Eleanor's Legacy Announces Endorsements

Eleanor's Legacy announced its endorsements today. More than 150 pro-choice Democratic women running for state and local offices across New York State have been endorsed, among them Margaret Morris, who is running for Hudson Common Council President. 

Inspired the dynamic legacy of Eleanor Roosevelt and her dedication to expanding the role of women in government, Eleanor's Legacy was founded in 2001 by Judith Hope, the first woman to chair the New York State Democratic Committee. For more than twenty years, Eleanor's Legacy has been supporting pro-choice Democratic women running for state and local office throughout New York State. Two candidates running in Columbia County were endorsed by Eleanor's Legacy--Morris and Jacqueline Salvatore, who is running for County Sheriff. To view the entire list of candidates endorsed by Eleanor's Legacy, click here.

What the $8.35 Million Will Buy

Tomorrow, Tuesday, April 29, at 5:00 p.m., there will be a presentation of the proposed $8.35 capital project and an Energy Performance Contract that we haven't heard about yet. The presentation takes place in the cafeteria at Hudson High School.

A preview of what will be presented tomorrow is available today, provided by News10: "Hudson CSD to discuss $8.35M capital project, $10M energy performance plan."

Whaling Workshop for Teachers

In conjunction with the current exhibit Hudson: A History of Whaling & Maritime Commerce, the staff of the History Room at the Hudson Area Library is offering a Teacher Workshop on Saturday, May 17, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The workshop is cosponsored by the Greater Capital Region Teacher Center and offers two credits of Continuing Teacher & Leader Education (CTLE). Taught by co-curators and educators Elaine Eichelberger and Brenda Shufelt, the workshop explores Hudson’s whaling past and the application of this fascinating history to Social Studies, Language Arts, and Art curricula.

Photo: Trixie's List

The following is quoted from the announcement of the workshop:

Everyone who drives through the city of Hudson sees signs with the whale logo paying homage to Hudson’s beginnings as a whaling and maritime port during the late 1700s. This legacy of whaling left a lasting imprint on Hudson's cultural and economic landscape. Educators will have an opportunity to learn more about this unique local history and view documents and objects that help illustrate it, offering them a perspective they can incorporate into classroom study materials.

The Hudson Area Library History of Whaling & Maritime Commerce Exhibit, on view during this workshop, traces Hudson’s founding and early history and the commerce that created its wealth and reputation as a whaling town. The exhibit is on view through June 30, 2025. The Hudson Area Library’s exhibit was made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Alan Coon, artist, graphic designer, and co-owner of Spotty Dog Books & Ale, designed the graphics for the exhibition, which can be viewed during the workshop.

Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead

In this week that sees the end of April and the beginning of May, not much is happening. Here is what's on the schedule.

• On Wednesday, April 30, at 4:00 p.m., Mayor Kamal Johnson holds a public hearing on the law amending the city code to allow child care facilities in all zoning districts in the city. The hearing takes place in person only at City Hall.
• On Thursday, May 1, the Public Works Board meets at 6:oo 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.

Screen capture from Mark Allen film

And that's it for the week.

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A Problem Not Easily Solved

Yesterday, Councilmember Jennifer Belton (Fourth Ward) presented her proposal for solving 11 Warren Street's parking problems in an email to Columbia County Board of Supervisors chair Matt Murell (Stockport) and deputy chairs Robert Lagonia (Austerlitz) and James Guzzi (Livingston) and copied it to thirty-four more people. That plan was explained in this post, "The City's Counterplan for Parking," so I won't explain it again, except to say it involves the County creating a parking lot at the waterfront, in the area shown below, just south of the Ferry Street Bridge, a space now being used as a staging area for the construction of the new bridge.   

Minutes after Belton sent her proposal, Linda Mussmann, supervisor for the Fourth Ward, sent the following email, addressed only to Murell, to all the same recipients.

Hello Chairman Murell--I have not had anything to do with this recent parking proposal for 11 Warren Street. It is a bad idea. Hudson's waterfront should not be used for a parking lot.

Just to be clear this proposal came from the City of Hudson's Council--I was not privileged to be a part of this conversation.

Linda Mussmann

Space Utlization Committee Member

4th Ward Supervisor Columbia County

 

Although I agree with Mussmann that our waterfront should not be used for a parking lot, much of it already is being used as a parking lot. There's the huge paved parking lot at the boat launch.

And there's Rick's Point, which is currently not much more than a parking lot.

New York State's plans for redesigning the Hudson Boat Launch, as part of the Hudson Eagles Recreation Area initiative, will eliminate more than half the parking spaces at the boat launch.

Phase 1 of the climate-adaptive redesign of Henry Hudson Riverfront Park will eliminate all the parking at Rick's Point.

Much as we may rail against our auto-centric society and rue what it has cost us in the past and continues to cost us, and much as we may want our city to be walkable and bicycle friendly, most people in Hudson and the surrounding area still rely on cars to get around and expect a place to park when they get to their destination. That being said, I don't think it should be the City's responsibility to solve the County's self-created parking problem at 11 Warren Street. Maybe the County will come to the conclusion that buying 11 Warren Street was a bad idea and decide to sell the building to someone with a better idea for developing that very important stretch of Warren Street.

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We're Not as Gentrified as Some May Think

This press release from the Hudson Police Department was received earlier today.

On April 16, 2025, officers from the Hudson City Police Department arrested Kyjuan W. Hotaling, 22, of Hudson, NY, and LaTrell M. Young, 22, also of Hudson, NY. Both individuals were charged with Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a Class C Felony. 

At approximately 11:24 a.m., an HPD unit was responding with lights and siren activated to assist the New York State Police and the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office with an attempted suicide incident in the City of Hudson. While traveling on the 300 block of Long Alley, officers observed a firearm being thrown from a vehicle directly in front of the responding unit.

The officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop; however, the suspect vehicle fled at a high rate of speed, continuing westbound on Long Alley. The vehicle was eventually stopped in the parking lot of 15 North Front Street. Both occupants were taken into custody without further incident and transported to the Hudson City Police Department. 

Officers recovered a loaded Bryco 38 .380 auto handgun near the location where it was discarded.

Both Hotaling and Young were arraigned in Hudson City Court before Judge Roberts. 

• Kyjuan W. Hotaling was remanded to the Columbia County Jail on $25,000 cash bail, $50,000 bond, or $75,000 partially secured bond.

• LaTrell M. Young was remanded on $5,000 cash bail, $10,000 bond, or $10,000 partially secured bond. 

Both defendants were scheduled to appear in Hudson City Court at a later date.

Women and Whaling at the DAR

The exhibition Hudson: A History of Whaling & Maritime Commerce continues at the Hudson Area Library. Tomorrow, Saturday, April 26, the Hendrick Hudson Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution presents its part of the first time ever project about whaling in Hudson: Women and Whaling in Hudson.

The events on Saturday at the DAR are docent-led tours of the historic Robert Jenkins House, 113 Warren Street, built in 1811. The tours focus on the chapter's extensive historic collections and items reflecting women's endeavors during the earliest years of Hudson's history--1783 to 1850. Tours begin at 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.

At 3:00 p.m., there is a panel discussion that will examine, provide civic dialog, and describe the lives of women during this dynamic period in history.

In 1783, Hudson was radically altered. The Treaty of Paris was about to be signed. Seeking a deep-water harbor away from harassing British, a group of thirty-three entrepreneurial Nantucket Quaker businessmen, "Proprietors," led by brothers Seth and Thomas Jenkins, sailed up the Hudson River. They bought land at Claverack Landing from the Dutch owners. Many were Revolutionary War veterans. Their families followed. By 1785, Hudson, as incorporated and renamed, went from 150 to 1,500 residents. It was the first chartered city in the U.S., the first planned American city based on a modern grid, and on its way to becoming a booming shipping and whaling seaport. Hudson grew rapidly. It was nearly named the state capital and for years was a Port of Entry. A new city in a new country, it entertained leaders like Jefferson, Madison, Jay, and the Marquis de Lafayette.

But how did women adapt as they moved into this radical new era? The Dutch inhabitants went from living in a quiet farming community to living in a city with several wharves, twenty-five sailing ships, four warehouses, a ropewalk, spermaceti-works, whale oil processing and candlemaking, 150 dwellings, shops, churches, and barns, a noted distillery, and 1,500 souls. The immigrants from Nantucket went from living on a small island in the Atlantic to living in a brand-new river town 120 miles removed from the ocean.

The tours and the panel discussion are free, but reservations are recommended. To secure a spot, call 518 828-9764.

Yesterday in the New York Times

R. B. Schlather's production of Handel's Giulio Cesare, now happening at Hudson Hall, was reviewed yesterday in the New York Times: "Review: As New York's Opera Scene Empties, Another Rises Upstate."

Photo: Matthew Placek | New York Times

There are four more performances. Click here to secure tickets.

About the $58.5 Million Budget

The Hudson City School District Board of Education meets today at 5:00 p.m. to discuss and vote on the proposed budget for the 2025-2026 school year. The meeting takes place in the High School Auditorium. According to Gossips sources, the meeting will be livestreamed on HCSD's YouTube channel, although there is no indication of this on the HCSD website.

The $58,544,000 budget was presented at the Board of Education meeting on Tuesday. That meeting can be viewed here. The budget presentation begins at 20:40. The following charts, showing the breakdown of revenue and expenses, were part of the presentation made on Tuesday. (Click on the images to enlarge.)

When someone questioned the reduction in Instruction on the Expenses chart, despite an almost $3 million increase in the budget, it was explained they were discontinuing "underutilized services" and not replacing some salaried positions made vacant "due to retirement." 

After the presentation, someone on the board commented, "This rate of growth is not sustainable." Another board member defended the budget, asserting that they "haven't gone all the way to the tax cap" in prior years and calling on folks "to not be naysayers."

The "Public Forum" portion of the meeting yielded some interesting moments. After saying Policy 1230--the policy regarding public participation at board meetings--reminded him of "a Saddam Hussein comment before one of his legislative sessions," Peter Meyer told the board that the recent audit should be proof of the board's incapacity to present any budget to the voters and recommended the board immediately order a forensic audit to "plug the many holes" revealed by the audit. He also recommended that any vote to extend any contracts be postponed until new board members are elected and sworn in.

Another moment of interest, which is more of a footnote, was a comment made by Wayne Kinney, the president of the Hudson Teachers Association. He expressed concern about PILOTs (payments in lieu of taxes) and asked the board how PILOTs were impacting the school budget. He went on to say that the school had nothing to do with granting PILOTs. That wasn't always the case. Up until 2021, the Hudson Industrial Development Agency (IDA), the body that makes decisions about PILOTs in the City of Hudson, had seat designated for someone from HCSD. The school district never sent anyone to represent it on the IDA, so in 2021, the seventh seat on the IDA was redesignated for a community representative. That seat is currently held by Charles Millar.

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Update: Today's special meeting of the Board of Education took all of four minutes. Only four members of the board were present: Mark DePace, Amanda Grubler, Matthew Mackerer, and Willette Jones. (Those absent were Kjirsten Gustavson, Calvin Lewis, and Lakia Walker.) There was no public comment, and there was no board discussion. The statement was made that nothing had changed in the final numbers. 

A Reminder About Commenting

If you have submitted a comment that was not published, here's why. The commenting policy on The Gossips of Rivertown has changed. Commenters are now required to identify themselves by their first and last names--their actual names. This post, published on April 1, explains the changes in policy and the reason they were adopted: "A Notice to Commenters." Please refer it for more information.

The City's Counterplan for Parking

On April 7, Gossips reported on the request from the Columbia County Board of Supervisors Space Utilization Committee that ten to fourteen onstreet parking spaces in the first block of Warren Street be reserved for the exclusive use of county employees working at 11 Warren Street: "Such Chutzpah!" Last night, at the Common Council ad hoc Parking Committee meeting, Jennifer Belton (Fourth Ward) proposed an alternative solution to the county's self-created parking problem. The county will pave and line a parking lot at the waterfront, just across and to the left of the Ferry Street Bridge.

The parking lot would have 40 to 50 spaces all together, but 12 spaces would be reserved for the exclusive use of county employees, without charge, for six years. It is estimated that creating the parking lot will cost the county $175,000. What the county is proposing--buying the exclusive use of onstreet parking spaces--would cost $31,200 a year. Six years at $31,200 a year is $187,200, so the Belton's counterproposal would actually be less expensive.

Of course, this plan requires that county workers walk over the bridge and another four and a half blocks to get from their cars to their place of work.

It was agreed at last night's meeting that Belton would present this proposal in a letter to the Space Utilization Committee today.

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Behind the Shroud

Earlier this afternoon, Mark Allen posted this photograph on Instagram, asking the question: "Is it art, or is it Galvan?" 

The question is rhetorical (and very clever), but the answer is obvious: Galvan. Behind the shroud are these buildings, 352 and 354 Warren Street, formerly the location of Johnny's Ideal Printing, acquired by Galvan in 2019. 

In May 2024, five years after Galvan purchased the buildings, the Historic Preservation Commission granted a certificate of appropriateness to the proposal for their restoration. Below is an elevation drawing presented to the HPC at that time. It shows the restoration plans for the two buildings in the context of the buildings on either side.

The intention is to combine the two buildings into a single apartment building and to re-create what was once a storefront at 352 Warren Street.

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Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead

Two-thirds of the way through the month of April, with tax filing day, Passover, and Easter behind us, here is what's happening.

• On Monday, April 21, the Hudson Housing Authority (HHA) Board of Commissioners meets at 6:00 p.m. There is always the possibility that a meeting of the HHA board will provide some information about what the proposed redevelopment, predicted to be "transformative," will actually look like. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person in the Community Room at Bliss Towers, 41 South Second Street, and on Zoom. Click here to join the meeting remotely.

• On Tuesday, April 22, the Common Council holds a special meeting at 5:45 p.m. At the Council meeting last Tuesday, it seemed a vote on putting the proposed charter amendment on the ballot as referendum in November would be added to the agenda. Now that seems unlikely. In an email shared with all the councilmembers, Council president Tom DePietro stated, "I do not see any reason for the Council to facilitate a process for a referendum that the majority of the Council does not support." Those in favor of having the proposed charter amendment go to referendum argue that the voters of Hudson should have the opportunity to decide for themselves. As of now, the only items on the agenda for the meeting are a resolution supporting a grant application by Friends of the Public Square (FOPS) for the restoration of Seventh Street Park and one approving the distribution of money for events. 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 Tuesday, April 22, the ad hoc Parking Study Committee 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 Thursday, April 24, the Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency (HCDPA) meets at 5:00 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.
• At 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 24, the Jacob Leisler Institute for the Study of Early New York History, in collaboration with the History Room at the Hudson Area Library, hosts the presentation Transforming Hempstead Plains: The End of the "Commons" on Western Long Island. The presentation takes place in person only in the Community Room at the library, 51 North Fifth Street. For more information, click here.

• On Friday, April 25, the Historic Preservation Commission meets at 10:00 a.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.

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The Final Days of the Furgary

This was the scene at North Bay yesterday afternoon. All the shacks were gone except the two shacks--#6 and #10--designated for preservation. 

The map below is from the Furgary-Shantytown Vision Plan. 

The shacks in red were demolished in January 2024. The shacks in white were demolished in the past week. The two shacks in yellow are to be rehabilitated. The shack in blue is to be mothballed.

Last Monday, before the demolition began, Theresa Nicholson took pictures of the shacks from her kayak. They may be the last pictures taken of the shacks. She shared them with Gossips and gave permission for me to publish them here.

Photo: Theresa Nicholson

Photo: Theresa Nicholson

Photo: Theresa Nicholson

Photo: Theresa Nicholson

Photo: Theresa Nicholson

Thoughts About HCSD and Its Proposed Budget

Several times in the past, at this time of year, Ken Sheffer, diligent watchdog of the Hudson City School District and its intractable budgets, has been moved to share his thoughts on the topic, and Gossips has published them. Again this year, the proposed $2.5 million increase in the HCSD budget has provoked Sheffer to speak out. His statement contains news--the first I have heard--of a $8.35 million capital project being proposed. According to the HCSD website, the capital project, which voters will be asked to approve on May 20, along with the $58.1 million budget for 2025-2026, will be discussed at a meeting to take place on Tuesday, April 29, at 5:00 p.m. in the High School Cafeteria.

Click here to read Sheffer's statement.

Stepping Up to Serve

Answering the appeal for candidates to fill the three available seats on the Hudson City School District Board of Education, Jim Jacoby has stepped up. Jacoby, who lives in Hudson, has been a teacher for many years. He currently teaches in the Schenectady City School District. He previously taught in New Jersey and has knowledge of HCSD from working there as a substitute teacher. He firmly believes that students and teachers should be a school district's first priorities.

Jacoby is now gathering signatures on his nominating petition. He will be at the Hudson Farmers' Market this morning and later at Nolita's. Gossips urges readers to seek him out and sign his petition.

Farewell to the Furgary

Today, Gossips headed down to North Bay shortly after 3:00 p.m. to check on the progress of the demolition. There I encountered Leo Bower, advocate for the preservation of the site, who has a lifetime of memories of the shacks, and filmmaker Karl Frederick Mattson, who is working on a feature length documentary called Hudson Limits. Both were there to observe the destruction. While I was there, I took these pictures.

The shack that appears in the final picture is one of two shacks designated to be spared. It has the word "SAVE" written on it three times with orange paint.

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Handel in Hudson

R. B. Schlather's production of Handel's Giulio Cesare opens tomorrow night at Hudson Hall. Today, there is an article about it in New York Times: "In Upstate New York, Where Even the Opera Is Locavore."    

Photo: Lauren Lancaster for the New York Times

There may still be tickets available. To secure some for yourself, click here.

A Sure Sign That Spring Is Here

Tomorrow, Saturday, April 19, the Hudson Farmers' Market returns to its outdoor location at Sixth and Columbia streets.

As always, the market, now in its 28th year, is open from 9:00 a.m. to 1 p.m., with more than thirty vendors offering local produce and products. From 10:30 to 11:00 a.m., there will be step dancing performed by kids from the Farrell School of Irish Dance, and from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Abby Lappen will be performing.

The map below shows where to find all your favorite vendors. (Click on image to enlarge.)

For more information, go to hudsonfarmersmarketny.org.

Farewell to a Piece of Hudson History

The day many have dreaded for a long time has arrived. The shacks in North Bay--the storied Furgary Boat Club--are coming down.

Photo: Lance Wheeler

Tax Delinquent Properties

It is by now common knowledge that the City of Hudson is owed about $2.5 million in back taxes. At the end of the Common Council Finance Committee meeting on Monday, it was said a list of the tax delinquent properties would be published the next day. That didn't happen. It is now expected that the list will be presented at the next Council meeting, which takes place on Monday, May 12. 

This week, Gossips learned of one property that will be on the list: 448 Warren Street. The amount of property tax currently owed on the building is just under $283,698.

This building was originally constructed, from 1867 to 1869, as the First Universalist Church. At some point, probably in the first half of the 20th century, the building became the worship place for the United Methodist Church.

In 1985, the building ceased being a church and was purchased by the photographer and filmmaker Sedat Pakay, who used the building to house his studio and film production company. More recently, the building was owned and may still be owned by the artist David Hammons, best known as the creator of the African-American Flag.

The tax rolls indicate that an entity called Hudson Art Works purchased the building in March 2004, and in March 2014 the building was acquired by Otera, LLC. In September 2014, what was described as a "complete and accurate restoration" commenced. The building was repointed by an award-winning masonry contractor who had also done work at Olana. Brownstone needed for repairs was imported from England because it was most like the brownstone available in this country in the 1860s, when the building was constructed. The restoration was promised to be "absolutely in kind," and it was declared "exemplary" by local flaneur Scott Baldinger. 

Photo: Scott Baldinger

In December 2015, it was proposed that the missing steeple be replaced with a hologram. (The soaring principal steeple was purposely removed in 1971 out of concern about liability should the steeple topple in a storm, as others in the city had.) 

Before the Historic Preservation Commission could make a decision about granting a certificate of appropriateness for this "homage to what was there in the past," the application to re-create the missing steeple with lights was withdrawn. Instead the restored tower was finished off with simple cap.

The certificate of appropriateness for the capped tower was granted in January 2016, and the work was carried out, but since then little work has been done on the building. It would seem, too, that around this time, or perhaps even sooner, the taxes on the property stopped being paid. 

The back taxes due on this property represent slightly more than 10 percent of the total amount of unpaid property taxes due to the City.

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Thank You, Tracy Delaney

Our ever affable, always helpful, endlessly patient, unfailingly knowledgeable city clerk Tracy Delaney is retiring. Her last day at City Hall is tomorrow.

   

Who will be the next city clerk has not yet been announced, but whoever it is will have a tough act to follow. 

Thank you, Tracy Delaney, for your many years of service to the City of Hudson and its residents. You are the best! May you have good health and happiness in your retirement. You will be missed by everyone who visits City Hall.

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