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
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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What about the east side of South Fifth from Warren to Cherry Alley opposite Galvan's mess? It's missing four curb ramps thanks to the bank's two entrances. Step down off sidewalk, step up on sidewalk, step down, step up, continue on. If you can.
ReplyDeleteAre we paying for a new sidewalk once or are we paying a new annual sidewalk tax on top of all our other taxes?
ReplyDeleteIt's an annual fee that I expect will continue ad infinitum. But for most people, it's only $100 a year.
DeleteThis looks like a bright light of incompetence on our sidewalk improvement programs. What's a mayor to do?
ReplyDeletewhat the mayor could have done was not purposefully fumble a million dollar no match block grant the city spent 12k pursuing, and was nearly certain to win— monies explicitly designated for sidewalk improvement districts such as ours.
DeleteFor readers who don't remember the grant mentioned in the comment above, the story is told here: https://gossipsofrivertown.blogspot.com/2026/02/money-for-sidewalks.html
DeleteDavid - please say more... did that grant have a matching type of mechanism?
DeleteOr why did the City of Hudson not take it? (Given the ADA issue). Was it in 2026?
And yes, HCS is skeptical of grants.
But in this case curious why Hudson takes grants for say Oakdale (or HCSD and the million dollar outdoor garden class) and not the sidewalks, if the latter could lower taxes on residents by avoiding the $100 sidewalk tax?
HCS- This was my exact response regarding the "match" or lack thereof, written in August 2025 and posted here on Gossips:
DeleteJustin WeaverAugust 12, 2025 at 11:03 AM
Hi Don. There is no city match requirement. The application has been written to include $2 million worth of work. If awarded the $1 million, the City "could" decide to keep that same project scope and would therefore need to "match" the $1 million award OR could scale back the project scope to equal the award amount. Nothing is set in stone and the Council would still have the power to accept the money or deny it. I think the wording of this became a bit foggy during the meeting. And again, the resolution before the Council is to simply pursue the grant. Hope this helps. -Justin Weaver/Mayoral Aide
And all the while, it appears, we will be paying a local engineering firm to help us get this done right. Why would they be in any rush to get the job completed?
ReplyDeleteHaving followed the initial letter send to property owners a few years ago to improve my sidewalk or be fined, I engaged a contractor, got the required permissions and fixed my sidewalk. Subsequently along with a follow up letter, I filed the paperwork with pictures of the improvement demonstrating what I had paid with the DPW rep to be exempt from the sidewalk fee only to see the $100 fee on my bill (despite my complaints) which will be much less to pay over time that monies expended. When I complained, I was advised to refile the paperwork, which I have not done bc I now understand that this is an additional tax to fund taxpayers who are not willing or able to do this work. I no longer use sidewalks in Hudson and instead walk on the streets after tripping and falling several times. Wonder if property owners still remain liable if someone falls due to a poorly maintained sidewalk or whether this is now a city liability.
ReplyDeleteAny municipality that decides to unnecessarily halve the width of the sidewalk in front of its City Hall to accommodate a handicap parking space and ramp that are rarely ever used is in some sort of confused, lost and deeply dysfunctional state. And they probably get sued more than you can imagine.
ReplyDelete