Sidewalk Improvement Project Update

The Public Works Board has been debating whether to hire an individual or a consulting firm to help scope, prioritize, and carry out the sidewalk improvement project. Apparently, at the last meeting of the Public Works Board, which took place on June 27, but could not be accessed virtually despite being advertised as a hybrid meeting, a decision was made. The Public Works Board has decided they want Crawford & Associates to act as project manager.

On Monday, July 8, at 5:30 p.m., the Common Council is holding a special meeting to consider a resolution authorizing the mayor to enter into an agreement with Crawford & Associates "for work in relation to the initial planning phase [of] sidewalk construction and repairs at an amount not to exceed $20,000. The tasks they are to carry out include:

• Review of the Hyman Hayes ADA Accessibility Audit
• Meetings with the Public Works Board to determine initial priorities and phases for construction and repair
• Re-evaluation of existing conditions
• Field research for use in preparing tax assessment values
• Development of method for calculation of tax assessment values and prepare draft values using GIS data obtained from County Real Property Office and field data
• Provide a report identifying subsequent phases and recommendations for steps necessary to advance project

The special meeting on Monday is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.

COPYRIGHT 2024 CAROLE OSTERINK

Real Estate News

The Daily Voice recently reported that Locust Dale Farm, also known as the Conyn-Van Rensselaer homestead, is for sale: "Food Network Chef Nancy Fuller Lists 'Extraordinary' Historic Hudson Farmhouse for $4M."

Photo: Facebook Nancy Fuller/Compass

If you read the article to the end, you'll find this is the second time the property, which is individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places, has been offered for sale. In August 2020, in the first year of the pandemic, the house, situated on 143 acres of "peaceful farmland," was listed for $5.95 million--about $2 million more than what is being asked today.

Summer Hours at City Hall

Here's news for anyone who needs to go to City Hall for any reason this summer. As of last Friday, July 5, City Hall has shifted to its summer schedule. From now until Labor Day, Monday, September 2, City Hall will open at 8:30 a.m. and close at 4:00 p.m.

Waterfront Wednesdays Returns

Waterfront Wednesdays, the weekly summer community event that offers a blend of free onshore and on-water programming, returns next Wednesday for its eight-week run. Every Wednesday, from July 10 through August 28, Henry Hudson Riverfront Park will be the setting for activities and entertainment for people of all ages. 

Photo: David McIntyre

Every Wednesday, there will be a Ujima Community Collective Drum Circle from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m., promoting rhythm and unity within the community. Also from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., Bindlestiff's Cirkus After School will host a weekly juggling jam, weather permitting. Professional teaching artists will provide equipment and mentorship for beginners, covering various juggling props--diabolos, flower sticks, unicycles, and more. Children over 8 years old must be accompanied by a family member over 14.

At 7:00 p.m., Loki Anthony will host a weekly variety of performances. The lineup includes:

• July 10: Beautiful Racket
• July 17: Operation Unite
• July 24: The Vanaver Caravan
• July 31: Brass Kill
• August 7: Social Justice Leadership Academy + Kaisokah Moko Jumbies USA + Bindlestiff's Cirkus After School
• August 14: Brett Miller & Neon Moons, with Line Dance Caller Sargent Seedoo
• August 21: Jazz Night
• August 28: Local Artist Spotlight

Other family friendly activities include the ReGen Crew from Kite’s Nest and their stationary-bike-powered smoothie stand, and the The Hudson Youth Bike Coop drop-in workshops in bike maintenance and repair for youth ages 10 to 18. Youth are given the opportunity to refurbish and eventually own their own bikes, learning valuable life and job skills in the process. The Hudson Sloop Club will offer free fishing lessons for kids each week, led by Ngounga Badilla. Signups available at the Nack Center for Estuary Education. Finally, Elise McMahon of LikeMindedObjects and Shaker Museum will facilitate two Fix-It Picnics on July 24 and August 21, where the can-do community fix-it spirit is contagious. Open to all ages and skill levels. Each drop-in session offers plenty of time to work on the sewing, T-shirt weaving, mending, or crafting project of your choice. In July, Hannah Ross of Hanoux will be our guest artist, and in August, we’ll be joined by Nkoula Badila.

In addition to the lineup of activities at Waterfront Wednesdays, attendees can look forward to a diverse range of culinary delights. Larry Walker's What's Really Good will be offering mouthwatering Southern-style BBQ, while Peta's Pocket will serve up a delectable fusion of Jamaican, Caribbean, and Fusion cuisine. Chef Danny Amend will also be showcasing his Far Out Container Farm produce and salad offerings. As a sweet treat, Empire State Voices will be delighting guests with complimentary ice cream on July 24.

Waterfront Wednesdays is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by CREATE Council on the Arts. This project has been supported by a grant from the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation and Friends of Hudson Youth. The Visiting Vessels program is made possible through generous support from the City of Hudson and the Berkshire Taconic Foundation. Support also comes from local business community sponsors: Columbia Memorial Health, Friendly City Creative Club, Friends of Hudson Youth, Halfmoon Hudson, Hudson Business Coalition, Paolantonio Crawford, PLLC, If You Care, Spotty Dog Books & Ale, Supernatural, The SPARK of Hudson, The Wick Hotel, This Old Hudson, and Wm. Farmer & Sons. Underwriting support also comes from Karen Schlather. 

The Waterfront Wednesdays Board of Advisors includes Loki Anthony, Danny Amend, Nick Dixon, Selha Graham, Nea McKinney, Sam Merrett, Elena Mosley, Stephanie Monseu, Adriana Tampasis, Kate Treacy, and Adam Weinert. For more information, visit www.waterfrontwednesdays.org.

Of Interest

The Albany Business Review has an article today about Anthony D'Argenzio, founder of Zio and Sons and the This Old Hudson Team at Houlihan Lawrence: "He's a key player in the rush for Hudson's million-dollar homes." 

Useful Information

On the eve of the Fourth of July, this article, which appeared in Gothamist, could possibly be as useful to us here in Hudson as it is to the residents of New York City, the audience for the Gothamist: "Was that bang a gunshot or a firework? How New Yorkers can tell the difference." 

More News from HCSD

The Hudson City School District issued a press release yesterday announcing a multimillion dollar grant and a partnership with the Mental Health Association of Columbia/Greene Counties (MHACG) for afterschool programming. The following is the press release, quoted word for word: 

MHA of Columbia Greene (MHACG) has been awarded a $5.5 million grant to expand and advance afterschool programming with the Hudson City School District.

The Learning and Enrichment Afterschool Program Supports (LEAPS) grant, from New York State's Office of Children and Family Services, covers 2024 through 2029, according to school district Superintendent Dr. Juliette Pennyman. It provides $550,000 each year for the afterschool program at Montgomery C. Smith Elementary School, serving grades kindergarten through five. It also provides $550,000 each year for the afterschool program at Hudson Junior High School, serving grades six through eight.

MHA of Columbia Greene's mission is to advance mental health as a critical part of the overall health and well-being of its communities. Providing these essential services to enrich opportunities, socialization, and learning for youth in our community is a critical component. Since 2004, MHACG has provided afterschool program assistance to countless families and this historic grant will pave the way for advancing youth access and resources.

"Afterschool provides additional learning, play, and enrichment while giving students a safe place to go," said David Rossetti, LCSW-R, Executive Director for MHACG. "With all that has happened in the past few years, socialization and positive engagement opportunities for youth in afterschool programs have never been more crucial for well-being. We are immensely grateful to partner with the talented educators of the Hudson City School District for this important program."

The Learning and Enrichment Afterschool Program incorporates academics, cultural and recreational components, conflict resolution/violence prevention, student-leadership development, drug prevention, social awareness, and more. The grant was awarded to MHACG, who partnered with the Hudson City School District on the application.

"This historic grant will robustly advance leaning opportunities for students, while assisting families by providing a safe, secure educational environment for students after classes end each day," Dr. Pennyman said. "These benefits are absolutely essential to a child's maturation. We are grateful to New York State for this important investment and are excited to partner with the dynamic, dedicated team at MHA of Columbia Greene."

MHACG will use the money within the Hudson City School District to provide students with access and opportunities to engage in meaningful learning enrichment activities, while prioritizing students' social-emotional wellness and mitigating the impacts from COVID-19. The grant also will result in additional staff, curriculum updates, securing new equipment/technology and will help defray current costs. Overall, the program will eventually serve up to 200 students.

MHACG provides opportunities for learning, socialization, and growth through activities with arts & crafts, nutrition classes, theater, sports, STEM Camp, community service, and even field trips to museums, the Bronx Zoo, and more. These funds play a critical role in providing these students with these impactful learning and growth activities, and ultimately help create positive mental health and well-being.

The Hudson City School District has prioritized applying for grants to ease the financial burden on taxpayers. The district also has been awarded nearly $3 million this school year from New York State to support safe, healthy learning environments for students and expand pre-kindergarten. The district also joined Verizon Innovative Learning, which--at no cost the the district--provides Chromebooks, enhanced internet and technology coaches to Hudson Junior and Senior High Schools to leverage technology as a teaching tool. The district's largest previous grant was $840,000 from New York State, for 21st Century community learning.

Afterschool programs support students' growth and learning, according to a report posted on the National Institutes of Health website. Benefits include gains in standardized test scores, grades and work habits due to increased engagement during regular classes, improved attendance, higher motivation and good behavior. Programs also keep students active and involved via access to enrichment activities that stimulate learning and build character. In addition, programs ease child-care needs for parents and decrease the number of missed days of work.

"The Hudson City School District is committed to continually innovating to implement dynamic new approaches that brighten futures for our students," Dr. Pennyman said. "We're confident that our teamwork with MHA of Columbia Greene will do just that."

A Disturbing Development

The Hudson Children's Book Festival has been an anticipated event on the Hudson calendar for more than a decade. This year's festival, which took place on May 4, was the 13th annual festival. (The festival took a couple of years off because of the pandemic.)

I was present at a meeting in 2008 when plans for the Hudson Children's Book Festival were first announced. The meeting took place in the library at Montgomery C. Smith, then the middle school of the Hudson City School District. Lisa Dolan had just been made "Reading Coach" for HCSD, and she and HCSD superintendent Maria Suttmeier were both present at the meeting. The festival was touted as a way to promote literacy in the Hudson City School District and improve reading scores. Sadly, over the years, there has been no evidence that the festival actually achieved the latter goal, but, as one of the largest children's book festivals in New York State, for a while the largest children's book festival in the state, the event was and continues to be hugely successful, bringing positive recognition and accolades not only to the Hudson City School District but also to the City of Hudson. 

That being said, it came as no small surprise that at its meeting last week, the HCSD Board of Education summoned the organizers of this year's Hudson Children's Book Festival, Jennifer Clark and Melissa Brown, and essentially interrogated them about the festival. BOE member Selha Graham, whose tenure on the board ended yesterday, wanted to know where the festival's headquarters were and what the business structure was. She objected to the appearance of 215 Harry Howard Avenue, the address of HCSD administrative offices, on the festival website, the use of school colors in festival graphics, and the implication that HCSD sponsored the festival. Questions were also raised about HCSD teachers working on the festival on "school time." It is not clear what prompted this confrontational scrutiny of the Hudson Children's Book Festival, but the entire exchange can be viewed here, beginning at about 37:16. It is recommended viewing.

COPYRIGHT 2024 CAROLE OSTERINK