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.
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| 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."
π‘π‘ Wow - this is monumental.
ReplyDelete⛵️ This: "an expansion of the lighthouse's existing footprint to 100 feet in diameter is also being proposed, which would provide space for picnics and gatherings at the lighthouse." could be like a mini Liberty Island (where the Statue of Liberty is)…. and would be amazing for locals and attract new tourists, not to mention boost Hudson's local boat entrepreneurs, who "go both ways"; https://www.hudsonferry.co
The Army Corps of Engineers are incredible… they built the Hoover Dam, and all sorts of challenging structures domestic and international in active war zones. Hopefully the proximity to West Point helps prioritize and accelerate this project.
πͺ Architects who can carry heavy things… watch out Hudson's dating apps..
USACE also sport a great flag ⛫
π° Curiously… the news story reads… "Schumer met with Village of Athens Mayor Amy Serrago and members of the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Association in 2022, where he first learned about the issues plaguing it, he said during the press conference."
Sen. Michelle Hinchey and Didi Barrett are thanked, and rightfully so… or as we say on Gossips "name checked" π
But what about Hudson's Mayor Kamal? Did they leave him out by accident, or will the Registrar-Star now be accused of racism?
I am sure he was involved and helped in critical ways to protect this famous landmark and booster of tourism and historicity.
π² And now there will hopefully be massive federal (not Hudson taxes) investment… what amazing ROI on a meeting and collaboration between multiple elected officials.
I watched video from the event and Mayor Johnson was watching from the audience and tried to move up to the front during the speakers. Snubbed or lack of being involved? Who knows. I wonder if he’ll take credit for it when he lists his accomplishments as mayor. Since Galvan or Spark weren’t involved it was probably off his radar.
DeleteCan you share the link to the video, Union Jack?
DeleteNot just elected officials -- the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Association, the Hudson Powerboat Association and the Preservation League of NYS also did a good job of informing the governmental players and the public about this importance of the lighthouse.
DeleteCarole, the videos were on Justin Weaver’s personal facebook, which also seems to be the de facto City of Hudson Press Office. As you know well you have to jump down rabbit holes to know about anything around here.
DeleteBut, to give the mayor the benefit of the doubt, it doesn’t seem Schumer’s staff is on top of running press events like they used to in the old days when I had dealings with them. Notice the US Senate seal absent from the lectern? They’re slipping. Gone are the days of the famous Schumer Sunday Brooklyn press conferences outside of his apartment building, where he’d try to get a jump on the news cycle with announcing investigations into important matters like overhead baggage and Four Loko. Those were the days!
It's incredible how people in this comment section can spin an event where the Mayor simply attended a celebration of objectively good news for the town into a conspiracy about him accusing others of racism, stealing credit, or plotting who-knows-what. The only thing that actually happened is he showed up, seemingly was happy with the positive outcome. Do you all ever take a break from feverishly dreaming up dark machinations about public officials who seem to live rent-free in your heads and just, I don’t know, enjoy the good news? Maybe draw a circle on some dry wall, label it whatever you need to, and punch it, or therapy?
DeleteI wasn't left out lol I was announced by the Senators. They asked me to come up front but I did not want to interrupt. Plus I wanted to hear about the aliens.
ReplyDelete1️⃣ - welcome back to Gossips current Mayor Kamal, or as Tom DePietro affectionately calls it "that horrible, despicable blog."
ReplyDelete2️⃣ - as I said in my comment... "I am sure he [Mayor Kamal] was involved and helped in critical ways".
3️⃣ - Repartee aside, I genuinely hope that you were involved in ways we do not yet know... at the critical point of inception along with the Mayor of Athens, and/or meaningfully in subsequent collaborative efforts by all these groups and leaders, public and private.
π If that is indeed the case, then I commend you and sincerely thank you. And you should shout this from the rooftops as evidence of you doing real work to attract investment and ensure a long-term project. Bravo in advance!
π«π·⛪️ See what the Notre Dame re-opening/renovation did for France during an otherwise bleak period.
⛵ This sort of project can help so many Hudson communities and will make the Ferry business really take off, and those guys are terrific entrepreneurs. And echoing John, thank you Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Association, the Hudson Powerboat Association and the Preservation League of NYS.
p.s. Kinda disappointed it wasn't aliens, Kamal, but let us know if you get the 411 from πΊπΈ DHS / Kathy Hochul herself. π
Do you honestly think you come across as sincere? 'But what about Hudson's Mayor Kamal? Did they leave him out by accident, or will the Register-Star now be accused of racism?' We all see you just fantasizing about the mayor accusing random people of racism over a straightforward, positive event. And then you expect a cordial conversation? Most of the things you rant about on here exist only in your head, as if willing them into reality will make them as irritating as you seem to desperately want them to be
DeleteHi Henry!
ReplyDeleteSee my 2nd comment that was submitted at the same time as yours... as I said... I thought it was curious he was not in the news story... and I am elated that he may have helped. And I assumed that he was just not mentioned in the press.
re: You quoting me "Did they leave him out by accident, or will the Register-Star now be accused of racism?"
I was specifically referring to one of the recent SurveyMonkey/Community Survey events where exactly that happened; a legitimate critique / question was labelled as racism.
And it was not the first time... just peruse the Gossips archive of past elections to see the pattern, or talk to former mayors and council members.
re: "Most of the things you rant about on here exist only in your head, as if willing them into reality will make them as irritating as you seem to desperately want them to be"
If they existed only in my head then why is a rare Charter Reform petition underway, multiple mayoral candidates running next year, the City budget deficit growing every year, and more collegial City Hall meetings and participation a foreign concept.
Henry, I am content to agree to disagree.
Reminds me of "you are entitled to your own opinions, but not your own facts... "
p.s. The written word, especially in blogger comment sections like Gossips... is not exactly where people go solely for sincere commentary. There is a diverse mix of tone and intent. The Twitter founder literally spent a decade trying to build a more sincere online public space called Medium. Sadly, it did not work out.
Now, was my last sentence sincere or not?
¯\_(γ)_/¯
Welcome to the written internet.
In my brief time commenting on this blog, I've watched you fabricate instances of imaginary 'reverse racism' based on some entirely different event, call two department budget increases both a 'cut' and an 'increase' depending on your stance on a department, and dismiss these contradictions as mere 'semantics.' Opinions and facts, we agree. I suggest you start holding yourself to the same standard you apply to others, because you're quickly earning a reputation as a fabulist. While you seem to have an exceptional memory for pointing out hypocrisy in others, you’ve built yourself a nice little pen in that same corral.
Deletehttps://gossipsofrivertown.blogspot.com/2024/11/not-as-bad-as-we-feared.html#comment-form
DeleteLet's observe the great ocean between your opinion and facts,
“Hudson has boosted the Mayor's salary to near six figures, then introduced a queenly-paid Housing Justice Director at the same rate of pay” HJD is paid through a grant and not the city.
"Meanwhile, despite a hefty $50 million school budget and a plethora of youth-focused nonprofits, the city has upped the Youth Center's funding—curiously for 'youth' largely non-resident in Hudson...
"Concurrently, funding CUTS (capitalization added) have forced our Police Chief to seek federal grants just to staff a full contingent
It appears Hudson is enriching its top brass and bolstering _selective_ services for some, all while skimping on _essential_ services for ALL" Both departments were increased, less than was requested, near similar percentages.
"Henry - rather than quibble semantics.."
FNI, Despite my strong disagreement with many city policies, your fixation on selective historical tidbits—used as blunt weapons against City Hall—comes off as hypocritical. You’ve become a historian of half-truths, wielding distorted facts while your own credibility leaks like a broken dam.
Henry,
DeleteYour point on Hudson and my commentary (more recent than your time on this blog) is contradicted both by your own comments on Gossips, see yesterday when you bemoaned Hudson's "heaviest paper weight" and predicted "triple" remediation costs*, and facts.
It is also funny that you think we all somehow agreed to write in the tone you prefer and think is proper (on this blog). If you don't like my comments don't read them.
Also I missed the memo from Gossips/Carole where this blog experience is supposed to be a new Gossips Story, followed by brief negative comments without outside sources or new ideas. The opposite, see for example how helpful John Friedman's inside story from HDC helped us understand the John L. Edwards School building situation.
Perhaps you haven’t lived in high-functioning cities/towns recently or you spend all your time rooted in this digital timeline and physical time zone. Or maybe you travel frequently and work nationally and internationally in very developed and underdeveloped contexts.
But when I travel (and live) between the Third World, well-run cities in the Commonwealth, Asia/Europe, and then return to Hudson, it’s clear we aren’t getting our money’s worth.
π And this is not a secret or a subjective outlier opinion. See the government data that Bob Rasner shared on NY town tax comparisons, see the artistic/creative commentary on Instagram by Wail and Mark Allen on local infrastructure failures, see the lawsuits filed against the City, the school outcomes measured independently. It goes on.
πΊ If wanting Hudson to be better, and if bringing attention to fiscal malfeasance or bad leadership dividing residents by immutable traits (versus mutable traits) then the fabulist residents outnumber the fabulous residents.
I am happy that we agree on the difference between facts and opinions.
π‘ And I again invite you to offer an idea on how City Hall, or private industry, can make Hudson better, help residents of all income classes afford living here, and self-actualize.
And on your last comment highlighting 3 of my past comments :
ReplyDelete#1 and #2 is true.
And you have not addressed the ethical concern about the Mayor's alleged relationship with the Housing Justice Director, or placed both of their salary increases in the context of other City Hall workers with way more experience and education.
On #3 I conceded in writing and clarified, that I could have been more accurate that both HPD and other Department budgets were not cut on an absolute year over year basis. When I get something wrong I am very happy to correct the record.
But my point stands tall, and it remains true, that selective services that benefit small groups, versus services benefitting all residents, received more of their requested budget.
π Henry - we can go back and forth all day... but first... I have to thank you.
You now do my work for me and I don't pay you.
You help bring attention to the failures. And you prove what we all know... that most everyone reads Gossips and then denies it. Thank you kind sir!
And what you may not know... is that while a few Gossips commenters like yourself, who may delete their old posts, or join and rejoin under different pseudonyms... may not appreciate my tone or my critique of wasteful public spending...
In the real world and online, I am getting so many high-fives, sign ups to my blog, and requests to dig in more.
Why?
Because working residents are busy and don't have time for this, and they don't want to be falsely accused of some -ism, but they know Hudson is not working.
There are national publications looking into Hudson as a case study of small town mismanagement.
Buckle up Henry... 2025 is going to be wild at a federal and local level.
p.s. Still waiting for constructive ideas from you... in the meantime...
π ️ Some of the constructive ideas (mostly championed by others) that I support and believe could make Hudson work better, in no particular order:
- Ethics / Conflicts of Interest policies and processes at City Hall
- City Charter Reform -> City Manager
- Fixing / making fair the property tax system and getting ahead of the tax Reval
- Auctioning off delinquent properties asap adn not wasting the proceeds.
- A non coin based parking system that benefits residents Monday-Thursday, and makes it easy for visitors to pay Friday-Sunday.
Henry Workin: everything FNI said and you quoted is true. If the administration had accomplished anything in nearly six years I imagine you’d point them out rather than characterize FNI’s recitation of damnable facts as picking nits. You seem, therefore, to be merely a shill for the administration. Using what appears to be a pseudonym doesn’t add any weight to your attempts at misdirection.
ReplyDelete