In October, Hudson Development Corporation (HDC) announced it would not purchase the abandoned John L. Edwards School (JLE) for the purpose of redeveloping it as a community space. The press release making the announcement explained:
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 it 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.
A letter submitted to the Hudson City School District (HCSD) Board of Education documented the problems discovered with the building during HDC's due diligence, 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 heating 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.
Given the findings of HDC's due diligence, it would seem we have a giant white elephant in the middle of our city. (JLE was built in 1964 and has been vacant and for sale since 2018.) But there may still be hope. At the Hudson Industrial Development Agency (IDA) meeting last week, Mike Tucker reported that he had been contacted by three developers interested in the building. At the HDC meeting earlier this week, Chris Jones, president of the HDC Board, reported that she too had been contacted by people interested in the building. In her comments about the building, Jones indicated that the cost to demolish the building had been estimated at $8 million.
In another bit of news, which may or may not be relevant to this story, the mayor recently appointed a new Commissioner of Public Works. The previous commissioner, Jason Foster, resigned the position in September 2024. A new commissioner is Tyler Kritzman. According to a Gossips source, Kritzman has been the Facilities Director at HCSD for about five years. The HCSD website, however, gives his title as "Head Maintenance Worker."
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