Among the Executive Orders . . .

On January 27, President Donald Trump signed an executive order with the title "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States." This was the executive order that blocked travel from seven predominately Muslim countries. Two days earlier, however, on January 25, he signed another executive order with the title "Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States." Section 5 of this executive order is of particular interest.

This executive order changed the priorities for Immigration & Customs Enforcement, presumably with the goal of fulfilling Trump's promise to deport 2 to 3 million immigrants with criminal records. NPR reported yesterday, however, that "immigration experts say that while the Department of Homeland Security estimates there are 1.9 million 'removable criminal aliens' in the United States, only about 690,000 are in this country illegally and have been convicted of a felony or serious misdemeanor." The executive order expands the definition of "removable alien."
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First News of a New Event in Hudson

A reader discovered this notice in today's Register-Star.

A Fools Run is not an original concept. There's been a Fools Run on April 1 in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, for the past twenty-six years. The event in Kutztown takes place in the morning and offers the options of doing a 2-mile walk, a 5-K run, or a 10-K run. The event planned for Hudson this April Fool's Day is a one-mile early evening run down Warren Street, from Wunderbar to Front Street, followed by an after party at Club Helsinki. 
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Snow Emergency Update UPDATED

The snow emergency is still in effect, and cars should remain parked on the even side of the street. After 8 p.m. tonight, when the snow emergency is over, "No Parking" signs will be your guide to where your car can safely spend the night.

Snow removal begins tonight at midnight. On Warren Street, the snow will be removed from both sides of the street sometime after midnight. Code enforcement officer Craig Haigh urges everyone on Warren Street to clear the sidewalks of snow to the curb before midnight so that all the snow can be taken away and great mountains of snow will not remain for pedestrians to have to clamber over.

On streets other than Warren Street, residents should refer to the signage. If the "No Parking" signs are on your side of the street, it is your chance to clear the sidewalks to the curb. 

If the placement of "No Parking" signs differs from what the snow removal schedule indicates, always follow the signs.

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ICE in Hudson: The Story Continues

On Thursday evening, the Columbia County Sanctuary Movement released a statement that read in part:

Our legal support network . . . [has] confirmed that there are at least 4 people detained by ICE at Albany County Jail, all of whom were initially detained by ICE on February 6 and 7. This afternoon our legal team was granted access to those detained and were able to confirm that only one individual from Columbia County was among them.

In addition to those detained, we have confirmed that ICE has interrogated at least one other individual in Hudson, taken their passport, and attempted to coerce them into signing a voluntary departure form, which they refused to do without legal representation.

We have received numerous other reports of ICE activities around the county and are working to verify those activities.

Saving Hudson's Most Beloved Church

In November, Gossips shared the sad news that the First Presbyterian Church had been found to have serious structural issues. A report by Ryan Briggs and Clark Davis, engineers and recognized experts in assessing historic structures, warned that the roofing framework had deteriorated significantly. Some roof rafters and beams had become detached from exterior load bearing walls. Others were no longer solid--having suffered from 180 years of stress, settling, and moisture. The news was a particularly hard blow for those who only a year before had celebrated the restoration of the church's major stained glass window.

Photo: Dan Region

The First Presbyterian Church is an integral part of Hudson's history. The first church to be established in Hudson, it was once the largest congregation in the Hudson Valley. It is also an integral element of the architecture of Hudson's main street. Nearly every photo of Warren Street includes the church and its iconic steeple. Hudson would not be Hudson without this majestic church building.

Photo: Tony Cenicola|New York Times

"Because our membership assembles in this beautiful building, the public assumes there is funding for overhead and maintenance," explained Kathryn Beilke, pastor of the church. "The truth is that we are a very small congregation, and one of our core principles is that we welcome everyone. That often includes people without the means to support such a massive undertaking. We realize we have a duty to the city of Hudson to ensure that this historic treasure doesn't deteriorate. But we can't do it alone."

To enable everyone who values this church to assist in the effort to preserve it, the Friends of the First Presbyterian Church have created a donation page to raise the money needed to correct the structural issues and open the church to its congregation and the public once more. Click here to go that page and make a contribution. Questions about the preservation efforts can be directed to the president of the Friends of the First Presbyterian Church, Philip Forman.
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ICE in Hudson and the County

Yesterday, the Register-Star reported that one person, with a felony warrant, had been detained by Immigration & Customs Enforcement in Hudson on Tuesday. Yesterday, too, the Columbia County Sanctuary Movement announced on Facebook that they had "confirmed that there are at least 4 people who have been detained in the area by ICE and are being held in the Albany County Jail." CCSM provided no information about why the people had been detained or where in the area the action had happened.
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Keep Those Cars Where They Are

Mayor Tiffany Martin Hamilton just issued a reminder that cars must stay on the odd side of the street until 8 p.m. tonight. Then and only then should you dig your car out and move it to the even side of the street. If you move your car before 8 p.m., you risk having it towed away.

Of course, moving it to the even side assumes that side of street has been plowed and no overzealous neighbors have shoveled the snow from their sidewalks into the very spots where you are supposed to park.
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Forum Planned on Affordable Housing

A public forum on affordable housing in Hudson will take place on Thursday, February 23, at 5:30 p.m., at 1 North Front Street. The announcement of the forum states the following:

Learn about how we can make more affordable housing in Hudson a reality.

The City of Hudson is great by virtue of its diverse population: working people, families, artists, students, shopkeepers, and civil servants, whose lives cover a range of economic and cultural realities. To preserve the greatness of our city, we must create and preserve affordable housing.

But first there are challenges to address.

Learn about those challenges--technical, logistical, and financial--facing current initiatives. Discuss your ideas for new ones. And let's talk about how we can help move things forward.

The panel for the forum is so far made up of William Hughes, Fourth Ward supervisor and minority leader of the Columbia County Board of Supervisors, and Tiffany Garriga, Second Ward alderman and majority leader of the Common Council. Additional panelists are to be announced. Michael Chameides, chair of the Hudson City Democratic Committee, will moderate the forum.
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Remembering Bill Hellermann

On Monday, February 13, from 5 to 7 p.m., there will be a gathering at the Hudson Opera House to remember and acknowledge the life and many gifts of Bill Hellermann, who died earlier this week.

A retrospective and celebration of Bill's life is being planned by his children to take place in the spring, on a date to be announced.

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SNOW NEWS

The schools are closed. The library is closed. City Hall is closed. 

The Planning Board meeting scheduled for tonight has been canceled.

But, for those in need of warmth, spirit, and sustenance, the following Hudson businesses have made it known that they are open, despite the snow:

Ör

Spotty Dog

Verdigris
Moto Coffee
Olde Hudson
Relish
Hudson Food Studio

(This is be no means a complete list, and it seems that just about all the businesses in Hudson are open for business as usual.)

Snow!

A major snowstorm is heading our way, and, in anticipation, Mayor Tiffany Martin Hamilton has declared a snow emergency the details of which can be found here. What you need to know tonight is that starting at midnight all cars must be parked on the odd side of the street and must stay there until 8 o'clock tomorrow night. Cars not in compliance will be towed.

The photograph above shows the 400 block of Warren Street after the Blizzard of 1888. Nothing approaching this amount of snow is expected tonight.
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Of Interest Tonight in the Register-Star

Rosa Acheson reports HPD Chief Ed Moore's account of the activity of Immigration & Customs Enforcement in Hudson yesterday: "ICE detains man in Hudson."

Roger Hannigan Gilson reports on the latest development in the saga of Quintin Cross: "Cross pleads not guilt to 10 counts."

Who's on the Board?

The discussion of redevelopment of the Kaz warehouse site has brought increased attention to the Hudson Development Corporation and the role it will play in shaping the future of the waterfront. What happens with that site will alter the character of the immediate neighborhood and influence what else happens in the entire waterfront area. For this reason, it seems reasonable to want to know who is on the HDC Board. So, Gossips asked and now shares that information.

• Duncan Calhoun, President--Co-owner of The Barlow Hotel and The Croff House
• Brian Stickles, Vice President--Assistant vice president for commercial lending and business development at the Bank of Greene County
• Eileen Halloran, Treasurer--Former treasurer for the City of Hudson
• Christine Jones, Secretary--Vendor at the Hudson Farmers Market, founder of the Indoor Farmers Market, and co-founder of the Hudson Children's Book Festival Literacy Fund
• Alex Petraglia--Development and marketing coordinator at the Hudson Opera House
• Bart Delaney--Former Fifth Ward alderman
• Bob Rasner--Proprietor of the B&B The Inn at 34 
• Carolyn Lawrence--Associate broker with Gary DiMauro Real Estate and proprietor of Hudson B&B 
• Claudia DeStefano, ex officio--Common Council president
• Don Moore--Third Ward supervisor and former Common Council president
• John Gilstrap--Formerly executive vice president for expansion and attraction of business for Empire State Development
• Tiffany Martin Hamilton, ex officio--Mayor of Hudson

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Planning Board Meeting Happening Tomorrow

The hottest issue before the Planning Board--the Colarusso haul road--is not on the agenda for tomorrow night's meeting because the Greenport Planning Board has yet to deem the application for the project complete, but there are three public hearings and three new applications on the agenda.

The first of the public hearings concerns 886 Columbia Street, the early 20th-century house, once known as the Dinehart mansion, that is to be converted into six medical office suites, with an elevator added at the back of the building. The plan also involves expanding the parking lot.

The second public hearing is about the proposal to build a block of four town houses on Hudson Avenue. Site plan approval from the Planning Board is the final hurdle for this project, which began its regulatory journey a year ago and required an amendment to the zoning code to get to this point.

The third public hearing involves the plan to convert the former Allen Street School into a private gallery, studio spaces, and one short-term residential unit for an artist-in-residence program.

Of the new proposals expected to be presented to the Planning Board tomorrow night, the first is to convert "a manufacturing warehouse into a manufacturing site of sauerkraut and other lacto-fermented vegetables." The address of the project is 124 North Second Street, now the location of of COARC Manufacturing. 

It appears that this may be the Hawthorne Valley Association project that won a $600,000 grant from the Regional Economic Development Council in December. When it was designated as a Priority Project in November, the project was described in this way:

Phase 1 of the HV Farm Enterprise Expansion includes the acquisition, renovation and equipment outfitting of a 10,000-square-foot facility for sauerkraut production in Hudson's Ward 2; it will include a sauerkraut filler, label applicator, capper, heat tunnel for shrink seals, case sealer, conveyor, and cabbage shredder and juicer. It will also include the opening of a small retail storefront and the creation of culinary and food production job training programs.

If this is the same project, it appears that the plan for a "small retail storefront" has been postponed or abandoned, because there is no mention of it in the application to the Planning Board.

The second new project is the proposal to convert the former church building at 426 State Street, now a single family residence, into a mixed-use space "for private events, video/photo shoots, and non-profit seminars."

The third new application is for an amendment to the site plan for 78-80 Green Street. The site plan for this property has been amended a couple of times already: first when it was discovered that a new building on the site was constructed in the wrong place; and again to allow a permitted wholesale bakery to begin selling its wares retail. The amendment sought now would allow a reduction in the number of parking spaces at the site from 31 to 25 and the addition of an eight-foot-high fence.
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Congressional Watch

The Register-Star reports today that Congressman John Faso voted to overturn a regulation that prevented people who receive Social Security disability benefits because of a mental health condition from buying guns: "Faso votes in favor of overturning Obama-era gun policy, supports national reciprocity bill." The following is quoted from the article: "The policy was inspired in part by the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, where shooter Adam Lanza killed 20 children and six educators. An investigation released in 2014 found psychiatrists had recommended Lanza be treated for multiple mental health conditions, including obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety and anorexia, prior to the shooting."
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Code Enforcement at Work

Last Tuesday, Gossips did a post about 215 Union Street, enumerating the details of the building that departed from what was proposed and what was granted a certificate of appropriateness by the Historic Preservation Commission. Chief among those departures was the stoop and the front door.

When the problems were brought to his attention, code enforcement officer Craig Haigh issued a stop-work order. No work on the building could continue until there was an amended certificate of appropriateness or it was agreed that the problems would be corrected. The latter option was chosen. 

The offending stoop and front doors have been removed. There are plans to install the sills from the demolished building, as cosmetic rather than structural elements, and to build ornamental chimneys. According to Haigh, the lintels are the only elements that are problematic, since the window openings were constructed with jack arches instead of lintels as the structural support. It is reported that none of the alterations from the original design approved by the HPC had been authorized by the building owner.
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The Way Things Are Now

Last Friday, there was a vigil for sanctuary and solidarity at the Hudson Islamic Center. Today, the following urgent notice just appeared on Facebook:

ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) officers began carrying out raids in Hudson, NY sometime late this morning and are currently still conducting operations in the area. They have already detained a family member of an organizer with the Columbia County Sanctuary Movement, and were last rumored to be headed to Wal-Mart to conduct further raids.

This is the time for immediate, concrete, and escalated solidarity action in support of our allies and community members who may be targets of these raids.

Columbia County Sanctuary Movement organizers are asking for anyone able to engage in direct actions aimed at disrupting or protesting these raids and/or contribute to a legal defense fund for those affected contact them IMMEDIATELY by emailing sanctuarycolumbiacounty@gmail.com.

Update: At approximately 3:50 p.m., Mayor Tiffany Martin Hamilton posted the following comment, relating to the above notice, on Facebook:

I confirmed with HPD that they were contacted late this morning by ICE. ICE was in Hudson to detain an individual who had returned to the United States after prior deportation due to a conviction. HPD has in no way been engaged, and we are not aware of any additional activity.

Update: See account of what transpired in the Register-Star: "ICE detains man in Hudson." 

In Memoriam: William Hellermann

Composer, classical guitarist, curator, teacher, photographer, raconteur, genial friend to so many, Bill Hellermann has died.

In the summer of 1998, Hellermann photographed the "accidental beauty" of the garages and carriage houses in the alleys of Hudson. His photographs were the inspiration for the exhibition No Parking: The Alleys and Garages of Hudson, which is currently on display at the Hudson Opera House. 

A memorial gathering is being planned for next week at the Hudson Opera House. A few hours ago, the Opera House posted this tribute on Facebook:

We are deeply saddened by the passing of William Hellermann--a much beloved Hudson resident, artist, composer, music instructor, and friend of the Hudson Opera House. Bill performed multiple consecutive seasons at the Opera House with the DownTown Ensemble, and his compositions have been performed internationally. Late last year, Bill returned to the Opera House to help organize the No Parking: The Alleys and Garages of Hudson exhibition, which features his photos documenting the city's forgotten side. To celebrate his life, we welcome visitors to see this work, on display through February 19 in the Hudson Opera House's Center Gallery. Our thoughts are with Bill's family and friends during this time.

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About the Elks Club and Tax Exempt Properties

In November, Gossips linked to an article in the Register-Star that revealed the Hudson Elks Club was one of a very few Elks lodges the Northeast that did not pay property taxes. This morning, the Register-Star reports that situation has changed: "Elks to pay property taxes in 2017."

Anticipating a question sure to come from a least one Gossips reader, I took a look at the "Wholly Exempt" section of the tax rolls for Hudson. (Although the link to the tax rolls on the City of Hudson website is for some reason not working, anyone can view the tax rolls at the Columbia County website.) The "Wholly Exempt" section begins on page 390 and runs through page 432--a total of 43 pages and approximately 258 properties. Included among the wholly exempt properties are all the things you'd expect to find: all the property owned by the City of Hudson (more than fourteen pages of it), Columbia County (almost three pages), the State of New York (the boat launch and the correctional facility), Columbia Memorial Hospital, and the Hudson City School District. In addition, there is the Firemen's Home, the U.S. Post Office, all the houses of worships, and various buildings belonging to such not-for-profits as the Hudson Opera House, Time & Space Limited, Operation Unite, and the Daughters of the American Revolution. 

Then there is the Hudson Community Development & Planning Agency (HCDPA), whose list of properties, primarily vacant land, covers five pages. There are also entities that provide low-income housing: Hudson Homesteads has ten properties on the list; Housing Resources of Columbia County, now known as Galvan Housing Resources, has four. 

Of interest is the number of times the name Galvan appears in the "Wholly Exempt" section of the tax rolls. Seven properties are listed as owned by Galvan Asset Management: 325 and 327 State, 252 State, 17 North Third, 313 State (all properties formerly owned by Housing Resources) and 538-540 and 542-544 Columbia (the Columbia Opportunities building). One property--the former Hudson Armory now the location of the Hudson Area Library, the Hudson Senior Center, and Perfect Ten--is on the "Wholly Exempt" list as owned by an entity called Galvan Civic. The Galvan Initiatives Foundation has two properties on the list: 400 State Street (the former Hudson Area Library) and 40 South Third Street (the Salvation Army building).
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News from HDC

This afternoon, the Board of the Hudson Development Corporation held a special meeting, the purpose of which, as described on the City of Hudson website, was "to build consensus to respond to the Sustainable Community Associates and clarify HDC's position with respect to the Kaz redevelopment project." Eager to learn the status of this project, Gossips showed up for the meeting, as did Rick Rector, First Ward alderman; Nick Zachos, chair of the Waterfront Advisory Committee; and Ellen Thurston.

The meeting was attended by seven members of the HDC board--Mayor Tiffany Martin Hamilton, Council president Claudia DeStefano, former City treasurer Eileen Halloran, former Fifth Ward alderman Bart Delaney, Bob Rasner, Christine Jones, and Alex Petraglia, development and marketing coordinator at the Hudson Opera House. Sheena Salvino, HDC executive director, opened the meeting by summarizing what had happened with the project to this point. She indicated that up until now discussions with SCA had proceeded "in a relatively informal way." She explained that SCA wanted a site that was larger than what was being offered and that HDC was "helping in any way it could"--working with CSX and the City of Hudson to secure addition property. She also reported that SCA had had an initial meeting with the residents of Tanners Lane and intended to engage the community in a six-month planning process before the project actually begins.   

It will be remembered that Senator Chuck Schumer was in Hudson at the end of December to declare his support for the project and to announce that he was sending a letter to the CEO of CSX urging him to make the CSX property available for the project. Salvino reported today that Senator Schumer's office is "cautiously optimistic" that this could happen. She also reported that City attorney Ken Dow had made the determination that would be legal for the City to sell a piece of the train station parking lot for fair market value or swap it for land of equal value, with two-thirds support of the Common Council.

At the present time, HDC wants to enter into an option agreement with SCA, which would involve some percentage of the sale price to be paid as earnest money to hold the property off the market for a specified period of time. SCA proposed an option agreement, the terms of which were not acceptable to the HDC board. HDC offered other option agreements to SCA, none of which were acceptable. SCA has proposed another option agreement, which is what the board would considering at the special meeting.

Before the meeting went into executive session, Rector asked if the earnest money was nonrefundable. When told that it was nonrefundable, he asked if that was the reason SCA wouldn't agree to it. At that point, Halloran expressed her opinion that the board should not talk about this with the public. 

Zachos wanted to know what specific items required that the discussion take place in executive session. Again Halloran responded by saying, "We as a board need to talk about all the moving parts of this. Having the public know what we are considering would weaken our position."

That being said, the members of the public withdrew, as requested, from the meeting room.
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Of Interest

This afternoon on Studio 360, host Kurt Anderson interviewed poet Dana Gioia, who chaired the National Endowment for the Arts during George W. Bush's administration. Gioia talks of the importance of the NEA and its sibling the NEH (National Endowment for the Humanities) and gives advice about action that can be taken to protect the budgets of the NEA and the NEH during the current administration. You can listen here. The interview with Gioia is first.
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House Numbers in 1851: All Is Revealed

In November, Gossips published a post that concluded, based on evidence from the Hudson Daily Star, buildings in Hudson were not numbered in 1851, and hence numbers were not used to describe the location of a house or business--for example, a house advertised for sale on Allen Street was said to be "a few rods from the Court House," and it was announced that a new boarding house was opening "in the A. Hammond Building, fronting the Public Square." That post prompted a reader to send me an email informing me that in the 1851 Hudson City Directory, a facsimile of which was published in 1985, "all the residential and business listings include house numbers." She concluded, "Hard to believe that in a planned city, numbering houses would be overlooked, but easy to believe it [i.e., describing location by reference to well-known houses or businesses] was just the local manner of speaking."

Well, hard as it is to believe, it is true. (But then there is much about Hudson that is hard to believe but true.) Yesterday, Gossips reported that on August 6, 1851, the Common Council passed an ordinance requiring the owners and occupants of properties to place numbers on their buildings. The ordinance specified that "a suitable person shall be appointed, whose duty it shall be to allot and designate the numbers of the several houses and lots in said city." On August 26, 1851, the following item appeared in the Daily Star.

Around that same time in August 1851, this notice began appearing in the Daily Star, announcing the intent to publish a "General Directory of the City of Hudson . . . on or about the 1st of October, or immediately after the numbering of the Lots is completed."

Needless to say, the editor of the Star, who had often commented about the problems caused by the buildings in Hudson not being numbered, had supportive things to say about the effort to create Hudson's first city directory.

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"One Nation Indivisible . . ."

If you have heard about the Indivisible Movement and are looking for a way to get involved, the local group, Blue Dot Hudson, which is one of more than three thousand such groups around the country, now has a website where you can find resources and learn about events and daily actions.
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Reliving the Vigil

Dan Udell and his camera were at the Vigil for Sanctuary and Solidarity on Friday night. To watch the video and hear our mayor, Tiffany Martin Hamilton, state unequivocally, "There is no room for hate in Hudson," click here.

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Problem Solved . . . in 1851

In November and again in December, Gossips published posts about what seemed to have been a vexing problem in Hudson in 1851: the general custom of not placing numbers on houses and buildings and therefore not referring to those numbers when providing directions to a particular home or business. On more than one occasion, the editor of the Daily Star shared accounts of visitors to Hudson getting lost in the search for their destination or being so put off by directions that relied solely on landmarks that they didn't bother coming to Hudson at all.

On August 19, 1851, however, the Daily Star reports that the problem will finally be corrected. On August 6, 1851, the Common Council passed an ordinance requiring that the owner or occupant of any building fronting on any street in Hudson must place a number on that building. The ordinance gave them two weeks to comply once they had been informed of the correct number for their property. The penalty for noncompliance was one dollar for the first week and fifty cents for every week thereafter.

Here is the article that appeared in the Daily Star.

Here is the actual ordinance as it appeared in the Daily Star. 

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Vigil for Sanctuary and Solidarity in Hudson

On Friday morning, a ruling by U.S. District Court Judge James Robart in Seattle temporarily suspended the Trump administration's travel ban on all refugees and visa holders from seven predominantly Muslim countries. On Friday night, the White House vowed to appeal and "defend the executive order of the President, which we believe is lawful and appropriate." This morning, the New York Times reports that President Donald Trump, in an early-morning Twitter message, attacked James Robart, "calling him a 'so-called judge' whose 'ridiculous' ruling would be overturned."

Meanwhile, last night in Hudson, hundreds of people, most immigrants to Hudson of one sort or another, gathered in the subfreezing cold at the Hudson Islamic Center to show solidarity and support for Hudson's immigrant communities.

Photo: Victor Mendolia|Facebook

Photo: Victor Mendolia|Facebook

Photo: John Schobel|Facebook

The event, which was organized by the Columbia County Sanctuary Movement, was reported on by Enid Futterman on imby.com and Victoria Addison in the Register-Star.
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The Hudson Female Academy

Gossips has more than once shared the information that, in 1851, after it had been first an almshouse (1818-1830) and then a lunatic asylum (1830-1850), the stone building at the north end of Fourth Street, most recently the Hudson Area Library, became the Hudson Female Academy, under the direction of the Reverend J. B. Hague. This afternoon I discovered, in the Hudson Daily Star for August 18, 1851, the announcement of the opening of this school for young women.

The advertisement referred to is this one, which appeared in the lower right of the same page.

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Complaints About the Sidewalks Never End

The sidewalks of Hudson are a perennial cause for complaint. Gossips has more than once explored the problems of Hudson's sidewalks. Today, however, I share an item from the Hudson Daily Star for August 5, 1851, which provides evidence that 166 years ago Hudson sidewalks were already troublesome--though apparently only for "the tender sex."

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About the Youth Center

The Hudson Youth Center is located in the 1853 former church building at the corner of Third and Union streets.

The building was adapted for use as a recreation center in the 1930s. Until the 1990s, it was the Hudson Boys Club, then the Hudson Boys & Girls Club, and in the early years of this century, it was taken over by the City of Hudson and became the Hudson Youth Center.

By their very structural design, old church buildings are a challenge to maintain. Since taking responsibility for the building more than a decade ago, the City of Hudson has made substantial investments in the building. Between 2005 and 2012, at least $800,000 in grant money was spent to replace the roof and install new windows. In 2012, the City hired Crawford & Associates to do a structural assessment of the building. The study found the building to be in "good to fair overall condition" but identified four areas of concern. The most critical of those concerns were cracks in the horizontal timbers that span the heavy roof trusses and support the roof rafters. Corrective action to address this issue was taken in 2014, at a cost of $35,000. Last year, the City applied for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for the maximum $400,000--$300,000 of which was to be used for "stabilizing and reconditioning" the Youth Center. Unfortunately, the City's 2016 CDBG application was not successful. 

The condition of the Youth Center was brought up on Wednesday night at the Common Council Youth & Aging Committee. The conversation began when Alderman Tiffany Garriga (Second Ward), who is a member of the committee, made reference to comments about a picture someone posted on Facebook showing a hole in the wall of the gym on the second floor of the building. Prefacing his statement by saying, "November, December, we were limping along," Youth Commissioner Ken Hollenbeck told the committee he had spoken with the person who had posted the picture. Nick Zachos, the new Youth Director, suggested "a checklist of things that should be fixed" at the Youth Center needed to be created and pointed out that the director (speaking of himself) "used to be a contractor." Zachos went on to say that it was very clear to him, after two weeks of being on the job at the Youth Center, that "we need to consider what to do with the building." He opined that the building needed "a half-time maintenance person just keeping up with things."

Alderman Abdus Miah (Second Ward), who chairs the Youth & Aging Committee, proposed that the committee hold its next meeting at the Youth Center so the members could see for themselves the issues being discussed. Garriga noted that there were people in the community with construction and building maintenance skills who might be willing to volunteer their time and talent to the Youth Center. It was agreed that the committee's next meeting, which takes place on Wednesday, March 1, would be held at the Youth Center. At 5 p.m., the group will tour the building; at 5:30 p.m., they will hold their regular monthly meeting in the all-purpose room at the Youth Center. The public is invited to be part of both the tour and the meeting.
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A Reason to Celebrate February

Photo: Christine Jones

Tomorrow is the first Saturday in February, which means that the indoor Hudson Farmers' Market returns to its new and elegant digs at 601 Union Street where, every Saturday from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m., through the bleak remainder of winter and into the spring, beloved vendors will provide such needed sustenance as root vegetables, sprouts and greens grown in hoop houses, bread, prepared soups, quiches, and potpies, eggs, nuts, and flowers. Come to the market, meet friends, and get what you need to carry you through the coming week.
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Didi's Diner Stop Tour

Tomorrow, Friday, February 3, Assemblymember Didi Barrett will visit Grazin' Diner, 717 Warren Street, on her 2017 Diner Stop Tour. As she does each year, Barrett is bringing her office to local diners in the 106th Assembly District, to engage in conversation with her constituents while at the same time showcasing local businesses. As she explains it, "Working with, listening to, and being accessible in our community is the best way to be a effective advocate, and what could be more comfortable than catching up in one of our many Hudson Valley diners? I welcome members of the community to join in the discussion over a cup of coffee or tea and talk to us about what really matters to them." Barrett will be at Grazin' from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. tomorrow.
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Tomorrow Night

On Friday, from 7 to 8 p.m., a Vigil for Solidarity and Sanctuary: Safe Communities for All will take place in the parking lot of the Hudson Islamic Center, 35 North Third Street. The vigil is being organized by the Columbia County Sanctuary Movement. Those planning to attend are encouraged to bring sources of light--flashlights or camping lanterns--with them to the vigil. For more information, visit the event's Facebook page or listen to the last half of yesterday's @Issue on WGXC to hear Jabin Ahmed Ruhii talk about the event and its goals with hosts Victor Mendolia and Seth Rogovoy.
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Talking About the Haul Road

If you missed hearing John Rosenthal and Jason Marlowe talking with Victor Mendolia and Seth Rogovoy about the Colarusso haul road on @Issue yesterday on WGXC, you can listen to it now by clicking here.

Groundhog Day: Alternative Facts

As some of you may already know, Punxsutawney Phil, in the red state of Pennsylvania, saw his shadow this morning and is calling for six more weeks of winter. Meanwhile, in the blue state of New York, Staten Island Chuck predicted an early spring. (Chuck's accuracy rating is 80 percent.) The Canadian groundhog Shubenacadie Sam, who prognosticates in Nova Scotia, agreed with Chuck. So, it would seem we can look forward to a liberal spring. You can read all about the groundhogs and their alternative facts here: "Groundhog Day 2017: Winter Is (Still) Coming, Punxsutawney Phil Says." (Note: The groundhog in the picture is Punxsutawney Phil.)
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How Many Lawyers Does It Take . . .

The City of Hudson now has three attorneys: the city attorney, Ken Dow, who serves at the pleasure of the mayor, and two assistant city attorneys--Mitch Khosrova, who is counsel to the Planning Board, the Zoning Board of Appeals, and the Historic Preservation Commission, and Andy Howard, who is counsel to the Common Council. Based on what happened at the last Common Council Legal Committee meeting, it would appear that the City also has a volunteer attorney: Steve Dunn, who played a central role in crafting the wards of equal population for the successful Fair & Equal referendum in November. Last Wednesday night, Dunn was at the Common Council Legal Committee meeting with three pieces of legislation he had drafted for Council consideration.

The first was a local law implementing the lodging tax that the City has been authorized to collect by an act of the state legislature. At the January informal Common Council meeting, Heather Campbell, the city treasurer, told the aldermen that there was no system in place to track and collect the tax and that the system required would have to be far more sophisticated than anything the City now has for collecting taxes. Dunn's proposed law, meant to "nail down specifics," includes "legal mechanics describing enforcement" of the law.

Dunn seemed particularly concerned about the share of the money raised by the tax that goes to a Tourism Board created by the legislation already adopted. One of the questions he had was if the percentage of the tax that the Tourism Board can use for promoting Hudson is determined before or after the cost of collecting the tax has been deducted. He said he also wanted to make it "crystal clear" that, although the lodging tax is collected quarterly, the $250,000 cap on what goes to the Tourism Board is an annual cap. Dunn was also concerned about what happens if the Tourism Board doesn't spend all the money it gets in a calendar year.

Andy Howard, counsel to the Council, told the committee that he had had a meeting with the mayor, the treasurer, and Alderman Rick Rector (First Ward), who as chair of the Common Council Arts, Entertainment & Tourism Committee will also chair the Tourism Board, and he sees "some of the things brought up in that meeting addressed in the Dunn document." Alderman Michael O'Hara (First Ward), chair of the Legal Committee, asked Howard to review the document for potential presentation to the full Council.

Another proposal from Dunn was a local law amending the zoning code as it pertains to dwelling units and offstreet parking. The code now specifies that there must be one offstreet parking space for each dwelling unit. Dunn is proposing, in the interest of creating more affordable housing in Hudson, that basement apartments and apartments over garages be exempt from this requirement. He also called for eliminating the minimum apartment size requirement--something that never existed before 2013, when former city attorney Cheryl Roberts misinterpreted the Schedule of Bulk and Area Regulations for Residential Districts and declared that the minimum size for an apartment was 1,500 square feet. The code has since been amended to make 500 square feet the minimum size for a one-bedroom apartment and 350 square feet the minimum size for a studio apartment. Howard said he would take a look at the proposed amendment.

The third draft document Dunn presented was a resolution "establishing mandatory training for the Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals." He pointed out that New York State law (General City Law Section 27 and Section 81) requires that members of the Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals have a minimum of four hours of training every year. Members of these regulatory boards who have not complied with the training requirements are not eligible for reappointment. Despite this requirement in state law, Dunn, who is a member of the ZBA, maintained that his colleagues on the ZBA and members of the Planning Board have not received the requisite training. He proposed a resolution that would waive the requirement for everyone in the past but would make at least four hours of suitable training mandatory going forward for everyone serving on the Planning Board and the ZBA and that a record of the annual completion of the required training be maintained by the City Clerk.

Dunn told the committee that he wanted the proposed resolution "received expeditiously." O'Hara observed, "You're like a whistleblower, because you are on the ZBA."
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Turn Your Radios On

On WGXC's @Issue this afternoon, hosts Victor Mendolia and Seth Rogovoy will be speaking with John Rosenthal and Jason Marlowe who are working with a coalition of concerned citizens to scrutinize and critique the haul road from the quarry to the dock proposed by A. Colarusso & Sons. Another guest on the show will be Jabin Ahmed Ruhii of the Columbia County Sanctuary Movement, who will be talking about the planned "Vigil for Solidarity and Sanctuary: Safe Communities for All," which will take place at the Hudson Islamic Center, 35 North Third Street, on Friday, February 3, on 7 p.m. @Issue airs at 2 p.m. today at 90.7 FM and online at wgxc.org.
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