The experience of the Stuyvesant Town Bridge Committee at the Columbia County Board of Supervisors Public Works Committee meeting on Wednesday was reminiscent of Hudson's experience with the Board of Supervisors regarding 11 Warren Street and provided more evidence that the County will do what the County wants to do with little or no regard for the wishes of the residents of the communities affected.
On Wednesday, the committee, chaired by Stuyvesant supervisor Ron Knott, voted unanimously to move ahead with the plan to demolish the historic Stuyvesant Falls Bridge and replace it with a two-lane concrete structure. The audio recording of the meeting and the transcript can be found here.
Advocates for the bridge are not giving up, declaring "The fight for preservation and a positive outcome is not over!" You can sign their petition here.
Maybe if it were clear what is “historic” about the bridge it might help make the case for preservation. Old and historic are not the same thing although that seems to get very confused among some in the community.
ReplyDeleteThe bridge is a contributing structure in the Stuyvesant Falls Mill District, a historic district listed in the National Register of Historic Places. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuyvesant_Falls_Mill_District
DeleteThe county good ‘ol boys love nothing more than telling uppity busy bodies where to shove it. Even their own supervisor to top it off! But maybe the jokes on them because if this nonprofit can afford $65,000 to pay a consultant than they can afford to get a lawyer and sue. It’s refreshing to see that Hudson isn’t the only place that gets steamrolled by the county. Cute bridge though :)
ReplyDeleteSweet bridge. The affection for it is understandable. The funds utilized for it's destruction could be averted to preserving the bridge by adding a lane alongside it. Something to that affect. There must be a solution that satisfies all parties. Take a breather and put on that thinking cap.
ReplyDeleteI hope to live long enough to see the end of dumbass, good ol' boy politics in Columbia County, NY.
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed how there's no shakeup after all these years. The county has changed but their local representation has not. Germantown, for instance, don't believe it's ever had a Democratic Town Supervisor.
DeleteMy guess is that the Supervisors hate the notion that community character and aesthetic considerations actually matter. No doubt they perceive that as a form of elitism.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. As usual, caring about the quality of something is elite. I enjoy reading how long they've been anxiously waiting for Federal funds. I think I read that correctly because they just installed an administration who plans to wreck it. Oh, well.
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