Looking Ahead to August

On the first weekend of August, the Hudson Film Festival returns for its fourth season of showcasing diverse and award-winning films. The 2026 lineup expands programming for youth education, short films, events, and special presentations, with a total of twenty-five films and a presentation of preserved video art from XFR Collective's "Monday/Wednesday/Friday" archival tape collection (1980-1985). The festival returns to venue partners Hudson Hall, Time & Space Limited, Basilica Hudson, and The Spark of Hudson, along with screening technical partner Story Screen. In 2026, there are also new venue partners: Community Theater and Avalon Lounge in Catskill.

The festival runs from Thursday, August 6, through Sunday, August 8. Special events include the Opening Night Party on Thursday, August 6, at Basilica Hudson, and parties on Friday, August 7, at Avalon Lounge and on Saturday, August 8, at Basilica Hudson. 

Visit hudsonfilmfestival.org for a complete schedule of screenings and events and to purchase tickets.

Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead

With the Fourth of July behind us, here's what is happening in this post-holiday week.

• On Monday, July 6, the Common Council Safety Committee (Police and Fire) meets at 5:30 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Teams. Click here to join the meeting remotely.
• On Tuesday, July 7, the Conservation Advisory Council meets at 6:00 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.
• On Wednesday, July 8, the Housing Trust Fund Board meets at 5:30 p.m. It's been three months since the board has met, and this will be the first meeting since new members were named to the board. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.
• Also on Wednesday, July 8, the seven-week run of Waterfront Wednesdays begins at Henry Hudson Riverfront Park. The event, which features boating excursions, live entertainment, fishing lessons for kids, and food vendors, happens from 4:00 to 9:00 p.m.

• On Thursday, July 9, the Common Council Legal Committee meets at 6:00 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Teams. Click here to join the meeting remotely.
• On Friday, July 10, the Historic Preservation Commission meets at 10:00 a.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.
• Also on Friday, July 10, Hudson Development Corporation, in collaboration with Story Screen, presents Community Movie Night at Henry Hudson Riverfront Park. The movie to be shown is the 1976 remake of King Kong, starring Jeff Bridges, Charles Grodin, and Jessica Lange. There will be free popcorn as well as food and drink offered by local vendors. The festivities begin at 5:00 p.m. The movie will be screened at 8:00 p.m. For more information, click here.

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News of the Day

The following was reported an hour ago on the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater Facebook page:

Clearwater was removed from the Sail4th 250 Parade of Sail by the USCG and escorted out of the Exclusion Zone by the US Coast Guard, US Navy, and NYPD.

Captain Rory Kane inquired why, and was informed the removal was due to the presence of banners reading: "Save the Clean Water Act" and "Indigenous Rights, Racial Justice, Climate Solutions."

A representative from Sail4th 250 informed the Captain the decision was "above them."

The sloop has a long and storied history of using the mains'l to share messages of hope and advocacy.

The Clearwater will continue sailing south of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge until 3 p.m. and has 29 passengers and 19 crew aboard. . . .

Addendum: By comparison, Newsweek and other sources are reporting that a large group of masked members of Patriot Front, a white nationalist organization, marched through Washington, D.C., today, reportedly calling for the expulsion of immigrants.

Photo: Occupy Demorcrats | Facebook

They paraded through the streets unimpeded by the police. The Newsweek article includes the following quote from a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police Department: "MPD recognizes the rights of individuals to peacefully express their views and remains committed to maintaining public safety and security for DC residents and visitors."

Update: You can read a fuller account of what happened to Clearwater in the Highlands Current: "Coast Guard Expels Clearwater from July 4th Flotilla."

July 4, 2026

On this the 250th anniversary of the creation of our country, I share the link to a post by Michael Saltz: "We the People." It is recommended reading.

Photo from Anthony Garand vid Unsplash

A Primer on PILOTs

On Wednesday, the Columbia County Industrial Development Agency published a new information packet about PILOTs (payments in lieu of taxes) and other tax abatements: Applying for Economic Development Incentives: A Business Applicant's Guide. The publication is meant for businesses looking to locate in Columbia County, but the information it contains is helpful for anyone wanting to understand the process.

Housing Issue in Philmont

This evening, Gossips received the following press release from the Hudson Catskill Housing Coalition (HCHC) regarding an apartment building on Main Street in Philmont known as Richardson Hall. The building is/was owned by the Galvan Foundation and is presumably one of the properties in Columbia County being conveyed to Bard College. 

The Hudson Catskill Housing Coalition (HCHC) is calling for immediate action after learning that Richardson Hall, a Galvan/Bard housing project in Philmont long known as senior housing, has been evacuated.

Residents, many of whom are seniors and people with disabilities, have now been placed at the Churchtown Firehouse. For years, residents have complained about conditions at Richardson Hall, just as many tenants across Columbia County have complained about having to rent from Galvan-controlled housing.

This crisis did not happen overnight. The evacuation of Richardson Hall raises serious questions about Galvan's responsibility, but it also raises questions about Columbia County's role, oversight, and absence when it comes to housing.

"Residents should not have to wait until a building is evacuated before their complaints are taken seriously," said Shirle Cross, Co-Founder and Board Chair of HCHC. "These are seniors and people with disabilities. They deserved safe, stable, accessible housing long before they were forced into an emergency shelter situation."

HCHC has attempted to reach out to Galvan regarding these concerns. We have also regularly asked our state partners to hold a public town hall meeting with the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) so tenants and community members can speak directly about unsafe housing, tenant protections, housing discrimination, and the lack of accountability in Columbia County.

The evacuation of Richardson Hall shows exactly why that kind of public meeting is urgently needed.

"We need more than private conversations and closed-door decisions," said Shirle Cross. "Residents deserve answers. The public deserves answers. Galvan must be held accountable, and Columbia County must explain where it has been."

HCHC is calling on the Columbia County Board of Supervisors, state officials, federal officils, and housing agencies to act immediately.

We are demanding:

• Safe and accessible temporary housing for all displaced Richardson Hall residents.
• A clear plan for permanent housing that does not further harm or displace residents.
• A public review of Galvan's role in the conditions at Richardson Hall.
• A public explanation from Columbia County about what oversight took place and what complaints were received.
• A review of the County's fair housing responsibilities, including the role of the Fair Housing Officer.
• A public town hall with NYS DHCR and state partners focused on unsafe housing, tenant protections, fair housing, and accountability.
• Protection for residents from retaliation for speaking out.

Columbia County cannot continue to be absent when it comes to housing, especially when seniors, people with disabilities, low-income tenants, and other vulnerable residents are the ones being harmed.

From an HCHC lens, housing is not just about buildings. Housing is about health, safety, dignity, civil rights, and whether people can remain in their communities without being ignored or pushed aside.

"The County must stop acting like housing is someone else's problem," said Shirle Cross. "When seniors and people with disabilities end up in a firehouse because their building has been evacuated, that is not only a landlord problem. That is a public failure."

HCHC stands with the residents of Richardson Hall and calls for immediate action, public accountability, and long-term housing solutions rooted in fairness, safety, and dignity.

The press release does not explain why the tenants were evacuated or what problems existed in the building prior to today, but given that we are in the middle of a heat wave, it's not unreasonable to suspect that a failure of the air-conditioning system necessitated moving the tenants to the Churchtown Firehouse.

UPDATE: According to an article that appeared in the Register-Star today, July 3, what forced people to evacuate Richardson Hall yesterday was a water main break: "Philmont water main break forces dozens of seniors from homes."

News from City Hall

Presumably City Hall is open and functioning today, but it will be closed again tomorrow, as will the Code Enforcement Office at the Central Fire Station. Here's the word.

All City offices will be closed Friday, July 3rd, in observance of Independence Day. We wish you a very happy and safe holiday weekend!

Cidiot Guide to Columbia County

Mat Zucker just released a new episode of his popular podcast Cidiot. Titled "Summer Like a Local," it's intended for visitors to Columbia County (Zucker partnered with Columbia County Tourism on this episode), but it's is also a useful reminder to us locals of all the amazing things life in Columbia County provides. 

Read about the new episode here: "Cidiot Podcast Partners with Columbia Tourism Board for Summer Visitors." Listen to the new episode here.

Mill Street Neighborhood Responds

Last week, it was revealed that, unbeknownst to the Common Council and to the public in general, Mayor Joseph Ferris amended the terms of the agreement to sell two City-owned parcels to Kearney Realty & Development Group. According to the original agreement, the closing needed to take place on or before May 3, 2026. The amendment to the agreement, signed on May 20, 2026, changes the date of closing from a fixed date to an open-ended one: "thirty (30) days after the Seller has discontinued all pending actions/proceedings relating to the ability of the Seller to convey title to the Property."

As soon as the information about the amendment went public at the Common Council meeting last Tuesday, Ferris issued a statement explaining why this action was taken. Gossips has published that statement twice, here and here. 

Today, the residents of Mill Street issued their own statement, responding to Ferris. The statement, which was published on the Mill Street Neighborhood website, is reproduced below.

Late last week, Mayor Ferris gave a statement explaining his decision to extend the City’s contract with the Kearney Group. Our neighborhood would like to respond to falsehoods in his statement and set a few facts straight about our litigation. 

As a reminder, the Mill Street Lofts is a proposed apartment complex six times the size of our entire neighborhood. It would be built on public parkland, in violation of state law, on a parcel that regularly and severely floods. Those are only the headlines in a long list of design failures that our neighbors pointed out to the Planning Board and the Common Council for over a year. Both boards chose to ignore the red flags in order to push the project through at then-Mayor Kamal’s urging. The process was so clearly stacked that three of our own city representatives encouraged us to file a lawsuit. Mr. Ferris gave a written statement of support as we prepared to file the suit, joined us for a neighborhood organizing meeting, and publicly stated his opposition to the project on his campaign trail. 

But in his public statement last week, Mr. Ferris shows that not only has he reversed his opposition to the project, he is willing to collaborate with the developer behind closed doors and lie about it. 

Mr. Ferris’s statement includes the following falsehoods: 

“[I am] doing everything in my power to avoid unnecessary and expensive legal actions whose cost will be borne by the taxpayers.” 

“The contract closing date was not extended.” 

“The City of Hudson cannot unilaterally cancel the contract.” 

“Much of this was discussed at a March 6 meeting attended by myself, Council President Morris, Mill Street petitioners, and the respective legal representatives.” 

Let’s start with the Mayor’s statement about March 6th. On that date, our neighborhood enthusiastically offered to cooperate with the newly elected administration on settling the case, explicitly to stop wasting city funds. We asked that the new mayor recognize the 40 pages of municipal documents acknowledging the parcel as parkland, so as not to waste taxpayer dollars waiting for a judge to recognize what the city record already plainly shows. In that same meeting, we had our attorney explain that the City can choose to exit their contract with the Kearney group at any time, without penalty, and that city governments are very rarely held liable for doing so. 

The Mayor said all of two sentences in that meeting, namely, “I’m Joe Ferris the Mayor and I’m just here to listen,” and “Thank you everyone for your time.” It is a complete fabrication that anyone--our neighborhood, or Council President Morris--were clued in on the Mayor’s actual intention to singlehandedly extend the developer’s contract once it expired. No other strategies to resolve the case were offered. No one from City government responded to our settlement offer in any way. 

That alone should clarify that the Mayor is not “avoiding unnecessary and expensive legal actions.” In fact, the City’s next move after our meeting was to pursue an unnecessary additional legal step, a Motion to Dismiss, that delayed the judge’s ruling by months. This wasteful attempt to throw out our case was rejected by the judge on every point. (You can read the judge’s opinion here). 

When Mayor Ferris says, “the contract closing date was not extended,” is Mayor Ferris playing word games, or does he not understand the impact of the document he signed? The contract had a clear closing date (May 3rd, 2026), after which the City administration could exit or declare a default. Instead, he collaborated with the developer on an amendment that has no predictable end date at all. 

But the amendment does more damage than keeping the Mill Street Lofts project on lifeline. Mayor Ferris bargained away the City’s leverage over its real estate in exchange for nothing. The extension ignores that the Kearney Group completely abandoned work on the State Street apartments and Rossman Avenue townhouses that are bound up in the same contract and promised in their original proposal. He signed the amendment without any public process and kept it out of the public record until Council President Morris formally requested it 6 weeks later. When Carla Sadoff, candidate for 4th Ward supervisor, asked if he had amended the contract at his town hall on May 18th, he dodged the question and feigned ignorance. All this from the Mayor that ran on government transparency and accountability! 

There is one sentence in the Mayor’s statement that does ring true, and that is, “it was necessary to execute the amendment to maintain the status quo.” For over a year, the City has been indefinitely bound to an underperforming developer with a terrible plan for our neighborhood, with the City and the neighborhood footing legal bills while we wait for a judge to explain the obvious. Mayor Ferris is 100% correct that he took the action that would be most likely to maintain that status quo. 

Mayor Ferris: This is not what you were elected for. Your obligations are to your constituents and to legal process, not to protect the interests of an outside developer. We demand that you honor your campaign promises to our neighborhood to extract the City from this deeply flawed project, and terminate or relocate the Mill Street Lofts deal.

City Hall Closed Today

Gossips just received the following information:

City Hall has no internet access due to last night's storm. As a result, City employees cannot access any systems and there is no phone service. Given these limitations, City Hall will be closed today. City employees will be working from home to whatever extent possible given the ongoing power and internet outages. If you need to reach us immediately, please leave a voicemail for the appropriate person as each voicemail transcript is sent in real time via email to the recipient.

We appreciate your patience and understanding.

Welcome to July

Starting tomorrow, the next several days are predicted to be brutally hot, with Thursday being the worst and with no real relief expected until next Monday. Today, the City Hall announced the opening of a cooling station.

The Hudson cooling station, located in the community space at the Central Fire Station at 77 North 7th Street, is opening tomorrow (please use the Washington Street entrance). Hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Cold water will be available in the refrigerator and bathrooms will be open. Feel free to reach out to the Mayor's office at (518) 828-7217 with any questions.

Please share this information with your fellow community members, and stay safe and hydrated during the upcoming heatwave.

UPDATE: Gossips has learned that dogs will be allowed at the cooling station. If you need to go to the Central Fire Station to escape the heat, you won't have to leave your dog behind. 

Graduation Rates: HCSD and Elsewhere

The commencement speaker at Hudson High School graduation last week was former superintendent of schools Maria Suttmeier. In introducing Suttmeier, Phillip Campbell, associate principal at Hudson High, noted that during her tenure as superintendent (2012 to 2022) the graduation rate rose from 58 percent to 89 percent. It was not revealed in what year 89 percent was achieved, but since then things seem not to be going as well.

Screen capture: Hudson High School Graduation 2026 | Lance Wheeler

The Register-Star today published an overview of school performance in the region, as measured by graduation rate: "Capital Region graduation rates are a tale of two realities." The article focuses on Gloversville, which of all the districts in the region had the highest dropout rate in 2025: 21 percent. 

Hudson, which is characterized in the article as one of the "former Rust Belt cities," is also mentioned:

. . . the economically challenged Hudson City School District in the upper Hudson Valley has seen its numbers generally worsen over the past decade--from a graduation rate of 77% and a dropout rate of 11% in 2015 to a lowly 67% grad rate and a 16% dropout rate in 2025, according to state data.

The article does indicate there are schools in "economically challenged urban districts" where graduation rates have improved in the past ten years:

In Albany, the grad rate improved from 57% in 2025 to 75% last year, according to state records. At the same time, the dropout rate was cut in half, from 20% in 2015 to 10% in 2025. Similarly, Schenectady's graduation rate jumped from 59% to 73% while its dropout rate dropped from 20% to 10%--an especially encouraging development for officials in a district that grappled with a dropout rate of over 30% as recently as 2011.

Data for 2026 is not yet available. 

Observing the Nation's 250th in Newburgh

The juxtaposition of these events seems bitterly ironic and somehow emblematic of the larger context in which our country observes its 250th anniversary.

Washington's Headquarters State Historic Site is located Newburgh. It is the house where Washington lived and worked during the final sixteen months of the Revolutionary War. Washington's Headquarters is also the country's first publicly owned historic site, acquired by the State of New York in 1850 and opened to the public on July 4 of that year.

It is for good reason then that Washington's Headquarters is the focal point of Newburgh's Fourth of July celebration for the Semiquincentennial, the details of which are described by Secret NYC: "Less than 2 hours from NYC: this historic Hudson Valley small town is transforming its waterfront into a sprawling Revolutionary craft beverage trail for the July 4th weekend."

Photo: Michael Goldin | Secret NYC

In sad contrast to the plans for Washington's Headquarters and the Newburgh waterfront for the upcoming weekend, Hudson Valley Post reported this morning that in the wee hours of Saturday morning "gunfire erupted . . . right across from George Washington's historic headquarters": "Historic Area in Hudson Valley Now a Huge Crime Scene." 

Photo: Rockland Video | Hudson Valley Post

We trust the yellow police tape and evidence markers will be gone before Saturday.
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News of Sidewalks

Under the new Sidewalk Improvement District legislation, the City will collect about $315,000 annually in sidewalk fees from property owners. That money is earmarked to be spent on sidewalk repairs and replacement. At the Public Works Board meeting last Monday, Tyler Kritzman, Commission of Public Works, shared the list of parcels that have been identified for sidewalk replacement this year. 

• Two parcels on the west side of North Fifth Street between Warren and Columbia streets
• One parcel on the east side of North Fifth Street between Columbia Street and Long Alley
• Two parcels on the east side of South Third Street between Warren and Union streets
• Four parcels on both sides of North Fifth Street between State and Columbia streets
• Two parcels on the west side of North Sixth Street between State and Prospect streets

In addition to these eleven spots, Kritzman identified two alternative sites: the west side of South Fifth Street between Warren and Union; and the west side of South Third Street between Union and Partition. 

There are still several steps before any work can commence. First, a map showing the parcels in question must be created and submitted to the Common Council for approval. Next, the City needs to issue an RFP (request for proposal) for the work. Then, a contractor must be chosen to do the work. Finally, the work needs to be carried out before the temperatures fall below the optimal range for pouring concrete--50 to 80 degrees.

At this rate, it seems it will take many years before Hudson's sidewalks are universally ADA compliant.

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The Bear Is Still Out There

The bear that appeared yesterday on North Fifth Street and was guided into the woods by the police is still hanging out in the city. This morning the bear was sighted in the area of Paddock Place and Oakwood Boulevard. The picture below was posted on the "Unfiltered Hudson" Facebook page just minutes ago.

Photo: Theresa Nicholson | Facebook

Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead

In this week, which sees the end of June and the beginning of July and culminates in Independence Day, not much is happening in Hudson--either in terms of meetings or the observance of the country's semiquincentennial. 

• On Wednesday, July 1, Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency meets at 6:00 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely. 

Update: Because the internet is out at City Hall, as a result of last night's storm, and the meeting cannot be a hybrid, the HCDPA meeting was been canceled.

• On Thursday, July 2, the Common Council Services Committee (Youth Department and Senior Center) meets at 5:30 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Teams. Click here to join the meeting remotely.
• Saturday is the Fourth of July. As is usual for Hudson, there are no observances of the holiday planned, but if you seek fireworks, Chronogram has published a comprehensive list of all the places where there will be fireworks: "Where to Watch Fireworks in the Hudson Valley This 4th of July."   

Fireworks in Poughkeepsie. Photo: Mid-Hudson Discovery Museum | Facebook

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Beware. There's a Bear in Town

Shortly before 9:00 p.m., the Hudson Police Department reported on Facebook they had successfully guided a bear seen on North Fifth Street into a wooded area near Underhill Pond.

If you live in the part of the city, keep your eye out for a bear.

Galvan Hotel Back Before the HPC

Over the course of several months in 2022 and 2023, Walter Chatham, representing the Galvan Foundation, appeared before the Historic Preservation Commission with the plans to convert the buildings at the corner of Warren and North Fourth streets into a hotel. During the course of the review, the design for hotel evolved from something rather fanciful to something more respectful of the buildings' original architectural design.

The buildings and the future hotel are some of the few properties Galvan is not giving to Bard College.

Yesterday, Joshua Moon, representing Galvan, was back before the HPC seeking a certificate of appropriateness to install awnings on the building. The awnings over the entrances would be fixed; the awnings over the windows would be retractable. These mocked-up photographs were presented to illustrate what was being proposed.

Moon told the HPC that the fixed awnings over the entrances would project six feet from the building. When the retractable awnings over the windows were extended, they would protect eight feet from the building, which means they would extend beyond the sidewalk.

In the discussion of the awnings, HPC member Miranda Barry reminded her colleagues, "Generally, we have approved awnings on the theory they are removable." 

In the end, the HPC decided they needed more information and visuals that showed what the building would look like with the awnings extended.  

Awnings on buildings were common in the 19th and early 20th centuries . . . 

but somehow the awnings proposed for the future Hudson Public Hotel seem inappropriately modern-looking.

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Abandoned on Warren Street

Built between 1867 and 1869 as the Universalist Church and housing the United Methodist Church for much of the 20th century, the church building at 448 Warren Street was the subject today of a Facebook post by The Hudson Valley Explorer, who speculates of the building, "It might just be one big birdhouse at this point."

The building is owned by a limited liability corporation called Otera. Many of us know the human behind that LLC is the artist David Hammons. The building was purchased in March 2014, and, in September 2014, what was described as a "complete and accurate restoration" of the building commenced. The brick 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. The restoration was promised to be "absolutely in kind."

The last work done on the building happened in 2016, when the missing steeple, which had been purposely removed in 1971 out of concern about liability should the steeple topple in a storm, as others in the city had, was replaced with a simple cap.

For the past ten years, the building was been abandoned and neglected. Currently, $359,763.89 is owed in back taxes and penalties. The building is on the delinquent tax list and scheduled for foreclosure.

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Moving On From Disaster

We all remember the devastating fire at Wunderbar that happened last year on the morning of Saturday, August 23. 

Photo: Peter Meyer

In February, Wunderbar reopened in Rhinebeck. Earlier this week, a "For Sale" sign appeared on the building at 744 Warren Street.

Photo: Virginia Martin

The current state of the building, constructed circa 1908 and known as the Bellwether Building, is described in this way: "Structurally sound and now at a complete reset, the building stands ready for its next chapter: historic facade intact, original staircase preserved, and every square foot open to whatever its next owner envisions. . . . Following a fire in 2025 and subsequent gut renovation, the ground floor is an open canvas."

Photo: This Old Hudson Real Estate

Photo: This Old Hudson Real Estate

Photo: This Old Hudson Real Estate

The building is listed with This Old Hudson Real Estate. The asking price is $675,000. According to This Old Hudson's website today, there is currently an accepted offer.

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This Evening in Kinderhook

Today, Friday, June 26, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., there is an opening reception for Rolling Hills and Gracious Fields: Columbia County Painters of the Hudson River School at the Columbia County Historical Society Museum and Library, 5 Albany Avenue, Kinderhook.

John Bunyan Bristol (1826-1909), The Range, c. 1860, CCHS Collection

The exhibition presents a collection of 19th-century artists from Columbia County, including John Bunyan Bristol, George Augustus McKinstry, Cuyler Williams, Calvin Van Deusen, the Parton brothers, and Robert Fulton Ludlow, and explores the relationship between artistic identity and regional transformation at a pivotal moment in American history. The artists in the exhibition contributed to the Hudson River School movement, painting the landscapes they knew intimately.

The exhibition will be on view from June 27 through January 8, 2027. For more information, click here.

Job Opening at CEDC

Two months ago, Chris Brown left his job as housing development coordinator for Columbia Economic Development Corporation (CEDC) to become senior research planner for Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress and program manager for Hudson Valley Alliance for Housing & Conservation. CEDC is now looking for a new housing development coordinator. The information about the job and its requirements and information about applying can be found here.

This Weekend in Kinderhook

On Saturday, June 27, OK Pride celebrates its fifth annual Pride event in the Village Green in Kinderhook.

The Pride March departs at 3:00 p.m. from Kinderhook Memorial Library, after Drag Queen Story Hour, and proceeds to the Village Green for speeches, dancing, and celebrating. Addressing the crowd will be Grand Marshal Camille Massey, Sheriff Jackie Salvatore, State Senator Michelle Hinchey, Assemblymember Didi Barrett, and Junior Grand Marshal Asher Holland.

In the evening, The Aviary hosts the "Birds of a Feather" dance party from 8:30 p.m. to midnight. DJ Michael V will be spinning favorite pride party anthems. For added fun, there will be a free photobooth and drag performances. Tickets can be purchased here.

Before the Mayor Weighed In

On Tuesday, Gossips published a statement from Mayor Joseph Ferris which was received before there was time to report on the Common Council meeting that provoked the mayor's response. Today, we catch up and report on the meeting. But first, some history.

In January 2023, the Common Council passed a resolution approving the sale of two parcels owned by the City of Hudson to Kearney Realty & Development. The two parcels were the vacant lot at State and North Fourth streets, currently being used as a parking lot by Columbia County, and the land on Mill Street that had been and still is a playing field and was generally considered to be part of Charles Williams Park. The resolution was accompanied by an agreement of sale, but the actual agreement of sale was not executed until May 2023.

The actual agreement of sale, which is essentially the same as the one attached to the resolution presented to the Common Council, was signed by Mayor Kamal Johnson for the City of Hudson and Sean Kearney for Kearney Realty & Development and dated May 3, 2023. That agreement, like the agreement attached to the resolution, set the closing "on or before the date which is two years after the full execution of this Agreement." The agreement stipulated that the purchaser could postpone the closing for up to two six-month periods. The two years and the two six-month extensions were over on May 3, 2026.

At the informal Common Council meeting on Monday, June 15, residents of Mill Street urged the Council to act on the contract, which they believed had expired on May 3. What was not known at the time was that, unbeknownst to the Common Council, the agreement of sale had been amended by Mayor Joseph Ferris on May 20, 2026, to alter the closing date. Between the informal Council meeting on June 15 and the regular meeting on June 23, Council president Margaret Morris researched the issue, and at the regular meeting read aloud the amendment to the agreement, which had been signed by Ferris and Kenneth Kearney. The amendment changed the date of closing from a fixed date to an open-ended one: "thirty (30) days after the Seller has discontinued all pending actions/proceedings relating to the ability of the Seller to convey title to the Property." In other words, thirty days after there has been a determination favorable to the City in the current Article 78 proceeding.

The question was raised but not answered if the mayor had the authority to amend the agreement without the knowledge and the approval of the Common Council.

Councilmember Henry Haddad (First Ward) brought up another issue: the selling price. Haddad cited $450,000 as the price; it is actually $420,000 for both parcels--Mill Street and State Street. Haddad called the deal "bad for us and bad for Mill Street" and asserted "to continue this is a slap in the face to taxpayers." Councilmember Jennifer Belton (Fourth Ward) mused, making reference to the three projects the City had chosen Kearney to pursue, "If two of them aren't happening, and the worst one might happen. . . ."

It was in response to this that Ferris issued this statement:

The contract closing date was not extended. The amendment simply clarified the current state of the contract and provided the closing will occur pending the Court's Article 78 determination.

The City of Hudson cannot unilaterally cancel the contract. If we were to do so, Kearney Group would have a breach of contract claim against the City and could seek damages for the City's termination.

Corporation Counsel [City Attorney] advised me that since the City was already in contract with Kearney Group, is a named party in the Article 78 proceeding, and has a legal obligation to perform under the contract until such time as a Court rules otherwise, it was necessary to execute the amendment to maintain the status quo.

Much of this was discussed at a March 6 meeting attended by myself, Council President Morris, Mill Street petitioners, and the respective legal representatives.

The Council can debate prior resolutions of support but as this city's mayor, my responsibility is to protect the city and at this point in the Article 78 process, that means doing everything in my power to avoid unnecessary and expensive legal actions whose cost will be borne by the taxpayers.

It will be recalled that last year, before he was elected, Ferris called on the Planning Board to deny approval to the Mill Street Lofts project. Ferris said at that time, "There is no such thing as a good project in a floodplain. Let's build a future that's safe, equitable, and forward-thinking. Approve the Bliss Towers redevelopment and reject the Mill Street Lofts as it stands." Despite significant opposition from elected officials, neighborhood residents, and the public in general, the Planning Board granted site plan approval to the project in May 2025.

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Happening on Thursday

Tomorrow, Thursday, June 25, at 6:00 p.m., as part of the 2026 OutHudson observance of Pride Month, the Hudson Area Library celebrates the library's oral histories of local people who identify as LGBTQ+. The event is part of the 2026 OurHudson observance of Pride Month. The celebration, curated by oral history interviewer and History Room volunteer Jasper Francis, features clips from new oral histories and commentary from community members on the featured clips. LGBTQ+ themed items from the library's collection will also be on view. A reception will follow the program.

  

The evening celebrates the progress of the LGBTQ+ theme in this archive and also informs people of next steps to build the collection. The library is looking for donations (or loans to digitize) of photographs, video, art, documents, ephemera, and memorabilia on Hudson’s vital queer history. Staff will be on hand to answer questions about how the archive will be developed and how items donated or loaned will be handled. All are welcome to attend, learn more, and engage as a community.

Interviews for the library's LGBTQ+ portion of the Hudson Area Library Oral History Project (oralhistory.hudsonarealibrary.org) were recorded in collaboration with OutHudson and with support from John Schobel and the Poke the Bear Foundation in honor of Rich "Trixie" Volo.