News of the Bridge

Mark your calendars! Mayor Rick Rector announced yesterday a public information session about the Ferry Street Bridge to take place on Monday, October 29, at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Room of the Hudson Area Library, 51 North Fifth Street.

At the meeting, the mayor, DPW superintendent Rob Perry, and representatives of the engineering firm Creighton Manning will present an update on the various regulatory requirements pertaining to the bridge and a preliminary design. After the presentation, there will be opportunity for public comment.

The Ferry Street Bridge, which crosses the railroad tracks and gives access to the waterfront, has been closed to vehicular traffic since October 2014. The funds for reconstructing the bridge are coming through the NYS Department of Transportation's Region 8 office, and the project is proceeding according to DOT's prescribed timeline. The actual construction of the bridge is expected to happen in 2020.

Earlier this year, the State Historic Preservation Office determined that the bridge, which was constructed in 1905, was not eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places because components of the bridge were salvaged from the Albany Freight Bridge, which was built in 1866 and dismantled around 1902. Also diminishing the bridge's historic significance were modifications made to the bridge in 1915, 1934, 1955, and 1995. So it appears that the current bridge will be demolished, and a new bridge built.

Back in 2016, at a meeting about the bridge convened by Mayor Tiffany Martin just a month before it was announced that funding for the bridge would be coming from DOT, Perry reported that the course of action recommended by Creighton Manning, in a study commissioned by the City in 2015, involved replacing the existing bridge with a precast concrete bridge. The picture below shows such a bridge.

At the time, Perry said of the proposed bridge, "It's not a pretty bridge. It's a bridge to get vehicles across the railroad tracks." 

Perhaps, given that the State of New York is investing $10 million in DRI funds in the BRIDGE District (even though BRIDGE is an acronym), there will be some interest in making the actual bridge, a focal point in the DRI district, something that is not merely functional but also has some aesthetic appeal. 

Mark your calendars and be at the meeting on October 29.

Update: Two documents relating to the planning for the Ferry Street Bridge can now be viewed at the City of Hudson website. They are the Draft Project Scoping Report/Final Design Report and the Concept Plans.
COPYRIGHT 2018 CAROLE OSTERINK

A Chance to Share Your Ideas

The design project to revitalize Oakdale Lake and its environs, being undertaken by the Hudson Valley Initiative at Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Preservation, and Planning, is holding the first community input workshop this Saturday, October 13, from 3 to 6 p.m., in the Community Room of the Hudson Area Library, 51 North Fifth Street.

Everyone is encouraged to participate in the planning process, sharing ideas for how this remarkable resource could be enhanced and improved to better serve the community. Childcare, food, and refreshments will be available.
COPYRIGHT 2018 CAROLE OSTERINK

The Saga of a Corner

Another resolution to be introduced at the informal Common Council meeting tonight is one to sell the vacant lot on the southwest corner of Third and Columbia streets to the Hudson Islamic Center for $25,561.

This is not the first time in the past twenty years the City of Hudson has owned this property. The City owned it in 2002, when there was a building on the site, a building constructed in the late 1950s or 1960s to be the Colored Citizens Club.

In 2002, in an RFP like auction of City-owned properties meant to ensure the best outcomes for the properties and the community, 255-257 Columbia Street was acquired by Overcomers Ministries for $5,000. The plan was to turn the building into a Family Life Center, but the plan was never realized. In 2011, the City, in the persons of then mayor Rick Scalera and then code enforcement officer Peter Wurster, determined the building was unstable and needed to come down, and in December of that year, it did--to the great frustration of those who had gathered evidence that entombed beneath the characterless mid-century building were two 19th-century buildings, one of them, beneath the part of the building with the gable roof, being the original St. John's Methodist Episcopal Church.

It cost the City around $60,000 to demolish the building, a cost that was passed along to the property owner--Overcomers Ministries--in property taxes. Those taxes went unpaid, and in 2017, the City foreclosed on the property. In November 2017, 255-257 Columbia was one of the properties offered for sale in the City's tax foreclosure auction. The minimum bid was set at $90,750.47--the amount owed to the City in unpaid taxes and the expense of demolishing the building. What's being offered now is less than a third of that.

Over the years, 255-257 Columbia Street has been identified as a possible site for new affordable housing, despite its unfortunate location on a truck route. In 2010, when there was talk of demolishing Bliss Towers and building new housing units to replace it, 255-257 Columbia Street was on then Fourth Ward supervisor Bill Hughes' list of sites where new units could be built. In March 2017, 255-257 Columbia Street was one of the thirteen properties Sheena Salvino recommended HCDPA (Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency) acquire to develop new affordable housing using funding from the NYS HOME Local Program Small Rental Development Initiative (SRDI). It's possible that the Hudson Islamic Center, which is building a mosque across street, intends to build affordable housing at 255-257 Columbia Street, but it doesn't seem likely.
COPYRIGHT 2018 CAROLE OSTERINK

Meetings and an Event in the Week Ahead

It's a short week, but there's something of interest going on almost every day.

• Tomorrow, Tuesday, October 9, the Industrial Development Agency (IDA) meets at 1 p.m. at 1 North Front Street. It is not known what issues might be taken up at the meeting.
• Also tomorrow, the Common Council holds its informal meeting at 7 p.m. in the Community Room of the Hudson Area Library, 51 North Fifth Street. Of interest on the agenda available so far is a resolution to issue an RFP to bidders interested in entering into a license agreement for use of the city dock in 2019. This is the dock that heretofore has been occupied by Hudson River Cruises. 

• On Wednesday, October 10, the Tourism Board is having another four-hour workshop meeting at 1 North Front Street, beginning at 1 p.m. Although the meeting is open to the public, it is not intended to be a meeting for hearing public input.
• On Thursday, October 11, the Board of Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency meets at 2 p.m. at 1 North Front Street. HCDPA is in the process of selling off its surplus property and is now soliciting sealed bids for the vacant lot at 238 Columbia Street. Those bids are not due until the board's November meeting, so it's not clear what will transpire at Thursday's meeting.
• Also on Thursday, the Planning Board meets at 6 p.m. at City Hall. No agenda for the meeting is available yet, but at the September meeting the board was supposed to begin the site plan review of a proposal by The Maker Group to convert the house at 16-18 North Third Street to a mixed-use commercial building, but it was reported that there was no quorum. It's likely the review of that project will begin on Thursday, and it's also possible the board will continue its discussion of proposed Local Law No. 5, "the Stewart's law," since it seems it has yet to offer an official recommendation to the Common Council.

• On Friday, October 12, the Historic Preservation Commission holds its first meeting of the month at 10 a.m. at City Hall. No agenda has been published for the meeting.
• On Sunday, October 14, the Hudson Democrats present the third annual Ellen Awards ceremony from 3 to 5 p.m. at Hudson Hall. Rich Volo, Fourth Ward alderman, will be the master of ceremonies. The winners of the Ellen Award this year are Dan and Mary Udell, who have for years videotaped meetings of the Common Council and other meetings and events of interest in Hudson and made them available for viewing, initially on Mid-Hudson Cable and in recent years on YouTube.

COPYRIGHT 2018 CAROLE OSTERINK

On the Sidewalks of [Hudson] New York

The sound that heralds the beginning and the end of weekends these days is the sound of the little wheels of suitcases as visitors to Hudson make their way from the train station to their B and B and back again, their luggage in tow. Some folks walk on the sidewalk, but, owing to the inconsistent quality of our pedestrian walkways, many take to the street.

The state of the sidewalks in Hudson--uneven and deteriorated conditions and lack of uniformity--was one of the topics taken up by the Common Council Housing and Transportation Committee at its meeting last Wednesday. Only two members of the committee--Tiffany Garriga (Second Ward), who chairs the committee, and Dominic Merante (Fifth Ward)--were present, so, lacking a quorum, no action could be taken. The action Garriga was hoping to take was to move the issue of sidewalks to the Legal Committee because, as she explained, "the problem will be addressed with laws." Chapter 266-4 A of the city code currently states: "The owner or occupant of any premises adjoining any street where a sidewalk has been laid shall keep the sidewalk on such street in good repair and free and clear of snow, ice, dirt and any other material or substance."

Garriga reported that she had spoken with the city attorney and planned to meet again with the city attorney and the code enforcement officer to discuss enforcing the code as it pertains to keeping sidewalks in good repair. She said enforcement would start on Warren Street. In a related action, Mayor Rick Rector has proposed putting $60,000 into the 2019 city budget as a kind of loan fund experiment for sidewalk repair on Warren Street--Warren Street being chosen for several reasons, one of which being that the sidewalks on Warren Street, totally redone fifteen or so years ago, are all cement. The plan is that code enforcement would issue citations to property owners for sidewalks in disrepair, and if the property owner did not or could not repair the sidewalk, it would be done by the City, drawing from the $60,000, and the expense would be charged back to the property owner in property taxes.

Merante brought up another sidewalk maintenance issue that will soon be upon us: snow removal. According to the code, Chapter 253-2, property owners on Warren Street must remove snow from sidewalks within 12 hours after a snowstorm; on all other streets, property owners have 24 hours to remove the snow. Merante reported that citations issued for failure to clear snow from sidewalks are often dismissed in court. He explained what the Village of Catskill does, which is appealing because it focuses on remedy rather than penalty. According to Merante, if a sidewalk in Catskill has not been cleared of snow within the required time, a crew is sent to shovel the snow and the property owner is charged $120--a charge that can be added to the owner's property tax. When it was brought up that DPW crews have enough to do after a snowstorm clearing the streets, Merante suggested that there could be a seasonal crew called in when needed for the sidewalk shoveling. It is yet to be seen if this suggestion, which seems like a good one, has legs.
COPYRIGHT 2018 CAROLE OSTERINK

Prepping for a Conversation about Zoning

There is a lot of talk now about revising Hudson's zoning code. The issue has been brought to a head by the Stewart's proposal to expand its gas station and convenience store at the corner of Green Street and Fairview Avenue, but the need to revise the code has been a recurring topic of discussion for at least twenty years. Central to the problems with the current zoning, adopted in 1968, are setbacks--both front and side--which make it impossible for a 19th-century building to be reconstructed on its own footprint, for a new building to be constructed in a historic neighborhood in a manner compatible with its context without getting area variances from the Zoning Board of Appeals, or for many vacant lots in the city to be built on at all because they are too small.

In recent years, another problem with the zoning has surfaced, involving buildings originally constructed for commercial purposes but unable now to be put to a commercial use because they are located in areas zoned residential. 

Amending the zoning can seem pretty straightforward, but getting into the weeds of bulk and area regulations and density calculations is enough to make people's eyes glaze over. That shouldn't keep us from educating ourselves about zoning issues in preparation for a community conversation about zoning reform. We can begin with some basic terms: use-based zoning and form-based zoning.

Hudson's current zoning is use-based, also known as traditional zoning or Euclidean zoning. (Euclidean zoning is not named for the Greek mathematician but rather for the village of Euclid, Ohio, where in 1926 the local used-based zoning withstood a legal challenge from a developer.) Hudson is divided into districts which are defined by the uses permitted there. What is currently being suggested is a change from use-based zoning to form-based zoning. A project called re:code LA defines form-based zoning is this way:

One of the newer interpretations of land-use planning, Form-Based zoning regulates development by focusing on the scale, design, and placement of buildings, paying particular attention to the relationship with the street (or other public spaces). Communities that implement form-based zoning codes tend to believe that both the look and arrangement of buildings more strongly define a community's character than do the actual uses that take place within those buildings. Because they focus on form influencing function, these codes tend to be employed to promote walkability, transit-friendly development, and more compact settlement patterns.

In early September, Jonathan Lerner, chair of the Conservation Advisory Council, and Walter Chatham, chair of the Planning Board, coauthored a "My View" in the Register-Star called "A zoning solution within our grasp," In it, they recommended that Hudson adopt a tool called SmartCode, which is a "form-based planning template." You can read up on SmartCode, its principles and goals, on the website SmartCodeCentral. 

More accessible, however, is an article Lerner recommended recently on Facebook entitled "A new path to code reform," which was published in a Congress for the New Urbanism journal called Public Square. The article introduces a guide that was created in partnership with the State of Michigan as a tool for local governments to take ownership of their own zoning reform. The guide is called Enabling Better Places: Users' Guide to Zoning Reform, and although it was written with specific communities in Michigan in mind, but its advice seems very applicable to Hudson. The following is quoted from the opening section which addresses the guide's purpose:

Most of today’s zoning codes were written to guide the post-war housing boom many cities and villages experienced. While these codes were able to accommodate unprecedented growth, many had unintentional consequences that hampered the ability to develop more of the walkable, vibrant streets and neighborhoods that were the historic hearts of many villages and cities. It is often illegal in a city’s zoning code to build a replica of a beloved street or neighborhood. Furthermore, the process of a coding update can be expensive and time consuming, requiring significant municipal capacity. Those communities short on funds and staff may not be able to effectively overhaul their codes or fully engage with stakeholders. . . . 

Enabling Better Places: Users' Guide to Zoning Code Reform is intended to be used by Michigan communities who are planning to make incremental changes to their codes. Many code reform processes seek to overhaul the entire code. This all-or-nothing approach has the significant potential to become a contentious and arduous process for all involved. It can daylight simmering community tensions, create strong NIMBY (“Not In My Backyard”) reactions, and can lead to other, unresolved, community issues. 

This Guide does not advocate for or against a type of code framework; it is neither explicitly form-based nor is it use-based. Rather, it advocates for codes that enable vibrant, livable urban conditions. These solutions may be integrated into an existing use-based code, or may be the first step toward an eventual form-based code.

A PDF of the guide can be accessed here. It is recommended reading or browsing for everyone interested zoning code reform in Hudson.
COPYRIGHT 2018 CAROLE OSTERINK

Tonight in Hudson

First, Hudson was a mecca only for antiques, then for art as well, then food, then design, and now fashion. Tonight, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., it's Red Carpet Fashion Night on Warren Street. From Front Street to Park Place, you can follow the red carpet and discover twenty-four shops featuring their unique interpretation of fashion. The event includes music, fashion models, and dancing to "capture the infectious spirit of Hudson." 

The map for the event is reproduced below. (Click on the map to enlarge it.) For more information, go to VisitHudsonNY.com.     

COPYRIGHT 2018 CAROLE OSTERINK

All Good Things Must End

Be aware when you park your car tonight that the weekend suspension of alternate side of the street parking ended at the end of September. Cars parked on the street overnight tonight must be parked on the even side of the street--that is, on the side of the street where the house numbers are even. On Saturday night, cars must be parked on the odd side of the street--that is, on the side of the street where the house numbers are odd. And so it continues until the holiday eves--Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's--when alternate side of the street is suspended for the night, or when there's a snow emergency, which changes everything.
COPYRIGHT 2018 CAROLE OSTERINK

More Crosswalks

Yesterday, DPW painted crosswalks at Second and State streets, another intersection often mentioned by Ed Cross in his appeal for crosswalks in his neighborhood.

Some might argue these crosswalks and the ones farther up State Street at Third would not have been painted were it not for an act of civil disobedience.

Photo: Linda Mussmann|Facebook

It's also possible that, in its schedule of work, interrupted by persistent rain and periodic emergencies, DPW just got around to painting the crosswalks at these intersections this week. 
COPYRIGHT 2018 CAROLE OSTERINK

Who Wants the Building?

On August 21, the Common Council passed a resolution requesting Columbia County to "engage in [a] feasibility study with the City of Hudson on the acquisition and use of the John L. Edwards School for city/county municipal offices." On September 18, the Common Council passed another resolution about JLE, this one to "issue a request for proposal to engage in a feasibility study on the acquisition and use of the John L. Edwards School for City municipal offices and Youth Center."

It's not entirely clear what happened in the intervening month, but HudsonValley360 reported last evening that Columbia County is giving Hudson "first dibs" on the building: "Columbia County gives Hudson first crack at doing something with JLE building." The article cites a letter dated September 17--the day before the Council passed the resolution to issue an RFP and a week after the resolution was introduced at the informal Council meeting--from Supervisor Ron Knott (Stuyvesant), who chairs the Board of Supervisors Space Utilization Committee. The following is quoted from the letter: "due to significant interest that the city has for JLE and a new list of proposed uses, it appears apparent that the city should become the lead agency in this proposed project and develop its own study of future uses. . . . If there is available space in the building after the city locates all the functions it desires, the city could then let the county know what space, if any is available for shared services." The building is 89,500 square feet. It is estimated that the City's uses for the building, including relocating the Youth Department there, would require about 15,000 square feet.

Among the seven supervisors who sit on the Space Utilization Committee are two Hudson supervisors: Linda Mussmann (Fourth Ward) and Rick Scalera (Fifth Ward). The other supervisors on the committee, in addition to Knott, the chair, are Clifford Wiegelt (Claverack), James Guzzi (Livingston), Jeffrey Nayer (Copake), and Colleen Teal (New Lebanon).
COPYRIGHT 2018 CAROLE OSTERINK 

Fox News Update

HudsonValley360 reported last evening that the Department of Environmental Conservation has determined the fox in the cemetery was sarcoptic mange, and Missy Runyan, an animal rehabilitator from Hunter, is going to trap it and treat it: "DEC: Reported fox has mange." The news confirms what Gossips reported on Wednesday.

 COPYRIGHT 2018 CAROLE OSTERINK

Dog Park News

Gossips has just received the following press release from the mayor, which brings makes my heart and the heart of my furry companion leap up with joy and expectation.

Dogs, Bikes, Hikes, and a New City Park

A Conversation with the Community

Rick Rector, mayor of the City of Hudson, has announced a public meeting on October 15 at the Hudson Area Library for a "casual conversation" regarding a new park that would contain a dedicated space for a dog park and a possible trail head location for the planned Empire State Bike Trail and other recreation possibilities for Hudson's future.

There will be a brief presentation of possible plans and locations followed by an opportunity for community input including comments, questions, etc.

The meeting will be held in the Community Room at the library, 51 North Fifth Street, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., on Monday, October 15.
COPYRIGHT 2018 CAROLE OSTERINK

Fundraiser in Memory of Frank Faulkner

On Tuesday, October 16, AnimalKind is having an "Art for AnimalKind" fundraiser at the Red Dot. More than a hundred works of art, donated by artists from all over the world, will be raffled or auction off at the event. Some of the art can be viewed here. For a $100 donation, you can enjoy wine and an Indian buffet and go home with a work of art.

The event is being dedicated to Frank Faulkner, the internationally celebrated artist and designer who was a generous supporter of AnimalKind and an honorary board member. In dedicating the event to his memory, AnimalKind says of Faulkner: "His kindness, generosity, and deep compassion for the forgotten felines helped us save lives in the last twenty years. His untimely passing is a great loss to the community, the art world, and the felines he loved so much." Faulkner's partner, Philip Kesinger has donated a painting by Faulkner to be auctioned off at the event. 

The door opens at 6 p.m. on October 16, and the raffle begins at 7 p.m. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here. Tickets can also be purchased at the Red Dot, 321 Warren Street, where some of the artwork can now be previewed.
COPYRIGHT 2018 CAROLE OSTERINK

Behold the Crosswalks

At 2:00 p.m. today, Gossips got word that DPW had painted crosswalks at Third and State. I rushed across town, and there they were--authorized crosswalks created with the official white retroflective pavement marking lines.

It appeared, however, that the job wasn't finished. The crosswalk spanning State Street on the east side of Third was complete, as was the crosswalk spanning Third Street on the north side of State.

But the crosswalk spanning State Street on the west side of Third was only partially done, and crossing Third Street on the south side of State, the guerrilla crosswalk remained.

When Gossips asked DPW superintendent Rob Perry why all four crosswalks had not been completed, he explained that some roadwork needed to be done before the thermoplastic resin used to create the zebra stripes could be applied.

Update: At 3:00 p.m., the crew returned to finish the job.

COPYRIGHT 2018 CAROLE OSTERINK

All Creatures Great and Small

Tomorrow, October 4, is the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals and the environment.

On Saturday, October 6, Christ Church Episcopal will commemorate St. Francis, as it does every year, with a Blessing of the Animals. The event takes place at 10 a.m. outside the church at 431 Union Street.

COPYRIGHT 2018 CAROLE OSTERINK

The Fox and DEC

Joey and I were just leaving the cemetery after our morning walk when a NYS Department of Environmental Conservation truck turned off Columbia Turnpike onto Ten Broeck Lane. Realizing this was the DEC police officer dispatched to investigate the report of a rabid fox, I turned the car around and followed the truck into the cemetery. I caught up with it on the cemetery road just beyond the GAR plot and, after telling the officer that I and a few others had been monitoring the movements of foxes in the cemetery for more than a month, offered to share what we'd concluded. He took me up on the offer, and we first visited the hollow tree in Section D, where foxes have been seen more than once--a tree Joey continues to be obsessively curious about.

   
The officer inspected the tree, peering inside with a flashlight, and confirmed that this was a likely fox hangout although probably not the den.

Next we went to the northeast corner of Cedar Park, where a fox was most recently seen coming across the road from the transfer station. It was this general area where the mangy fox was photographed on September 23 and where it was found dead the next day.

Along the way, we met up with another fox watcher and several members of the DPW cemetery crew. The officer was interested not only in fox sightings but the observed behavior of the foxes. None of us had witnessed anything that we interpreted as aggression, but we did attest that the fox (or foxes) we'd observed didn't seem very fearful of humans. This behavior could be attributed simply to the fact that the foxes live in an urban area and have grown accustomed to seeing humans. In my experience last Saturday, when I was trying to get close enough to the fox to get a good picture, the fox only darted away when it caught sight of Joey. As the DEC officer pointed out, the only natural enemies of foxes in an urban setting are domestic dogs.

I learned this morning what DEC would do if it were established that the fox was suffering from sarcoptic mange. They would attempt to trap it and then transport it to a wildlife rehabilitation center. Meanwhile, the fox watch--for a rabid fox or a mangy fox--continues.
COPYRIGHT 2018 CAROLE OSTERINK

Fox News

HudsonValley360 reported yesterday that the Department of Environmental Conservation has been called to investigate allegations that there is a rabid fox in the cemetery: "DEC to investigate report of rabid fox."

According to article, a DEC police officer will be investigating the report of a sick fox today, Wednesday, October 3.
COPYRIGHT 2018 CAROLE OSTERINK

Of Zoning Amendments and Planning

Tomorrow, the mayor is holding a public hearing on Local Law No. 6 and Local Law No. 7, which inspires one to wonder what's happening with the law that came ahead of it in order of introduction: Local Law No. 5, sometimes known as the "Stewart's proposal." The proposed zoning amendment has been on the aldermen's desks since July. 

When the law had been placed on the aldermen's desks, it was referred to the Columbia County Planning Board and the Hudson Planning Board for review and comment. Columbia County Planning Board submitted its response to the Council on August 22. Predictably, the CCPB found the proposed action had "no significant county-wide or intercommunity impacts associated with it" and advised, "the City of Hudson Common Council may take final action with a simple majority vote." That said, the CCPB made several comments about the proposed zoning amendment, questioning how a twenty-year period would be determined and documented, how the size of the original structure would be determined, how many times a structure could be enlarged, and raising concerns about the impact of new commercial uses in residential neighborhoods, the effect on the Central Business District, and changes in traffic and circulation.

Comments from the Hudson Planning Board were longer in coming. At its August meeting, having just received a letter from former city attorney Ken Dow critiquing the proposed law, the Planning Board decided it needed more time to understand the proposed law, the thinking behind it, and Dow's comments about it. It was decided they would take another month and invite Alderman John Rosenthal (Fourth Ward), who chairs the Legal Committee where the law originated, to come to the September meeting and talk about the law. That happened on September 13, the day of the New York State primary, so Gossips was not there to witness the meeting. Sometime after the meeting, I spoke with Walter Chatham, chair of the Planning Board, about the board's position on Local Law No. 5 and what the board's recommendation to the Council would be. Chatham told me that the board would support amending the zoning if Stewart's would agree to be a "test animal" and allow the new facility to be "designed under SmartCode precepts."

What a gas station and convenience store "designed under SmartCode precepts" would mean is that Stewart's could not build its basic suburban style facility, where the only design option is flat roof or gable roof. Rather they would have to design a building that followed the physical form and massing of the adjacent buildings, with a similar setback from the street. Chatham also spoke about locating the gas pumps behind the building, where they could not be seen from the street.

At the Common Council Legal Committee meeting last Wednesday, I expected the Planning Board's position on Local Law No. 5 might be discussed, but it wasn't. Instead a related issue was taken up: the Planning Task Force that Council president Tom DePietro announced on August 13 was to be formed. This was, to my knowledge, the first public discussion of the task force since DePietro made the announcement, saying it would "encompass the discussion of Local Law No. 9 of 2017 and Local Law No. 5 of 2018." At the Legal Committee meeting, the topic was introduced by city attorney Andy Howard, who advised Rosenthal that the task force should be considered an ad hoc committee, and its formation could be accomplished by resolution. He went on to explain, "Something that came from that body would come to the Legal Committee and then on to the Council." 

When talking about the makeup of the task force, Rosenthal initially suggested that it be seven: the chairs of the Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, Historic Preservation Commission, and Conservation Advisory Council, and three aldermen. Later, it was realized that the code enforcement officer should be on the task force, and, to keep the number of members to seven, the number of aldermen on the task force was reduced to two. Still later, including representatives from HDC (Hudson Development Corporation), HCDPA (Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency), and the Hudson Business Coalition was also mentioned. The discussion concluded with Howard saying he would "start sketching out the resolution."
COPYRIGHT 2018 CAROLE OSTERINK

This Just In

If you were planning to attend either or both of the budget workshops today, stay home where it's warm and dry. The budget workshop for the Youth Department has been rescheduled for Friday, October 5, at 3:00 p.m., and the budget workshop on nondepartmental expenses has been canceled.
COPYRIGHT 2018 CAROLE OSTERINK

You Can Please Some of the People

Last week, in a "Micropolitan Diary" entry, I recalled a parking lot encounter I'd had that morning, which began with a woman asking me, "Are you the one who runs her mouth about things that happen in Hudson?" Today, on the op-ed page of the Register-Star, what I do received some very heartwarming validation. A "My View" by Michael Saltz, entitled "A Small Story," which explores the controversies and unanswered questions surrounding the proposed development of a gas station at the corner of Route 23 and Craryville Road, concludes with this paragraph:

Thank you, Michael Saltz. You made my day!
COPYRIGHT 2018 CAROLE OSTERINK

Rabies or Sarcoptic Mange?

Bill Williams of 98.5 The Cat reported this morning a "possible rabid fox" in the Hudson cemetery. The news set off a flurry of comments on the Facebook, with several people suggesting that the fox was not rabid but was suffering from mange.

Gossips has been fox watching in the cemetery since the beginning of September, when a fellow cemetery walker alerted me to a fox behaving strangely, suggesting it might be rabid. As it turned out, the fox was suffering from sarcoptic mange. For almost a month, a small band of fox watchers searched diligently for the mangy fox, exchanging information and logging sightings in an effort to get help for the creature, but our efforts were unsuccessful. Just when we thought we had established the fox's movements and identified two places where it was likely to appear, one of the fox watchers found the fox dead, just a few yards from where this picture had been taken only the day before.

The day after the dead fox was discovered, people started seeing another fox in the cemetery. This series of pictures, taken between September 24 and September 29, shows that fox--one that is definitely healthier than the first one, but showing, by all accounts, the early signs of mange.

According to The Fox Website, "Mange is a common disease of foxes and has caused fox population crashes around the world." The Humane Society of the United States provides this information on its website about rabies and mange in foxes.

Foxes aren't dangerous to humans, except when they are rabid, which is very rare. Although foxes sometimes succumb to rabies, the good news is that the fox strain of the disease has rarely if ever been transmitted to a human in this country. . . .

It's not all that unusual for a fox to be seen out and about during the day, so that is not cause for concern. Foxes prey on squirrels, birds, chipmunks, and other animals that are only active by day, so they may simply be looking for a meal at that time. Before calling to report a fox or ask for assistance, take time to observe the fox's behavior, and look for these signs: partial paralysis or the inability to use their limbs well; circling or staggering as if drunk; self-mutilation; acting aggressively for no reason; acting unnaturally tame. . . .

Mange is an extremely debilitating affliction caused by microscopic parasites called Sarcoptes scabei mites, that result in either patchy or entire hair loss.

The disease causes intense irritation of the skin to the point where foxes have been known to chew their own tails off trying to relieve the itching. At advanced stages, infected foxes are often seen wandering around during the daytime, seemingly unafraid.  

A mange-stricken fox may be mistaken for a rabid one because of their sickly appearance and seeming lack of fear.

The collective information from Gossips' circle of fox watchers suggests that there were two adult foxes and two fox kits in the cemetery. The fox that died was one of the adults. It is believed that the fox being seen now is its mate. No one has seen the kits lately, but they would now be about six months old--almost grown and hard to distinguish from the adults.
COPYRIGHT 2018 CAROLE OSTERINK

Celebrating and Remembering

Today is National Black Dog Day!

Black dogs are less likely to be adopted from shelters for no other reason than their coloring. On this day, meant to encourage people to adopt dark-colored dogs and end the black dog stigma, Gossips honors the memory of a few of Hudson's great black dogs.

Those who knew and loved these dogs know who they are.
COPYRIGHT 2018 CAROLE OSTERINK

Meetings of Interest in the Week Ahead

If you're not attending the budget workshops to witness the 2019 city budget being crafted, the week leading up to Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples' Day weekend is a fairly light on meetings.

• Today, Monday, October 1, the Tourism Board is holding a four-hour workshop at 1 North Front Street, beginning at 1 p.m. Although the public is not prohibited from attending, the workshop is not for the purpose of receiving public input. It is intended to be a working session for the board, which is still in the process of defining its goals.
• Tomorrow, Tuesday, October 2, the Conservation Advisory Council meets at 6 p.m. at City Hall. The agenda, which can be viewed here, seems focused on the Open Space and Natural Resources Inventory the group has been working on, in preparation for presenting it to the public sometime next month.
• On Wednesday, October 3, at 4:00 p.m., the mayor holds a public hearing on two local laws: Local Law No. 6, which amends Chapter 129 of the city code to conform with changes in New York State law and the Energize NY Benefit Financing Program, and Local Law No. 7, which establishes a Vacant Buildings Registry.

At 5:3o p.m. on Wednesday, the Common Council Youth, Education, Seniors, and Recreation Committee meets. No agenda has been published for this meeting, and there is no information about where the meeting will be held. Perhaps it can be assumed that, absent information to the contrary, the meeting will take place at City Hall.

At 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday, the Common Council Housing and Transportation Committee meets in the Community Room of the Hudson Area Library, 51 North Fifth Street. There is no published agenda for the meeting, but at its previous meeting, the committee took aim at the problem of poorly maintained sidewalks in the city. HudsonValley360 reported that Alderman Tiffany Garriga (Second Ward), who chairs the committee, "suggested committee members speak to residents in their respective wards and identify the most damaged sidewalks that need immediate repair before the Oct. 3 meeting."

COPYRIGHT 2018 CAROLE OSTERINK

Budget Workshops Continue

The workshops held by the Board of Estimate and Apportionment to hammer out the budget for 2019 continue this week. This is the first year the BEA, made up of the mayor, the city treasurer, and the Common Council president, has carried out these budget meetings in public. The budget workshops, which started two weeks ago, wrap up this week. Here is the schedule for this week:

Monday, October 1

• 2:30 p.m. Mayor, Treasurer, Common Council
• 3:30 p.m. Nondepartmental Expenses  

Tuesday October 2

• 2:30 p.m. Youth Department
• 3:30 p.m. Nondepartmental Expenses (continued)

Wednesday, October 3

•  2:30 p.m Revenues

Thursday, October 4

• 2:30 p.m. Revenues (continued)

Friday, October 5

• 2:00 p.m. Cemetery, Water, and Sewer

COPYRIGHT 2018 CAROLE OSTERINK