Another Opportunity to Serve

One of the agenda items for Thursday's meeting of the Hudson City School District Board of Education was filling the vacant seat resulting from the resignation of Calvin Lewis. Lewis, who has served on the Board of Education since 2022, resigned in August, soon after he became director of the Hudson Youth Department.

The BOE considered piggybacking an election to fill the vacant board seat with the vote on selling the vacant John L. Edwards school building to Pennrose, a vote that is expected to happen in late October, but it was concluded they could not "pair the two in a timely fashion," so a new school board member will be appointed by the board. Anyone wishing to be considered for the vacant board seat should submit a letter of interest to BOE chair Leslie Coons at hcsdboardclerk@hudsoncsd.org. Those expressing interest will be interviewed by the board. No timeline for the process has yet been made public, but anyone interested in being considered for the vacant board seat should probably submit a letter of interest as soon as possible.

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Update on the Wunderbar Fire

Roger Hannigan Gilson has an article about last week's fire in today's Times Union: "Cause of Hudson's Wunderbar blaze undetermined, fire chief says." 

Photo: Peter Meyer

Much of the information contained in the article has already been reported elsewhere, but Gilson's reporting does provide an answer to a question on many people's minds. The following is quoted from the article:

When asked if Wunderbar would reopen, [Lyle J. Lentz, the owner of Wunderbar] said he would "love to," but wasn't sure it was possible.

"It just depends on insurance, it depends--construction is very expensive these days, it depends on cost," he said. "But the first thing we have to do is secure it, and then demolish the burnt parts, and then put a wall and a roof on it--make a building again. That's where we're going to get to, and then we're going to figure out what the next step is after that."

Photo: Glenn Wheeler

Gilson reports that Rev, next door at 742 Warren Street, "fared far better." Its owner Jerry Leoni said the coffee shop suffered only smoke and water damage.

News of Mill Street

Last night, there was a special meeting of the Hudson City School District Board of Education. The most interesting thing that occurred at the meeting, which lasted less than half an hour, was not on the agenda. 

At the end of the meeting, during a public comment period, Mill Street residents Jack Hornickel and Josh Kipp appealed to the new board and the new interim superintendent to rescind the resolution the board passed on February 27, 2024, which nullified the reverter clause in the 1983 deed that conveyed what had been part of the Charles Williams School playground from the school district to the City of Hudson. That clause specified that if the land were to be used for any purpose other than a park or for recreation, ownership would revert back to the Hudson City School District. In exchange for negating the reverter clause, the City agreed to give the school district half the proceeds of the sale of the parcel to Kearney Realty. 

Photo: Lance Wheeler

Photo: Lance Wheeler

At the beginning of July 2025, a group identifying itself as Mill Street Neighbors filed a lawsuit alleging that the proposed sale of the parcel constituted an unlawful alienation of park land and that the Planning Board failed in their responsibility to give the project a serious review. The Hudson City School District and the HCSD Board of Education are among the respondents named in that legal action. 

More about the lawsuit can be found here. Hornickel and Kipp's comments to the school board can be heard here, beginning at 22:08.

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More News from HPD

This morning the Hudson Police Department issued this press release. The subject of the press release was one of the three people charged with the robbery of the DoorDash driver reported earlier this week.

The Hudson Police Department has made an arrest in connection with the June 30, 2025 incident involving a reported gunshot and suspicious activity near Front Street and Warren Street. 

In the early morning hours of Monday, June 30, 2025, Columbia County 911 received a report of a single gunshot heard in the vicinity of a local apartment complex. The call was transferred to the Hudson Police Department shortly before 1:00 AM. The caller reported seeing approximately five individuals in dark clothing engaging in a verbal altercation near a housing complex and a nearby business on North Front Street. 

Responding officers canvassed the area but found no evidence of a firearm or injuries at that time. However, during a follow-up investigation the following day, Hudson Police recovered one (1) expended 9mm shell casing near Columbia and Front Streets. The incident is currently believed to have been a targeted act. 

Arrest Information: On August 21, 2025, Jayden L. Morrison, 18, of Hudson, NY, was arrested pursuant to an active arrest warrant issued by the Hudson City Court. Morrison is charged with: 

• Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree - Class C 
• Felony Reckless Endangerment in the First Degree - Class D Felony 

Hudson Police identified Morrison as the suspected shooter following a thorough criminal investigation. The arrest warrant was applied for and executed without incident. Morrison was located and taken into custody in Valatie, NY, in connection with an unrelated matter.

Additionally, Morrison was recently arrested by the Hudson Police Department in relation to a robbery involving a delivery driver.

He was arraigned before the Honorable Judge Connor in Hudson City Court and remanded to the Columbia County Jail on bail set at: 

• $15,000 cash 
• $25,000 secured bond 
• $40,000 partially secured bond 

Morrison was scheduled to return to court on August 26, 2025. 

The Hudson Police Department continues to actively investigate this incident. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Hudson Police Department at (518) 828-3388, or provide anonymous tips via the tip line at (518) 828-9900.

ADUs in Hudson

On Tuesday, Mayor Kamal Johnson held a public hearing on the law passed by the Common Council which would amend the code to permit the creation of ADUs (accessory dwelling units) in all of the city's zoning districts. Presumably, after that public hearing, the mayor signed the legislation.

That same day, City Hall shared the news about RUPCO's current Columbia County Plus One ADU program, which offers grants of up to $112,500 to help eligible Columbia County homeowners create a code-compliant ADU.

To qualify for a grant, applicants must:

• own and live in the Columbia County property where the ADU will be built;
• demonstrate that the ADU project would not be financially possible without the grant;
• be open to exploring other funding or financing if the cost of the project exceeds $112,500;
• have a household income that falls below the established limits (for a two-person household, the limit is $108,200).

For more information about the program and to complete an application, click here.

The Review Continues

Last night's Planning Board meeting went on for more than three hours, with the only outcomes being a request for Colarusso to submit an updated site plan and landscaping plan and the decision to schedule another special meeting to discuss the Colarusso application on September 23. The entire three hours and nineteen minutes of the meeting can be viewed here. Meanwhile, Gossips will report some of the highlights.

The meeting began with Theresa Joyner, chair of the Planning Board, inviting the representatives of Colarusso--JR Heffner, vice president of operations, and attorney T. J. Ruane--to address the board. Remarkably, although not surprisingly, Heffner and Ruane opened by distributing before and after pictures of the repairs made to the dock, as if trying to minimize the scope of the review. Heffner stressed that the repair had been made to a "nonworking section of the dock." It was a question and the persistence of Planning Board member Gaby Hoffmann that clarified that the repair had triggered the need for a conditional use permit and a review of the entire dock operation.

Board member Randall Martin directed attention to truck volume, saying that the daily maximum of 284 trips from the quarry to the dock meant that a truck would be crossing the railroad tracks every two minutes. Sadly, the 284 cap on truck trips was something the Planning Board agreed to when they were reviewing the haul road, and Martin was serving on the Planning Board at that time. Martin maintained that the concern when reviewing the haul road was getting the trucks off city streets. Ruane told Martin, "The haul road application didn't assume that trucks would disappear at the end of the haul road." Martin replied, "I never envisioned it would be that number of trucks crossing the tracks and entering a recreational area." He went on to say, "That amount of traffic flies in the face of what the LWRP (Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan) envisioned."

Photo: Our Hudson Waterfront

Air quality and emissions from trucks, tugboats, and other equipment associated with the dock operation were also discussed. Hoffmann argued for a study to determine a baseline so it would be possible to see if the air quality changes. Hoffmann and Martin both expressed concerns about trucks idling while waiting for trains at the crossing. Hoffmann asked if the trucks turned off their engines while waiting for trains. Martin wanted to know many times there were multiple trucks idling while waiting for trains at the crossing. 

Two of the conditions proposed by the Hudson Riverfront Coalition (HRC) seemed not to get much traction. Regarding access to the 4.4 waterfront acres, which very likely still belong to the City of Hudson, Joyner declared, "We shouldn't get involved in that." Nevertheless, Planning Board attorney Victoria Polidoro pointed out that Ryan Weitz, the engineer from Barton & Loguidice who preceded Chris Bertram as consultant to the Planning Board, had created a site plan that showed how the 4.4 acres could be accessed, and an updated site plan that showed access to the 4.4 acres was requested from Colarusso last night. 

The HRC also suggested that pedestrians and bicyclists be allowed to use the haul road through South Bay, from Route 9G to Front Street, for recreational purposes during nonoperational hours. Citing liability issues, Ruane declared, "We are not going to agree to anything that will give access to South Bay."

To remind myself of the name of the Barton & Loguidice engineer who preceded Chris Bertram as a consultant to the Planning Board, I did a search on Gossips that led me to two posts written in 2017--eight years ago--one in April 2017, the other in September 2017. Rereading them was an interesting exercise which I recommend to others.

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Observed at Tonight's Planning Board Meeting

A week or so ago, Peter Spear, who was then still a candidate for mayor of Hudson, drew a comparison between the mayoral race in Hudson and the mayoral race in New York City: "The Spooky Similarities Between the Hudson & NYC Mayoral Race." Being compared to Eric Adams got our mayor's knickers in a twist, but Lloyd Koedding, the Republican candidate for mayor, seems to be embracing his comparison with Curtis Sliwa. Koedding showed up at the Planning Board meeting tonight wearing a red beret similar to the one worn regularly by Sliwa, the founder of the 1970s volunteer crime watch group the Guardian Angels, for whom red berets were part of the uniform.

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The Hazards of Being a DoorDash Driver

Earlier today, the Hudson Police Department issued this press release about a robbery that occurred last week.

On August 20, 2025, at approximately 12:40 a.m., the Hudson City Police Department (HPD) responded to a transferred Columbia County 911 call reporting a robbery in the area of Strawberry Alley. The victim, a DoorDash delivery driver, reported that while attempting to deliver food, he was approached by three male individuals who demanded his wallet and food order. 

During the incident, one of the suspects claimed to have a firearm; however, no weapon was displayed. Fearing for his safety, the victim complied and surrendered his iPhone, a sum of cash, and the food order. The victim was not physically injured. 

Following a swift and thorough investigation by HPD, in coordination with the Columbia County District Attorney's Office and the Columbia County Sheriff's Office, three suspects were identified and arrested: 

• Jayden L. Morrison, age 18 of Hudson, was arrested on August 21, 2025, and charged with Robbery in the Second Degree--Aided by Another (Class D Felony) and Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree (Class E Felony). Morrison was arraigned in Hudson City Court before the Hon. Judge Connor and remanded to the Columbia County Jail on $15,000 cash bail, $25,000 bond, or $40,000 partially secured bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for August 27, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. 
• Demetrius Mackey Jr., age 20 of Hudson, was arrested on August 22, 2025, on an arrest warrant for the same charges. He was arraigned before Hon. Judge Roberts and released on his own recognizance with a return date of September 11, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. A full stay-away Order of Protection was issued against him. 
• Thomas R. Franqueira III, age 18 of Hudson, was arrested on August 22, 2025, on an arrest warrant for the same charges. He was arraigned before Hon. Judge Roberts and released with a return date of September 11, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. A full stay-away Order of Protection was issued. 

A search warrant, signed by Columbia County Judge Herman, led to the recovery of the victim's stolen iPhone at a residence in Valatie, NY. 

Anyone with further information about this incident or other related matters is encouraged to contact the Hudson Police Department at (518) 828-3388.

The Circus Is Coming to Town!

Hudson has the amazing good fortune to have its own resident circus, the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, but on Labor Day, Monday, September 1, a different circus is coming to town: the Flotsam River Circus.

The Flotsam River Circus has performed in thirteen states and traveled more than 2,000 miles along the rivers of America since its creation in 2019. Its inaugural tour in 2019 was on the Willamette River in Oregon. In 2023, the circus traveled the upper Mississippi River, from Minneapolis to St. Louis. Last year, the troupe toured the Ohio River, from Pittsburgh to Paducah, Kentucky.

This year, the Flotsam River Circus is undertaking its Erie Canal and Hudson River Tour. The tour started in Buffalo on August 1 and will end in New York City on September 14. The entire schedule can be found here, but what is of most significance for us here in Hudson is that on September 1, Labor Day, at 6:30 p.m., the Fl0tsam River Circus will be performing at Henry Hudson Riverfront Park.

To learn more about the Flotsam River Circus, see this article which appeared in the Times Union: "Floating river circus to dock in Capital Region, Hudson Valley."

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Of Interest

As we know, Peter Spear has withdrawn from the race for mayor. Nevertheless, he is continuing his "Alley Chats" on Instagram. 

Today, Spear talked about the Planning Board and Theresa Joyner's ill-considered comments at the Planning Board's August 12 meeting, in which she cautioned the board about needing to "know who our public is" and made this observation: "You got people that have financial interest in something, and then you have people that really, you know, have a concern."

Spear's latest Instagram reel can be viewed here.

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An Interesting Development

On Instagram today, the Hudson/Catskill Housing Coalition called on the Planning Board to impose the conditions on Colarusso's dock operations that were proposed by the Hudson Riverfront Coalition, a group made up of the Hudson Sloop Club, Hudson Ferry Company, and the Schooner Apollonia.

The text accompanying HCHC's Instagram post reads:

Heavy industrial use and truck traffic on Hudson's waterfront are putting our health, safety, and future at risk, especially for residents of color who already face systemic inequalities and limited access to healthcare services.

Research shows that communities near industrial sites like Colarusso's face significantly higher levels of air pollution, increasing the risk of chronic health issues. Crumbling roads, unsafe walkways, and poor air quality are daily realities for Hudson residents. This is unacceptable.

We're calling on the Planning Commission to protect public health by adopting the Hudson Riverfront Coalition's set of conditions for Colarusso's industrial dock. Join us in the fight for a safer and healthier Hudson!

The Hudson Riverfront Coalition (HRC) submitted its recommendations for conditions to the Planning Board in May 2025. There are basically eight:

1. Limit hours of operation for truck traffic
2. Prohibit expansion of industrial material handling and processing
3. Prohibit hazardous or refuse materials
4. Secure public access or ownership of the 4.4-acre waterfront parcel
5. Permit non-operational hour access to the haul road for recreational use
6. Dust mitigation via vegetation buffer
7. Pave loading area to minimize airborne particulates
8. Replace inadequate culverts to restore tidal flow

The full proposal for the conditions submitted by HRC can be found here.

Most of the conditions suggested by HRC are the same as conditions suggested by Our Hudson Waterfront. (The conditions proposed by OHW can be found here.) One significant difference is that OHW asks for limits on the number of truck trips whereas HRC does not. 

One condition suggested by HRC that is not one of the conditions suggested by OHW is "public access or ownership of the 4.4-acre waterfront parcel." The long history of this parcel is told in this post from 2019: "Of the Planning Board and 4.4 Waterfront Acres." The relevant part begins with the fifth paragraph. Gossips reported three years ago that Paul Colarusso had acknowledged that the City owned the parcel: "About Those 4.4 Acres." Providing access to a  City-owned waterfront parcel should not be a very big deal.

The special meeting of the Planning Board to discuss Colarusso's application for a conditional use permit for its dock operations takes place tomorrow, Wednesday, August 27, at 6:30 p.m. in City Hall. The meeting will be livestreamed on YouTube. Click here and scroll down to find the link.

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Opinion: A Time to Listen, Not Dismiss

In June, Gossips published the link to an op-ed written by Hudson resident Ron Bogle, which had been published in Rural Intelligence: "The Cost of Getting It Wrong at the Hudson Waterfront." 

Today, in the runup to the special meeting of the Planning Board on Wednesday, which will be devoted to discussing Colarusso's application for a conditional use permit for its dock operations, Gossips has the good fortune of publishing a second opinion piece by Bogle.

Photo: Rich Volo

A Time to Listen, Not Dismiss

by Ron Bogle

As a resident of Hudson, I believe that our small city's greatest strength lies in its people. Over the past several months, residents have raised a wide range of concerns about the proposed expansion of industrial operations at the waterfront. Hundreds have expressed their concerns through letters, signatures on petitions, and comments in public meetings. All were united by a shared concern for the future of our community and waterfront. What we've witnessed is a passionate, informed, and civil exercise in local democracy. This is not just about one meeting or one application—it's about the future of our city and the kind of place we want to be.  

That’s why I was deeply troubled by comments made during the August 13 Planning Board meeting. In attempting to defend the integrity of the Board’s process, a troubling distinction was drawn between those who participate publicly and those deemed to have more “legitimate” concerns: “We do consider our public, but sometimes we have to know who our public is. Just because the loudest is always not the majority… You got people that have financial interest in something, and then you have people that really, you know, have a concern.” Earlier Board comments cautioned that members should base their decisions on facts rather than “personal opinion or outside influence.”

It is disturbing that the Planning Board seems to be dismissing the very community they are sworn to serve. Whether intended or not, such statements create a false—and deeply unfair—distinction between those who speak out and those whose concerns are supposedly more valid. In truth, the vast majority of those who have testified, written letters, or signed petitions have no financial stake in the outcome. What they have is a stake in Hudson—as parents, as neighbors, and as tax paying residents committed to responsible stewardship of our waterfront. After all, Colarusso has a financial stake in the outcome of this process—so, clearly, having a financial stake is not disqualifying.

These remarks suggest that some voices in our community are to be regarded as legitimate and others as illegitimate—a distinction that strikes at the very heart of the Board’s responsibilities. The job of a Planning Board is not to judge the worthiness of public input based on perceived motives but to ensure that all community voices are heard and respected. That is a commitment its members promised to uphold.

More importantly, the questions raised by the public do not exist in a vacuum. They are grounded in the legal obligations of the Planning Board itself. Hudson’s zoning code includes over 30 specific ordinances that must be applied to the conditional use permit application currently under consideration. These are not mere suggestions; they are the legal standards for consideration of all conditional use permits. The idea that public sentiment should be dismissed as “outside influence” ignores the fact that public concern and local law are aligned in this case. It is not enough to simply rely on consultants and attorneys. The Board has a duty to interpret the facts in light of the code and the long-term well-being of the city.

Any reasonable resident would agree that each Board member is responsible for making an informed, independent decision. But in the same spirit, it is also true that public participation—especially from those with historical or technical knowledge of the issues—should be treated as a resource, not a nuisance. We are not on opposite sides of the table. The Board and the public share a common goal: a healthy, vibrant, and lawfully governed waterfront that serves the whole city.

Indeed, a core purpose of any public hearing is to gather relevant information—especially from those with subject matter expertise. For example, during the reopened hearing, an internationally recognized expert in air quality measurement identified significant air quality risks around the waterfront area. This was not merely a personal opinion—it was a scientific observation supported by credible data and should prompt the Planning Board to require formal measurements before any decisions are made. This kind of expert input underscores the critical value of public comment and validates the hearing process itself.

It’s worth remembering that the original public hearing on the current application lasted a full year. The recent reopening lasted only two sessions—May 6 and July 15. At a minimum, the volume and substance of recent public input should warrant more—not less—engagement from the Board.

No one questions the difficulty of the task facing the Planning Board. But the question now is whether they will see the public as a partner in this work or as an obstacle to be managed. For the sake of Hudson’s future, I hope they choose partnership.

Bogle is the founder and CEO of the National Design Alliance. He is the former president of the American Architectural Foundation and a managing partner in the Mayors' Institute on City Design, in association with the National Endowment for the Arts and the United States Conference of Mayors. 

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Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead

Summer doesn't actually end until September 22, but it's hard not to think that summer is over when August ends, and the last day of August is just a week away. In the waning days of summer, here is what's happening.

• On Tuesday, August 26, there are two public hearings, both of which take place in person only at City Hall.
• At 4:00 p.m., Mayor Kamal Johnson holds a public hearing on the proposed local law amending the code to allow the construction of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in every zoning district in Hudson.
• At 6:00 p.m., the Common Council holds a public hearing on the City's application for $1 million in CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) funding for sidewalk improvements. 
• On Wednesday, August 27, the Planning Board holds a special meeting at 6:30 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss Colarusso's application for a conditional use permit for its dock operations. The meeting will be open to the public, but members of the public will not be allowed to speak. The meeting takes place in person only at City Hall. The meeting will also be livestreamed. Click here to find the link to view the livestream.  

• Wednesday, August 27, is opening day for the Columbia County Fair. The fair runs through Labor Day, Monday, September 1. For information about the fair and the daily schedule, click here.

• On Thursday, August 28, 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.
• On Saturday, August 30, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., the City of Hudson holds an Electronics Recycling Event, for city residents only, at 6 Dock Street. Click here for more information.

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A Tribute and Some Recent History

This morning, Gossips received the following comment from Neal Van Deusen. Van Deusen, who celebrated his 50th anniversary as a member of the J. W. Edmonds Hose Co. No. 1 in 2022, currently serves on the Board of Directors of the FASNY Museum of Firefighting. With his permission, I share his comment here.

Yesterday's fire at 742-746 Warren Street has drawn much attention from media in the area. The fire in three connected wooden buildings had the potential to consume other property if not for the excellent job done by the City of Hudson's ALL VOLUNTEER fire department and the various mutual aid departments that responded to the call.

Many of the 400+ fire calls HFD responds to annually are on Warren Street, with some of them being actual fires that are quickly extinguished by HFD.

The aggressive and professional approach by our volunteers has saved numerous properties from more serious damage over the years.

This being said, the last major fire on Warren Street that severely damaged multiple buildings was on Sunday, February 25, 1990, when "Charlie's Corner" at 5th & Warren streets burned. The day before the temperature in Hudson was unseasonably warm with temperatures near 60. However on Sunday the temperatures dropped to single digits with strong winds coming out of the northwest.

The severe winds hampered firefighters who also had to deal with dropped ceilings and other voids in the walls and ceilings of the structures involved.

Photo courtesy Neal Van Deusen

Photo courtesy Neal Van Deusen

Photo courtesy Neal Van Deusen

We should all be thankful and proud of our firefighters who have been serving the City of Hudson since 1794.

Peter Spear Elaborates

On Tuesday, Peter Spear announced that he was withdrawing from the race for mayor of Hudson. Since then, he has released a statement that explains further why he made the decision to withdraw. That statement can be found here. It also appears below.

Until Wednesday, I was an independent candidate in this year's Hudson mayoral election.

I entered the race because I love Hudson and I think we desperately need change in City Hall. I withdrew from the race for the same reasons.

Over the last few weeks, it became clear that my candidacy might split the vote for change, and that the best way to achieve change was to throw my support, and hopefully my supporters, behind Joe Ferris in his effort to unseat Mayor Johnson.

I don't regret running, or for ending my campaign, which had nothing to do with the criticism I received during it. I wouldn't have run if I was not prepared for it.

More important, we have real problems in Hudson--housing, affordability, budget, schools, etc.--and we have not solved them, and will not solve them with Mayor Johnson, or his type of politics.

Up to the very end of my campaign, Johnson made clear that he would seize on anything to avoid talking about his record, and the serious ethical questions around it.

I'm speaking here of his move into housing provided by Galvan--the city's largest developer--without disclosing the details of that arrangement, then using his office to lobby the Common Council for Galvan's Depot District development.

The mayor supported Galvan's effort to secure over $6 million dollars in tax breaks to build "affordable housing," which Galvan used to build luxury apartments, almost exclusively.

Yet, he still calls himself the "housing mayor" and he still defends the project and the company.

The real tragedy of all of this is the wasted opportunity--money intended for the people who need it most, going instead to a billionaire developer.

I know that my neighbors love Hudson too, want to do the work of repair and address inequity in our community. This is what I thought I had voted for when I first voted for Mayor Johnson, but I've been proven wrong.

This year will be the first time I will not be voting for Kamal Johnson.

I will be voting for Joe Ferris.

Please join me.

Surveying Damage

Glenn Wheeler observed by drone the aftermath of the fire at 744 Warren Street. His survey of the damage has been published on YouTube and can be viewed here.

A report about the fire appears in the Register-Star: "Hudson fire guts parts of Wunderbar Bistro, adjacent building." The article reports that one firefighter went missing when a floor collapsed at 744 Warren Street, but he was located quickly and brought out uninjured. Hudson Fire Chief Shawn Hoffman is quoted in the article making this overall assessment of the fire: "It could have been a lot worse. Thankfully, a bigger fire like this, to have no injuries . . . you couldn't ask for a better outcome when it comes to injuries and life safety."

The Hudson Fire Department's own report about the fire can be found on the department's Facebook page.

The Latest Word on the Fire

Lance Wheeler has a report on the fire at 744 Warren Street this morning, which apparently was burning for quite a while before it was noticed and firefighters were called. As Fire Commissioner Timothy Hutchings describes the situation in the video, "It was well ahead of us." 

Wheeler's report from the scene can be viewed here. 

Fire on Upper Warren Street

There was a four alarm fire this morning at 744 Warren Street, the building where Wunderbar is located. First reports of the fire were received around 7:45 a.m. These photographs were submitted to Gossips by readers.

Photo: Peter Meyer

Photo: Virginia Martin

Photo: Virginia Martin

Approaching the Haul Road

Today, on Route 9G, truck crossing signs, with lights, were installed to warn drivers that they were approaching the point where heavy trucks might be crossing the road. 

Presumably something triggers the lights to start flashing when a gravel truck on the haul road is approaching the highway.

Unfortunately, for drivers heading north on Route 9G, the signage warning of trucks is obscured by the sign announcing they are entering the City of Hudson.

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Seven Years of Talk About JLE

Since 2018, there have been a lot of plans discussed (and to some extent pursued) for the former John L. Edwards (JLE) school building. First, Columbia County considered taking it over, as it had so many other abandoned school buildings in the past, but that plan seemed dependent on the City of Hudson collaborating and occupying part of the building, but it was determined the space to be allocated to the City was inadequate for the City's needs. 

Next, there was the plan for the City of Hudson to take over the entire building, moving all city offices and the Youth Center there, to turn the building into a kind of "civic center." A feasibility study was commissioned, but, in the end, the plan was abandoned because, it seems, the kids who frequent the Youth Center were not comfortable with the idea of sharing space with elected officials and the people who come to City Hall for meetings and services.

And then there was Adirondack Community Development, which wanted to use the building for housing. The first plan from Adirondack involved adding a five-story addition to the building. That plan later changed to demolishing the former school building and constructing something new in its footprint. In the end, Adirondack dropped out, and neither plan was pursued.  

In 2023, Hudson Development Corporation (HDC) announced its interest in redeveloping the building as a kind of community center to be known as "Hudson Hub." There was talk of community college courses being taught there and the Culinary Institute of America offering courses in a commercial kitchen, as well as the possibility of moving City Hall, the Senior Center, and the Youth Center to the building. After several months of due diligence, HDC abandoned the project, citing serious defects and problems with the building, which were attributed to poor stewardship.

It seems now, however, that the plan being proposed by Pennrose Bricks & Mortar to repurpose the building as affordable housing for seniors is actually moving forward. 

At the regular meeting of the Common Council on Tuesday, August 19, the Common Council began the process of amending the zoning to allow a multi-family dwelling to exist in that location; declared itself lead agency in the SEQR (State Environmental Quality Review) process and made a negative declaration; and authorized letters of support for the project to be submitted to NYS Homes and Community Renewal.

At its meeting, which also took place on Tuesday, August 19, the Hudson City School District Board of Education agreed to schedule a vote on the sale of the JLE building for sometime during the last week in October.

 

At a special meeting yesterday morning, the Hudson Industrial Development Agency (IDA) agreed to schedule a public hearing on the project's request for a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) to take place on Tuesday, September 2, at 9:30 a.m. The financial analysis being done by BJH Advisors is expected to be completed by next week. That study will be made available to the public prior to the public hearing.

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Hudson on WAMC

The state of our mayoral race has gotten the attention of WAMC. Last evening, Jesse King, the station's Hudson Valley bureau chief, did a report on the most recent development: "Hudson mayoral race shrinks after Spear drops out." That story can be heard here.

Of Interest

Yesterday, Peter Spear announced that he was abandoning his run for mayor. Three days earlier, on Saturday, August 16, when he was still very much a candidate, Spear held his second "Neighbors" event, a public conversation about Hudson, this time with Nicole Vidor. The event was recorded by Karl Frederick Mattson of 542films. That video can now be viewed here.

Spear planned to do two more "Neighbors" events before the November election: in September with Quintin Cross; in October with former mayor Tiffany Martin. Presumably, neither of those conversations will happen now that he has withdrawn from the mayoral race.

Thinking About Trees

In the past week, two comments on this blog have expressed the need for more trees and greenery. One of the comments called for a "comprehensive plan that includes and enforces that all new or updated developments meet some criteria of landscape plantings--trees, perennials."

Green Street in the late 19th century

Given the ever rising summer temperatures, as a consequence of climate change, having treelined streets, such as existed in Hudson in the 19th and early 20th centuries, is desirable. Trees can lower temperatures by 10 degrees or more. Unfortunately today, there are very few streets in Hudson that could be described as "treelined."    

Since 2021, the Conservation Advisory Council has been planting street trees in Hudson. The trees they plant come from a list of recommended species, chosen because they have deep root structures and are not low-branching or weeping in form, but primarily because they are native to this part of the country.

An article that appeared last week in the Times Union suggests a tree the CAC might want to add to their list of recommended species: "Pawpaws to the rescue: UAlbany planting trees to reduce heat on city sidewalks." The pawpaw, which is native to North America but is better known in the South, is more heat-resilient than the native species common in the North. So far, students at UAlbany have planted 200 pawpaw trees along South Pearl Street in Albany.

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