The Gossips of Rivertown: July 2025

Thursday, July 31, 2025

News from Today in Court

The legal battle over getting a referendum question on the ballot in November to create a county executive was back in court today. Sam Hodge, who initiated the lawsuit on behalf of Columbia County Forward, shared this report of what happened:

Another day in court--another round of stunning, deeply troubling revelations.

Today, our legal team once again stood up for the nearly 4,000 Columbia County voters who signed the petition to create a full-time, elected County Executive. And what we uncovered in the courtroom was nothing short of jaw-dropping.

The two Republican objectors who had previously skipped court finally showed up. Under oath, they confirmed what we suspected: this was a coordinated, partisan operation engineered from within our Republican-led government.

Jim Miller, a sitting Republican elected official, testified that he went to the Board of Supervisors, and when he arrived, he was handed a pre-prepared General Objection form by the Clerk of the Board, the very official who was supposed to impartially review those objections, and was told he'd be one of three people submitting nearly identical filings.

Under oath, Miller admitted he didn't draft the legal memorandum submitted in his name, didn't prepare the Specific Objections, and didn't even know who did. He also appeared in court with a lawyer, but he had no idea who was paying for that representation.

Let's call this what it is: Collusion.

Then came the third objector, a Republican political operative with ties to John Faso. Her testimony was even more damning.

The objector stated under oath that she walked into Chairman Matt Murell's governmental office--and, in the presence of the Clerk of the Board, was handed the stack of specific objections. All she had to do was sign them.

She didn't write a word of it. But those documents--bearing her name--were used to try to silence voters and kill this grassroots initiative.

Let's be clear: engaging in political activity from a government office is illegal.

This is bigger than a few bad decisions. It's a betrayal of public trust. It's an insult to the voters of Columbia County, and it cannot be ignored. . . .

Our top priority remains getting this referendum on the ballot. Republicans have tried everything to disenfranchise us. Now we know they were willing to lie, cheat, and break the rules to do it.

I shouldn't be shocked--but I am. The depth of this conspiracy is worse than we imagined. Elected officials are supposed to follow the law, not trample it.

None of this would have been uncovered had it not been for the lawsuit. To support the Columbia County Forward legal defense fund, click here.

Where the Historic District Ends

Back in 2010, I discovered this advertisement in a February 1867 issue of the Hudson Daily Register.

Those "Desirable Houses in Hudson," constructed on spec during Hudson's post-Civil War building boom, are these houses on North Fifth Street, between Warren and Columbia streets.

In 2018, the picture below, taken in 1967, showing the four houses a hundred years after they were built, was posted on Facebook by Bob Satter. (The third floor on 18 North Fifth Street, with its mansard roof, was very likely added toward the end of the 19th century, when Second Empire was all the rage.)

In 1967, the front porches on two of the houses--18 and 20--were enclosed. Today, the porches on two of the houses--20 and 22--are missing.

The houses are outside any locally designated historic district. The Warren Street Historic District extends north only as far as Prison Alley, and the Armory Historic District begins a block away, at State Street, and extends north to Clinton Street.

In the block and a half between locally designated historic districts is this row of houses--37 to 47 North Fifth Street--built by Freeman Coons in 1870. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

Although listed in the state and national registers, the row of houses at 37-47 North Fifth Street are not in any locally designated historic district, so any alterations to the facades of the buildings would not require review by or a certificate of appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Commission. The same is true for 20 and 22 North Fifth Street.

According to code enforcement officer Craig Haigh, both 20 and 22 North Fifth Street are undergoing "full renovations for single family homes," which is what they started out as and what they were when most recently occupied. Haigh did not respond to a question about plans for the facades. The current owner of the two houses may be planning to do the right thing and create new porches that replicate the original porches (as seen in the 1967 photograph) and those now found on 18 and 24, but we don't know that.

The situation on North Fifth Street is yet another reason why the Historic Preservation Commission should venture out of its comfort zone and work to expand the areas of the city that have historic preservation protections. All of the historic districts that currently exist were created in a two-year window of time: 2006-2007. During that period, too, HPC applied for and received a Preserve New York grant for $9,000 from the Preservation League of New York State to survey and document buildings on the north side of town, the part of the city that was not surveyed in 1985, when the National Register Hudson Historic District was created. The purpose of that study was to inform the creation of new historic districts, but that never happened.

In 2011, an initiative by Historic Hudson to create a Robinson Street Historic District memorably went down in flames. In 2018, an attempt by the HPC to extend the southern and western boundaries of the Union-Allen-South Front Street Historic District was ultimately abandoned after Council president Tom DePietro tabled the resolution that would have made it happen, alleging that the resolution and the accompanying documents had not been properly prepared and that some of the property owners affected by the boundary amendments had not been notified. (The allegation was based on an error in the map having to do with Worth Avenue, the eastern boundary of the district, which was not changing in any way as a consequence of the resolution.)

Over the years, the HPC has received requests from Historic Hudson (and suggestions from The Gossips of Rivertown) to extend the historic district north along Fourth Street to capture the area from the North Fourth Street Extension (created on the initiative of property owners and residents of North Fourth Street between Prison Alley and Columbia Street) to the locally designated landmark (and individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places) Hudson Almshouse. Those requests/suggestions were never pursued by the HPC. If they had been, the HPC would be able to weigh in on the design for Kearney Realty's other proposal for Hudson: State Street Lofts--a building that would be oriented toward an alley (Long Alley) instead of an actual street (North Fourth Street or State Street).

The Historic Preservation Commission is the most hardworking and efficient of Hudson's regulatory boards. It meets twice a month--regularly--and its decisions are typically rendered in a matter of weeks rather than years, as is the case with the City's current Planning Board. On a few occasions, the HPC has been duped, as Stanley Moon was by the Devil in Bedazzled, because certificates of appropriateness were not worded carefully enough, but overall, the HPC has been a bulwark, protecting the authenticity of Hudson's architecture and the historic character of our city. One criticism of the HPC, however, is that it has not been proactive or sufficiently resolute in expanding the areas of Hudson protected by the City's preservation ordinance.

Thanks to former mayor Rick Scalera, all historic preservation designations must be made by the Common Council. Perhaps new leadership on the Council will change things.

Wednesday, July 30, 2025

News for a Wednesday

We may have uneven sidewalks, newly planted trees that are dying, and lovely granite curbing defaced with yellow paint, but last week Conde Nast Traveler named Hudson one of "The 31 Most Beautiful Towns in America." The text devoted to Hudson begins, "With its quiet atmosphere and surrounding nature, it's hard to believe Hudson is just two hours north of sleepless Manhattan," and is accompanied by this photograph, taken years ago by former Hudsonian Dan Region.

Caitlin Morton, who wrote the piece that appeared on July 24, 2025, wrote a similar piece in June 2022: "The 27 Most Beautiful Towns in America." Hudson was included in that list, too, and the same picture by Dan Region was used to illustrate Hudson. Interestingly, if you click on the link to the 2022 article, which is provided in the Gossips post, it takes you not to the 2022 list but to this year's article.

Tuesday, July 29, 2025

An Update about the Other Petition

While the Hudson Charter Change initiative is dead in the water owing to a missed deadline, the Columbia County Forward initiative to reform county government is challenging the powers that be in court. This evening, Sam Hodge, chair of the Columbia County Democratic Committee, who initiated the lawsuit against the Columbia County Board of Supervisors, Board of Supervisors Clerk Kelly Baccaro, and the Columbia County Board of Elections, reported on what happened in court today. The following are excerpts from his letter:

This afternoon, our attorneys stood in Columbia County Supreme Court to defend our popular, citizen-led petition to create a full-time, elected County Executive.

What followed was both outrageous and sadly predictable.

Only one of the three Republican objectors bothered to show up. But under oath, the lone objector admitted something truly stunning: he worked with the taxpayer-funded Special Counsel to craft his objections before submitting them for the very same counsel to review with the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors.

Let's be clear:

That is collusion. That is unethical. That is wrong.

The same lawyer paid with YOUR tax dollars to advise the Clerk about objections was secretly helping to write them. It's a conflict of interest and a breach of public trust. . . .

We knew Republican leadership would use every trick in the book to block this initiative. But even by their standards, this crosses a line. Chairman Murell and his allies should be ashamed for orchestrating this corrupt and partisan scheme.

And let's not forget: these are valid petitions, signed by nearly 4,000 of our neighbors--Democrats, Republicans, and independents alike--who believe Columbia County deserves better. . . .

The hearing will resume later this week, so the two absent Republican objectors can appear. Our legal team continues to press forward with strong arguments, and we won't stop until every voter has the chance to be heard. . . .

Columbia County Forward has established a legal defense fund. If you feel compelled to support the democratic process (note the lowercase d) in Columbia County, click here.

Of Bard and Hudson

It seems Tiffany Greenwaldt-Simon followed the lead of Jamie Larson and contacted Tuan Toay, CFO at Bard, to ask what the plans were for the properties in Hudson being donated to Bard College by the Galvan Foundation. What she learned is reported today in the Register-Star: "Bard College plans to sell some Galvan-acquired property."

Helsinki Hudson is one of the many properties in Hudson owned by Galvan

There is not much new in the Register-Star article. It has still not been made known which Galvan properties will be given to Bard, although it has been said that the buildings at the corner of Warren and North Fourth streets, currently being transformed into a hotel to be called Hudson Public, will not be included "for now" nor will the old Community Theater building at Columbia and North Seventh streets, which Galvan acquired in 2020, with the promise of restoring it as a "mainstream" theater and assembly space to be known as Hudson Forum. As Larson reported two weeks ago, Bard intends to sell some of the properties and keep others. In today's article, Toay is quoted as saying:

"There'll certainly be some properties that get sold," he said. "Whether that's to private buyers or to interested parties. The Armory keeps coming up, which houses the library in Hudson, which feels like an odd building to be privately owned, given the public function of what resides there. So, I'd welcome conversations with the city on a purchase there."

Here is another interesting bit of information from the article:

Bard College is expected to take over leases at the Galvan Foundations rental properties beginning Jan. 1, 2026. Despite the college not wanting to be landlords, Toay said there will be some time that the college will be managing rentals.

Two rental properties on Allen Street currently owned by Galvan

Monday, July 28, 2025

No Saunas for Us

For the past two years, the portable saunas of Big Towel Spa have spent the winter months, October through March, on the beach at Oakdale. In 2024, the saunas also spent April and May in Henry Hudson Riverfront Park, a stint that was not repeated in 2025.

Photo: Lance Wheeler

A resolution for a new license agreement to use the beach at Oakdale Lake from September 1, 2025, through March 31, 2026, as the site for the saunas was before the Common Council at its last meeting on July 15. According to the agreement, Big Towel Spa would pay the City $350 a month, $200 of which would be used to reimburse the City for the use of electricity. If usage exceeded $200 in any month, Big Towel Spa would be billed for the additional amount.

At the meeting on July 15, Councilmember Dominic Merante (Fifth Ward) questioned whether the electrical system at Oakdale could safely support the anticipated usage. Council president Tom DePietro indicated there was no rush in passing the resolution, given that it was July and the license agreement did not begin until September, so the decision was made to table the resolution until the information that would mollify Merante's concerns could be obtained.

On July 21, Kelly Crimmins, proprietor of Big Towel Spa, sent a letter to the Common Council "rescinding" her proposal to site the saunas at Oakdale for the 2025-2026 winter season. Her letter to the Council reads in part:

After two incredible seasons at Oakdale where over 1000 people have visited, the difficulty of working with the council has become too much for my small business. The number of hoops and lack of support has been tiring and exhausting, especially when it is for a space that is unused or inactive during the winter months.

If the council is unwilling to support citizen initiatives that help enhance the experience of Hudson (especially in our off-season) and also provides tourist activation, I do not see it as a place that helps to inspire other young entrepreneurs to see the opportunities that could be possible. In fact, the council is stifling local entrepreneurship and not pushing it forward.

The licensing structure we worked together to create could actually be seen as a model that could be used for so many other citizens or young businesses that want to start an initiative in Hudson. Instead I have been subjected to interrogation every season about fees, hours, safety, and electricity.

It seems the saunas will be wintering this year in Palatine Park in Germantown.

Sunday, July 27, 2025

Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead

The week ahead, which sees the end of July and the beginning of August, is a rare thing in Hudson: a week without any city meetings. But there are a couple of events happening this week.

On Wednesday, July 30, Waterfront Wednesdays features Matoaka Little Eagle and Julia Howe Haines of Vanaver Caravan for a cross-cultural evening of music and storytelling. The event at Henry Hudson Riverfront Park begins at 4:00 p.m. and continues until sunset. The featured performance begins at 7:00 p.m.

On Saturday, August 2, it is the Sankofa Black Arts & Cultural Festival. The parade down Warren Street begins at 1:00 p.m. The festival of music, dance, and family entertainment happens from 2:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at Henry Hudson Riverfront Park.

A Look Inside Pocketbook Hudson

Last week, a publication called Hotel Management published an article about the restored and re-imagined Pocketbook Factory: "Adaptive reuse of historic mill nets new Pocketbook Hudson hotel."

The article about the new hotel and the photograph inspired me to share one of the pictures of the interior of the building in 1913, back when it was Union Mills. The caption accompanying the photograph reads in part: "The Finishing Room--Shows overcrowded conditions, great boxes of finished goods obstruct the aisles of exits."

Gossips published this photograph and others showing the working conditions at the two Union Mills factories--the one on Washington Street and the one on Fulton Street (now Columbia Street)--in 2016: "Manufacturing in Hudson: 1913."

Saturday, July 26, 2025

Of Interest, Too

Earlier this week, Hudson Common Sense compared Hudson's four mayoral candidates by their chosen method of communicating: "Is the Medium the Message?" It is both amusing and recommended reading. One little correction, though. Lloyd Koedding, the Republican candidate, isn't actually using fax. He gets his handwritten messages scanned at the library and then sends them as email attachments.

Of Interest

The Register-Star has an article today about the Hudson Charter Change initiative: "Charter change group fails to get measure on ballot after missing filing date." The article explains that although August 4 is the deadline for submitting the petition to the Board of Elections, there was also a deadline for filing the petition with the city clerk. That deadline was July 7. The petition was filed with the city clerk on July 23.

Of interest in the article are the responses to the situation from Council president Tom DePietro and Mayor Kamal Johnson, who had earlier posted a snarky account of what happened on Instagram. The following is quoted from today's Register-Star article:

DePietro also attacked Rasner for a statement posted on the Hudson Charter Change website that stated more people signed the petition for charter change than voted for Johnson in the recent Democratic primary.

"They claimed that this wasn't about the current mayor, but Rasner, nevertheless, includes in his statement a gratuitous comment about Mayor Johnson, the first black mayor of our great little city," he said.

Johnson also said the group's statements regarding the amount of primary votes were untrue.

"It's not true, because it [the charter change proposal] didn't even make it on the ballot, and if we're talking about signatures, I handed in a ton of signatures for my own [nominating] petition," he said.

You have to wonder why aborting a democratic process is the cause of such smug and somewhat petty satisfaction for DePietro and Johnson. Wouldn't it have been better for the process to play out so we would know once and for all what the voters of Hudson wanted?

Friday, July 25, 2025

How's That Working Out?

The new granite curbing at the bump-outs was painted yellow to signal drivers not to park there.

But it doesn't seem to be having the desired effect. Both these pictures were taken by a reader yesterday.

Fortunately, the illegally parked cars in both pictures are parked far enough from the corner so as not to force a driver making a right turn from South Second Street onto Warren to drive blindly into what could well be oncoming traffic. But it's obvious the yellow paint does not carry the force that some expected it to.

For Want of a Nail . . .

Gossips just received the following statement from Robert Rasner.

An Apology to the People of HUDSON

We, the Charter Change team, made an error. We missed a critical filing date. That error prevents the proposed Charter changes from appearing on the November ballot. You counted on us to do better. For our error, we are profoundly sorry.

More of you signed our petition than voted for Mayor Johnson in the recent primary. That should send a very strong message to City Hall. Are they listening?

Change is needed in our little historic city. You endorsed professional management, term limits, and a streamlined council. What will happen to those concepts?

The responsibility for carrying charter reform forward is now in the hands of our candidates. During our campaign, Mayor Johnson, Joe Ferris, and Peter Spear all promised charter reform should our proposal not succeed. Successful Council President candidate Morris also promised, if elected, to initiate charter reform.

You, the voter, hold the strongest office. Ask questions, demand clear answers and commitments from our candidates. And come November, VOTE!

You listened, you welcomed us into your homes, and we had coffee together. For these connections, we are eternally grateful. Thank you.

Robert Rasner

Spokesperson for the Charter Change Team

Thursday, July 24, 2025

Different Strategy, Same Goal

In a comment submitted earlier today on yesterday's post about the Hudson Charter Change petition, "Union Jack" makes mention of something Mayor Kamal Johnson posted on Instagram today.

In related news, the mayor is declaring some sort of victory over the charter change initiative via a bizarre series of Instagram stories of some AI written fever dream declaring the petition was submitted past the deadline to file.

Since not everyone who reads Gossips has an Instagram account, I figured I would satisfy readers' curiosity by reproducing the mayor's post here. It's not known who the author is (I would describe it more as snark than fever dream), but I'm pretty sure it was not the mayor himself.

The strategy is different from that being used by Matt Murell and his allies on the county level. Instead of invalidating signatures, Johnson is alleging missed deadlines. But the goals are the same: keep a citizen-initiated referendum with the potential to reform government and alter the status quo off the ballot--as though the voters of Hudson (and the voters of Columbia County) aren't smart enough to decide for themselves.

The Future of Parking in Hudson

In February, the City of Hudson took delivery of sixteen parking kiosks. In the past week or so, six of those kiosks have been installed at the entrances to municipal parking lots: the long-term lot at the train station; the two lots in the 300 block of Warren Street; the lot in 600 block of Union Street; the two lots on Columbia Street--the one next to the county building at 325 Columbia and the one behind City Hall.

It was originally planned that the kiosks for onstreet parking along Warren Street would be installed in two phases. In the first phase, the remaining ten kiosks would be installed on the blocks where there are currently no meters--below Third Street and above Eighth Street. In a second phase, kiosks would be installed on the blocks where there are currently parking meters. The original plan was to install two kiosks, one on each side of the street, on the "short blocks," and four kiosks, two on each side of the street, on the "long blocks." Carrying out the original plan would require the purchase of additional kiosks.

At the meeting of the Common Council ad hoc Parking Study Committee on Tuesday, Jennifer Belton, who chairs the committee, recommended a different plan--one that would involve purchasing only one additional kiosk and installing them on the entire length of Warren Street at the same time. In the new plan, only half the number of kiosks would be installed--one on each of the "short blocks," two on each of the "long blocks."

Imagine, if you will, finding a parking space right in front of your destination and then having to walk 500 feet or so to the kiosk to make your payment and then walking the same distance back to where you wanted to be. Spots near the kiosks are going to become the coveted parking spaces.

This is Belton's recommendation. Apparently, the ad hoc committee has done its work, and they are handing things off to law and parking enforcement. At the end of the meeting, Belton said, "It's in the hands of Doreen and Chief Franklin. They are going to take it from here." She was referring to Doreen Danforth, who runs the Parking Bureau, and Mishanda Franklin, chief of the Hudson Police Department. One hopes they realize that spreading just eleven kiosks over the distance of a mile is a bad idea.

The Parking Plan that Belton and the ad hoc committee is handing over can be found here.

All That Yellow

Gossips' comments about the profusion of yellow-painted curbing have focused on bemoaning the notion that this was the only solution to the problem of people parking at bump-outs or that thoughtless people were creating the problem in the first place. Gossips refrained from criticizing the workmanship. Others did not.

Here is The Hudson Wail's critique on the yellow curbs:

And then there is this article which appeared in the Daily Voice: "Hudson Curb Paint Job Slammed by Local Pro Painter."

Photo: Facebook | Lou DeCrosta

Wednesday, July 23, 2025

They Did It

Less than a week ago, Gossips reported that the solution being considered to prohibit people from parking beside the bump-outs at the corner of Second and Warren streets was to paint the costly and handsome granite curbing yellow: "This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things." What was reported then as a possibility has happened. The granite curbing at those bump-outs--and at every other bump-out in the entire "Hudson Streetscapes" area--has been painted yellow.

The one bit of good news (if you look in the background of the photo above): a tree has been planted on Second Street beside Verdigris.

Photo: Kim Bach

Sadly, the two trees planted in front of 201 Warren Street appear to be dying or already dead. The new one may stand a chance of survival, because it is very likely Kim Bach, the proprietor of Verdigris, will see to it the tree is properly watered.

Let the Voters Decide

Yesterday, Judge Richard Mott denied the motion to dismiss the lawsuit challenging the decision to invalidate the petition to change Columbia County's form of government.

Today, representatives of the Hudson Charter Change initiative filed the required second petition to get the proposed change in Hudson government--from mayor/council to city manager/council--on the ballot in November.

Left to right: City clerk Lyric Falkner, Bob Rasner, Nick Haddad, Kristal Heinz, and Richard Wallace

The Hudson Charter Change initiative made this announcement:

A petition bearing the signatures of over 200 Hudson residents was filed with Hudson's City Clerk today, thus ensuring the Charter Change referendum will be on the November ballot.

New York State statute requires no fewer than 102 signatures on this petition. The campaign's adopted slogan, "Let the Voters Decide," will become a reality this fall when Hudson goes to the polls.

The referendum will ask voters to approve the following changes to City government:

Impose term limits of three, two-year terms for any elected city official
Reduce the Common Council to five total members: one member representing each ward (down from two), and a Council chairperson elected by his or her fellow members
Create the role of City Manager--retained under contract by the Common Council

Even after these changes, the City Charter requires a thorough review to ensure that it is best serving the interests of all Hudson's residents--a task that multiple candidates for Hudson Mayor have pledged to accomplish. The changes proposed in the referendum are designed to begin that process.

If the voters choose to approve the referendum this fall, it will take one election cycle--that is, two years--for the changes to take effect in 2028.

Ear to the Ground

Gossips has learned that Hudson Paws Dog Rescue will be at Waterfront Wednesdays tonight with pups looking for their forever homes. If you go down to Henry Hudson Riverfront Park tonight, you may just meet your new best friend.

News of the Youth Department

Yesterday, City Hall announced what may have seemed predictable when Liz Yorck resigned earlier this year: Calvin Lewis, who was assistant director and was serving as interim director, has been named Director of Youth. The following is the announcement that appeared on the City of Hudson website.

The City of Hudson has a new Director of Youth. We would like to officially congratulate Calvin Lewis Jr. on moving up from the Assistant Director of Youth position to the Director role. Born and raised in Hudson, Calvin was accepted to Siena College in 2008 where he majored in Sociology. It was there that Calvin discovered his passion for working with children and young people. He began mentoring young children from the Arbor Hill community in Albany and became a counselor for Siena College through the Higher Education Opportunity Program, beginning as an assistant counselor and working his way up to lead counselor. Calvin has been Assistant Director of Youth with the City of Hudson's Department of Youth for the last four years, under the direction of Liz Yorck, who recently left her position to go into childhood education. After conducting multiple interviews with highly qualified candidates, Calvin was selected, and we look forward to the energy and passion he brings to this new role.

In what seems to be a rather unfortunate coincidence, the Youth Department announced this morning on Facebook that all swim classes at Oakdale Lake have been canceled. The cancelation is attributed to "unforeseen circumstances," but no explanation of the nature of those circumstances was given.

Keeping Up with the Lawsuit

Earlier this month, legal action was filed against the Columbia County Board of Supervisors; Kelly Baccaro, the clerk of the Board of Supervisors; and the Columbia County Board of Elections for invalidating the petition seeking a referendum on creating the position of county executive. The respondents filed a motion to dismiss. Yesterday, the motion to dismiss was denied by Judge Richard Mott. Tiffany Greenwaldt-Simon has the story in today's Register-Star: "Columbia County executive lawsuit continues as judge denies dismissal."

Tuesday, July 22, 2025

News from HHA

Last night's meeting of the Hudson Housing Authority Board of Commissioners yielded a preview of what some of the new buildings being proposed in the redevelopment project may look like. The image below was identified as an "updated rendering" of the four townhouses to be constructed at the corner of Second and Columbia streets, on the site of what remains of the former community garden.

Of the four townhouses, all of which appear in the rendering to be the same size, two will have five bedrooms, one will have three bedrooms, and one will have two bedrooms.

In his report to the board, John Madeo from Mountco, HHA's development partner, told the board that the Common Council had passed a resolution in support of HHA's application for $3 million in funding from the Homes and Community Renewal Pro Housing program. He noted that the resolution had passed unanimously, something that had not happened before. (Madeo may have been referring to the failed resolution to support HHA's application for Restore New York funds in April 2024.) He noted that "Margaret and Jennifer" (referring to councilmembers Margaret Morris and Jennifer Belton) supported the application, adding, "They were pleased to see we've been responsive to some of the concerns."

Madeo went on to say that originally they had proposed buildings as high as seven stories and a total of 330 units in Phase 1 and Phase 2. Now all the buildings being proposed are four stories and the total number of units is 260 to 270. Madeo characterized the changes as a response to councilmembers' concerns about density. To this observer, however, the changes seem to be more the consequence of value engineering, attempting to bring down the cost of the project.

Photo: Hudson Common Sense

The findings of the borings done in May were also part of Madeo's report. The borings were done to determine both contamination and the condition of the soil. To address the contamination, HHA has applied for funding from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation's Brownfield Cleanup Program. Regarding the condition of the soil, Madeo reported there is extensive clay on the site, in some spots going down as far as 80 feet. Madeo assured the board, "There is no question that we can build on the site, there is no question that we can build, particularly the four-story wood frame buildings that we're proposing, but the issue is you have to have a subsurface design--foundation--that will work with the clay." Mountco engineers are now working on the design for the subsurface.

Madeo also reported on a conversation he and HHA executive director Jeffrey Dodson had with Mayor Kamal Johnson "maybe three weeks ago." In that conversation, according to Madeo, Johnson said he would try to get the State to allocate DRI funds to the HHA project. What DRI funds did he have in mind? The $150,000 designated for repurposing the "historic fishing village" as a city park? The $1 million meant for the Dunn Warehouse? Everything else has been spent.

In March, Dunn & Done LLC, the leaseholders for the Dunn Warehouse, who are taking on the restoration and adaptive reuse of the iconic building, submitted a letter to the Planning Board regarding Colarusso's application for a conditional use permit for its dock operations. That letter makes this statement--twice: "If the C.U.P. is granted without limitations, it is likely Dunn & Done LLC will not be able to move forward with the redevelopment due to the serious negative environmental, health, recreational, and economic impacts it presents to Hudson's residents and the waterfront." Can it be that Johnson thinks this might happen, hence freeing up $1 million which he thinks he can convince the State to redirect to the HHA project?

Toward the end of the meeting, Sara Black, who was recently appointed to the HHA Board of Commissioners, asked how tenants of the new buildings will be chosen. Phase 1 of the project will create 166 units, 110 of which would be occupied by current tenants. Tenants for the additional 56 units will be chosen in a lottery. Apparently, people now on the waiting list for Bliss Towers will be included in that lottery. Black expressed interest in having people "from here" be given priority.

The discussion provided clarification of the "mixed income" breakdown of the HHA redevelopment:

82 percent for incomes up to 50 percent of the area median income (AMI);
15 percent for incomes up to 60 percent of the AMI;
3 percent for incomes up to 80 percent of the AMI.

The video of the meeting can be viewed on YouTube by clicking here.

Of Interest

Look what just popped up on Facebook.

At its July 2 meeting, the Hudson Industrial Development Agency (IDA) discussed whether the process of renting the apartments in Hudson Depot Lofts was in compliance with the terms of the PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) agreement for the building. It was decided that Mike Tucker would contact Dan Kent to request an immediate written report on how the apartments are being marketed, and a special meeting of the IDA would be scheduled to investigate further if the process of leasing the apartments is in compliance with the PILOT agreement. So far, Gossips has no information about the written report or the special meeting.

Monday, July 21, 2025

To See Ourselves as Others See Us

This morning, Ann Cooper, of Columbia County Tourism, alerted me to this article, which appeared in a publication called World Day: "The Hudson Valley town locals don't want tourists to discover—5,619 residents guard America's most authentic arts renaissance." The title and the photograph accompanying the article (shown below) made me curious to know which Hudson Valley town was the subject of the article.

The article's opening clause made it clear the "Hudson Valley town" in question was in fact Hudson: "As I sat in Warren Street's Swoon Kitchenbar last September. . . ."

Reading the article is like slipping into another dimension. Who knew that Hudson River Heritage "works directly with local residents to maintain authentic character" or that "a genuine farm-to-table dinner costs $35 [in Hudson] not the $85 you'd pay 30 miles south"?

There are a few things in the article, however, you wish were true--for example, what is expressed in these paragraphs:

Hudson's residents aren't trying to keep their town secret—they're working to keep it authentic. In an era when every destination becomes an Instagram backdrop, Hudson's 5,619 residents have chosen a different path: sharing their cultural renaissance with visitors who understand that some treasures are worth protecting.

The invitation exists for those who approach with respect, patience, and genuine appreciation for what makes Hudson irreplaceable. But remember—you're not discovering Hudson. You're being trusted with it.

It makes us seem so united and purposeful. Would that it were.

Sidewalk Update

Hudson's Sidewalk Improvement District legislation was meant to improve the condition of the sidewalks throughout the city. An annual fee charged to all property owners, including the owners of properties otherwise tax exempt, would be amassed in a fund to be used for sidewalk repair and replacement. It has been predicted that the annual fee for most homeowners will be $100. The fee will not be levied or collected until 2026.

At the Public Works Board meeting last Thursday, Ryan Loucks, the engineer from Crawford & Associates who is consulting on the project, reported his calculation that the sidewalk assessments would yield $307,000 a year. How much sidewalk can be replaced with that amount has not yet been calculated.

Loucks is also working with Laberge, the City's grant consultants, on a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application for $1 million to be used for sidewalk improvement. On Tuesday, July 15, two days before the Public Works Board meeting, the Common Council tabled a resolution authorizing the mayor to submit a CDBG application because they didn't know what the City was applying for. Apparently, $1 million for the sidewalks is what the City will be applying for. It seems a little surprising that no one on the Council seemed to know that.

The next step for the Public Works Board is creating and prioritizing a list of properties with sidewalks that need replacement. Each of the five board members (Gary Purnhagen, Justin Weaver, David Marston, George Kroenert, and Tyler Kritzman) will take a ward for evaluation. The plan is to publish the findings for review by the community. The initial focus, however, will be on the sidewalks that connect key areas of service: