Ear to the Ground

People often wonder how many of the properties owned by the Galvan Foundation are exempt from property taxes. The tentative tax rolls for 2018 show that, aside from all the properties owned by Galvan Asset Management and Hudson Homesteads, acquired when Galvan took over Housing Resources of Columbia County, the only wholly exempt properties owned by Galvan (Galvan Civic or Galvan Initiatives Foundation) are the armory, 11 Warren Street (the former COARC building where Warren Academy is now located), and 40 South Third (the Salvation Army building). Recently, Gossips heard that Galvan was trying to take more properties off the tax rolls, so, since the people in city government who could confirm or deny this were going to be at the IDA (Industrial Development Agency) meeting this afternoon, Gossips went to the meeting to ask these questions: Was it true that Galvan was seeking tax exemptions for five properties? Had the exemptions been granted? Which properties were they?

City assessor Justin Maxwell answered my questions. He told me it was not five but six properties, and, on the advice of corporation counsel Andy Howard, the exemptions would be granted. Maxwell could not tell me which properties they were, because he hadn't committed them to memory, but I called him after the meeting, when he was back in his office, and he provided the addresses.

201-203 Warren Street

This puzzles me because 201-203 Warren Street is one of the buildings that Galvan Asset Management acquired when it took over Housing Resources. The building was already wholly exempt from property taxes.

67-71 North Fifth Street

202-204 Warren Street

364-366 Warren Street

325 and 327 State Street

These two buildings were also acquired by Galvan Asset Management when it took over Housing Resources and are already wholly exempt from property taxes.

When I asked about the justification for removing the buildings from the tax rolls, Maxwell explained that the Galvan Foundation was a registered not-for-profit, and providing affordable housing is part of its stated mission. So long as the apartments in the buildings are rented at below market rates, the buildings fulfill the mission of the foundation and qualify to be wholly tax exempt. He also pointed out that when the buildings stood empty, they were on the tax rolls, but when they are rehabbed and rented out at below market rates, they would be wholly tax exempt. It would appear that Galvan's vast collection of real estate could eventually all be off the tax rolls, with only a few exceptions, leaving the burden of providing the tax revenue needed to run the City to the rest of us. 

I also asked Maxwell how buildings could be wholly tax exempt when they had commercial space that was rented to for-profit enterprises. Princeton Architectural Press occupies the entire first floor of 202-204 Warren Street, Little Apple is on the ground floor of 364 Warren Street, and Hudson Home occupies all of 366 Warren Street. He seemed unaware of this situation and promised to check into it.

Update--Wednesday, June 13, 4:30 p.m.  I just received word from Justin Maxwell, the city assessor, that the properties in question have, at this point, not been removed from the tax rolls. The requests for them to become wholly exempt from property taxes are currently being evaluated by the BAR (Board of Assessment Review), which is made up of three members: Rachel Kappel, Philip Osattin, and Phil Forman. Presumably in a few weeks, when the final assessment rolls are released, we will know if the properties have become wholly exempt or not.    
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On the Empire State Trail

Gossips reported the proposed route of the Empire State Trail through Hudson a month ago: "A Bicycle Trail Runs Through It."

Going from south to north, the Empire State Trail will enter Hudson on Route 9G, will turn left onto Allen Street and proceed west on Allen Street to Front Street, where it will turn right and go north along Front Street to Dock Street, where it will turn right again and go east up Dock Street to Mill Street and along the Dugway to Harry Howard Avenue, where it will turn left and proceed north along Harry Howard Avenue to Joslen Boulevard at the border of Hudson and Greenport.

Last night, a resolution supporting the route selection through the city came before the Common Council. Council president Tom DePietro said of the route, "In fact, it was handed down by the State." Mayor Rick Rector said the route was the result of "meeting after meeting, with so many people" and recalled that the initial route proposed by the State was to "take out parking on one side of Warren Street." He and other City officials had finally convinced the State--"after they rejected it twice"--to use Allen Street, and he assured everyone that in the current plan "no parking is lost on Allen Street."

Nick Zachos observed that there had been a public meeting in Valatie about the route of the trail through the Town of Kinderhook. Seeming to ignore the fact that in Kinderhook the trail followed the long abandoned path of the Albany-Hudson Electric Trolley, departing often to encroach on private land, and did not involve city streets, Zachos wanted to know, "Why can't we have a public meeting in Hudson?"

Don Moore, who identified himself as an avid cyclist, said he could not imagine a better route through the city, saying that "the terrain is one only an experienced cyclist would attempt."

Alderman Eileen Halloran (Fifth Ward) said she wanted a public hearing before the next Council meeting, which is scheduled for Tuesday, June 19. DePietro suggested there wouldn't be time to notice such a meeting. Audience member Agi Clark asked, "What do you expect out of a public hearing if it's already decided?" Halloran defended the need for a public hearing, and Alderman Rob Bujan (First Ward) commented, "There's not enough transparency."

The resolution was not formally introduced because a public hearing will be held, although it is not yet known when such a hearing will take place.
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Last Week's Police Activity on State Street

A week ago, the "shared services response team," which some prefer to call the SWAT team, conducted raids at three addresses on State Street: 228, 241, and 508. The action was reported the next day in the Register-Star and made it into the regional TV news. 

Image: NEWS10 ABC

Last night, at the informal Common Council meeting, Fourth Ward supervisor Linda Mussmann spoke of what she called "a militarized raid on Hudson," saying it "doesn't belong in our community." Mussmann, who lives in the 300 block of State Street, told the Council, "I stepped out the door and thought I was in Iraq." She made reference to the NEWS10 coverage of the event, which characterized the action as "a preemptive strike against a possible return of yet another summer of violence" in Hudson, spoke of the raid as "offering hope to homeowners and potential big city buyers," and included the prediction of a contractor rehabbing a house in the vicinity that the area would soon be "very populated and very expensive." Mussmann said she had been opposed to the shared services response team when it was created in 2015, and she remained opposed. "If we don't get this under control," she warned, "nobody will want to live in Hudson."

Former Second Ward supervisor Ed Cross then rose to "piggyback" what Mussmann had said, saying he too had opposed the creation of the shared services response team. Fourth Ward alderman John Rosenthal commented that federal programs encouraged local law enforcement agencies to buy militaristic gear.

Council president Tom DePietro advised Mussmann and Cross to bring their concerns to the Police Committee meeting. Kamal Johnson, who chairs the Police Committee, commented, "For the community to be heard, they have to show up." Johnson, who represents the First Ward, on the other side of town, said he too had been on State Street when the raid was being carried out.

The next Police Committee meeting is scheduled to take place on Monday, June 25, at 6 p.m. in City Hall.
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The Word on the Windows

In pursuit of the truth about the windows at 400 State Street, the 200-year-old (this year) Hudson Almshouse, Gossips spoke with code enforcement officer Craig Haigh this morning.

Haigh told me that the project had come before him for review last Tuesday. What was proposed was simply repairing the existing windows, but if it was impossible to repair the windows, they would be replaced with windows that replicated in design and materials the original windows. This presumably is what has been done. Haigh assured me the work will be inspected by code enforcement to determine if what had been approved is what was done.

It seems miraculous that the three windows in the east wing could have been removed, repaired, repainted, and reinstalled in a single day. What seems more likely is that three new windows--made of wood with the same two over two configuration as the originals--had been already acquired and were ready for installation when the project was presented to Haigh, but I could be wrong.
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Meetings of Interest in the Week Ahead

Tonight, Monday, June 11, the Common Council holds its informal meeting at 7:00 p.m. at City Hall. Among the resolutions to be introduced tonight is one to sell, as surplus property, the ten aldermen's chairs, which were recently replaced by the new chairs shown below.

Also on the agenda for tonight is legislation that would establish a registry of vacant buildings, similar to legislation already in place in such places as Albany, Watervliet, and Saratoga Springs, and initiate an annual fee for buildings that stand vacant.

On Tuesday, June 12, the Hudson IDA (Industrial Development Agency) holds its monthly meeting at 1:00 p.m. at City Hall. No agenda is available for this meeting. The IDA Board is made up of the mayor (Rick Rector), the city treasurer (Heather Campbell), the city assessor (Justin Maxwell), the Common Council majority and minority leaders (Tiffany Garriga and Eileen Halloran respectively), and the chair of the Planning Board (Walter Chatham).

On Wednesday, June 13, the Youth, Education, Seniors and Recreation Committee of the Common Council holds its monthly meeting at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall. There is no agenda available for this meeting, but typically youth director Nick Zachos and Sher Stevens from the senior center report to the committee at this meeting.

On Thursday, June 14, HCDPA (Hudson Community Development & Planning Agency) meets at 2:00 p.m. at 1 North Front Street. At HCDPA's May meeting, it was revealed that, after paying two bills, the agency would have no money. At that time, it was suggested that the twenty-five or so properties owned by HCDPA could be used as collateral for a loan to provide immediate operating funds. It is expected the progress of that effort will be reported at this month's meeting.

Also on Thursday, June 14, the Planning Board meets at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall. No agenda is available for this meeting. If memory serves, the May meeting was cancelled, without notification, because there would not be a quorum present for the meeting.
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A Reprieve for an Old House

In November 2017, Gossips reported that the owner of 418 State Street intended to demolish the house and construct a new house in its place. The house is not located in a historic district, so only a demolition permit was needed to raze it. Because the new house was not to be built on the footprint of the existing house, area variances were required for the construction of the new house. Those variances were granted by the ZBA (Zoning Board of Appeals) in January 2018.

Five months later, it appears there has been a change of heart. The house is still standing, and there's a "For Sale" sign on it.

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A Kinder, Gentler Rock Solid Theme

In past years, the Rock Solid Church presence in the Flag Day parade seemed to celebrate militarism and war. Their intent it seems was to honor the fallen, but the impression made on the bystander was often quite different.

Rock Solid Church float 2012

Rock Solid Church float 2014

After taking a year off from participating in the Flag Day parade, the Rock Solid Church was back yesterday, with its usual large parade contingent but with a much more conciliatory theme: "One Nation Under God." The best part was a huge American flag carried by about three dozen people.

As the flag approached the reviewing stand, Guy Apicella of the Flag Day committee, remarked, "They're walking inside the flag! How creative!" I had to wonder if they might not have been inspired by a similarly enormous flag carried in a similar manner in a Hudson parade a hundred years ago. 

Evelyn & Robert Monthie Slide Collection, Columbia County Historical Society

That parade took place on April 26, 1918, and the flag was part of the St. Mary's Academy contingent. Describing the display, the Columbia Republican reported: "Then came thirty-five of the academy girls supporting an immense American flag. This flag was carried in a novel manner, the heads of the thirty-five girls appearing above it as it swept along."

It was learned today that the Rock Solid Church received the award for "Most Patriotic."
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Now You See It, Now You Don't

Yesterday, Gossips reported that work was being done on several windows at 400 State Street. Some appeared to have had panes of glass removed; others had been removed altogether. These pictures were taken at about 12:30 p.m. yesterday.

By evening, all was back as it had been, the only obvious difference being that the sash, frames, and hoods of the three windows in the east wing appeared to have gotten a fresh coat of paint.

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The Morning After

Joey and I were down at riverfront park this morning, where DPW crews were hard at work with litter sticks and the street sweeper cleaning up the debris left by Flag Day revelers. For reasons I will not attempt to explain, this composition struck me, and so I share it.

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While Everyone Was Focused on the Parade

On Saturday morning, while people were going about their weekend chores and doing things related to Flag Day, work on the windows began at 400 State Street, the 200-year-old limestone structure, designated a local landmark and individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places, that started its long life as the Hudson Almshouse. 

The tall windows in the central part of the building appear still to be in place, though the panes of glass have been removed and the muntins and stiles are being stripped of paint. Windows in the east wing of the building have been removed altogether. 

The project has not come before the Historic Preservation Commission for a certificate of appropriateness, so we have to trust that it has been reviewed by code enforcement officer Craig Haigh, and he is satisfied that what is being done is simply the repair of the building's existing historic fabric. 
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Of Interest

Photo: Ralph Gardner, Jr.

Ralph Gardner, Jr., seems to be spending a lot of time in Hudson these days, or at least paying a lot of attention to Hudson things in his Saturday commentaries on WAMC. Last week, it was the opening reception for Design Hudson at the Dr. Oliver Bronson House. This week, it's the panel discussion on guns and school safety that took place at Hudson High School last Monday: "No Hostility Allowed." 
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HDC and the Kaz Redevelopment Project

I've been agonizing about how best to report on yesterday's special Hudson Development Corporation (HDC) meeting to discuss the redevelopment of the Kaz site--how to summarize the board's account of their due diligence, the public's misgivings, expressions of suspicion and mistrust, and claims they knew nothing about what was being contemplated until Melissa Auf der Maur and Tony Stone raised the alarm in late April (Gossips has been following the story since the first RFP was issued in the fall of 2016, publishing fourteen posts on the subject in 2018 alone), and what the path forward may be--but now I don't have to. Dan Udell's video is available on YouTube. Click here to watch.

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Valuing and Revitalizing Oakdale

Oakdale Lake is an artificial lake created in 1915 as an enhancement to the "beautiful suburb" then being established by the Oakdale Park Improvement Company. Gossips has reported about the original plans for the lake and how those plans have worked out in the present. On Tuesday night, Tamar Adler came to the Conservation Advisory Council meeting to share her hopes for the future of Oakdale Lake.

The possible improvements to Oakdale Lake identified by Adler involve design (new docks and platforms), landscaping (eliminating the buckthorn and other invasive species and rethinking parts of the trail), water ecology (finding ways to help the lake clean itself), and updating the benches and tables, the beach house, and the playground.

During the recent Fishing Derby, Adler identified people interested in improving Oakdale Lake and possibly forming a Friends of Oakdale Lake group. Adler approached the CAC looking for "an organization or committee" that could be "an umbrella under which the Friends of Oakdale Lake can organize, strategize, plan, and seek funds." Adler explained that the School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation Department at Columbia University has a Hudson Valley Initiative, and there is interest in sending current students or recent graduates to Hudson to research, do feasibility studies, and conduct community workshops about Oakdale Lake to build community consensus, make design recommendations, and help to identify funding sources. CAC chair, Jonathan Lerner suggested that the nascent Hudson Parks Conservancy might be the organization that could be an umbrella for the Friends of Oakdale Lake and assist in moving the effort forward.
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The Twain Shall Meet

Since 2010, Hudson has had two parades in June, on consecutive weekends: The Flag Day parade, on the Saturday closest to June 14, and the Pride parade, on the following Saturday. The events have been quite separate and distinct. People who participated in the Flag Day parade didn't march in the Pride parade, and people who marched in the Pride parade were rarely part of the Flag Day parade. The exceptions were the Columbia County Democrats and the Hudson Fire Department. This year will be different. 

OutHudson released this statement this morning: "In the spirit of unity, OutHudson's Pride marchers will have a contingent in the Flag Day Parade, and the Flag Day Committee will march in the Pride parade."

Photo: Holly Northrop

Commenting on the new development, Rich Volo, a.k.a. Trixie Starr, who organized the first Hudson Pride parade in 2010 and is now the chair of OutHudson, said: "This is a time for unity; a time that the City of Hudson comes together. I'm happy to march in the Flag Day Parade this year with the OutHudson banner!"

Charlie Ferrusi, who had a featured role in the 2010 Pride Parade and is now a director of OutHudson, commented: "Flag Day and the American flag have always represented freedom and equality for all. The flag represents the unity of America, our common cause, and the hope for a better tomorrow. LGBTQ people have always been a part of America and the City of Hudson. We deserve to have a visible and vibrant presence at Hudson's Flag Day Parade."

The Flag Day parade takes place this Saturday, June 9. The parade steps off at 2:oo p.m. The OutHudson parade is next Saturday, June 16. It, too, begins at 2:00 p.m. Both parades go down Warren Street, from the Public Square to Front Street.
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Of Interest

HudsonValley360 has a brief video by Lance Wheeler from Democratic candidates debate on Monday night. Wheeler goes behind the scenes, before the debate begins, and has each of the candidates state what he or she thinks is the biggest issue for the people the 19th Congressional District. Click here to watch.

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The Great War: June 4, 1918

Last June, when telling the story of Helen M. Hall, the Hudson girl who went to aviation school and hoped to be commissioned as a pilot in the Army Signal Corps, Gossips touched on the topic of women as ambulance drivers during World War I. While she was waiting for the U.S. military to begin admitting women, Hall organized a Cornell Women's Ambulance Corps for service in France. I wasn't able to discover if Hall and the Cornell Women's Ambulance Corps ever made it to France. Adequate records of the American women who served as ambulance drivers during World War I do not exist. Today's story is related to the story of Helen Hall. 

On June 4, 1918, the Columbia Republican reported that eight Columbia County women applied to be part of an ambulance unit being organized by the New York State Guard.

 

Unfortunately, I have so far been unable to discover if the ambulance unit was ever formed in Columbia County, nor have I discovered much about the two women mentioned in the article. 

Marion Jeane Van de Carr appears to have been from Stockport. An article that appeared in the Chatham Courier in July 1917 reveals that she was an alumna of the Hudson City Hospital Training School, which is appropriate for someone who wants to be part of an ambulance unit. 

Frances Lillian Atwood seems to gone by the name Lillian not Frances. She was the daughter of Barbara Atwood, a widow, and lived with her mother and two siblings at 29 Worth Avenue. Her name appears in the newspapers a few times: in April 1916, the Columbia Republican reported that she was among those nominated in something called "the Republican's $2,000 Voting Contest"; in September 1916, the Albany Times-Union reported that she, wearing "black and peach taffeta," was one of the guests at an engagement party; and in April 1914, the Columbia Republican published this announcement: "Miss Lillian Atwood, of this city, has several very clever oil paintings on exhibition at the jewelry store of George F. Clow on Warren street. The paintings are attracting much attention." George F. Clow's jewelry store was located at 532 Warren Street, now the location of Mane Street.
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Political Perennials

A few hours ago, Register-Star reporter Amanda Purcell posted on her Facebook page a press release she had apparently received from CEDC (Columbia Economic Development Corporation) announcing that Cappy Pierro, now of Taghkanic, has been elected chair of the Columbia County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) and the Capital Resource Corporation (CRC).

Pierro, who was Rick Scalera's longtime mayor's aide, has been serving on both those boards since June 2016. The other members of the IDA and CRC are Sidney Richter, Sarah Sterling, Robert Galluscio, Bill Gerlach, and Brian Keeler.  
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The Magnificent Seven

On Sunday, Sam Pratt offered his analysis of the unusual situation Democrats in the 19th Congressional District find themselves: "NY-19 Dem Primary: Can anyone get a mandate?" Later on Sunday, at an event for Gareth Rhodes at Vincent Mulford Antiques, Mayor Rick Rector asked Rhodes when the candidates might start trying to distinguish themselves by criticizing the positions of others. Rhodes responded by saying, in effect, that was unlikely to happen, because whoever won in the primary on June 26 would need the support of everyone who had supported every other candidate to beat John Faso in November.

If the people who flocked to hear the candidates debate at Montgomery C. Smith last night expected to come away knowing which of the seven candidates they should vote for, it's more likely they left more confused than they were going in. All the candidates said what we want to hear about such things as protecting the environment, health care, gun control, immigration reform, income inequality--and any one of them would be a welcome alternative to John Faso. Listening to their answers to questions posed by the League of Women Voters and from the audience, it was hard to distinguish one candidate from the other or to discern if it was policy or presentation that impressed you. 

The segment of the debate Gossips found most illuminating was the "Challenge Round," or, as League of Women Voters moderator Barbara Bartoletti called it, "Secret Santa." Before the debate began, the seven candidates drew each other's names out of a hat. In the Challenge Round, each candidate could ask a question of the candidate whose name he or she had drawn. That person would have one minute to respond to the question. Then the candidate asking the question would have one minute to address the issue. The candidates asking the questions went in alphabetical order, and the questions they chose to ask their fellow candidates were interesting.

Jeff Beals asked Gareth Rhodes if he intended to vote for Andrew Cuomo or Cynthia Nixon in the gubernatorial primary. In responding, Rhodes mentioned reports that Nixon opposed the cap on property taxes (Nixon has recently denied that she opposes the tax cap) and then said he had been proud to work for the governor, first in an entry-level communications job and then as his traveling press secretary, and would vote for him. In his rebuttal, Beals spoke of the need for change, asserting, "Big money rules our politics."

Dave Clegg then asked Erin Collier about domestic violence and guns. In responding, Collier spoke of systemic gender inequality and the need to get NRA money out of politics. Clegg, in his rebuttal, declared his commitment to making sure guns are seized from anyone who commits an act of domestic violence.

Collier asked Antonio Delgado why he supported universal coverage rather than Medicare for all. Delgado essentially said he thought a plan that included a public option was more achievable. In her rebuttal, Collier spoke of the complication and added cost of having multiple options for health care coverage rather than single payer and argued that Medicare for all would be simpler to deal with and would lower costs.

Delgado asked Brian Flynn about criminal justice reform. In response, Flynn spoke of the legalization of marijuana and eliminating private prisons. In his rebuttal, Delgado spoke of the need for public defenders to be properly funded and for the makeup of police forces to reflect the communities they are policing and called for bail reform.

Flynn made the exercise a little egocentric when he asked Clegg what advice he would give him when he Flynn won the primary. In his advice, Clegg stressed the importance of campaign finance reform and asked Flynn what he would do about that. Flynn responded by saying that the candidates could refuse to take money from PACs and refuse to accept money from sources whose interests did not reflect the interests of the people of the 19th Congressional District. "When we go to Washington, we only work for you."

Rhodes asked Pat Ryan to name the top three issues facing the City of Hudson. Ryan cited only one, and one, despite the experience of last summer, that didn't seem to be all that Hudson specific: "the epidemic of gun violence." Rhodes had a different take, identifying as an important issue in Hudson the need for affordable housing at all income levels and concerns about gentrification.

In the final question of the "Challenge Round," Ryan, taking his cue from Flynn, asked Beals how he would make the case for Pat Ryan against John Faso. Beals used the question as an opportunity to talk about how they had both been in Mosul--Beals as a diplomat, Ryan as a soldier--and urged Ryan to stand up for that experience and what he witnessed in Iraq. In his response, Ryan urged the audience to "stand up for taking this country back from Donald Trump."

Dan Udell's video of the entire debate is now available on YouTube and can be viewed by clicking here.
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There's Gotta Be a Better Way

We've probably all witnessed tractor-trailers trying to make the turn at Warren Street and Park Place following Route 9 through the city, but today may have been the first time a truck pulling part of a pre-fab house has ever attempted it. You have to wonder why the driver's GPS didn't route this oversize load another way.

Thanks to Marie Balle, who took these pictures from the vantage point of LOOK's new location at 703 Warren Street.
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It Happened on Saturday

The Fishing Derby is an annual event in Hudson that may not be on everyone's radar, but it took place this past Saturday morning at Oakdale Lake. Nick Zachos, director of the Youth Department, provided Gossips with photographs and this report about the event:

The Annual Fishing Derby . . . was a truly great event. Several community members helped organize the event after hearing that the fishing derby might not happen this year. Wayne Williams, an employee of the Hudson City School District, and Hudson fire fighter Justin Elliot devoted countless hours over the past two months, planning and preparing for the derby. The results of this collaboration between the Youth Department and these wonderful community members were a clear success: 52 youth participated, catching a total of 71 fish, more than 60 prizes were handed out, and 7 youth went home with their first fishing rod and tackle box.

The Grand Prize winner was Hudson's very own Shaun Terry, age 11, who reeled in a 15-inch long rainbow trout that weighed a whopping 2 pounds 4 ounces. Shaun learned to fish over the past three weeks as a participant in the Youth Department's afternoon fishing program.

The Hudson Youth Department is looking at this event as an exciting model for future collaborations with local volunteers. The Youth Department is grateful to be a part of such an amazing and generous community. A full list of sponsors who made this event possible will be acknowledged at the June Common Council meeting.

 

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Meetings of Interest in the Week Ahead

Tonight, Monday, June 4, the CD19 Candidate Debate takes place at Montgomery C. Smith Intermediate School, 102 Harry Howard Avenue, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets to the event were free, but they are no longer available. If you don't have a ticket, you can email ccnydems@gmail.com to be put on the waiting list. 

Tuesday, June 5, the Conservation Advisory Council holds its monthly meeting at 6 p.m. at City Hall. Much of the agenda has to do with the Open Space and Natural Resources Inventory that the CAC has been working on since its inception, but there is one final agenda item that's intriguing: "Proposal regarding Oakdale Lake by Tamar Adler." I'm assuming that's the chef and food writer Tamar Adler.

Thursday, June 7, the beleaguered HDC (Hudson Development Corporation) board will hold a special meeting at 5:30 p.m., at 1 North Front Street. The subject of the meeting will be the redevelopment of the Kaz site. For anyone not up to speed on this issue, in April, community members raised a hue and cry that the project, which Gossips has been following since 2010, was moving too fast. In May, Common Council president Tom DePietro, who is ex officio a member of the HDC board, called the redevelopment of the Kaz site "a disconcerting process," alleged that the HDC board "called executive sessions with reckless abandon," and asked the city attorney to "look into how does one get rid of an LDC (local development corporation)." As a result of these demonstrations of no confidence, the project was "stalled" and three board members, as well as the board's attorney, resigned. Thursday's meeting promises to be both interesting and important.

Friday, June 8, the Historic Preservation Commission holds the first of its two monthly meetings at 10 a.m. at City Hall. No agenda is as yet available for the meeting, but it is likely that Jason O'Toole, representing the Galvan Foundation, will return with the proposals for a facade renovation at 364 Warren Street and for the exterior restoration of 356 Union Street.        
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Faso on Guns, School Safety, and Mental Health

Not long after I published a post announcing the panel discussion on gun laws, school safety, and mental health to take place on Friday, June 1, I got an email from a reader predicting that John Faso would be a no-show. That wasn't the case. Faso was there. Absent from the publicized lineup of panelists was Malcolm Nance, and added was Hudson High School senior Siddique Ahmed. The discussion was moderated by Glenn Geher, a professor of psychology at SUNY New Paltz. Dan Udell and Randall Martin were both there videotaping, and soon those interested will be able to watch the entire two hours, so this account will only touch upon some highlights.

Before the panelists were asked to respond to questions, each was asked to speak for four minutes. Faso used his time to mention he was a co-sponsor of House Bill 38, the "Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act"; point out that bump stocks were effectively outlawed after the Las Vegas shooting and automatic weapons had been illegal since the 1930s; complain about loopholes in background checks; assert the need to "pay most attention to the boys who commit crimes because of bullying and social estrangement"; declare his support for "money to assist schools to harden their facilities" and for "red flag laws" that would allow judges to remove guns from people who pose a threat to themselves or others.

When they got to the questions, it seemed the majority were meant for Faso. Responding to a question about the Second Amendment and its reference to a "well-regulated militia," Faso said he did not think the Second Amendment was outmoded and made reference to the majority opinion, written by Justice Antonin Scalia, in the 2008 Supreme Court case District of Columbia v. Heller. Faso concluded, "We can accommodate needs for safety without limiting the rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment." When asked about contributions he has received from the NRA (a reported $5,950 in 2016, $2,000 in 2017, and so far $3,000 in 2018), Faso called the question a red herring and maintained that his support for issues was not dependent on campaign contributions. When asked if he would stop accepting money from the NRA, the answer was "No."

When a student from Chatham High School reminded Faso that he had been quoted in the newspaper as saying their walkout in protest of school gun violence had been "a loss of valuable academic time" and asked how cowering in a closet during "active shooter drill" was not a loss of academic time, Faso told her she had taken his quote out of context. He didn't respond directly to the question but instead said he appreciated her activism and energy and would be happy to speak with her. When another student from a different school noted there had already been twenty school shootings in 2018 and asked what was being done about it, Faso, who had earlier characterized the polarization of the country as, "The left watches MSNBC and CNN, the right watches FOX," told the student that twenty was "a CNN number." He then went on to talk about the mental health issues of adolescent males.

When the question was raised of how other countries manage to avoid this kind of violence, Faso provided the information that the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) would no longer be barred, as apparently it has in the past, from studying the sources and causes of violence. He then returned to the theme of male adolescents and the sources of alienation of dissatisfaction. Barrett asserted that gun violence was not limited to mass shootings, citing suicides and kids getting shot on their way to school. Then, Geher, the moderator and a professor of psychology weighed in, saying he had just done a paper on the topic. He answered the question by explaining that, when mass shootings had occurred in Scotland and Australia, stringent gun control laws were enacted "within months," and there was "zero repetition."

The last person to ask a question of the panel was Dave Clegg, one of the seven Democrats vying to be the candidate who challenges Faso in November. His question was about House Rule 38, which he said was "one of the top priorities of the NRA" and would "drop the standards to the lowest common denominator." He went on to say that people with concealed carry permits from states with no background checks would be able to "conceal-carry into New York State." Clegg asked the two law enforcement officers on the panel--Chief Moore and Sheriff Bartlett--to comment on the possibility. Moore said he was "very dubious about how we can deal with this"; Bartlett concurred. Faso noted that Vermont had some of the most lax gun control laws in the country, but no one felt "imperiled by hordes of Vermonters coming into New York State--except maybe Bernie Sanders." Yesterday, Clegg posted the video of his exchange with Faso on his campaign website. 

Dan Udell's video of the entire two-hour discussion is now available on YouTube and can be viewed by clicking here. 
COPYRIGHT 2018 CAROLE OSTERINK

Not to Be Missed

Photo: Ralph Gardner, Jr.

In his weekly commentary, broadcast earlier today on WAMC, Ralph Gardner, Jr., talks about the opening reception for Design Hudson, which took place last weekend at the Dr. Oliver Bronson House, and pays tribute to Timothy Dunleavy, who will forever be linked with the house in our memories: "A Rural Resident." One of the rooms at the Bronson House was decorated for the occasion by Steve Blutall, the current proprietor of Rural Residence, the shop created by Dunleavy in 1999, and featured a small portrait of Dunleavy in a gilded frame.

Early on in his commentary, Gardner explains the Bronson House is "the earliest extant example of the style known as Hudson River 'Bracketed'" and then confesses that he doesn't know what bracketed architecture is. I won't flatter myself to assume that Gardner ever reads The Gossips of Rivertown, but, should he, I will attempt a definition. What is called "Hudson River bracketed" is a picturesque style of architecture that originated with Alexander Jackson Davis, the architect famously associated with the Bronson House, and is characterized by projecting eaves with decorative brackets beneath. The photo below shows one of the brackets, embellished with an acorn drop, which were added when the eaves of the second floor roof were extended as part of Davis's "refitting" of the house in 1839.

Photo: Wikiwand

To learn more about A. J. Davis and the Bronson House, explore Peter Watson's Dr. Oliver Bronson House Day Book.
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The Great War: May 28,1918

This series of posts exploring life in Hudson during the First World War has twice told of Hudsonians suspected of being "pro-German." In April, we shared the story of C. H. Frese, a naturalized American citizen of German descent who owned a delicatessen at 421 Warren Street. Around the time the United States entered the war, rumors circulated about Frese and his family intimating that they were unpatriotic and disloyal to the country. In December, we told the story of George Stubits, an immigrant from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, who was jailed for failing to return a questionnaire to the local draft board. Today, we share another story about someone in Hudson being suspected of pro-German sentiments.

On May 28, 1918, the Columbia Republican reported the fate of Lewis Federigo Felix von Kobbe, who had been arrested in Hudson three months earlier. Gossips could find no report of von Kobbe's arrest in the newspapers when happened in February 1918, and a search on Ancestry.com turned up no information about him.

The news of von Kobbe's internment was reported in newspapers throughout the region. It was from a report in a Newburgh paper that we learned he had been arrested, for failing to report a change of address, by Chief John Cruise, who a few years later, in 1922, would be charged with and convicted of dereliction of duty for allowing "the sale of intoxicants and prostitution" to exist in Hudson.
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A Sign of Change

The state budget passed in April 2017 included a plan to raise the age of criminal responsibility in New York from 16 to 18. No longer would 16- and 17-year-olds be tried in criminal court. Instead they would be tried in family court. Reporting on this at the time, Gossips wondered what impact raising the age of criminal responsibility might have on the Hudson Correctional Facility, which, in August 2016, had become a facility exclusively for the incarceration of 16- and 17-year-olds of both genders who had been tried as adults.

Today, we have a public manifestation of the answer. A new sign was erected on Worth Avenue this morning, near the entrance to what used to be known as the Hudson Correctional Facility.

Photo: Richard Wallace

COPYRIGHT 2018 CAROLE OSTERINK

Thanks to Richard Wallace for bringing this to our attention