clears the snow from the driveway and parking lot in winter, but all other maintenance and improvements to the dog park are financed by private funding.

For the past four years, the Hudson Dog Park has received an annual contribution of $5,000 from a generous donor who preferred to remain anonymous. That, together with a $5,000 Bark for Your Park™ grant from PetSafe®, financed a number of improvements to the park, among them a pergola furnished with metal benches, the sign, the installation of engineered wood fiber in areas of heavy paw traffic. That annual contribution has come to an end, and now the dog park is on its own to raise the money for such recurring expenses as poop bags and fence repair and to finance further improvements, among them turning a heap of earth into a landscaped berm with shade trees and creating a walking trail from the dog park to the North Bay.

At Winter Walk on Saturday, the Hudson Dog Park will be at 441 Warren Street, with "Santa Paws" and his elves, offering puppuccinos to dogs who came out for Winter Walk and yogurt-dipped Milk-Bones, generously provided by Vasilow's Confectionary, for dogs who had to stay home. 

So stop by 441 Warren Street on Saturday to get a treat for your pup and show your support for the Hudson Dog Park.

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Everything Must Change

This news will come as a gut punch to anyone who was ever a guest at the annual Shad Party which for many years took place there in early May. Midwood, the gracious home of the late Joan K. Davidson, indomitable champion of the Hudson Valley and the City of Hudson, is now for sale. The asking price: $10 million.

The vast property along the river includes this little seasonal house, built by and for Mike Gladstone . . . 

and the ancient corn crib, re-imagined as a boathouse, at the river's edge.

For more information, see the listing on Zillow.

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Read All About It

The citizens' initiative for charter change has launched a website to explain what is being proposed and why. That website can be found here. It is very informative, and it is recommended reading.

Erratum

It has come to Gossips' attention that Council president Tom DePietro was misquoted in an article published in the Register-Star and that misquote was picked up in this Gossips post: "City Hall Responds." The specific quote, in reference to the recent citizens' initiative for charter change, is this: "The idea has been concocted by a group of dissolute people, many who couldn't be elected dog catcher. . . ." According to an "Editor's Note" now appended to the article as it appears online, DePietro did not call the drafters of the proposed charter amendment dissolute, meaning "lax in morals" or "licentious," but rather disgruntled, meaning "angry or dissatisfied."

It's hard to imagine that Register-Star reporter Tiffany Greenwaldt-Simon could have misheard what DePietro said. The two words--dissolute and disgruntled--have nothing in common beyond in their initial syllable. But stranger things have happened.

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