Of the Vacancy Study and the Veto

The discussion of Mayor Kamal Johnson's veto of the resolution authorizing an RFP (request of proposal) for a vacancy study to determine the city's eligibility for rent stabilization began with Alderman Tiffany Garriga (Second Ward) delivering a statement in which she talked about the housing crisis and the need for rent stabilization, argued "we will never know until we do this study if we qualify or not," asserted "even if there were only two buildings that qualified there would be people who would be secure," and concluded with the appeal, "Let our people hear and see and know that we know the housing crisis is real."

When Alderman John Rosenthal (Fourth Ward) suggested, "We have to address the data the mayor provided," Garriga dismissed the data, saying it was "done by a volunteer years ago." Alderman Rebecca Wolff asked more than once what constituted a vacancy study. To that question, Rosenthal noted, "We already have the inventory of property; we don't know the vacancy."

Rebecca Garrard of Citizens United, who suggested on February 5 that a vacancy study would cost $15,000 and claimed that a preliminary study had estimated there were 300 eligible units in Hudson, said that the resolution vetoed by the mayor authorized an RFP (request for proposal) for a study which was the first step in the process. She argued that the vacancy study was a "one-time investment to protect those units in perpetuity, to protect people from rent increases and provide the strongest eviction protection." Rosenthal noted that the eviction protection provided by the Statewide Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019 did not apply exclusively to rent stabilized buildings.

Somewhere in the course of the discussion Garriga noted that the resolution did not state the amount to be spent, although the mayor's veto did cite $15,000, the amount suggested by Garrard in February. Garriga calculated that if there were 1,400 eligible units in Kingston and the Kingston vacancy study cost $33,000, there might be only 140 eligible units in Hudson and the study would cost $3,300. "That's the cost of reupholstering [the benches in City Hall]," Garriga declared. "I'd rather have someone secure in their apartment."

Commenting on his veto of the resolution, Johnson told the Council that it was "a little reckless to promote this as rent control, when it is not benefiting everyone." He urged, "We need to think this through, because it will not apply to everyone." Garriga responded, "I don't care if it's only six units that qualify. That means that six families are secure."

The entire conversation can be viewed in Dan Udell's video of the meeting, which can be accessed here. The conversation about the vacancy study and the veto begins at 16:25. The images in this post are screen captures from Udell's video.
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Highlights from Last Night's Council Meeting

Eight resolutions were introduced at last night's informal Common Council meeting, and Gossips will review the most interesting of them.

Although at the Police Committee meeting on February 28 there was no formal vote to move it forward, the resolution to extend the intermunicipal agreement for the Shared Services Response Team was introduced at last night's informal meeting. Council president Tom DePietro noted that the resolution had been discussed in committee, and there was no further discussion last night.

There was also a resolution introduced to approve having city attorney Cheryl Roberts provide a 90-minute training session as part of the four hours of training required for the members of the Planning Board. The resolution outlines five of the topics Roberts will cover, the first three being: (1) Core River Front zoning in the City of Hudson; (2) the regulation of conditional uses; (3) non-conforming uses. It's hard not to see this training as being very Colarusso specific.

A resolution was also introduced to hire a new dog control officer. The resolution reports that two letters of interest were received. Responding to a question from Alderman Tiffany Garriga (Second Ward), DePietro indicated that James Delaney, Jr., had been chosen because he lives nearby in Stockport, whereas the other person who submitted a letter lived farther away. One of the specified duties of the dog control officer is that he will "at least twice a week make random visits to the Hudson Dog Park to confirm any dogs present have current valid licenses."

There was also a resolution introduced to create an emergency access road from Cemetery Road in the Hudson City Cemetery to Van Winkle Road Extension in Mount Ray Estates. Exactly where that road will be located and how it will impact the historic cemetery is not known. The resolution directs the Commissioner of Public Works "to prepare the plans for such work." The costs of design and construction of the road will be paid for by the Mount Ray Estates Homeowners Association.

The final resolution, of interest to anyone who has had the experience of sitting through interminable meetings at City Hall, authorizes the transfer of $3,500 from the fund balance to reupholster the benches in the Council Chamber. Alderman Rebecca Wolff (First Ward) wanted to know where the resolution had come from. DePietro assured her that it would go to the Finance Committee before the Council votes on it next Tuesday.

The mayor's veto of the resolution authorizing a vacancy study was the topic of greatest discussion. That will be the subject of another post.
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It All Starts with a Plan

The following is the first paragraph of an announcement that recently appeared on the City of Hudson website: 

Mayor Kamal Johnson announces a proposal to create an affordable housing development plan. The plan will be a collaboration between several organizations that addresses a wide variety of housing needs and types of affordable housing. The plan will review developable properties, funding opportunities, and development feasibility in order to create a document that recommends the operations, timeline, and partnerships for developing affordable housing.

"Too many of our residents are struggling with housing in Hudson," says Mayor Kamal Johnson. "Creating an affordable housing development plan is an important step to meet Hudson's housing needs."

Later in the announcement the process for creating for plan is described:

The city and development partners will collaborate to jointly fund a consultant who will lead a collaborative process to create the housing development planning document. . . . The City of Hudson, in collaboration with other housing and development organization, will issue a Request for Proposals to identify the best consultant to partner with.

At the Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency (HCDPA) meeting this morning, Council president Tom DePietro said that the Hudson Housing Authority was on board to help fund the consultant, the Galvan Foundation had pledged to contribute money, and Habitat for Humanity had been asked to collaborate. He also explained that the idea of creating an affordable housing development plan had been inspired by conversations with Darren Scott, the Upstate East Director of Development for NYS Homes and Community Renewal.  

The entire announcement can be found here.  
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Coronavirus Contradiction

Tonight, Gossips learned the reason Tuesday night's Planning Board meeting was canceled: fear that gathering a large number of people in one room could facilitate the spread of the coronavirus.

Also tonight, someone at the Common Council meeting suggested the City needed to hold a meeting--in a large venue such as the auditorium at Montgomery C. Smith--to gather the citizens of Hudson together and educate them about the coronavirus. Council president Tom DePietro responded, reasonably, "Why? To spread the virus?" Alderman Tiffany Garriga (Second Ward) thought it was a good idea and opined that such meetings should be held in every ward. At that point, I left, to go home and wash my hands.

All the available information about the coronavirus can be found on the City of Hudson website. Click here and scroll down to "Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information Resources." There you will find links to FAQs and other guidance and information about the virus, which you can access without fear of exposure to the virus.
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This Just In

Gossips has been informed that the Planning Board is canceling its meeting scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday, March 10. No further information is available at this time.

Of Interest

It was more than a month ago that Gossips reported about Stewart's plan to buy the building at the corner of West Bridge Street and West Main Street in Catskill and establish there yet another of its gas stations and convenience stores.

Tonight at 7 p.m., the Catskill Planning Board begins its review of Stewart's plans for the corner. The meeting takes place at the Washington Irving Senior Center, 15 Academy Street, in Catskill. 
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Over the River . . . by Another Means

Hudson Valley Initiative, a project of the Graduate School of Architecture, Preservation, and Planning at Columbia University, best known to Hudsonians for facilitating the eight-part vision for future improvements to Oakdale Lake, is currently working on recommendations for Climate Action in the Hudson Valley. One idea they are exploring is the potential for fossil-free ferry transportation to connect cities and towns on both sides of the river and reduce vehicles emissions.

In pursuit of this idea, HVI is conducting an online survey of Hudson Valley residents to learn about cross-river travel habits and gauge the potential interest and demand for such a ferry. You can access the survey by clicking here. 

Thanks to Debby Mayer for bringing this to our attention

What a Difference Five Years Makes

A reader just informed me that the photograph accompanying yesterday's "'Historic Fishing Village' Update" was old. Indeed, it is. It was taken in the summer of 2015. He helpfully provided a picture of the same two shacks taken not long ago.

Photo: Bill Huston

While conversations about the demolition of some shacks and the preservation of others are ongoing, weather, neglect, and gravity are taking over.
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COVID-19 Update

Roger Hannigan Gilson in The Other Hudson Valley reports on the first diagnosed case of the coronavirus in the Hudson Valley north of Westchester County: "Kingston Coronavirus Case Not Required to Quarantine After Return to U.S."

Another Aspect of an Early Spring

The London Daily Mail reports a phenomenon happening all over the world: "Bears are coming out of hibernation more than a month early after one of the hottest winters in human history." 

It's time to bring in your bird feeders, to avoid a visitation similar to the one that occurred in Hudson last year in early April. The pictures below document the bear who ravaged a bird feeder on Hudson Avenue and then tried to elude police by climbing a utility pole on Columbia Street before exiting Hudson bound for Claverack along Route 23B.

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Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead

We have sprung ahead, the temperature is expected to rise to nearly 70 degrees today, and it's hard to believe that the vernal equinox is still ten days away. Meanwhile, if COVID-19 hasn't made you afraid to leave your house, here's what's happening this week.

• On Monday, March 9, The Olana Partnership is holding a community forum from 5 to 7 p.m. to gather input for its new strategic plan. What is sought in particular from this forum is help in strengthening local partnerships and connections with the surrounding communities. The forum takes place at Columbia-Greene Community College, PAC Building, Room 614.

• Also on Monday, March 9, the Common Council holds its informal meeting at 7:00 p.m. at City Hall. No information is as yet available about what will be on the agenda for the meeting.
• On Tuesday, March 10, Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency (HCDPA) meets at 10:30 a.m. at 1 North Front Street. It is expected that the conversation about how the agency will pursue its mission of fostering and promoting services to low- and moderate-income residents will continue.
• Also on Tuesday, March 10, the Hudson Industrial Development Agency (IDA) meets at 1:00 p.m. in Suite 301 at One City Centre. More information about the terms of the PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) sought by 620 Hudson House LLC for the hotel proposed for 620 Union Street may be revealed at this meeting.

• At 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10, the Planning Board meets at the Central Fire Station, 77 North Seventh Street. The public hearing on A. Colarusso & Sons and its applications for conditional use permits for its dock operation and the proposed haul road continues. The Planning Board will also continue its review of the site plan application for 620 Union Street and begin the review of the proposal to convert the warehouse at 60 South Front Street into a wine store, retail space, and event space.

• Also at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10, the Common Council Housing and Transportation Committee will meet at City Hall. No agenda is available for this meeting, but the mayor's veto of the resolution to do a vacancy study to determine the city's eligibility for rent stabilization under the Emergency Tenant Protection Act may be a topic of discussion. 

Update: The Housing and Transportation Committee meeting, originally scheduled for March 4 and rescheduled for March 10, has been canceled. Presumably the next meeting of the committee will not happen until April.   

• On Wednesday, March 11, the Hudson Housing Authority holds its regular monthly meeting at 6:00 p.m. in the Community Room at Bliss Towers, 41 North Second Street.
• On Thursday, March 12, the 2020 Census forms begin arriving in the mail. Responding to the request for information can be done online, by phone, or by mail and doesn't require leaving your home.

Photo: USAToday

• On Friday, March 13, the Historic Preservation Commission meets at 10:00 a.m. at City Hall. The public hearing on the designation of 241 Columbia Street as a local landmark remains open, and the HPC is accepting written comments for the remainder of this week, up until the meeting on Friday. The HPC could make a decision about recommending the designation to the Common Council at this meeting.

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Of Interest

Last week, Roger Hannigan Gilson interviewed Mayor Kamal Johnson for Luminary Media. That interview appeared today in Luminary's newest publication, The River: "Hudson's New Mayor Combines the Past and the Future."

Photo: David McIntyre

Get Ready to Be Counted

Starting this week, on Thursday, March 12, households will be receiving mail from the United States Census Bureau. It's the 2020 Census form.  

Photo: USAToday

Responses to the 2020 Census request can be submitted online, by phone, or by mail. Later on, between May and July, census takers will begin visiting homes that haven't responded to the request. To see the overall timeline of the 2020 Census, click here. 

The goal of the decennial census is to count every person living in the United States. An accurate count is critical. Among other things, the census determines how congressional seats are apportioned and how state and federal dollars are distributed.
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"Historic Fishing Village" Update

The draft RFP (request for proposal) for a master plan for the former Furgary Boat Club, now known as the "Historic Fishing Village," can be viewed online at the City of Hudson website. Click here to access the document.

Comments on the RFP should be emailed to mayor's aide Michael Chameides mayoralaide@cityofhudson.org. Comments must be received by Monday, March 16.

It's Later Than You Think

Set your clocks forward one hour. Daylight saving time has begun!

Of Interest

On Friday, the Preservation League of New York State published a post on its blog about the recent demolition of 201 Elk Street and its neighbors in Albany's Sheridan Hollow, an action they say "has us thinking about the loss of industrial history, the challenges in investing in economically distressed neighborhoods, issues with long-term municipal ownership of vacant buildings, and the environmental impact of demolition, especially as construction and demolition landfills expand around New York State." All of these issues have relevance for us here in Hudson, some even more than others. The post can be read here: "Demolition Alert: 201 Elk St., Albany."
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The Prevailing Vision for Columbia County: More Gas, More Food to Go

Gossips used this title back in October when reporting that the Livingston Town Planning Board had given its approval to the Global Partners plan to build a giant gas station and convenience store at the intersection of Routes 9, 9H, 23, and 82. It seems appropriate to use it again when reporting that the Copake Town Planning Board has approved another mega gas station on Route 23 in Craryville. The story of the most recent approval can be read at HudsonValley360: "Copake board approves long contested gas station site plan."
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On the Subject of COVID-19

This afternoon, Mayor Kamal Johnson released the following statement:

As more cases of Covid-19, the Coronavirus, are identified in the United States, I urge residents of Hudson to remain calm. I have been in touch with Columbia Memorial Hospital (CMH) who have longstanding emergency protocols for public health emergencies. CMH is directing anyone who is experiencing any symptoms related to Covid-19 to please call the emergency room for further instructions. I am currently in talks with Amtrak about what protocols the train station will be taking for people traveling into our city. The Hudson City School District is taking all proactive measures including working closely NYS Department of Education, and State and Local officials from the Department of Health to monitor all available protocols and information. As a city I ask you to focus on prevention follow [and] all CDC prevention guidelines. My office will continue to provide updated information.

The phone number for the Emergency Department at CMH is 518 828-7601.

The Columbia County Department of Health has issued this statement: 

As of this release, there are no cases of Covid-19 in Columbia County. Our actions and how we form our plans for both health care providers and the general public are defined by the Center for Disease Control through New York State Department of Health. The risk factor for potential cases impacting Columbia County remains low. The Columbia County Department of Health along with local county officials are committed to actively monitoring the progression of this new virus and modifying our response as required.

Information about the coronavirus from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) can be found here. Information from the New York State Department of Health can be found here.

Progress on City DRI Projects

On Wednesday, the DRI Committee met to review the status of the three projects--Promenade Hill, BRIDGE District connectivity, and the Dunn warehouse--and initiate the discussion of the fourth--the Historic Fishing Village, a.k.a. "the Shacks."

On the subject of the restoration and renovation of Promenade Hill, the committee plans a "kick-off site walk" with Starr Whitehouse, the firm hired to oversee the project, on March 23 at some undetermined time. It is anticipated that there will be an eight-month design process, including a "mobile workshop" in mid-April, followed by a series of meetings after a design is developed. The schedule for the project, which appears to have construction beginning in December 2020, can be viewed here.

The BRIDGE District connectivity project is still awaiting a revised contract and a schedule. The project is expected to involve a "publicly focused design exercise," following the tactical urbanism approach to test out ideas by staging temporary improvements. Chris Round, the consultant from the Chazen Companies who is acting as DRI project manager, said this project is likely to be done in two phases: (1) build consensus behind an entire design; (2) match what can be accomplished with the money available. This project is getting the lion's share of DRI funding: $4,232,550.

Regarding the Dunn warehouse, no one at the meeting knew when the contract with Tecta America WeatherGuard LLC to do the short-term stabilization to the roof had been signed, so no one knew when the 21-day period during which the work was guaranteed to be completed had begun. (This is being handled by Commissioner of Public Works Peter Bujanow, who was not present at Wednesday's meeting.) Round reported making minor changes to the request for expressions of interest (REI) and distributed the revised document to the members of the committee. (That document can be found here.) During the meeting, changes were made to the schedule (on page 13 of the REI) to give members of the committee more time to review the proposals, which are due on Friday, April 10.

On the topic of the Furgary Boat Club, a.k.a. "the Shacks," now known as the Historic Fishing Village, Round had prepared a draft RFP (request for proposal) for a landscape architecture firm to design a "historical, cultural, interpretive park." It was proposed that $20,000 of the $191,290 available for the project would go for a master plan that would define the themes for interpretation and "articulate what the vision is, so you have a clear path forward." The plan is to post the draft RFP on the city website for public comment before it is released. That hasn't happened yet.

At the end of the meeting, when public comment was invited, Timothy O'Connor, who was one of the driving forces in getting the DRI money for "the Shacks," spoke of "mission creep." He explained that the original intent was "to take the money and shore up the worthy shacks." He asserted that "the code fixes a limited vision for what can be done."

Joe Gallo, a former Furgarian, asked, "You're going to use tax dollars for what the fishermen did for free?" 

Leo Bower suggested that the site needed a historic marker to commemorate the "hunting, fishing, and trapping community" that used the site. Billy Shannon, who has written about the Shacks for the New York Times, suggested the site should include some kind of museum of river fishing. Dylan Meyer expressed the opinion, "We have so much human capital in Hudson, people willing to donate their time and passion. We just need to gather it together and put it to good use." He went on to suggest that the City needed a "Parks and Land Use Department to deal with this."

Bower asked who would take down the shacks that it was determined would be demolished. Meyer suggested that volunteers could do it. When he was told demolition would involve asbestos removal, he contended that volunteers could be trained to do asbestos removal. "This is something that everyone in Hudson should be a part of," he asserted.

Back in August 2015, the Common Council authorized an expenditure of not more than $11,262 for asbestos and lead-based paint testing on the shacks. The understood reason at the time for doing the testing was to determine which shacks, if any, had no hazardous material issues and could be demolished by the Department of Public Works and which shacks would require demolition by a crew trained to deal with hazardous materials. If there is indeed a group of people "willing to donate their time and passion," it seems this study, done in 2015, could be used to determine which shacks are free of asbestos and lead-based paint and could be demolished by volunteers. Perhaps the study could be made available in the DRI Document Center on the City of Hudson website.

Update: Superintendent of Public Works Rob Perry just informed me that the hazardous materials study is available on the City of Hudson website and has been since 2015, on the DPW page. It can be viewed by clicking here.
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A Threat Across the River

Gossips has posted about the proposal to site a construction and demolition waste recycling facility on the riverbank in Athens. This morning, Keep It Greene and Friends of Athens launched a petition addressed to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation outlining the potential significant adverse environmental impacts of the project and asking that it be identified as a Type 1 Action under SEQR, requiring a Positive Declaration and a full Environmental Impact Statement. To sign the petition, click here. 

How It All Began

Last Saturday, it was the scene of the annual Oakdale Plunge, and every summer, it is the site of the Hudson Youth Department's day camp. Native Hudsonians grew up swimming there in summer and ice skating there in winter.

Swimming at Oakdale, 1951--Photo by Gibson

On Thursday, March 19, at 6:00 p.m., Oakland Lake, the park, and the surrounding neighborhood will the subject of a talk by local historian Paul Barrett: "Beyond the Farmyard: The Development of Oakdale Park."

In 1907, plans were underway for a community of new homes in Hudson, offering paved streets, sidewalks, and convenient access to the Hudson business district. The design for this new development included an artificial lake, fed by a natural spring, surrounded by a beautifully landscaped park. In his talk, Barrett, in collaboration with History Room researcher extraordinaire John Craig, will discuss how the neighborhood known as "the Boulevards" developed and the importance of Oakdale Park for residents today.

The event, which is sponsored by the Hudson Area Library and the Greenport Historical Society, takes place in the Community Room of the library, 51 North Fifth Street. A question-and-answer period and refreshments will follow the talk. For more information, email programs@hudsonarealibrary.org or call 518 828-1792, ext. 101.
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Meeting or Meet and Greet?

Last week, Gossips reported that the first meeting of the newly reconstituted Tourism Board had taken place the previous Friday without notice given to the public. A couple of members of the new Tourism Board protested in comments that it was not a meeting but rather a "meet and greet," indicating that not every member of the board was present. 

Today, I discovered that the gathering had been recorded "from a live webstream" by WGXC. Identified as "City of Hudson Tourism Board Meeting 20200221," the recording has been archived and can be heard here. We can all listen and judge for ourselves if it sounds like a meeting or a "meet and greet." 

The first announced meeting of the Tourism Board will take place on Friday, March 20, at 5:00 p.m. in City Hall.
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This Just In

Alderman Tiffany Garriga has canceled tonight's scheduled meeting of the Common Council Housing and Transportation Committee, which was to take place at 6:45 p.m., and has rescheduled it for 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10--exactly the same day and time as the Planning Board meeting. The committee meeting will take place at City Hall; the Planning Board meeting will be held at the Central Fire Station. It will be impossible for anyone to attend both.
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The House That Is to Become a Hotel

The proposal to convert 620 Union Street into a hotel, with a new modern wing added on to the wing constructed in 1906 when the house was the Hudson Home for the Aged, has inspired Gossips to provide more information about the house and its occupants during the tenure of its original owners, Robert and Sally McKinstry.

According to his biography in Franklin Ellis's History of Columbia County, Robert McKinstry was born in Columbia County and "came to Hudson while a boy." He found work as a clerk for Abner Hammond and later married the boss's daughter Sally. The couple were married on September 30, 1818, by Rev. John Gabriel Gebhard at the Reformed Dutch Church in Claverack. Marriage records indicate that Robert McKinstry was "of the firm Hammond and McKinstry." When they married, Sally was 20, and Robert was 24.

When the house was built in 1835, Robert and Sally had been married for seventeen years, and they had no children. In his biography of Sally McKinstry, Ellis suggests "the fact that she had no children of her own to occupy her time and attention" was one of the factors, along with "the natural benevolence of her character," that prompted her to found the Hudson Orphan Asylum, which opened in 1845. The Ellis biography of Sally McKinstry recounts that it was her father, Abner Hammond, "who gave a suitable site for an asylum building." That building, which stood at the corner of State and North Seventh streets, was demolished last year.

Photo: Stephen McKay

Robert and Sally's house, when it was built, had a spacious ground level kitchen, which local historian Ruth Piwonka suggests is a clue that the McKinstrys designed the house with the idea of using it as a boarding house. On the topic, Piwonka writes:

Boarding houses emerged in the nineteenth century American cities. They offered a place to live and lodge, to make acquaintances and friends. Perhaps the communal Shaker lifestyle spurred their development in northeastern United States. Further, the McKinstry's Universalist church affiliation must have also contributed an intellectual character to the household.

Since its organization in 1817, Robert McKinstry had been an active member of the Board of Trustees of the Universalist Church in Hudson. He donated $20,000 to the church, which enabled the church building at 448 Warren Street to be constructed. The building was completed in 1869.

Photo courtesy Historic Hudson

Evidence that Robert and Sally McKinstry maintained their home as a boarding house is found in census records. The 1840 federal census indicates that the Robert McKinstry household was made of of "15 Free White Persons." The federal census in 1840 only indicated gender and age range (under 5, 5 to under 10, 10 to under 15, 15 to under 20, and then upward in ten year increments). In the McKinstry household, there were 5 persons under 20, 8 persons between 20 and 49, one between 60 and 69, and one between 70 and 79--the latter two both being women. 

Ruth Piwonka quotes a charming reminiscence of life in the McKinstry household, by Amanda Collins, who was a resident in 1847.

Fearing I might be lonely [Sally McKinstry] kindly offered me a seat in her own room and to sit in Aunt Sally's room ... [to] witness daily the living panorama of all sorts of people on all sorts of errands was an event in one's life not soon to be forgotten. While every other part of the house was attended to and kept in perfect order and neatness in this room only disorder and discomfort reigned supreme. …. To recall this room is to remember a comfortless bed folded away in the daytime into a pine wardrobe, an old settee covered with faded calico, a few chairs, a stove, a square table in the corner with an accumulation of books papers and writing materials ... devoted to a voluminous correspondence … for aid for her Orphan Asylum. 

In 1850, the federal census began listing the name, age, and occupation of everyone in the household. That year, the McKinstry household totaled 22. Some of the residents appear to be McKinstry relatives. There's Rebecca McKinstry, aged 63, who might be an unmarried sister or cousin, and Frederick McKinstry, aged 28, possibly a nephew, Susan McKinstry, also 28, assumed to be his wife, and James McKinstry, aged 6, probably their son. The household included a number of single or widowed women--Mrs. Weeks, aged 65; Jane Pollock, aged 21; Mary Welsh, aged 18; Catherine Dorsey, aged 28, and her daughter, Mary, aged 12; and Mary Prescott, aged 56. Charles Butler, aged 28, whose occupation is given as "Traveller," lived at the McKinstry house with his wife, Harriet, who was 26. Three clerks lived with the McKinstrys: Pierre Stickles, aged 16; Peter Brusie, aged 40; and Charles Morgan, aged 16. There were also two teachers: Daniel Materbrey, aged 24; and R. A. Stidiford, aged 25. 

The family living with the McKinstrys in 1850 of greatest interest (to Gossips, at least) is Allen Rossman, aged 35, whose occupation is given as "Merchant," his wife, Mary, aged 30, and their daughter, Anna, aged 14. Anna Rossman would grow up to become Anna R. Bradbury, the author of History of the City of Hudson, New York. 

In 1851, the year the very first Hudson city directory was published, Robert McKinstry is listed as having a hardware store at 229 Warren Street (now 617 Warren Street), just around the corner from his home at 11 South Seventh Street. That address is evidence that the main entrance to the house was originally from Seventh Street not Union Street.

The 1851 city directory lists a McKinstry living as a boarder at 11 South Seventh Street who wasn't there the year before when the census was taken: Justus McKinstry. The building where Robert McKinstry's hardware store was located no longer exists, having been replaced sometime in the 1930s by the Art Deco building that was originally Woolworth's and is now CVS.

Still from Odds Against Tomorrow, 1959

In 1860, two years before Sally McKinstry's death, twenty people made up the McKinstry household. Only a few were the same. Peter Brusie, the clerk, was still there, as were Allen and Mary Rossman, along with their granddaughter, Mary Bradbury, Anna Bradbury's first born child, then just three months old. In 1860, Sally and Robert were both in their 60s, and the household now included a cook, Matilda Mays, and two servants, Betsy Harlow and Catharine Hickey. 

Where Anna and her husband, Jabez Bradbury, were living in 1860 is not known. In 1865, three years after Sally McKinstry's death, the New York State census shows Allen Rossman, whose occupation is now given as "Druggist," as head of his own household made up of his wife, Mary, Anna and Jabez Bradbury, and their two children, Mary, aged 5, and Allen, aged 3. The city directory for 1866 indicates that Rossman was in partnership with Augustus McKinstry, nephew of Robert McKinstry. Their drugstore was located at 329 Warren Street (now 609 Warren Street), and Allen Rossman's home was located on Prospect Avenue. The recently restored 1871 map of Hudson in the History Room of the Hudson Area Library reveals that this was Allen Rossman's house, located across the street from what is now Columbia Memorial Hospital.

The 1870 federal census shows Anna and her two children, named after her parents, still living with Allen and Mary Rossman, but her husband, Jabez Bradbury, is no longer part of the household. 

In 1910, Anna Bradbury, then 72 years old, moved back to the house where she had lived as a child. By that time, the house was the Hudson Home for the Aged. She lived there until her death in 1918.

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The Fate of the Pay Phone

A couple of weeks ago, Gossips wondered about the pay phones still found around town, not working and magnets for graffiti: "Why Are These Still Here?"

Today, a reader alerted me to an article in Gothamist about the surviving pay phones in New York City: "Most of the Last Remaining Pay Phones in NYC Will Be Ripped Out." The pay phone on Ninth Avenue that appears in one of the photos accompanying the article looks in much better shape than the one shown above, located outside Hudson City Hall.
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Come. Sit. Stay.

On Saturday, March 7, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., well-behaved dogs are invited to pose for their portraits at Stair Galleries, 549 Warren Street. The event is a benefit for CavalierRescueUSA and the Columbia-Greene Humane Society, but the photo op is not limited to Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.

The dogs will sit for their portraits in a room setting inspired by Mario Buatta, the "Prince of Chintz," who was a huge dog lover. The setting will be decorated in the style that made the designer famous, chintz and all. For each dog photographed, Stair will donate $10 to CavalierRescueUSA and $10 to the Columbia-Greene Humane Society. The donations are from Stair; there is no cost to the owner of the dog.

Bring your polite and photogenic pups to Stair on Saturday to have their portraits taken to benefit two good causes.

Olly Olly Oxen Free

Back in March and April of 2017, Galvan Initiatives Foundation came before the Planning Board for a conditional use permit to create space for COARC Starting Place in the basement of the Galvan Armory. 

During the site plan review, parking was an issue. According to the code at that time, the proposed new use, which involved space for the COARC daycare program and some professional office space, required ten parking spaces. What was finally agreed on was that Galvan would create a parking lot with ten spaces behind 61-65 and 67-71 North Fifth Street--residential buildings owned by Galvan.

Now, three years later, work is going on at the armory to create the promised space for COARC Starting Place, but word from a Gossips source is that the space across the alley, which was supposed to be a parking lot to provide the ten spaces required, is now going to be a playground for the daycare facility. 

In May 2019, the city code was amended to eliminate all offstreet parking requirements. The question is: Does that amendment eliminate the need to follow a previously approved site plan that included offstreet parking?
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Help Craft a New Plan

The Olana Partnership is developing a new strategic plan and, toward this end, is holding a community forum on Monday, March 9, from 5 to 7 p.m. The invitation to the forum explains, "We'd like your help in shaping one of the most important emerging priorities--to strengthen local partnerships and connections with the surrounding communities."

The forum will be held at Columbia-Greene Community College, PAC Building, Room 614.

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Meetings of Interest in the Week Ahead

It's March! In the final week of standard time, here's what's happening in city government and elsewhere.

• On Monday, March 2, at 4:00 p.m., Mayor Kamal Johnson holds a public hearing on Local Law Introductory No. A for 2020, which imposes a six-month moratorium on the registration and operation of any new short-term rental facility.
• On Tuesday, March 3, the Conservation Advisory Council meets at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall.
• Also on Tuesday, March 3, of interest to registered Democrats, the Hudson City Democratic Committee holds its regular monthly meeting at 6:00 p.m. at 1 North Front Street. 

Photo: Verity Smith|Facebook

• On Wednesday, March 4, the DRI (Downtown Revitalization Initiative) Committee meets at 2:30 p.m. at City Hall. Expected topics of discussion are the request for expressions of interest for the Dunn warehouse and future plans for the Furgary Boat Club, known in DRI parlance as "the Historic Fishing Village."

• Also on Wednesday, March 4, the Common Council Youth, Education, Seniors, and Recreation Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. and the Housing and Transportation Committee meets at 6:45 p.m.

And that's it for meetings this week.

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Oakdale Plunge Raises $33,000

This year's Oakdale Plunge--the third annual plunge--was superlative in many ways. Of the three plunges, this year's plunge had the most individual donors (366), the most business sponsors (20), the most plungers (120), and raised the most money ($33,000), not to mention the weather was the coldest it's ever been for the plunge.

Photo: Shannon Greer

The Oakdale Plunge raises money for the Hudson Youth Department and Hudson Fire Department Water Rescue Team. This year, each organization will receive more than $15,000.

Next year's Oakdale Plunge has already been scheduled for Saturday, February 27.
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A Call to Action

Last week, HudsonValley360 published a letter to the editor from Ned Sullivan, president of Scenic Hudson. The letter begins with this dire warning: "The 'Landscape that Defined America' could be turned into Demolition Debris Alley if proposed riverfront facilities in the towns of Catskill and Athens gain approval." 

Sullivan is talking about "plans for a construction and debris disposal site in Catskill that could hold up to 600,000 tons of waste and a facility in Athens that would store and process as much as 12,000 cubic yards of similar material each day." He juxtaposes these plans with a positive recent development: Skywalk, which he says "already has begun strengthening the tourism potential of this cradle of American art."  

The letter concludes: "I hope residents of Catskill, Athens and Hudson will get involved in the permitting process for both facilities and make their voices heard about their vision for their waterfronts." The entire letter can be read here.
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