A Footnote to the Sidewalk Discussion

At the Legal Committee meeting on Wednesday, the question was raised about materials for sidewalks acceptable to the Department of Justice. The possibilities being discussed were concrete and the more historic slate and brick. What wasn't mentioned and shouldn't be considered acceptable by anyone was asphalt. Still this sidewalk "improvement" was done just recently in front of a house at the corner of Green Street and Fairview Avenue.

Photo: Bill Huston

The asphalt sidewalk is very unsightly, and one has to wonder why it was done at all. In this Google capture of the house from July 2022, the sidewalk does not appear to be in such bad shape. Joey and I encounter much worse on our daily walks around town. 

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Update: Peter Bujanow, Commissioner of Public Works, has informed me that the asphalt sidewalk "is part of the 'Fairview & Green Intersection Improvements Project'--Necessary but temporary construction work/excavation to access necessary infrastructure." This is the project that was supposed to be funded by the host community benefit agreement with Stewart's, to compensate the City for changing its zoning to accommodate Stewart's expansion plans, but ended up with a price tag of $139,565 more than the $200,000 the City received from Stewart's.

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been 12 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is the same as yesterday, from which it can be inferred that, since yesterday, 12 county residents have recovered from the virus. The number of county residents hospitalized and in the ICU remains the same as yesterday. There has not been a death from COVID-19 reported in Columbia County since October 5.

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 12 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 5,307, and the number of active cases was 85. There were 201 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 6 were hospitalized, and 2 were in the ICU. The total number of deaths in Columbia County attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 103.

A New Plan for Sidewalks

Last night, the Legal Committee continued its pursuit of a solution to the problem of defective, hazardous, and missing sidewalks. Councilmember Margaret Morris (First Ward), who chairs the committee, had intended the committee look at sidewalk legislation in place in the cities of Ithaca, Cortland, and Mechanicville and consider how the models might work in Hudson, but after a brief discussion of how it is done elsewhere, Councilmember Ryan Wallace (Third Ward) proposed that Hudson follow the example of Albany, which, in Wallace's words, "is taking the bull by the horns and solving this."

Last week, the Times Union reported that the City of Albany was preparing to invest $20 million to make its sidewalks ADA compliant: "Albany developing a plan to fix its 282 miles of sidewalk." Wallace estimated that, if $20 million would fix 282 miles of sidewalk in Albany, $5 million would be sufficient for Hudson. (In 2018, DPW superintendent Rob Perry estimated that Hudson has 133,000 linear feet of sidewalk, which is just a little more than 25 miles.) Ryan proposed that the City issue bonds to fund the project. He argued that the City's failure, for decades, to enforce the code regarding sidewalks was the reason the sidewalks were now in such bad shape, and therefore it was the responsibility of the City to correct the situation. 

Wallace's idea got support from councilmembers Art Frick (First Ward) and Mohammed Rony (Second Ward) and also from Council president Tom DePietro, who noted that the City has a triple A rating in the bond market. Morris, however, said she was not completely on board with the notion that, because the City failed in enforcing the code regarding sidewalks, the City is responsible to correct deficient sidewalks.

There are currently three plans being pursued to address the sidewalks, each focused on a different part of the city.

• The Connectivity Project funded by the Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant awarded back in 2017 includes the sidewalks below Second Street. At last report, the money allocated for the project, from the $10 million grant, is not expected to be enough to replace all the sidewalks in the BRIDGE District but only to repair or replace sidewalks as needed.
• The City is seeking $5 million in Congressionally Directed Funds to make sidewalk repairs in the parts of the city included in the sidewalk audit undertaken in October 2020. The sidewalks included are:
• Warren Street from Third Street to Seventh Street
• Seventh Street from Union Street to Washington Street
• North Fifth Street from Warren Street to Prospect Street
• North Sixth Street from Warren Street to Prospect Street
• South Third Street from Union Street to Warren Street
• Now it is being suggested that the City issue bonds for $5 million to repair the sidewalks not included in the other two plans.

Even after the Council has figured out a way to pay for repairing and/or replacing the sidewalks, there are still problems to be resolved. Peter Bujanow, Commissioner of Public Works, brought up one of them at last night's meeting. The current code requires new sidewalks to be several inches higher than the existing sidewalks, creating new hazards for people in wheelchairs, pushing strollers, with walkers, or simply walking unassisted. 

Gossips has been carping about this problem with the code since 2012, but in ten years' time, no action has been taken to amend the code to prevent the problem from being created in places where it previously did not exist.

Matt McGhee brought up another problem: places in the city, usually in historic districts, where the original bluestone sidewalks still exist.  

Wallace opined, "I don't agree with the idea that original slate should be torn up to replace it with concrete." Bujanow wondered, "When we have a historic sidewalk, how does DOJ [Department of Justice] look at that?" Ronald Kopnicki asked, "Does the DOJ require a particular material?" Morris volunteered to take the question about historic sidewalks to Michael Hofmann, the mayor's aide, who is the City's ADA coordinator.

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Update: Ryan Wallace has informed me that he made his recommendation for solving the sidewalk problem in an email to members of the Legal Committee "weeks before" the article about the Albany plan appeared in the Times Union.

What's Planned for Charles Williams Park

At the Common Council meeting on Tuesday night, before voting on a resolution authorizing the mayor to enter into a grant agreement with the Eutopia Foundation for $350,000 to fund the project, the Council heard a presentation on the changes that are planned for Charles Williams Park. The focus is on five elements: (1) a redesigned Play Zone with a whale-shaped water feature;

(2) an Active Zone, of which a basketball court is the centerpiece;

(3) a redesigned Central Gathering Area, which will include chess tables;

(4) a Fitness Zone, where the $30,000 Fitness Court will be located;

and (5) a wheelchair accessible Circulation path around the park.

The following image shows how all the elements fit together.

Given the recent experience with the entrance to Promenade Hill, when the money from the Downtown Redevelopment Initiative (DRI) grant proved not to be enough to realize the improvements planned, councilmembers asked what would happen if the $350,000 grant from the Eutopia Foundation proved to be insufficient. They were told that additional funding would be sought from sources other than the City.

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COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been 10 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 3 fewer than yesterday, from which it can be inferred that, since yesterday, 13 county residents have recovered from the virus. There is 1 fewer county resident hospitalized today than yesterday, but the number in the ICU remains the same. There has not been a death from COVID-19 reported in Columbia County since Wednesday, October 5.  

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 18 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 5,295, and the number of active cases was 79. There were 191 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 6 were hospitalized, and 2 were in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 in Columbia County at this time last year was 103.

The Council and Galvan

As predicted, a resolution was introduced at last night's Common Council meeting authorizing a settlement with the Galvan Initiatives Foundation and Galvan Civic I in an Article 7 proceeding against the City. After asking for an introduction of the resolution, Council president Tom DePietro explained that Galvan's request for tax exempt status for 614-620 Columbia Street (the former Community Theater building) and 612 Columbia Street (the house just west of the theater building) had been denied by the city assessor because the application had been submitted late. As a consequence, Galvan sued the City because late submission is not grounds for denying tax exemption. 

DePietro went on to say of the action the Council was being asked to take, "It seems complex, but it's not. . . . This has nothing to do with whether you or I like or dislike the Galvan Foundation. It's a legal matter that is really kind of out of our hands." Crystal Peck, counsel to the Council, then explained that the properties were both owned by a nonprofit and to be used for nonprofit purposes, and hence were eligible to be exempt from property taxes. She told the Council that three different city attorneys--Victoria Polidoro, Andy Howard, and Cheryl Roberts--had looked at this and made the determination that the properties should be granted tax exemption. The Council, however, was not ready to pass the resolution.

Councilmember Margaret Morris (First Ward) wanted more information about the rationale for taking the properties off the tax rolls. She was particularly concerned about the future use of the house at 612 Columbia Street. Galvan has presented a site plan to the Planning Board that separates the house from its backyard. The backyard will be the location of mechanicals and dumpsters for the theater, but the intended use of the house has not been clarified.

Councilmember Dominic Merante (Fifth Ward) questioned why Galvan had paid no taxes on the property prior to applying for a nonprofit exemption. He too expressed concern about the use of 612 Columbia Street. Merante moved to table the resolution. The motion was seconded by Morris.

Councilmember Mohammed Rony (Second Ward) reminded the Council that the Galvan Foundation "has a tendency of sitting on properties. They purchase it, and they take it off the tax rolls saying that they're going to put it into a nonprofit use, and then they sit on it for five or ten years."

When the Council voted on tabling the resolution, nine councilmembers voted aye, Ryan Wallace (Third Ward) abstained, without explaining why, and DePietro voted no.

Wallace then urged that the Council have a special meeting to take up the issue again, suggesting that if the Council didn't act soon, it could put Galvan's $900,000 Empire State Development Grant in jeopardy. It was decided, however, not to have a special meeting but to take up the issue at the Council's November meeting, when the lawyers would be present to explain further their rationale.

Before the Council moved on, former Fourth Ward alderman John Rosenthal spoke, reminding the current Council of the "litigious nature of the Galvan organizations." He told the Council, "They threatened to sue me, in my capacity as a public official, for asking questions regarding due diligence about their operations." Rosenthal continued: "Given that . . . we're dealing with a billion dollar, essentially, property owner who has a nonprofit set up essentially so he doesn't have to leverage any of his money toward the real cost of these developments. It's one thing if we're talking about public housing. It's another thing if we're talking about a community theater, whatever that is, and there are some legitimate questions here." Rosenthal asserted, "Given that Eric Galloway and his entities repeatedly grieved, through the assessor's office, a fair taxation for the properties he owns in his for-profit capacity, I think it is just outrageous that, yet again, this organization that's supposed to be trying to help the city is trying to sue us."

After Rosenthal spoke, DePietro, who earlier described Galvan as "a developer who owns a significant part of the city and whose intentions are not always clear," cautioned: "As a Council, we have to be very careful about how we deal with the many entities that go under the name of Galvan. It's a legal stew of confusion for us." To which Rosenthal interjected, "By design."

The videorecording of the meeting can be found here. The discussion of the settlement begins at about 29:49.

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While Most of Hudson Was Sleeping

Gossips just received this press release from the Hudson Police Department.

On Tuesday, October 18, 2022, the Hudson City Police Department arrested 37-year-old Arley L. Dahlberg, an inmate at the Hudson Correctional Facility.

On Tuesday, October 18, 2022, at around 1:26 a.m., the HPD patrol observed a white SUV traveling east on Union Street traveling at a high rate of speed. The operator drove through a red light at Union and 5th Street. The vehicle was stopped by patrols at North 6th and Warren Street. It was determined that the vehicle, a white 2017 Audi Q5, had just been stolen from the 400 block of Union Street. Patrols learned that Dahlberg had an active arrest warrant from the Hudson Correctional Facility for absconding from their temporary release program. Absconding is a class E felony under NYS penal law. Dahlberg was arrested by HPD and transported to the Hudson Police Department for processing and arraignment. At the time of the arrest, Dahlberg was found to be in possession of crack cocaine.

Dahlberg [was] charged with Grand Larceny 3rd (Stolen Vehicle) a class D felony, Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 7th Degree a class A misdemeanor and was arraigned before Judge Connor. He is to return to Hudson City Court on October 24, 2022, at 11:00 a.m.

The New York State Correctional Division picked Dahlberg up from the Hudson Police Department and transported him to the Coxsackie Facility. 

“This was a good example of proactive policing by our night shift uniform patrol.” Chief  

HPD is also investigating whether Dahlberg was involved in the attempted burglary of a N. 5th Street residence that occurred just before this incident.  If you have any information to share please reach out to the Hudson Detectives Division at 518 828 3388.

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been 16 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 8 more than yesterday, from which it can be inferred that, since yesterday, 8 county residents have recovered from the virus. The number of county residents hospitalized with COVID-19 and in the ICU remains the same today as yesterday. There has not been a death from COVID-19 reported in Columbia County since Wednesday, October 5.

A year ago today, October 18 was a Monday, the CCDOH reported 22 new cases of COVID-19 since the previous Saturday. The total number of cases was 5,277, and the number of active cases was 72. There were 172 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 5 were hospitalized, and 1 was in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 in the county at this time last year was 103.

Progress for HHA Development

At last night's meeting of the Hudson Housing Authority (HHA) Board of Commissioners, the four commissioners present--Revonda Smith, Claire Cousin, Rebecca Wolff, and Nick Zachos--voted unanimously to enter into an option agreement for three parcels owned by Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency (HCDPA). The three parcels are 202-206 Columbia Street, what remains of the community garden at the corner of Columbia and Second; 2-4 Warren Street, now an urban renewal era park known fondly to some as "Promenade Prospect Park"; and 2 to 14 State Street, the land on the north side of the street from Front Street east to the park across the street from Bliss Towers.

The option agreement is for one year with the right to renew the agreement for an additional two years. HHA will pay a $25,000 fee to HCDPA for each year the option is in effect, and payments will be applied to the purchase price of whatever parcels they decide to use. 

The parcels will be offered to potential development partners in the RFP (request for proposals), and the developers will decide which parcels to propose for development. The goal is to build replacement housing so HHA will be able to demolish its existing properties, Bliss Towers and Columbia Apartments. Jeffrey Dodson, executive director of HHA, promised the RFP would be ready to be released as soon as possible.

Dodson, who became executive director in May, said of the agreement, which he called "a step in the process," "This is exciting, and this is one of the reasons I chose to come to Hudson." He told the commissioners he had in the past month visited the HUD field office in Buffalo and reported, "They have confidence in my leadership."

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Of Interest on the Council Agenda for Tonight

At the informal meeting last week, Common Council president Tom DePietro noted there were not many resolutions to be introduced at that meeting, but there would be "quite a few next week." Some of the resolutions that will be introduced and voted on tonight are now available on the City of Hudson website. A couple of them are worthy of note.

There is a resolution authorizing the mayor to sign a grant agreement with the Eutopia Foundation, the same group that has partnered with the Spark of Hudson to fund HudsonUP, the universal basic income pilot program. The grant is for $350,000 for "the restoration, enhancement, development and operation of Charles Williams Park." The possible projects to be funded include "the replacement, update, and refreshing of the park's seating, landscaping, playground equipment, basketball court, trash receptacles and plant care, and may include removal of extraneous structures or signs as mutually agreed between the City and the Eutopia Foundation." 

The park was originally built with a $250,000 grant from the NYS Environmental Protection Fund. The grant was awarded in 2007, but work on the park did not begin until around 2009. It was finally declared "all built out and complete" in 2015.

Also of interest on tonight's agenda is a resolution authorizing a settlement with Galvan Initiatives Foundation and Galvan Civic I in an Article 7 proceeding. It seems Galvan's request for property tax exemption for 614-620 Columbia Street (the former Community Theatre building) and 612 Columbia Street (the house just west of the theater building) was denied by the city's assessor. 

According to the resolution, the City and Galvan have agreed to settle the proceedings by deeming the two properties exempt from taxation. The resolution also indicates that Galvan has not paid property tax on the two parcels, together assessed for $1.375 million, since acquiring them in 2021.

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COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since Thursday, October 13, there have been 37 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 16 fewer than on Thursday, from which it can be inferred that, in the past four days, 53 county residents have recovered from the virus. The number of county residents hospitalized with COVID-19 and in the ICU has not changed since Thursday. There has not been a death from COVID-19 reported in Columbia County since Wednesday, October 5. 

A year ago, October 17 was a Sunday, and the CCDOH did not report COVID numbers. On Saturday, October 16, the CCDOH reported 4 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 5,255, and the number of active cases was 78. There were 267 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 5 were hospitalized, and 1 was in the ICU. The total number of deaths in Columbia County attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 103.

Remembering Vincent Mulford

It's hard to imagine that it's been a year since Vince Mulford left us, but it has.

Photo shared on Facebook by Erika Clark

On Sunday, October 23, at 3:00 p.m., people will gather at 827 Union Street to share favorite memories and stories of Vince. If you plan to attend, you are asked to RSVP to mwprojects@aol.com by Thursday, October 20.

Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead

After a glorious autumn weekend, here's what's happening this week on the meeting front.

• On Monday, October 17, the Board of Estimate and Apportionment (BEA)--the mayor, the Council president, and the city treasurer--meets at 2:30 p.m. to consider non-departmental expenses. The budget workshop takes place in person only at City Hall.
• At 6:00 p.m. on Monday, October 17, the Hudson Housing Authority Board of Commissioners holds its monthly meeting. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person in the Community Room at Bliss Towers and on Zoom. Click here to join the meeting remotely.
• On Tuesday, October 18, the Common Council holds its regular monthly meeting at 6:00 p.m. At the informal meeting last Wednesday, Council president Tom DePietro told the councilmembers there would be "quite a few" new resolutions introduced at this meeting. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Zoom. Click here to join the meeting remotely.
• On Wednesday, October 19, the BEA holds a budget workshop to consider revenue at 2:30 p.m. The meeting takes place in person only at City Hall.
• At 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 19, the Zoning Board of Appeals holds its monthly meeting. The agenda for the meeting includes a public hearing on a proposal to remove an existing accessory building at 220 State Street and replace it with a single family residential structure with a carport, a proposal that requires area variances for lot width, side yard, and lot coverage. The meeting takes place in person only at City Hall.

Photo: Zillow

• Also on Wednesday, October 19, the Legal Committee meets at 7:30 p.m. The Legal Committee was taken up the issue of sidewalks, and it appears from the documents on the agenda for this meeting that the committee will be exploring how other municipalities, in particular Ithaca, Cortland, and Mechanicville, deal with sidewalks. The meeting will be a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and in Zoom. Click here to join the meeting remotely.

• On Friday, October 21, the BEA holds a budget workshop at 2:30 p.m. The specific topic of this workshop has not been revealed. The workshop takes place in person only at City Hall.

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Rally in Catskill on Monday

On Monday, October 17, Natalie Merchant will perform and a number of New York State Democratic Committee members and candidates will speak at the SAVE OUR DEMOCRACY RALLY at Catskill Point, 1 Main Street in Catskill. The event takes place from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m.

    

The purpose of the rally is to articulate the vision of our local Democratic candidates who are seeking to protect women’s rights, protect voting rights and to create a more diverse, inclusive and just New York State. The rally is free to attend and will be held indoors at Catskill Point. Presented by the Columbia County and Greene County Democratic Committees in conjunction with Club Helsinki and Melmar Productions, it comes in advance of the November elections and will encourage participation in the upcoming elections. 

The Columbia County Democratic Committee and Greene County Democratic Committee will be represented along with a number of their endorsed candidates. Among those speaking will be Michelle Hinchey, New York State Senator; Josh Riley, Congressional Candidate; Heidi Cochrane, NYS Supreme Court candidate; Megan Galligan, NYS Supreme Court candidate; Sharon Graff, NYS Supreme Court candidate; Lori Torgerson, Greene County Legislature; and Sam Hodge, Chairman of the Columbia County Democratic Committee. 

Natalie Merchant’s forty-year career has earned her a place among America’s most respected recording artists as well as garnering a reputation for her quality songwriting. Over the course of her solo career and as lead singer for the group 10,000 Maniacs, she has also been active in promoting a number of non-profit organizations by lending both financial support and raising public awareness, particularly in the Hudson Valley where she resides. 

Melmar Productions is a collaboration between Cameron Melville and Randall Martin and is a progressive event and multi-media production company. This will be the second official production of the company. Their most recent effort was raising money for medical supplies for Ukraine. Club Helsinki has been a longstanding presence in the Hudson community championing music and activism. 

Free parking for this event will be at Dutchman’s Landing. The Catskill Visitor’s Center will provide golf cart rides to and from Catskill Point.

Arbor Day 2023 Assured

As Gossips reported, Arbor Day 2022 almost didn't happen. But in the nick of time, a generous donor contributed five trees, a gift facilitated by Hudson Development Corporation, enabling Arbor Day 2022 to happen as planned on Sunday, October 2.

Next year, Arbor Day in Hudson will happen in the spring, and the Conservation Advisory Council will be planting twenty-four trees!

At the informal Common Council meeting on Wednesday, a resolution was introduced authorizing the CAC to accept a grant of $7,850 from National Grid, an amount considered sufficient to plant nine trees. It was also noted during the meeting that the Board of Estimate and Apportionment (BEA), made of up the mayor, the Council president, and the treasurer, has agreed to include funds for fifteen trees in the 2023 city budget. All in pursuit of the CAC's new motto: "Keep Hudson Shady: Plant Trees."

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Waiting for Promenade Hill to Reopen

Earlier this week, Gossips got word that the fence was down at Promenade Hill, so that afternoon, Joey and I headed down to Front Street on our afternoon walk to check it out. By the time we got there, the fence was back in place, but I managed to take this picture through a gap in the chain link.

At the informal Common Council meeting on Wednesday, Rob Perry, superintendent of Public Works, reported that the plumbing is now being assembled for the water feature in the children's playground. Perry also indicated there is an issue that has to be worked out with National Grid involving the lighting. The lamp posts have been installed, but National Grid needs to attach the luminaires. The problem stems from the fact that, in Perry's words, "they can't just pull up in their bucket trucks" to do the installation. They need to find another way to gain access to the lamp posts.

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COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been 30 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 3 more than yesterday, from which it can be inferred that, since yesterday,  27 county residents have recovered from the virus. There is 1 fewer county resident hospitalized today than yesterday, but the number in the ICU remains the same. There has not been a death from COVID-19 reported in Columbia County since Wednesday, October 5. 

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 15 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 5,226, and the number of active cases was 75. There were 250 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 6 were hospitalized, and 1 was in the ICU. The total number of deaths in Columbia County attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 103.

It Isn't Over Until It's Over

A press release received today from Matt Murell, chair of the Columbia County Board of Supervisors, contains this update on the state of COVID in the county. 

The numbers of positive COVID-19 cases rebounded this week after last week’s slight drop-off, with 85 positives in the first four days of the week, said Columbia County Department of Health Director Jack Mabb today.

"We don’t have any major clusters as we have in the past few weeks. This is just a sign that the virus is making the rounds in the community,” said Director Jack Mabb. He noted that his department has had a number of positives among staff, with all of them repeat cases and all fully vaccinated and boosted.

"We know that we have very contagious variants making the rounds and the three months of immunity we had from the earlier variants doesn’t seem to apply. People are getting sick again just a month or two out from previously being positive," said Director Mabb. The county’s high rate of vaccinations and booster shots has had a positive effect, though, as hospitalizations remain low with 9 hospitalized and no one in the ICU.

The county vaccinated 167 at last week’s COVID-19 clinic at A.B. Shaw, with most of the shots the bivalent booster. The county also vaccinated 43 against monkeypox this week–10 of those were first doses.

“Demand for the vaccination is definitely slowing down,” added Director Mabb.

Don't abandon your masks just yet. Caution is still called for. 

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been 12 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 8 fewer than yesterday, from which it can be inferred that, since yesterday, 20 county residents have recovered from the virus. There are 2 more county residents hospitalized with COVID-19 today than yesterday, but the number in the ICU remains the same. There has not been a death from COVID-19 reported in Columbia County since Wednesday, October 5.

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 38 new cases of COVID-19 after a holiday weekend. The total number of cases was 5,211, and the number of active cases was 79. There were 243 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 4 were hospitalized, and 1 was in the ICU. The total number of deaths in Columbia County attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 103.

Anyone Recognize This Ceiling?

The History Room at the Hudson Area Library is looking for help in identifying the location shown in this photograph, found among the Arthur Koweek Urban Renewal Papers. Assuming the building still exists, the key to identifying the building may be the tin ceiling. 

If you know what building this is, please share the information in a comment or email me at carole@gossipsofrivertown.com.