IDA Special Meeting

The Hudson Industrial Development Agency (IDA) is holding a special meeting on Friday, June 21, at 2:30 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss additional financing documents relating to the PBF Hudson LLC closing. 

The meeting is hybrid, taking place in person at 1 City Centre, Suite 301, and on Zoom. Click here to join the meeting remotely.

We're Havin' a Heatwave . . .

which is just getting started and isn't expected to end until 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 20. The current temperature is 94 degrees, and the humidity is 49 percent, which, according to the National Weather Service, makes it feel like it is 103 degrees.

For those without a cool place to escape the heat, Columbia County has established cooling centers at various locations throughout the county--all in libraries. The list below provides the locations and the hours. (Click on the image to enlarge.) 

The cooling center for us in Hudson is the Hudson Area Library, 51 North Fifth Street. The library, however, will be closed on Wednesday, June 19, in observance of Juneteenth, so on that day only the cooling center in Hudson will be the Central Fire Station, 77 North Seventh Street, which will be open for that purpose from 9:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.

An Interesting Revelation

On June 6, Gossips reported in an "Ear to the Ground" that the Hudson Housing Authority's application for a Restore New York grant had been rejected because it had been submitted too late. It seems that may not have been entirely true.

Last night, at the HHA Board of Commissioners meeting, Councilmember Margaret Morris (First Ward) asked about the status of the Restore NY grant application. Jeffrey Dodson, HHA executive director, told her the application had not been submitted, adding, "It probably would not have been approved." 

When Morris asked him to explain why the application had not been submitted, Dodson cited "specifications regarding vacancies" and acknowledged they "realized they would not qualify." Say what?

The summary statement of eligibility for Restore NY, found on the grant program's website, is this: "Restore New York funding is available for projects involving the demolition, deconstruction, rehabilitation, and/or reconstruction of vacant, abandoned, condemned, and surplus properties [underscore added]." Surely that statement alone should have been enough to tip off HHA and the developers to an eligibility problem at an earlier stage in the process. 

At the two special meetings of the Common Council, convened to pass a resolution in support of HHA's application, Morris delineated the ways the HHA project did not meet the criteria established for the Restore NY grant program. (Her arguments presented at those meetings can also be found on her blog, firstwardhudson.com.) Still HHA and the folks from Mountco remained steadfast in their resolve to apply for Restore NY funding. 

So what happened between May 16, when the Common Council held a public hearing on the grant application, and May 22, when the application was due, to make HHA and Mountco change their minds and decide not to submit the application? 

Could it be they never intended to submit the application? Could it be the whole Restore New York fiasco was orchestrated to get the Common Council to approve the resolution of support so that Dodson could claim, as he did in the Register-Star on May 1, that the Council had made a "strong and clear decision to support us"? We will probably never know. 

The real loser in all this may be Lil' Deb's Oasis, which was also seeking Restore NY funding for the restoration of 735-737 Columbia Street as its new location. A municipality can only sponsor one Restore NY grant application, and when Lil' Deb's realized they were competing with the housing authority, they graciously bowed out. That's too bad. They met the criteria and stood a very good chance of getting a Restore NY grant.

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PSA: Juneteenth

On Wednesday, June 19, the City of Hudson observes Juneteenth. City Hall will be closed for the day, and city workers will have a holiday. As a consequence, recycling on the south side of town, which normally takes place on Wednesday, will take place on Thursday, and recycling on the north side of town, which normally takes place on Thursday, will take place on Friday.

Click here to learn about Juneteenth events taking place in Hudson and Columbia County.

Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead

This week, we are looking forward to the first heat wave of the year, which is expected to begin on Tuesday, two days in advance of the summer solstice, which happens on Thursday. Meanwhile, here's what else is happening.

• On Monday, June 17, the Hudson Housing Authority Board of Commissioners meets at 6:00 p.m. As always, the meeting is a possible opportunity to learn something new about HHA's proposed $220 million redevelopment plan. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person in the Community Room at Bliss Towers, 41 North Second Street, and on Zoom. Click here to join the meeting remotely.

• On Tuesday, June 18, the Common Council Finance Committee meets at 5:15 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.
• At 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 18, the Common Council holds its regular monthly meeting. 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 Wednesday, June 19, the Zoning Board of Appeals meets at 6:00 p.m. The meeting is in person only at City Hall. No agenda for the meeting is as yet available.
• On Saturday, June 22, the OutHudson Pride Parade begins at 2:00 p.m.

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Democratic Primary

Early voting begins today and continues through next Sunday, June 23. Here's the schedule:

Saturday, June 15:  9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sunday, June 16:  9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Monday, June 17:  9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tuesday, June 18:  12 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Wednesday, June 19:  12 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Thursday, June 20:  9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Friday, June 21:  9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday, June 22:  9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sunday, June 23:  9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The polling places for early voting are the Columbia County Office Building, 401 State Street, in Hudson, and the Martin H. Glynn Municipal Building, 3211 Church Street, in Valatie.

Election Day is Tuesday, June 25.

There is only one issue on the ballot: Who will be the Democratic candidate for assemblymember representing the 106th District in the New York State Assembly--Claire Cousin, who was elected twice, both times running unopposed, to represent the First Ward on the Columbia County Board of Supervisors, or respected and longtime assemblymember Didi Barrett, who has ably served the residents of District 106 for ten years?

Over the past few weeks, voters in the 106th Assembly District have been bombarded with mailings from both candidates, including this "attack" flyer from the Cousin campaign . . . 

and this response from the Barrett campaign:

Today, the Register-Star published three letters to the editor in support of Didi Barrett, all of which can be found here.

• "Barrett's commitment does not falter," from Margaret Morris, Hudson First Ward Councilmember
• "Barrett delivers for District 106," from Keith Kanaga, former chair of the Columbia County Democratic Committee
• "Only one choice for June 25," from Susan Bane, M.D.

Gossips concurs with everything the writers of the three letters have to say.

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In the Public Square Today

Three test pits were dug in the Public Square today to discover what is happening beneath the surface.  

Starr Whitehouse, the landscape architects working with FOPS (Friends of the Public Square) on the restoration and renovation of Seventh Street Park, wanted to understand if there was some subterranean reason why tree roots grew so close to the surface and why some of the benches tended to shift position. It was also hoped they might find the cobblestones that paved the area prior to 1878, when the Public Square was beautified to become the park as we know it today. 

The Public Square before 1878

But, alas, the test pits found nothing but dirt and clay.

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The Different Kind of Vandalism

Fourteen years ago, on a Monday morning in February 2010, Gossips reported on the aftermath of a late night, possibly alcohol-fueled rampage on the 200 and 300 blocks of Warren Street.

Vandalism on Warren Street Someone went on a rampage last night, overturning planters on the 200 and 300 blocks of Warren Street. Many of the objects of assault were the whiskey barrel planters placed on the street by the Beautification Committee a few years ago, but private property was not spared. One of the large cast iron urns in front of 242 Warren Street was pushed over, and--most destructive--one of the large ceramic pots flanking the entrance to 232 Warren Street was knocked over and smashed.

This past Sunday, the property at 446 Warren Street was the victim of a different kind of vandalism, more purposeful, probably premeditated, but as destructive and disrespectful as the late night rampage of yesteryear. Shortly after 8:30 p.m., when it was still light, two men drove up to the building in a black SUV, being careful not to park in front of the fire hydrant. While one man stayed in the car, presumably keeping the motor running, the other cut or broke branches off the amazing smoke bush that grows beside the building.

When he was finished, he packed the boughs into the SUV, and the two of them drove off, leaving the smoke bush horribly mutilated.

What the culprits may not know is that their actions were captured on security cameras, and the video has been turned over to the Hudson Police Department.

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Another Event Happening on Saturday

On Saturday, June 15, the Mental Health Awareness and Creative Arts Gallery is hosting a multi-organization gathering on the topic of Mental Health & Substance Use Disorder. The event will showcase the partnering organizations and will also +be the opening of an art show featuring artists of the Mental Health Awareness and Creative Arts Gallery. 

The organizations participating in the event include:

• Camphill Solaris
• Columbia County Mental Health Center
• Columbia-Greene Addiction Coalition
• Columbia Memorial Hospital Psychiatric Department
• Mental Health Association of Columbia and Greene Counties
• Mental Health Awareness and Creative Arts Gallery
• National Alliance on Mental Illness of Columbia County
• Tobacco-Free Alliance of Columbia and Greene Counties
• Twin County Recovery Services

Each organization will have its own table set up, with representatives present to provide information and answer questions about their programs. 

The event takes place from noon to 6:00 p.m. at Camphill Solaris, 360 Warren Street, in Hudson. Light refreshments will be available. Beginning at 3:00 p.m., representatives of the partnering organizations will speak briefly about their programs. 

A Fairly Well-Kept Secret

Gossips knew nothing about this until shortly after 7:00 this evening, when I saw this post on Justin Weaver's Facebook page. (Justin Weaver being the new mayor's aide.)

One wonders where, how, and to whom Dunn Warehouse Community Workshop #1 was announced. Nevertheless, Gossips encourages everyone to visit dunnwarehousehudson.com, complete the survey (which must be done before Friday, June 21), and sign up for future updates.

And So It Begins . . .

The work of demolishing the historic Ferry Street Bridge, constructed in 1905, started between 9:00 p.m. last night and 5:00 a.m. this morning. These pictures, taken by drone photographer Glenn Wheeler, show the progress as of this morning.

Photo: Glenn Wheeler

Photo: Glenn Wheeler

Funding Awarded for Waterfront Resiliency

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today that it has awarded $384,000 to "increase shoreline resilience and improve recreational access using nature-based solutions." Of that amount, $200,000 goes to Assemblage Landscape Architecture DPC for a climate-adaptive waterfront park design in the City of Hudson." The announcement explains: 

The project for this proposal will create a more accessible waterfront that maintains Hudson's water-based recreational vitality, while prioritizing nature-based solutions that restore the shoreline to a dynamic intertidal marshland that adapts to projected future sea-level rise and flooding.  

The grant requires a $75,000 match from the City of Hudson, which was approved by the Common Council on May 29. 

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News of HCSD

Earlier today, the Hudson Police Department released the following statement:

June 11, 2024--This morning at approximately 9:30 a.m., the Hudson Police Department (HPD) was informed by our School Resource Officer of a serious concern raised by staff about a 12-year-old from the Hudson City School District (Junior High School). The student reportedly expressed aspirations to become a school shooter.

The HPD's detective division promptly initiated an investigation at the school. During the investigation, a list of firearms was discovered in the notes section of the student's phone. The student, however, denied making any threatening statements.

As a precautionary measure, the student was removed from the school and transported for a comprehensive mental health evaluation.

HPD is actively collaborating with the Hudson City School District, New York State Police (NYSP), and Columbia County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) to address this situation with the utmost priority and to ensure the safety of our community. If anyone has information regarding this incident or similar incidents, please contact HPD at 518 828-3388.

11 Warren Street: The Empire Strikes Back

On Friday, Matt Murell, chair of the Columbia County Board of Supervisors, responded to Clark Wieman and Donna Streitz, the principals of the 11 Warren Street Action Group. His letter was copied to Mayor Kamal Johnson and the Hudson Common Council. The letter, in its entirety, can be found here. Gossips shares the meat of the letter below. 

Prior to purchase of 11 Warren Street, the County conducted its due diligence regarding the County's intent to renovate the building for County Office's. This included confirmation by the City of Hudson Code Enforcement Officer that the parcel is located within the Central Commercial (C-C) zoning district and that professional, governmental or business offices are identified as allowable uses within this Zoning District. 

Furthermore, the County reviewed applicable sections of the City of Hudson Zoning Code pertaining to site plan approval and received concurrence from the City of Hudson Code Enforcement Office that the intent of the County to occupy the existing building footprint, as well as the County's proposed use of the building as Governmental offices would not trigger any threshold as listed within City Code that would require the County to obtain Site Development Plan Approval prior to occupancy. 

Based on the above, at the monthly Board of Supervisors meeting held August 2023, the Board of Supervisors passed a resolution, with a unanimous vote of the Supervisors present, in favor of determining that, [1) the purchase of the 11 Warren Street parcel is desirable for utilization as office space for county departments, and (2) to proceed with the purchase of said parcel. 

The renovation of 11 Warren Street and relocation of several county departments will include a fully multi-operational facility for the Board of Elections that will increase walkable accessibility by residents including but not limited to the Hudson Housing Authority, Hudson Terrace, Schuyler Court, and Providence Hall; for voter registration, absentee ballots and early voting. It should be noted that approximately 10% of the entire building will be used for work areas associated with programming voting printers, voting machines, and check-in tablets. 

Currently the site contains 30 off-street parking stalls for use by the staff and visitors. As discussed during the recent space utilization committee meeting, the normal business hours of the county offices is 8:00am-4:00pm, Monday through Friday which leaves the parking available in the evenings and weekends. In addition, the availability of this off-street parking area at nights and on weekends allows for the parking lot to be used by the public and/or community organizations for special events. As an example, the County has been contacted by a representative of the Hudson Catskill Coalition regarding use of the parking lot for a Juneteenth block party celebration. 

It's too bad the County's due diligence didn't go beyond confirming that governmental offices were an allowed use in the zoning district where 11 Warren Street is located and a chance encounter with Mayor Kamal Johnson, during which the mayor allegedly told Murell and Rob Lagonia, Austerlitz supervisor who serves on the Board of Supervisors Space Utilization Committee, that "the City had no plans for 11 Warren Street since the City did not own it." A public hearing in Hudson might have been in order, but, of course, that could have meant hearing things Murell and his colleagues didn't want to hear.

Regarding the "unanimous vote" that took place on August 9, 2023, only two of the five Hudson supervisors--Abdus Miah (Second Ward) and Michael Chameides (Third Ward)--participated in that vote. Rick Scalera (Fifth Ward) recused himself because he is, according to a document submitted recently to the Hudson Industrial Development Agency (IDA), the treasurer of the Galvan Initiatives Foundation, which owned the building the County was about to acquire for $3.35 million; Claire Cousin (First Ward) was absent from the meeting; and Linda Mussmann (Fourth Ward) had to leave the meeting before the vote was taken.

Update: Rick Scalera provided this information to Gossips in an email this morning (June 11, 2024): 

I, for years, have volunteered to sit on the [Galvan] Housing Resources Board and was never the treasurer of the GIF, Galvan Initiatives Foundation who owned 11 Warren St. When the County showed interest in that site, I had a discussion with the County BOS attorney and it was agreed upon that the direction I should take was to recuse myself of all discussion and ultimately the vote to purchase of that building.

Scalera has not responded to Gossips request for comment on why he is identified as the treasurer of Galvan Initiatives Foundation in the application for financial assistance for 65-75 North Seventh Street submitted to the IDA on May 29, 2024.

Update on the Update: Since I published the initial update, Scalera responded to my request for comment. Here is what he had to say:

Dan Kent has acknowledged the mistake and will be correcting it! I serve as treasurer to nothing. . . . More importantly, I did not recuse myself from participating in the 11 Warren St discussion and purchasing because of the above mistake but rather being on another board and quite frankly didn't need to but chose to!

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Happening This Saturday

Once again this year, the residents of Hudson have the opportunity to become citizen scientists, trained to test and evaluate the water in Oakdale Lake. 

From 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon on Saturday, June 15, at Oakdale Lake, volunteers will learn to test the water, discover pH, and use ecology tools, in preparation for participating in three testing events planned for this summer. According to Friends of Oakdale Lake, training to become a citizen scientist is "super fun and simple and educational and helpful" and appropriate for all ages. For more information, email oakdalelake@gmail.com.

Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead

With Flag Day behind us, here is what's happening in Hudson in the coming week.

• Late tonight, Sunday, June 9, and in the wee hours of tomorrow morning, Monday, June 10, the demolition of the Ferry Street Bridge will begin. The work is being done at night and in the early morning in order to minimize conflicts with passenger trains. Work will continue during the night for the next two weeks. 

• On Monday, June 10, the Common Council holds its informal meeting at 6:00 p.m. So far, there is not much of interest on the agenda, but that's sure to change. 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 Tuesday, June 11, the Planning Board meets at 6:30 p.m. The agenda for the meeting includes three projects that have been before the Planning Board for months--the subdivision on Hudson Avenue, the new location for Lil Deb's Oasis, and apartment building proposed for Fairview Avenue between Oakwood and Parkwood boulevards--and "Mill Street Lofts," the 70-unit apartment building Kearney Realty and Development wants to build adjacent to Charles Williams Park. New on the agenda is "State Street Lofts," the 24-unit apartment building Kearney is proposing for North Fourth and State streets, the lot now being used by the County for parking. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Zoom. Click here to join the meeting remotely.

• On Wednesday, June 12, the Housing Trust Fund Board meets at 5:30 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.

Update: The Housing Trust Fund Board meeting has been canceled and will be rescheduled.

• On Friday, June 14, the Historic Preservation Commission meets at 10:00 a.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, June 15, early voting begins for the Primary Election, which takes places on Tuesday, June 25. Early voting continues through Sunday, June 23. Here is the schedule for early voting:

Saturday, June 15: 9 am–5 pm

Sunday, June 16: 9 am–5 pm

Monday, June 17: 9 am–5 pm

Tuesday, June 18: 12 pm–8 pm

Wednesday, June 19: 12 pm–8 pm

Thursday, June 20: 9 am–5 pm

Friday, June 21: 9 am–5 pm

Saturday, June 22: 9 am–5 pm

Sunday, June 23: 9 am–5 pm

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Update on 11 Warren Street

Yesterday, the 11 Warren Street Action Group submitted its petition to the Columbia County Board of Supervisors. The petition was accompanied by this letter:

We, the 11 Warren Street Action Group, came together to persuade you that converting 11 Warren Street to house County departments is the wrong decision for Hudson and Columbia County. We understand the County's urgent need for office space for the cramped Board of Elections and others. But we believe there are far less expensive and better solutions.

The County's 11 Warren Street Project will:

• Cost the County, and in turn taxpayers, $8.9 million ($3.35M purchase + $5.53M renovations), or $477 per SF.
• Take the property off Hudson tax rolls.
• Dash hopes of positive redevelopment of the property (the city needs affordable housing, daycare, community spaces, etc.).
• Create a traffic nightmare (forcing more cars onto our already congested main street. Traffic on Warren Street near its intersection with Front Street becomes regularly congested with every arrival of an AMTRAK train (14 trains per day 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.).
• Make parking extremely difficult for employees, voters, people using the services at 11 Warren, and residents of the neighborhood (there is insufficient parking for employees and none for people using the services that will be offered at 11 Warren).

Following the Board of Supervisors' January 24 meeting, we organized a petition on behalf of concerned citizens of the City of Hudson and Columbia County. See attached Petition Statement opposing the County's plans for 11 Warren, plus two listings of signatures collected online via change.org [816 signatures] and in-person (at Hudson Farmers' Market, on Warren St, and other venues) [85 signatures]. Through June 4, the Petition has drawn 901 signatures, including many from Hudson proper and Columbia County.

Thank you in advance for reviewing this information.

We have asked for a meeting to discuss the project and to this date have not received a response. We appreciate the opportunity for ongoing community dialogue and look forward to meeting with you to discuss our report and the petition. You, as County Supervisors, have a duty to taxpayers to reconsider these plans.

In February, the Hudson Common Council unanimously passed a resolution opposing the County's plans for the building. So far, county officials, in particular Matt Murell who chairs the Board of Supervisors, have shown nothing but hubristic determination to pursue their wrongheaded plans for 11 Warren Street.

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Ear to the Ground

In the past couple of months, much attention was paid to the City's application for a Restore New York grant on behalf of the Hudson Housing Authority's redevelopment plan. When a resolution in support of the application came before the Common Council on April 24, the resolution failed to get the six affirmative votes needed to pass. Four members of the Council were absent from that meeting, so Council president Tom DePietro called another special meeting to vote again, hoping for a better outcome. That meeting took place on April 29 and resulted in the sought-after outcome: Council support for the application.

More than two weeks later, on May 16, the Common Council held a public hearing about the application. The public hearing was a requirement of the application process, but some thought it would have made more sense for the hearing to be held before the Council voted to support the project. At the public hearing, few people who were not HHA residents had anything good to say about seeking Restore NY funds for the project. The fear was that supporting the application would be interpreted as support for the entire project, about which very little information has been shared. 

Today Gossips offers an update on the situation. According to a reliable source, the City's Restore NY application was rejected because it was submitted too late.

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Trail of New Trees

Last year, the Conservation Advisory Council received a grant from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation to plant trees on Harry Howard Avenue, along the Empire State Trail. Yesterday, the work of planting the fifty-two trees began, and it continues today.

The drawing below shows the planting layout, followed by a list of the types of tree being planted. (Click on the images to enlarge.)

  

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Ear to the Ground

 . . . eye on Facebook. 

It's been more than a month since Michael Hofmann left the position of mayor's aide, and in that time, the City has been without an ADA coordinator and anyone who fields inquiries to the mayor's office, facilitates remote meetings, and posts meeting videos on YouTube, among many other things. Somehow we muddled through. 

Today, Mayor Kamal Johnson announced that there is a new mayor's aide: Justin Weaver.

Here's the announcement that appeared on the mayor's Facebook page this afternoon:

We are thrilled to welcome Justin Weaver to our team as the new ADA Coordinator and Mayoral Aide. Justin brings a wealth of experience and a deep-seated passion for the Hudson community. With his extensive background and commitment to accessibility and public service, we are confident that he will be an invaluable asset to our team. We look forward to his contributions in enhancing our city's initiatives and ensuring that Hudson remains an inclusive and vibrant place for all residents.