- Monday, September 30, at 2:30 p.m.--Public Works
- Wednesday, October 2, at 2:30 p.m.--Youth Department
- Friday, October 4
- 2:30 p.m.--Assessor's Office
- 3:00 p.m.--Conservation Advisory Council
- 3:30 p.m.--Attorneys
Monday, September 30, 2024
Crafting the Budget for 2025 Redux
Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead
Today is the final day of September. October begins tomorrow, and autumn is definitely here. As we move closer to peak leaf-peeping season and savor the final month of daylight saving time, here is what is happening in Hudson.
- On Tuesday, October 1, 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 Wednesday, October 2, the Hudson Industrial Development Agency meets at 10:30 a.m. The September meeting of the IDA was canceled because there were "no pressing issues needing a vote." An agenda for Wednesday's meeting has not yet been made public. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at 1 City Centre, Suite 301, and on Zoom. Click here to join the meeting remotely.
- Also on Wednesday, October 2, the Common Council Legal Committee meets at 6:00 p.m. No agenda for the meeting is yet available. 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 Thursday, October 3, at 4:00 p.m., Mayor Kamal Johnson holds a public hearing on the proposed law regarding commercial filming and photography in the City of Hudson. The hearing takes place in person in the Council Chamber at City Hall.
- On Saturday, October 5, from noon to 6:00 p.m., Upper Depot Brewing Co. presents Hudson Oktoberfest. The event takes place on State Street between Seventh and Green streets and features eight craft breweries and three food vendors. Tickets are available at the Upper Depot taproom, 708 State Street. Click here for more information.
Crafting the Budget for 2025
- Monday, September 30
- 2:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, October 2
- 2:30 p.m.
- Friday, October 4
- 2:30 p.m.
- 3:00 p.m.
- 3:30 p.m.
Food, Glorious Food
It seems the partnership between the Hawthorne Valley Farm Store and Ben Fain's Nice and Weird LLC, which in August announced plans to "explore the potential of bringing a new retail grocery store to the South Bay of Hudson," is moving closer to making that happen. In Friday, Chronogram published this article: "Affordable, Organic Groceries Coming to Hudson Waterfront in 2026."
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| Photo: Hawthorne Valley | Chronogram |
"It's going to be a full-scape grocery shopping experience," says Hawthorne Valley's Director of Retail Jeremy Laurange, "with the center aisles, frozen foods, dairy--everything you'd expect, plus robust bulk foods and produce sections. The bulk foods section will be similar to what Honest Weight offers up in Albany, and the produce selection will be large and fresh, highlighting local farms. . . ."
The article also reports that "the goal is to being in fresh, affordable food at prices that rival those at the chain supermarkets on the outskirts of Hudson." It is anticipated this goal will be realized by the end of 2026.
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Saturday, September 28, 2024
Coming to an Italian Villa Near You
On Friday morning, the Historic Preservation Commission unanimously voted to grant a certificate of appropriateness to the plans for converting the Terry-Gillette mansion at 601 Union Street, for many years the Hudson Elks Lodge, into a boutique hotel. The project received site plan approval from the Planning Board in June.
Gossips has shared the renderings for the restored and renovated building a few times in the past, as well as for the new building to be constructed behind the existing building, but here they are again.
The porte-cochère is not original to the building. According to the preservation consulting firm working on the project, the mansion was built in about 1865. The porte-cochère was added sometime between 1903 and 1911, when the mansion was the home of John W. and Grace J. Gillette. Carriages and later automobiles would drive into the porte-cochère, where passengers could exit the vehicle and enter the house protected from the elements, and then continue on through.
The plan is to enclose the porte-cochère by filling the arched openings with glass. This rendering shows what the space inside the porte-cochère will look like when finished.
The State of the Stairs
At Thursday's meeting of the Public Works Board, mayoral aide Justin Weaver reported that pouring the cement for the Second Street stairs has begun.
This morning, Freddy and I headed down to Cross Street to check out the progress and took this picture.
The Second Street stairs are part of "Hudson Streetscapes" (formerly known as "Hudson Connects"), the City's largest DRI (Downtown Revitalization Initiative) project. Just as a reminder, this is how the rebuilt stairs were fantasized in early DRI documents.
Friday, September 27, 2024
The Whirlwind Pivot of Winter Walk
It was only a week ago that Gossips reported there would be no Winter Walk this year. Much has happened since then, and today, Trixie's List has a Q&A with Timothy Banker and Daniel Osofsky of Foundry at Hudson, the new producers of Winter Walk: "Meet the New Winter Walk Team."
Ear to the Ground
Earlier yesterday, Gossips learned that Foster's wife, Susan Vernovage Foster, resigned from the Planning Board. It will be recalled that at the Planning Board meeting on September 10, when the board was considering the 70-unit apartment complex being proposed for Mill Street, Foster expressed her opinion that it seemed the project was being fast-tracked. Theresa Joyner, Planning Board chair, denied that was the case. Foster also wondered why the Planning Board wasn't concerned about density with the Mill Street project (it is estimated that the project will increase the population of the street by 600 percent) when concerns about density prompted the board to recommend that the number of units in the project proposed for Fairview Avenue be reduced by half, from 30 to 15. Foster was the only member of the Planning Board to vote against issuing a negative declaration in the SEQR (State Environmental Quality Review) process--a negative declaration signifying that there is no substantial evidence that the project could result in significant adverse environmental impacts.
Post hoc ergo propter hoc, which is translated "after this, therefore because of this," is considered a logical fallacy, because it assumes a causal relationship based only on sequence of events. The two resignations, coming soon after the Planning Board's determination that constructing a 70-unit apartment complex on a narrow dead-end street, in a neighborhood of one- and two-story houses, in a flood plain, on land with deed restrictions intended to preserve it as parkland or recreational space would have no significant environmental impacts, do seem to suggest that, in this case at least, post hoc ergo propter hoc may not be a fallacy.
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Of Interest
There is an article in Chronogram: The River about the efforts to save the historic Stuyvesant Falls bridge: "The Bridge at Stuyvesant Falls: A Preservation Battle."
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| Photo: Barbara Reina |
. . . in a letter from The National Trust for Historic Preservation to the county, Elizabeth Merritt, deputy general counsel, states that the county's proposal is not meeting mandatory federal requirements. "We urge the county to suspend its demolition plans, and work with the FHWA [Federal Highway Administration] to develop a revised proposal that would be consistent with the preservation requirements," including "all possible planning to minimize harm" to the historic property. "We see no evidence that any effort has been initiated to comply with this strict preservation mandate in the development of plans for the bridge replacement project."
The entire letter can be found here.
Thursday, September 26, 2024
It's Official
The signs went up at the end of last week at all the gateways to Hudson. The city speed limit is now 25 miles per hour.
Discontent and Dissension at HCSD
At Tuesday's meeting of the Hudson City School District (HCSD) Board of Education, Wayne Kinney, the president of the Hudson Teachers Association, addressed the board. What he had to say was reported this morning in the Register-Star: "Teachers union president criticizes Hudson school district, administration." You can hear his statements for yourself here, beginning at 2:01:46.
Opening day of the 2024-25 school year consisted of teachers and staff members being told by Dr. Pennyman how terrible they are at their jobs for three hours straight. Board of Education meetings involved teachers getting interrogated and spoken to in disgusting manners, along with condescending facial expressions by Dr. Pennyman.
One incident involved Dr. Pennyman accusing an employee of following her simply because they arrived at their home, a heavily-populated apartment complex, at the same time as her. This manufactured paranoia is not the behavior expected or required from a person of her position, and it fuels a hostile environment depriving the district employees of respectful and fair treatment.
Dr. Pennyman has also accused teachers of intentionally keeping minority students out of AP classes, while over 50% of AP classes are minority students.
She also went ahead and terminated several long term caucasian employees simply for being caucasian, claiming she “needed a more diverse staff.”
The entire petition statement can be found here.
Galvan to the Rescue!
The Register-Star just announced that Winter Walk, which Hudson Hall said last week would not happen in 2024, will happen anyway, thanks to a partnership between the City and "Galvan affiliate, Foundry at Hudson": "Winter Walk 2024 back on, Hudson mayor says."
Foundry at Hudson is a Galvan affiliate no one has heard of before, but it turns out it's the name of the theater and restaurant Galvan is planning for what remains of the Gifford-Wood Foundry building at 724-726 Columbia Street.
Wednesday, September 25, 2024
Behold! A Bridge!
Mayor Kamal Johnson has predicted that the new Ferry Street Bridge will be completed and officially opened by Thanksgiving Day. It's starting to look as if that might actually happen.
This morning, a reader sent Gossips this picture.
Then, on our way to the dog park, Freddy and I went by the site, and I took this picture from a different vantage point.
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Happening in Hudson
Last week, Bill Huston took down his blog HUDseen, but that action hasn't stopped him from observing things that outrage him. Yesterday, he shared something he'd seen with Gossips. It appears that cement mixers making deliveries to the site of Galvan's hotel project at Fourth and Warren streets are emptying their excess cement in the vacant lot at the corner of Fourth and Columbia, a lot that Eric Galloway outbid the City to acquire in 2003.
Huston provided these pictures.
Monday, September 23, 2024
Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead
Yesterday was the autumnal equinox. In the first week of the new season, here is what's happening.
- On Tuesday, September 24, the Common Council ad hoc Parking Study Committee meets at 6:00 p.m. There is no published agenda for the meeting, but there's a good chance that the plan to expand paid parking to all of Warren Street will be discussed. 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, September 25, the Common Council ad hoc Truck Route Committee meets at 6:00 p.m. This committee hasn't met for several months, so it's possible there will be a lot of information shared. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here to join the meeting remotely.
- On Thursday, September 26, the board of 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.
- At 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 26, the Public Works Board holds its monthly meeting. This, of course, is the board charged with overseeing and implementing the Sidewalk Improvement District. 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, September 26, at 6:00 p.m., the Town Bridge Committee meets at Stuyvesant Town Hall, 5 Sunset Drive, in Stuyvesant. The meeting is open to the public. Those interested in saving the historic bridge in Stuyvesant Falls are encouraged to attend.
- On Friday, September 27, the Historic Preservation Commission meets at 10:00 p.m. No agenda is available for the meeting, but it may include a public hearing on the plans to restore the Robert Taylor House. 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 Saturday, September 28, Hudson Hall celebrates the 2024 Hudson Jazz Festival (October 4 to 6) with a Hudson Jazz Festival Community Day. The event begins at 2:00 p.m. with a block party on City Hall Place with BBQ by Chef Cleveland Samuels and music by Kuumba Dance & Drum, followed at 3:00 p.m. by an all-ages jam session with Make Jazz Trill Again (MJTA) Trill Mega Jam. Click here for more information.
Saturday, September 21, 2024
Remembering Winter Walks Past
The announcement yesterday that there would be no Winter Walk this year reminded me of a project undertaken by Gossips five years ago in the run-up to Winter Walk. That year, Hudson Hall was commemorating Winter Walks past, present, and future. That prompted Gossips to ask people who had been associated with Winter Walk in different ways over the years to share their memories of Winter Walk. There were nine such memories altogether. Since yesterday, I have reread them all, and I invite readers to do the same.
- Memories of Winter Walk: Part 1--Carole Clark, whose childhood memories of department store windows along Fifth Avenue, lavishly decorated for the holidays, were the inspiration for Winter Walk
- Memories of Winter Walk: Part 2--Byrne Fone, author of Historic Hudson: An Architectural Portrait, who was a member of the Hudson Opera House Board of Directors when Winter Walk began in 1997
- Memories of Winter Walk: Part 3--Elena Mosley, long-time member of the Hudson Opera House Board of Directors and now Director Emerita
- Memories of Winter Walk: Part 4--Sarah Sterling, who shares a memory of Winter Walk 2003, the only year the event was canceled, due to bad weather
- Memories of Winter Walk: Part 5--Sarah Lipsky, who chaired the committee that organized the very first Winter Walk in 1997 and the next three Winter Walks after that
- Memories of Winter Walk: Part 6--Gary Schiro, who served as executive director of the Hudson Opera House, now known as Hudson Hall, from 1998 to 2017
- Memories of Winter Walk: Part 7--Lisa Durfee, proprietor of Five and Diamond, whose costumes for Winter Walk were always one of the joyous surprises of the evening
- Memories of Winter Walk: Part 8--Dylan Meyer, who was six years old when the tradition of Winter Walk began in 1997
- Memories of Winter Walk: Part 9--Ellen Thurston, the "Queen of Winter Walk," who took the reins as chief organizer of Winter Walk in 2001 and continued in that role for almost two decades
Gossips invites you to read all the memories of Winter Walk and recall, with gratitude, what a glorious event it has been for Hudson.
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We Are Not Alone
Yesterday, Hudson Hall announced that they would not be producing Winter Walk this year.
This morning, a reader brought to Gossips' attention this article from Hudson Valley Pilot that appeared on July 15: "Sinterklaas, Rhinebeck's Annual Winter Festival Is Canceled for 2024, Leaving Its Future in Limbo."
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| The Sinterklaas Parade. Photo courtesy Sinterklaas. |
In both cases, the reasons given for canceling the festival in 2024 were similar: a shortage of funding and enough people and energy to make it happen.
Friday, September 20, 2024
More Room at the Top?
Gossips learned about those charts because they were posted on Facebook by someone identified as "Hudson Deserves Better." Today, that same source provided this information:
Please make sure you go to the Board of Education Meeting this Tuesday! Another big hiring in Central Administration over $140,000! How can the board say a year ago we are too small of a district for an Assistant Superintendent and how we have four Central Admins making over $140,000, not including all the consultants! We cannot sustain this as taxpayers! Please come out and get this voted down and support the great Teachers of the district!
The meeting on Tuesday, September 24, takes place at 6:00 p.m. in the senior high school library and will be livestreamed on YouTube.
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Everything Must Change
At noon today, Hudson Hall announced it would no longer be producing Winter Walk, the event that has been ushering in the holiday season in Hudson since 1997. The following is the press release that shared the sad news.
For nearly three decades, Hudson Hall at the historic Hudson Opera House, a small nonprofit community arts organization, has produced Winter Walk, a cherished annual tradition in Hudson showcasing the City’s vibrant creative community and unique small businesses, bringing joy and holiday magic to residents and visitors alike. It is with heavy hearts Hudson Hall today announces Winter Walk will not take place in 2024.
Winter Walk grew from very humble beginnings. One evening in 1997, Carole Clark conceived the idea for Winter Walk in her restaurant (Charleston, now Baba Louie’s). Together with other founding members of the Hudson Opera House Board of Directors including Ellen Thurston and Sarah Lipsky, “A Winter Walk on Warren Street” was born, taking place mainly on the 500 and 600 blocks of Warren Street.
“We wanted people to become aware of what was happening in Hudson and on Warren Street,” says Lipsky, who volunteered to coordinate Winter Walk from 1997-2000. “There were so many incredible shops and talented people who had opened businesses. People had such a negative view of Hudson, so many people in the County wouldn’t even come into Hudson. We wanted a way to light up the street at night, showcase musicians and performers in a festive way, and for people in the County to see how Hudson was evolving.”
As Hudson’s business district grew, Winter Walk grew with it, eventually expanding to encompass the entire length of Warren Street. Crowds from across the region came to enjoy an evening of holiday shopping, local performers animating the brightly decorated shops, family-friendly activities and attractions on the street, and to view the grand fireworks display. As the Warren Street business district came back to life, so did Hudson Hall. In 2017, Hudson Hall celebrated the grand re-opening of its magnificent performance hall, returning New York State’s oldest surviving theater to community use for the first time in over 55 years. Today, Hudson Hall offers a dynamic schedule of music, theater, dance, film, visual arts, and literary events, free workshops for youth as well as family programs, and large-scale events such as the Hudson Jazz Festival.
Over the years, Winter Walk grew in both attendance and scope. But declining support in the post-pandemic landscape coupled with rapidly rising costs created a growing Winter Walk deficit. By 2023, Winter Walk had become too large for Hudson Hall to produce on its own and the financial deficit too deep for Hudson Hall to subsidize. To steward Winter Walk into the future, last year Hudson Hall formed a co-producing partnership with the City of Hudson, the Hudson Business Coalition, the Hudson Development Corporation, the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce, and the Columbia Economic Development Corporation. However, and despite everyone’s best efforts, it became clear Winter Walk requires resources beyond what is available by all involved to carry it forward.
“Winter Walk is a beloved community event. Following much deliberation with our Board of Directors, Winter Walk partners, and key stakeholders, Hudson Hall has made the difficult decision to step down from producing Winter Walk” says Hudson Hall Executive Director, Tambra Dillon. “We are deeply grateful to the many artists, performers, community groups, business owners, volunteers, and supporters who helped make Winter Walk Hudson’s largest, brightest, and most colorful event of the year, and to the City of Hudson and the Hudson Police, Fire, and Public Works Departments who underpinned its safety and success.”
"I want to express my deepest gratitude to Hudson Hall for the tireless dedication and passion they’ve poured into organizing Winter Walk over the years. Their commitment has created countless cherished memories for all of us,” said Mayor Kamal Johnson. “I understand how difficult this decision to step down must be, but I hope they know how much their efforts have meant to the community. While it’s bittersweet to see this chapter close, I’m hopeful that a new generation will rise to continue the legacy, ensuring the spirit of Winter Walk lives on for years to come."
In the spirit of Winter Walk, Hudson Hall will host a free family-friendly holiday event on Saturday, December 7, with musical performances, activities for kids, and an exhibition of student artwork from around the region. Children will be invited to meet with Santa and receive a free gift-wrapped book. Harmony Project Hudson, the Hudson Community Choir, the Hudson City School District Band program and others will give a free holiday concert in Hudson Hall’s performance hall. On Saturday, December 21, Hudson Hall presents Operation Unite NY’s annual Kwanzaa celebration, followed by fireworks to celebrate the Winter Solstice. Warren Street will remain open to traffic for all events.
Additional “Hudson for the Holidays” events kick off with the lighting of the Hudson Athens Lighthouse (Saturday, November 2), and continue with attractions including Basilica Farm & Flea (November 29 - December 1), Santa’s Village and a tree-lighting at 7th Street Park (Saturday, December 7), and the lighting of the Menorah, also at 7th Street Park (Wednesday, December 25).
Thursday, September 19, 2024
Gossips on Cidiot
Many readers are fans and followers of Mat Zucker's award-winning podcast about moving to the Hudson Valley, Cidiot.
Recently, Zucker moved from Red Hook to Hudson (something, coincidentally, Gossips did thirty-one years ago), and soon after, he honored Gossips and acknowledged the role of hyperlocal news in the Hudson Valley by interviewing me for the podcast. That interview, Episode 107: Gossips of Rivertown, dropped this morning and can be heard at cidiot.com. I hope you all will listen and enjoy!
Wednesday, September 18, 2024
About the "Greenspace" Workshop
Believing what I reported, that the first presentation at the "Greenspace" Workshop at Bliss Towers yesterday was to begin at 4:30 p.m., I showed up at 4:20 p.m., only to discover the presentation was already underway, and I had missed most of it. I learned subsequently that the presentation began with a slide show of parks depicted in fine art (the first example was Claude Monet's The Parc Monceau) and transitioned into images of iconic public squares in European cities. Ultimately, architect Alex Gorlin got to a conceptual rendering of the green space being contemplated for the Hudson Housing Authority (HHA) project, which, if you look closely, yields some hints about what the complex of buildings being proposed might look like.
There was a fairly good turnout for the first presentation, but only about half the people there were actually HHA tenants. The rest were elected officials, HHA commissioners, and interested residents from elsewhere in the city. The participants were given eighteen amenities that might be included in the proposed green space--a potpourri of options that, with a few exceptions, seemed familiar to those who have been through a few park planning exercises in recent years.
- Toddler's Playground
- Children's Playground
- Slide & Playground with Topographic Change
- Basketball Courts
- Dog Park
- Physical Fitness Area
- Murals by Local Artists
- Reflecting Ponds and Sailboats
- Pickleball & Tetherball
- Splash Park
- Shade Pavilion
- Chess & Checkers
- Fragrance Garden
- Vegetable Garden
- Botanical Garden
- Sledding
- Pedestrian Street
- Bicycle Lane
Regarding the buildings, rather than the heights varying between three and seven stories, all the buildings in Phase 1 and 2 of the project are now to be either four or five stories.
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Although the plan for parking on the site is being described as "underground parking," it was explained that it would actually be "drive in," from the rear of the buildings labeled B1 and B2 in the drawing above. The grade level is lower there than at the front of the buildings, on State Street. The plan was originally for two levels of underground parking, but that has now been reduced to one. It seems NYS Homes and Community Renewal had suggested eliminating the underground parking altogether to reduce the cost of the project, but Eu Zambuto of Mountco said yesterday they were "fighting back for underground parking to preserve green space."
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Change on the Street
This morning, the fence around the sidewalk seating area was removed and the awning came down at 342 Warren Street, formerly American Glory and originally the firehouse for H. W. Rogers Hose Co. No. 2.
Gossips has learned that the new restaurant coming soon to the space will be open seven days a week.
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Something New at City Hall
In the past, Gossips has complained about the lumpy and uncomfortable benches in City Hall, which managed to survive the recent upgrades to City Hall, made to achieve ADA compliance.
During tonight's Common Council meeting, which Gossips attended virtually, it was discovered that the historic benches, which could have been reupholstered in 2020 for $3,200, have been replaced by mismatched chairs. What happened to the benches is not known. Maybe they're out being reupholstered, and the chairs are just temporary. We can only hope.
The picture above is a screen capture from tonight's Legal Committee meeting. The "FREE Bannon" sign is courtesy of Lloyd, the man seated behind the sign, who likes to describe himself as "Your Voice of Reason."
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Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Happening Today
At the meeting of the Hudson Housing Authority Board of Commissioners yesterday, HHA executive director Jeffrey Dodson confirmed that the previously announced "Redevelopment Open House with Work Session on Green Space"--now being called simply a "'Greenspace' Workshop"--will in fact happen today from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the Community Room at Bliss Towers, 41 North Second Street.
Although the event lasts for three hours, attendees aren't expected to be there for three hours. There will be a presentation at 4:30 p.m. and another, presumably repeating the same information, at 6:00 p.m. Eu Zambuto, of Mountco, predicted the event will be "an exciting share." Exciting being the adjective most often used (and overused) by those involved to describe this project.
Dodson reported that, in the value engineering process recommended by the state to bring down the estimated $220 million cost of the project, two modifications have been made: the height of the buildings has been reduced to no more than five stories, to allow them to be framed in wood instead of steel and concrete, thus reducing the cost by an estimated 10 percent; the amount of underground parking has been reduced to one level. Dodson indicated that the modified plans have been submitted to Homes and Community Renewal for further feedback.
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