News from the HPC

Nine projects came before the Historic Preservation Commission on Friday, three of which merit attention.

720 Columbia Street  The signage proposed for Hudson's newest liquor store finally received approval from the HPC. After last week's workshop, a compromise was reached. Instead of the entire name of the liquor store--"M & M WINE & SPIRITS"-- appearing in illuminated red plastic sans serif letters across the front of the building, only the words "WINE & SPIRITS" will appear in illuminated red plastic serif letters, and there will be a hanging sign, mounted higher on the building than usual lest it be hidden by the highway signage, bearing the full name of the store.

102-104 North Fifth Street  The house at the corner of North Fifth and Washington streets, which from 1893 to 1900 served as Hudson's first hospital, is undergoing a major rehabilitation. 

Its current owner, Kamal Elmarsi appeared before the HPC on Friday seeking a certificate of appropriateness to replace the hodgepodge of vinyl windows, installed over the years when the house was owned by Phil Gellert, with one over one wood windows. During the review of the project, HPC chair Rick Rector asked, "Historically, what were the windows?" The question was never addressed or answered before the HPC granted its approval. When asked about this after the meeting, Rector noted there is no preservation architect on the commission, a requirement of the law, implying that the input of a preservation architect was needed in order to make this determination. The historian member of the HPC, David Voorhees opined that the technology to create larger panes of glass would have existed when the house was built, and if the original owners of the house were affluent, it would probably have had one over one windows.

448 Warren Street  The church that was constructed between 1867 and 1869 as the First Universalist Church has been undergoing an exemplary restoration in the past year or so. Previously, aspects of the project that have come before the HPC have been easy to approve, but that is not the case with the most recent proposal.

Photo courtesy Historic Hudson

The steeple on the church has been missing since the mid-20th century when, according to legend, the Methodist congregation then occupying the church was persuaded to remove it rather than risk liability should the steeple topple in a storm. Unfortunately, the plans for restoring the former church building do not include reconstructing the steeple. Instead the tower that once held the steeple would be "finished off" with a little pointed roof, and eight lights would be installed projecting upward to create a hologram of the missing steeple.

     
HPC chair Rick Rector called the proposal "an homage to what was there in the past." David Voorhees worried about the effect of changing weather conditions on the light show. Miranda Barry called the proposal "very interesting and very creative" but added, "I wouldn't want to see it every day." She suggested that it was "a work of art instead of architecture."

There was some question of whether or not the use of lights projecting upward was permitted by the city code. Rector wanted a judgment from code enforcement officer Craig Haigh and city attorney and HPC counsel Carl Whitebeck on this issue before the review proceeded. Whitbeck suggested that the application be bifurcated, and the slate "cap" proposed for the tower be considered separate from the steeple hologram. Rector, however, maintained that the two "go hand in hand" and urged that Haigh and Whitbeck provide a determination about the code issues within the next week. He then scheduled a public hearing on the project for Friday, January 8, at 9 a.m.
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Stewardship of the City's Natural Resources

Back in the 1960s, after the 1965 drought in the Northeast, the City of Hudson purchased land in Greenport, south of Spook Rock Road, to provide the city with a backup water supply. The purchase was the initiative of then city engineer, John Flynn. 

In 2002, the City entered into a lease agreement with A. Colarusso & Son for all but 14.5 acres of the 354-acre parcel that contained the City's secondary water supply--the 14.5 acres being the actual site of water source. For a payment of $200,000 a year (the amount needed by the City to pay off the loan for the new water treatment plant at the top of Rossman Avenue), Colarusso has the right to mine this land determined to be the City's "surplus property."

Recently, there's been some unexpected activity on this land: logging. The evidence and the questions it raises are explored by Timothy O'Connor on imby.com: "Who is logging City-owned trees on Becraft Mountain?"
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A Home for Promise Neighborhood

Back in July, it was learned that Greater Hudson Promise Neighborhood was to lose its headquarters on South Second Street. The building is owned by Housing Resources, now Galvan Housing Resources, and strategy of the new leadership is to subsidize the rent on the residential units in the building by increasing the rent on the commercial spaces. It was reported that the monthly rent for Promise Neighborhood was to be increased from $800 to $3,200 a month.

The imminent eviction of Promise Neighborhood inspired protest from the community, and Promise Neighborbood got a reprieve: they could stay at 6 South Second Street, at the same rent, until December 31, 2015. On Monday, with the deadline only days away, Alderman Tiffany Garriga (Second Ward) presented to the Common Council at their informal meeting a letter from Joan E. Hunt, project director of Promise Neighborhood, requesting approval for the organization to relocate temporarily to the Hudson Youth Center at Third and Union streets. The Council seemed blindsided by the request. 

Alderman Bart Delaney (Fifth Ward) asked if the request should not go through the Youth & Aging Committee. Garriga maintained that the plan had been proposed last summer, before Promise Neighborhood's deadline for vacating the space on South Second Street had been extended.

Alderman Rick Rector (First Ward) said this was the first he was hearing about the proposal and asked if the request shouldn't come from Tyrone Hedgepeth, recreation program supervisor at the Youth Center, or from the mayor. Garriga told Rector that he should have been at the last Youth & Aging Committee meeting, a somewhat bizarre rebuke because Rector is not a member of that committee and even more bizarre because the proposal was not discussed at the last Youth & Aging Committee meeting. Gossips was there, as was Supervisor Sarah Sterling (First Ward), who rose at Monday's meeting to attest that nothing had been said about the proposal at the committee meeting.

Alderman John Friedman (Third Ward) suggested that Garriga, who is a member of the Promise Neighborhood board of directors, should not be the one presenting or promoting the proposal, calling it a conflict of interest for her as a board member and an alderman to be "asking for some benefit from the City."

Council president Don Moore suggested that the proposal was "not something the Council can act on right now." He went on to say that "the mayor's office should parse this [proposal]--how much space they need and the hours of use"--and provide a "definition of how this impacts the Youth Department."

It was agreed that Hunt and Hedgepeth appear at the Council meeting on December 15, "so the Council knows what is being requested."

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Saturday Night at the Movies

On Saturday, December 12, two films by John Bowermaster will be shown at the Hudson Opera House: The Hudson: River at Risk and a new short documentary, High Voltage, Dark Shadow, which will have its big-screen premiere.

The event begins at 7 p.m. The screenings will be followed by a panel discussion and Q&A with the filmmaker and various experts. A $10 donation is suggested for One Ocean Media Foundation, the producer of the films.
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What Didn't Get Funded

Everyone is celebrating the Hudson projects that were successful in this year's Consolidated Funding Application process, but there is one project whose failure we should all be mourning: the ramp that would have provided universal access to Promenade Hill.

Although most of the people who showed up for a presentation about this grant application last July, just days before it was due, were less than impressed by what was being proposed, primarily because it was impossible to visualize the impact the ramp would have on the entrance to the park, all fervently hoped that the application would be successful. The alternative--a "temporary" ramp for which the City had allocated $20,000--was unthinkable.

But alas, the grant application was not successful, and the Common Council made the commitment back in November 2014 to install, at the entrance to our 220-year-old historic promenade, at the western terminus of our main street, whatever kind of ramp can be had for $20,000.
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Who Got the Money in Hudson

The Regional Economic Development Council Awards have been announced, and we now know how much of the $98.1 million awarded to the Capital Region is coming here to Hudson.

• The City of Hudson is getting $248,000 for the Upper Union Street Green Stormwater Retrofit, which "will use stormwater tree planters to intercept rainfall and prevent it from entering the combined sewer system along Union Street in the City of Hudson. . . . This pilot project will help the City to decide where to install similar green infrastructure practices throughout the community."
• The Hudson Opera House is getting $1.3 million for "restoration of the theater's staircase, hall, stage and backstage, new equipment and seating, installation of a new elevator and window, and other improvements."
• Redburn Development Companies is getting $1.5 million to "acquire and rehabilitate 41 Cross Street in Hudson. This historic building, currently used mainly for storage, was built in 1876 and would be redeveloped into a 56 room boutique hotel with fitness center and rooftop space."

The rest of the awards destined for Columbia County can be reviewed here on pages 97 and 98.

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Awards Announced

The winners in the Urban Revitalization Initiative, dubbed Cuomo's "Hunger Games," were announced this morning, and sadly the Capital Region, of which Columbia County is a part, was not one of three regions to receive $500 million--$100 million a year for the next five years--to fund its economic development projects. The three URI winners were the Finger Lakes, the Southern Tier, and Central New York. The Capital Region was, however, awarded $98.1 million in the Regional Economic Development Council program.
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Grant Funding for Firefighting: A Response

On Monday, when reporting about Senator Charles Schumer's call for increased federal funding for local fire departments, Gossips mused about why, in its recent acquisition of a pumper truck and its anticipated purchase of a new tower truck, the City of Hudson seems to have to rely on its own resources. This morning, a response to that post was received from Neal Van Deusen, who was a member of J. W. Edmonds Hose Company for forty-two years. Van Deusen joined Hudson's volunteer fire department in 1972 and served as First Assistant Chief from 1987 to 1992 and as Fire Commissioner from 1994 to 1999 and from 2003 to 2005. It is with his knowledge and permission that Gossips publishes his comments.

The Hudson Department of Fire has applied for AFG grants four times and received approximately $150,000 in funding in two grant awards. The last two times we applied we have been denied. These grants were used to upgrade our self-contained breathing apparatus and for fitness equipment in the Fitness Room at the Central Firehouse.

As far as apparatus is concerned, the AFG apparatus component seeks to replace apparatus that can be deemed too dangerous to be on the road. The focus is on heavy duty trucks like tankers and ladders which are approaching the 30 years in age or older and are indeed dangerous to operate. Aerial devices will most likely not be certified past 20 years of age, and they become a liability to departments who operate them past 20 years. Also, the ability of a community to pay for the apparatus is a major factor in awarding grants.

The fact that we are not a good candidate to receive AFG grants does not mean we do not solicit and receive assistance from other sources. State Senator Steve Saland was able to procure state funds that paid for a new Ford “F-350” pickup truck placed in service in 2008. Columbia Memorial Hospital donated the equipment trailer for the HFD Dive Team. The Galvan Foundation donated $10,000 to purchase a new command center and lighting for the new Chief’s car placed in service in 2013. Donations made to the Hudson Department of Fire “Eyes of Life Fund” have been used to purchase thermal imaging cameras. All of this has saved Hudson taxpayers thousands of dollars.

The fire service is at a disadvantage when compared to law enforcement. Law enforcement can apply for hundreds of grants at the state and federal levels while the fire service in New York State is primarily limited to three. Those being SAFER, AFG, and the NYS ENCON brush fire grant; the latter of which we do not qualify for.

When you look at true need for a community to receive fire service grants, Hudson is now near the bottom of the list. This is not a bad thing. We do have a bustling economy here.

Providing fire protection for any city is expensive, even when the total cost of personal services for the HFD is $0. I would guess that there are few, if any cities, in the State of New York that have lower fire protection costs than Hudson.

The cost of all firefighting equipment, from firefighting gloves to apparatus, has skyrocketed over the years. HFD officials have not just stood by expecting the city to provide us with every piece of equipment we request. HFD officials have worked hard to cut costs while continuing to provide excellent fire protection in the city.

As recently as 1999, the HFD operated seven primary pieces of apparatus; five engines (pumpers), one ladder truck, and one heavy rescue. These seven pieces of apparatus had to be replaced every 20 to 25 years. Now the HFD has four primary pieces of apparatus in the replacement cycle: two engines, one tower ladder (with a pump), and one rescue engine. The reduction in size of the HFD was the result of measures initiated by HFD officials who wrote the justification for the downsizing.

Whereas the City of Hudson was purchasing either two or three primary pieces of apparatus per decade since World War II (two per decade in the 1940s, 60s, 80s, and 00s; three per decade in the 1950s, 70s, and 90s), they will purchase only one piece of apparatus in the 2010s (the Hoysradt Hose engine which was received in 2013). There will be only two pieces of apparatus purchased in the next decade; a new ladder truck and a new engine to replace Roger’s Hose 1999 engine. AND the debt service and rent on the Central Station will come off the books in 2030.

It is difficult to forecast future HFD expenditures past the next decade. The overriding question is: “Will Hudson still have an all-volunteer fire department?”

When the city purchased the rescue engine in 2005, the HFD committed to selling one of two engines purchased in 1999, along with a 1987 engine and a 1983 heavy rescue. The proceeds from selling these three pieces of apparatus were meant to be used to reduce the debt service on the rescue engine when it was received in late 2006. Unfortunately, as so often happens, when the money from selling the three pieces of apparatus was received, it was used to purchase parking meters. So instead of the having the rescue engine paid off by 2011, it won’t be paid off now until 2020 or so.

The fire department also initiated the removal of the fire/police alarm boxes and air horns in the late 1990s. This not only resulted in the savings of what was a five figure annual alarm maintenance line item, but also reduced the HFD’s call volume by 100 or more fire calls per year. At over 300 fire calls per year, we are still the busiest FD in Columbia County.

I can go on and on about how we work to contain costs. . . . 

The Hudson Department of Fire has the heaviest fire load to protect and responds to the most fire calls in Columbia County. However, we have fewer pieces of primary apparatus than a number of departments in the county. (For example, we have the same number of primary pieces of apparatus as the Red Rock Fire Company.) Also, the cost of fire protection in the City of Hudson is NOT the highest in Columbia County.

The taxpayers of Hudson are extremely fortunate to have an all-volunteer fire department that has worked diligently to contain and reduce expenses. The City of Hudson has a true bargain in its fire protection.

What She Said

Mayor-elect Tiffany Martin Hamilton was on the radio this morning, on Something to Talk About with Holly Tanner and Justin Weaver, along with her campaign managers Kevin Hannan and Lisa Walsh, who is now the mayor-elect's aide. At the onset of the conversation, it was said that there were twenty-two projects that Hamilton and her team "have started to track," and during the course of the conversation, by Gossips' count, sixteen were mentioned specifically. They were as follows:

1. The Appointment of Commissioners  As we already know, Gary Graziano will be continuing as Police Commissioner. Hamilton said today that Tim Hutchings will continue as Fire Commissioner and that a Commissioner of Aging is "in place." Appointments to the positions of Commissioner of Youth and Commissioner of Public Works are still, according to Hamilton, "works in progress."
2. Broadband
3. Capital Projects
4. Police Review and Advisory Board
5. Diversity Initiative within the HPD
6. Sidewalks and Access for the Disabled
7. Ferry Street Bridge
8. More Grants for the City  Mentioned specifically were grants for senior programming and youth programming.
9. Housing Task Force  Encouraging the development of both affordable housing and more low-income housing were mentioned in particular.
10. HPD Quality of Life Initiatives  Hamilton spoke of "crosswalk safety" in particular--building awareness that motorists are required to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks.
11. Parks Committee  The need for such a group, tasked with the preservation and beautification of Hudson's parks, has been expressed many times in the past.
12. Police and Court Facility  Hamilton indicated that the latest round of bids on the project will come in on January 5. "That's when we'll get a better idea of how much [the adaptive reuse of 701 Union Street] will cost."
13. Transportation  Hamilton spoke of bringing the city buses back to Hudson and also of transportation to the strip malls of Greenport and to Columbia-Greene Community College.
14. Truck Routes  Once again, it is promised that an effort will be made to free us from the scourge of trucks passing through our little city on the way to someplace else.
15. Expanded Waterfront Development
16. Website Development  Hamilton spoke specifically about introducing tools on the city website that will enable people to "interact with the various departments."

When asked if she had heard from the current mayor since the absentee ballots were counted, Hamilton responded, "I have not." The transition apparently is being carried out with the mayor's aide, Gene Shetsky.

When asked how she was going to deal with the nearly 50 percent of the voters who did not vote for her (the final margin was 27 votes), Hamilton said, "I ran on a platform of transparency, accountability, and giving people a voice," and expressed her hope that "everyone is more interested in the common good than personal agendas."  

When asked about a dog park, Hamilton said it was a Hudson FORWARD initiative, at which time Kevin Hannan explained the group had so far raised $6,500 to build a dog park and had proposed that the City choose the site. He also explained that the dog park has become part of a larger initiative to beautify all the city parks.

When asked when all the appointments will be announced, Hamilton said that she wanted to "make sure people are comfortable with their roles" before making announcements. She did say, however, that Tracy Delaney will be staying on as city clerk, which is no surprise since city clerks typically continue from one administration to another.

When asked when the senior center will be complete, Hamilton said that she had toured the armory building last night with people from the library and declared, "The space looks beautiful. Galvan has done an amazing job in redoing the armory."

To listen to the entire conversation, click here.

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Ear to the Ground

Rumor has it that our current mayor packed his personal belongings into two boxes and left City Hall, never to return, two days after it was confirmed that he had lost the election. Since that day, we haven't heard much from the mayor-elect either, but Gossips has just learned that Tiffany Martin Hamilton will be the guest this morning of Justin Weaver and Holly Tanner on Something to Talk About on WGXC. The show airs at 10 a.m. at 90.7 FM or online at wgxc.org.
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Colarusso and the Army Corps of Engineers

At the November informal meeting of the Common Council, the aldermen received as a communication a copy of a letter from the Army Corps of Engineers addressed to Patrick Prendergast, the engineer previously employed by O&G and Holcim and now by A. Colarusso & Son. The letter, dated September 9, 2015, requested more information about plans to repair the "deep-water" dock: to "stabilize approximately 170 feet of eroded Hudson River shoreline with large rock rip-rap" and to "replace approximately 75 feet of deteriorated concrete bulkhead within a lateral side berth with new steel bulkhead that will be placed in the same location as the existing structure." The letter requested the information within thirty days of the date of the letter.

On Monday night, at the December informal meeting of the Common Council, there was another letter from the Army Corps of Engineers, this one dated November 25, 2015. The letter acknowledged that some of the information requested had been received but additional clarification and information was needed. The specific issues were:

• The drawing provided "fails to clearly and accurately depict the replacement of the existing bulkhead."
• The drawing states the bulkhead repair will be 220 linear feet, but "measuring the plan while utilizing the provided scale indicates the length to be approximately 75 linear feet." (This discrepancy had already been pointed out by the South Bay Task Force.)
• An assessment of the project's effects on the federal endangered Shortnose Sturgeon and Atlantic Sturgeon and on Essential Fish Habitat protected under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

Photo and caption: South Bay Task Force

After identifying what is unclear and what is missing, the letter goes on to say:

Please be advised, that any authorization from this office is conditional on the applicant's receipt of the required coastal zone management concurrence or waiver from the New York State Department of State (NYSDOS). No work may be accomplished until the required approval from the NYSDOS has been obtained.

The full text of the letter can be found here.

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Let Your Opinions Be Known

Once again, Sheena Salvino and Branda Maholtz at Hudson Development Corporation are conducting a Business Climate Survey to help them gauge the trends and changes over the past year. The data gathered is used by HDC to develop programming and make appropriate resources available. Maholtz assures everyone participating in the survey that "any information specific to businesses/business names and/or complaints/anecdotal information provided will be kept in strict confidence." Click here to access the survey and complete it online. The deadline for submitting your completed survey is January 8, 2016.
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Two Developments on Pearl Harbor Day 2015

Last night, in South Carolina, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump called for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States." Click here to read the New York Times coverage of the event.

Last night, in Hudson, Third Ward aldermen John Friedman and Henry Haddad and Common Council president Don Moore, introduced a resolution authored by Friedman reaffirming "our commitment to the ideals of freedom and tolerance that our great nation was and is founded upon" and urging "city departments, local businesses, and charitable organizations to work with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and other governmental and non-governmental agencies to provide shelter and sustenance for refugee families relocating to Hudson and integrating into our communities." Click here to read the full text of the resolution.
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Grant Funding for Firefighting

Earlier this afternoon, WAMC reported on Senator Charles Schumer's annual sixty-two county tour of New York State, which concluded recently in Rensselaer County. At the Troy Fire Department headquarters, Schumer launched a push to increase grant programs for firefighters: "Schumer: NY Fire Departments Need Greater Federal Help."

According to the report, there are two grant programs that make federal funds available to local fire departments: the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) and Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response (SAFER). Schumer is quoted as saying, "The SAFER Grant program . . . helps our career departments hire new firefighters and our volunteer departments recruit and retain members. So the SAFER Grant is about membership. People. The AFG is about equipment. And we need both." Both programs, the report points out, have seen a decrease in funding since 2011.

The report goes on to say: "Schumer worries local fire departments may be forced to choose between waiting another year and using outdated, potentially dangerous equipment, or purchasing equipment immediately and without federal funding, passing the burden along to local taxpayers."

In 2013, a new firetruck was purchased for J. W. Hoysradt Hose & Chemical Company. During his campaign for re-election, Mayor William Hallenbeck often boasted that the new apparatus had been purchased without incurring debt, but there was never mention of grant funding being available, sought, or awarded for the purchase.

Photo: Neal Van Deusen

The City is now planning ahead for the purchase of a new giant ladder truck in 2020, to replace the current one, which was purchased in 2001. A capital reserve fund has been established for this purpose with $150,000 from the fund balance. All the discussion and planning for this purchase seems to suggest that the City has to go it alone. There is no talk about securing grants for replacing the ladder truck. Is that because it's best not to talk about grants that the City may not receive? Is it because, with reduced funding, the grants have become too competitive? Is it because Hudson for some reason doesn't qualify for these grants? Maybe Schumer's initiative for increased federal funding for firefighters can help us in this respect.
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Same Discussion a Hundred Years Ago

From time to time, the advantages of metering the water use of individual households comes before the Common Council, and it is regularly decided that the City will continue with the current practice of charging everyone the same flat rate. The last time the issue was raised, the arguments against it included the possibility that the amount of money raised by the City through water and sewer rates might actually decrease if people paid based on their actual usage and that access to clean water is a basic human right and hence households using less water should subsidize households using more. The notion that paying for the actual amount of water used might encourage people to conserve water never seems to be a big part of the discussion.

The discussion of water meters goes back a long way. One hundred years ago, in 1915, a Charter Revision Committee, created by the Common Council, was working on revisions to the city charter. The departments, as well as individual residents, were invited to submit their suggestions for amendments to the charter. What follows is a suggestion from the Commission of Public Works, which was published in the Hudson Evening Register on December 7, 1915.

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More Evidence . . .

that Hudson is a metropolis in microcosm.

Speaking about the electorate in Chicago on WAMC's The Roundtable this morning, Alan Chartock said, "Big cities like Chicago and New York are divided into camps." 

So, too, is Hudson.
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On the Edge of the Historic District

Some may question if Hudson even needs another liquor store, but whether or not it does, it's got one at 720 Columbia Street, and the Historic Preservation is spending a lot of time and effort dealing with the sign being proposed for the shop. 

Although the plans for the faux rough-hewn stone storefront shown above have been abandoned, the sign composed of illuminated red plastic letters across the width of the storefront have not, and the HPC finds this kind of signage inappropriate in a historic district. To accommodate the applicant, the HPC held a workshop session on Friday to explain further their issues with the proposed sign and to explore what signage would be appropriate in the historic district. Two members of the HPC--Phil Forman and Miranda Barry--conducted the workshop; HPC chair Rick Rector was also present.

At the previous HPC meeting, Forman had suggested that the font played a big role in making the sign seem out of character with a historic district. Matt, of Matthew Signs, who spoke on behalf of the applicant, maintained that the bold sans serif font was part of the company's "brand" (they have a gas station and mini mart on Fairview Avenue and another in Schenectady). Despite this, renderings of the sign done in three different serif fonts were presented at Friday's meeting, and the font on the temporary banner now displayed on the store is Times Roman.

Barry stressed that the proposed signage was appropriate to Fairview Avenue or a strip mall but not to a historic district. "If you can have buildings that look like Fairview Avenue," she asked rhetorically, "why have a historic district?" Matt argued that the sign was compatible with its surroundings because there were already signs like it in the immediate vicinity, citing specifically the illuminated plastic signs at the St. Charles Hotel, the Citgo station next door, the Speedway station and at One City Centre around the corner, and the neon sign at Grazin' Diner.

Barry suggested that for visibility at night the sign could be illuminated with goose neck lamps; Matt said there wasn't room for any kind of lighting other than internal. Barry suggested a sign hanging perpendicular to the building, which is standard along Warren Street; the applicant objected that it wouldn't be visible enough. Matt expressed the opinion that the building wasn't historic "because it has vinyl siding"; Rector summarized, "The whole point is that this is a historic building in a historic district," and told the applicant, "You're hearing some good advice."

It is expected that a new proposal for signage will be presented at the next meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission on Friday, December 11.
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Winter Walk Window Awards

The opening of Winter Walk is still more than an hour away, but the Hudson Opera House has announced the winners of its annual Winter Walk Window Decorating Contest. The highest award went to the newly restored stained glass window at the First Presbyterian Church. The window, which was restored by Architectural Stained Glass in Great Barrington, will be backlit tonight for the first time for all to enjoy.

Photos by Dan Region

The stained glass window at the First Presbyterian Church received the special "Jackie O. Preservation Award." Another special award, the "Spirit of Hudson Award," went to the windows at Vince Mulford Antiques, 419 Warren Street. 

Also recognized for excellence were the following:

Most TraDish

Dish, 103 Warren Street

Most Elegant Use of Fern

#1 Savoia, 214 Warren Street

#2 Lili and Loo, 259 Warren Street

#3 Verdigris, 135 Warren Street

Most Edible Display

#1 Talbott & Arding, 323 Warren Street

#2 The Bee's Knees, 302 Warren Street

Most Creative Award
The Children in Hélène Lesterlin’s Shadow Puppet Workshop
327 Warren Street

Best New Media Award
RGA, 330 Warren Street

Best Window Painting

Mrs. Zito's First Grade Class at John L. Edwards Primary School

Hudson Police Department

427 Warren Street

The Barbie Holiday Award

John Doe Records, 434 Warren

Best Earl Award
Eustace & Zamus Antiques, 513 Warren

Best Dainty Christmas Award

Matt McGhee, 445 Warren

Best Use of Fauna Award

Gottlieb Gallery, 524 Warren Street

Most Artful Award

Stair Galleries, 549 Warren Street

Biggest Wreath Award

Department of Motor Vehicles

560 Warren Street

Best White Christmas Award
#1 Finch, 613 Warren Street
#2 Pampered Pooch, 226 Warren Street

News of the News

Today, for the first time since June 13, 1920, the New York Times has an editorial on the front page of the paper. In 1920, the editorial decried "The Nomination of Harding" at the Republican National Convention in Chicago. 

Today, the editorial decries "The Gun Epidemic."

Read the full text of the editorial here.

News from the Planning Board

Seven projects came before the Planning Board on Thursday night, the board's last meeting of 2015. Three of them, each of different reasons, merit attention.

67 Green Street  Anyone struggling to imagine the convenience store at the corner of Green Street and McKinstry Place with a second story perched on top can now stop trying.

Citing prohibitive costs, the owner of the building and the business told the Planning Board last night that the plan to add a second story, with three apartments, has been abandoned, along with the proposed changes to the parking lot. The expansion at the rear and side of the building, however, will be pursued as planned.

255-257 Union Street  This is the address of what is now a parking lot next to Ör. Proposed for this site by the Galvan Foundation, owner of the property, is a garden, "like a little park."

Planning Board chair Cappy Pierro introduced the proposal by saying, "This is an entrance to the city, and they want to clean it up." Pierro seemed to think eliminating the parking lot would not be problematic because there were "three spots on Partition Street" and a municipal parking lot was "right there." Daniel Kent of the Galvan Foundation also stressed the proximity of the municipal lot, saying it was "right around the corner." He also stated there were three spaces on Union Street along the north side of the property.

Seemingly puzzled by Pierro's apparent lack of concern about parking, Planning Board member Laura Margolis commented, "We used to have people show us that there were enough parking spaces."

The loss of parking as a consequence of turning the space into a garden wasn't the only concern. It soon became clear that the proposed garden wasn't meant to be a public park but rather expanded outdoor seating capacity for Ör. Several people who live on Union Street within a half block of the site were concerned about noise. Karen Smith complained, "When the bar closes at 2 in the morning, it's like a party on the street." Bob Rasner recalled that it was originally promised that the gallery cum coffee shop/bar wine would close at 12 midnight, but it is now staying open until 2 a.m. First Ward supervisor Sarah Sterling observed that a park, which is how the plan was being described, is "very different from a garden for a restaurant."

No decision was made on the proposal, which will not be pursued until April, but a public hearing was scheduled for Wednesday, January 13, 2016, when the Planning Board should have a new chair and three new members.

41 Cross Street  Tom Rossi and John Blackburn, both RPI graduates and principals of Redburn Development, made an initial appearance before the Planning Board on Thursday to talk about their plans to turn the Stageworks building on Cross Street into a hotel with 50 to 55 rooms. Redburn Development specializes in the adaptive reuse of historic buildings, specifically in turning historic industrial buildings into residential buildings. Their projects so far have been River Street Lofts in Troy and Tilley Lofts in Watervliet. Both projects are apartment buildings, but Rossi explained to the Planning Board that the market in Hudson inspired them to do a hotel instead of apartments.

The earliest use of the building that is now Stageworks was a candle and soap manufactory. Rossi and Blackburn promise a SHPO-approved rehab of the building, using green energy technology, to create a hotel that "embodies the character of Hudson."

There was much discussion about parking and plans for re-configuring the sidewalk on Cross Street to create a "drop-off area," but code enforcement officer Craig Haigh declared that "parking is the least of the challenges." His concerns were with infrastructure--water and sewer--and with maintaining access to Tanners Lane for fire apparatus. And then there is the matter of projected sea level rise along the Hudson River and its impact on the site, which wasn't really touched upon at all.

City attorney Carl Whitbeck, who was serving as counsel to the Planning Board for this project, advised that it was "premature for the board to give any indication." Gossips, unfettered by such constraints, celebrates Rossi and Blackburn for their vision and wishes them well.
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A Scary Development Across the River

Seth Rogovoy reports on a post that appears on the Ulster County Sheriff Department's Facebook page: "Ulster County Sheriff Calls on Citizenry to Carry Firearms in Public."
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Not to Be Missed During Winter Walk

Winter Walk is just two days away, on Saturday, December 5. As always, there will be lots to do and see during this three-hour (5 to 8 p.m.) holiday festival along Warren Street and beyond, presented by the Hudson Opera House--"Hudson's liveliest, largest, and most colorful event of the year!"

As part of the festivities, Historic Hudson is once again opening its offices at 611 Warren Street, on the second floor, as a "warming station," where cheering potables and comestibles will be on offer. To provide more incentive to leave the street and climb the stairs, Historic Hudson will be showing a ten-minute film by local film maker Isabel Barton, part of her documentary Unraveling Hudson created in 2001.

The segment features the Dr. Oliver Bronson House in the early days of Historic Hudson's advocacy--before the house was designated a National Historic Landmark, before Historic Hudson entered into a lease agreement with the state to become its legal steward, before the windows were repaired or reproduced, before the stabilization and restoration of the building began in earnest--and articulates the passion for the house and the understanding of its significance that inspires the ongoing restoration.

Historic Hudson will also be offering for sale gingerbread replicas of the Bronson House window sash, suitable for hanging on the holiday tree.
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Eye on the Senior Center

Back in July, when Bill Hallenbeck kicked off what we now know to be his unsuccessful campaign for re-election, he promised that the senior center at the Armory, a.k.a. the Galvan Community Learning Center, would be open in forty-five days. Since then, the Galvan Foundation, with the full support of Mayor Hallenbeck, exacted $100,000 from the City to "fit up" a building that the City does not own, but five months later, the senior center still hasn't opened. If it's going to happen during Hallenbeck's term in office, it has to happen soon--in the next twenty-eight days.

Meanwhile, there's the issue of what's going to happen at the long-awaited senior center. As always, senior programming was included in Tyrone Hedgepeth's report to the Common Council Youth & Aging Committee last night. Here's what was reported:

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The Register-Star Weighs In

How do you make a story sound new when it's already been covered by another local newspaper and a local blog? Judge whether or not John Mason succeeds in today's Register-Star: "School officials consider building closure."
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A Little Good News on the Education Front

Tonight, Tyrone Hedgepeth, recreation program supervisor for the Youth Department, told the Common Council Youth and Aging Committee that in the past many of the teens who play basketball regularly at the Youth Center didn't make the high school basketball team, not because of their skills but because of their grades. He reported that this year, however, all fourteen of the Youth Center regulars made the team. Congratulations to all!
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Mayor-elect Hamilton's First Press Release

Here's a sign of change. Whereas Mayor William Hallenbeck never included The Gossips of Rivertown on his media distribution list, Mayor-elect Tiffany Martin Hamilton obviously does. Gossips just received this press release from Hamilton and publishes it now in its entirety.

POLICE COMMISSIONER GRAZIANO ACCEPTS REAPPOINTMENT

After more than a week of discussions with Hudson Police Commissioner Gary Graziano and Chief Ed Moore, Mayor-elect Tiffany Martin Hamilton is pleased to announce that Commissioner Graziano will continue in his role in 2016 under the new administration. Hamilton offered the following comments:

Police Commissioner is undoubtedly one of the most important appointments I will make as Mayor. Of all City departments, the police department has the most consistent direct contact with the public. The relationship the department has with the public is incredibly important, and has to be cultivated and nurtured by strong leadership. In addition to providing continuity and a tremendous amount of institutional knowledge, I believe Commissioner Graziano is dedicated to driving positive change within his department.

We are coming out of several years where, on a national level, we've witnessed horrific events play out between law enforcement officers and the very people they've taken an oath to protect, and I understand that it's impossible for these events not to sow the seeds of distrust. The opportunity now lies before us to implement some meaningful changes to build a healthier relationship between the police and our community. To that end, Commissioner Graziano, Chief Moore, and I agree that there [are] two key initiatives we will begin to develop in January.

We will be establishing a citizens' advisory/review board. While there is research to be done and details to hash out, I feel confident in sharing that the overarching goals are:

• to provide full transparency on the department's activities, reviewed monthly by the board;

• to give citizens a way to provide input--suggestions, complaints, questions, etc.--with assurances that all will be heard and responded to;

• when issues do arise, to establish and facilitate respectful, two-way dialogue;

• to keep everyone in the community up to date on what's happening in the police department, including new initiatives, community events, departmental changes, etc.

In addition, we will be developing a diversity initiative within the department, with the primary goal of establishing policies and best practices to increase diversity in hiring and promotions. We will seek guidance from diversity practitioners, and will be partnering with outside organizations and agencies to assist in this process.

In response, Commissioner Graziano provided the following comments:

I accept Mayor-elect Hamilton's offer to stay on as Police Commissioner. I look forward to continuing our present initiatives in strengthening Community relations, continuing the strong interagency cooperation that we have built, improving our department administratively and continuing to improve the safety and quality of life for all residents of the City of Hudson.

I'm all for and support community members consisting of all sectors of the community who want to meet, discuss, ask questions, provide input and create positive dialogue with the Hudson Police Department. I support this type of program. We are planning to assemble a board of interested, concerned residents who aim to represent the best interest of everyone throughout the City of Hudson, absent of personal agendas. Only professional and respectful dialogue will bring positive change and better relationships between HPD and the Community. I have and will continue to support full transparency and disclosure of the Department, and see this board as an avenue to provide further transparency.

As far as our hiring and promotional practices, this is a great topic for one of the first board meetings. Educating the general public on just how HPD's hiring and promotional practices work through Civil Service Guidelines and Regulations would be a great start in showing the process we must adhere to while hiring and promoting Police Officers and Communication Specialists within the department. With that said, I continue to be open to dialogue with the community on how to raise awareness and interest so that all sectors of our community can be reached on a Civil Service list, and am open to suggestions and professional guidance on how to better promote this awareness in our department.

More information will be provided in the first quarter of 2016 as the details of these initiatives are further developed.

Musing About Mayoral Appointments

Ever since the absentee ballots were counted and it was confirmed that Tiffany Martin Hamilton would be Hudson's new mayor, there's been a swirl of speculation about whom she would appoint to various positions in city government. So far, all we know, because he mentioned it at the last Police Committee meeting, is that she asked Gary Graziano to stay on as police commissioner, but we don't know if he has agreed to or not. Gossips also knows that Lisa Walsh Makas, who ran Hamilton's campaign office, will be the mayor's aide.

Although nothing has been made public about who is being considered for other commissioner appointments, it is hoped that Hamilton is giving serious consideration to her choices. The current commissioner of public works, Jim Folz, who has been in that position since 2007, hasn't been a very visible commissioner. Unlike other commissioners who regularly attend the pertinent Common Council committee meetings, Folz has not been seen at a Public Works Committee meeting since Rob Perry took over as DPW superintendent at the end of 2008. Given the public concern about what seems to be an opportunistic and piecemeal approach to addressing the City's combined sewer issues and the mystery that shrouds any master plan, it would be nice to have a more visible and engaged commissioner who could help people understand and have confidence in what's being pursued. 

With the anticipated opening of the senior center, and no dedicated staff or program of any substance in place, the role of commissioner of aging takes on new importance. Unlike the other four commissioners (police, fire, youth, and public works), the commissioner of aging does not receive an annual $1,000 stipend, the reason being that the position does not have the same responsibilities, principal among them overseeing a budget and hiring staff. Ironically, it's the lack of those responsibilities--budget and staff--that makes the position of commissioner of aging the most challenging. The commissioner of aging needs to make something out of nothing. What's sorely needed in that position is a vibrant and resourceful person who can build a viable program that appeals to all of Hudson's senior citizens and who will advocate for the resources needed to make the senior center something more than some unsupervised rooms with furniture.

The Planning Board, however, may represent some of Hamilton's most important appointments, and there are a lot of positions to be filled: four on a seven member board. The terms of both Cappy Pierro, who now chairs the Planning Board in spite of the fact that he no longer lives in Hudson, and Laura Margolis are over at the end of this month, and Claudia DeStefano and Priscilla Moore will have to leave the board because they are now Common Council president and a Fifth Ward alderman respectively and the city charter (Chapter C2-3) prohibits people from holding more than one office created by the charter. 

The Planning Board has always been an important regulatory board in Hudson. The decisions they make and the approvals they hand down have always had the power to alter the character of a neighborhood and, in some cases, the entire city. Now, with our LWRP in limbo and no Local Coastal Consistency Board in place, there is only the Planning Board to review projects affecting the waterfront, such as the one proposed recently by A. Colarusso & Son to repair the "deep water" dock. Hamilton needs to appoint people to this board who are thoughtful, knowledgeable, and willing to demand the training that it was promised would be required for them when the Planning Commission was reconstituted as a Planning Board almost two years ago.
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The Farmers' Market Returns for the Holidays

Thanksgiving leftovers may have sustained us and kept us from missing the Hudson Farmers' Market too much last weekend, but happily, for those in need of fresh provisions, the market returns this Saturday for its annual three-weekend pre-Christmas run in the Parish Hall at Christ Church, 431 Union Street. Many of the market's favorite vendors will be there--The Farm at Miller's Crossing, Red Barn, Pigasso Farm, Northern Star Farm, Cedar Flower Farm, Trixie's Oven, and more--and Christ Church volunteers will selling coffee. Market will be open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the next three Saturdays, December 5, 12, and 19.
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