Parking Woes

This morning, this notice about malfunctioning parking meters and parking tickets was posted on the Hudson Police Department's Facebook page.

This morning also, I heard from readers and noticed in my neighborhood that cars that had been parked overnight on the odd side of the street had been ticketed. Yesterday, Gossips reported the news, which appeared on the City of Hudson website: "Both side street parking permitted Friday and Saturday." Needless to say, I felt somewhat responsible that my readers and neighbors had gotten tickets.

I contacted HPD Chief Ed Moore, who explained there had been some confusion between the executive order and the posting on the city website. He told me: "Tickets issued for alternate side parking violations can be dismissed if they mail them in with an accompanying note." So, if you got a ticket last night, do as the chief suggests, and, just to be on the safe side, until everything gets ironed out, park on the odd side of the street tonight.
COPYRIGHT 2020 CAROLE OSTERINK

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been no new cases of COVID-19, and 26 more people have recovered from the virus, reducing the number of active cases in the county by 26. The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 remains the same, as does the number of deaths.

As of 10 a.m. on June 6, 2020:

• Columbia County has had 34 residents that have passed away from COVID-19.
• Columbia County has received a total of 5,812 PCR [diagnostic] test results with 400 confirmed positive cases.
• There are 72 active cases of COVID-19 in Columbia County.
• There are 37 additional residents on mandatory quarantine and 10 residents on precautionary quarantine.
• 294 of the 400 cases have recovered from COVID-19 
• 16 of the positive cases are hospitalized, none of those hospitalized are in the ICU
• We've received 1,574 antibody results, of which 148 were positive.

The Bear Is Back!

About an hour ago, when returning from the dog park and some shopping, I spotted a bear on Allen Street, walking in the street. It was about a block away, probably right around River House (a.k.a. the old Allen Street School), and was heading upstreet. I had Joey with me, and my first instinct was to get him safely indoors before trying to photograph the bear. Alas, when I got back outside after putting Joey in the house, the bear had disappeared. Neighbors said it had left the street heading south, probably going through a vacant lot and down to Cross Street. (Someone reported on Facebook that the bear was sighted on Tanners Lane.)

I phoned the police and was told they were already aware of the bear. It is not known if this is the same bear that visited Rope Alley and State Street on Monday evening (shown below), or if this a different, "south side" bear.

Update: What appears to be a bear cub is now in the big willow tree behind 32 Warren Street. This may not be the same bear that was spotted on Allen Street a couple of hours ago.

Photo: Justin Weaver|Facebook

Photo: Justin Weaver|Facebook

Photo: Bruce Bergman

Update: Half an hour ago--at about 3:45--the bear was still at First and Warren streets, and another bear was spotted on Worth Avenue. It appears there are two bears moving around the city, and they have been since this morning. 

Parking Tonight

It was announced earlier on the mayor's Facebook page, but now the information appears on the City of Hudson website: "Both side street parking permitted Friday and Saturday." 

Park where you will tonight and tomorrow night.  

Disbursing the $400,000

The $400,000 from the City's lodging tax that has been allocated to the Tourism Board has been the topic of much discussion. Since April, an ad hoc committee of the Tourism Board has been working on drafting an RFP (request for proposals) and establishing the criteria for judging proposals to be funded with that money. Today, the final RFP has been released, and businesses and organizations are invited to propose projects that "promote Hudson as an attractive destination and strengthen our local communities and economy." What follows is the press release announcing the program and inviting applications.

ANNOUNCING: PROJECT HUDSON!

The Hudson Tourism Board is welcoming proposals for short- and long-term projects that promote Hudson as an attractive destination and strengthen our local communities and economy.

We invite businesses and organizations based in the city of Hudson to fill out an application online or by hand.

The board will consider applications that:

• Take place in the City of Hudson.
• Enliven Hudson's city life.
• Illuminate or create a unique experience of Hudson's communities and businesses.
• Create local opportunities for climate resiliency, where applicable.
• Use "tactical urbanism," which encourages low cost, impermanent, and DIY projects, where applicable.

The Tourism Board is tasked with using its funds to promote our city. With Project Hudson, the board hopes to take steps toward supporting the creativity, ingenuity, and civic-mindedness of Hudsonians to create a more vibrant, healthy, equitable, and safe place to live and to be.

This program is being administered with the help and support of the CEDC.

At yesterday's Tourism Board meeting, it was explained that applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, with a first round of applications being reviewed on June 26, a second round being reviewed on July 3, and rounds thereafter reviewed to coordinate with the Common Council meeting schedule. All grant recommendations must be approved by the Common Council.

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been 6 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 16 people have recovered, reducing by 10 the number of active cases. Two fewer people are now hospitalized with COVID-19.

As of 3 p.m. on June 5, 2020:

• Columbia County has had 34 residents that have passed away from COVID-19.
• Columbia County has received a total of 5,726 PCR [diagnostic] test results with 400 confirmed cases.
• There are 98 active cases of COVID-19 in Columbia County.
• There are 43 additional residents on mandatory quarantine and 9 residents on precautionary quarantine.
• 268 of the 400 cases have recovered from COVID-19
• 16 of the positive cases are hospitalized, none of those hospitalized are in the ICU
• We've received 1,558 antibody results,of which 148 were positive.

Where Are the COVID-19 Cases Now?

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its weekly breakdown of COVID-19 cases by municipality and nursing home. Countywide, there were 15 new cases in the past week. Canaan, Chatham, Ghent, and Stockport have each had one new case in the past week; Copake has had two. Eight of the new cases--more than half of them--have been at Barnwell.

In the list below, the first number indicates the number of cases last Friday; the second number indicates the number of cases today.

Ancram  7 | 7

Canaan  10 | 11

Chatham  17 | 18

Claverack  9 | 9

Clermont  4 | 4

Copake  17 | 19

Germantown  8 | 8

Ghent  18 | 19

Greenport  13 | 13

Hillsdale  12 | 12

Hudson  33 | 33

Kinderhook  41 | 41

Livingston 8 | 8

New Lebanon  4 | 4

Stockport  2 | 3

Stuyvesant  9 | 9

Nursing Homes

Livingston Hills  2 | 2

Pine Haven  37 | 38

Barnwell  134 | 142

The CCDOH also provided an accounting of the 34 deaths: 12 were residents of Pine Haven, 17 were residents of Barnwell, and 5 were not nursing home residents.

Of Interest

This undated report was posted in the last day or so on the City of Hudson website: "Hudson Petitions State Supreme Court." The lede reads: "The City of Hudson has filed a petition in the New York State Supreme Court seeking to stop the police union from demanding that the City provide millions of dollars in enhanced retirement benefits." The report goes on to explain: "Current State law provides that police retirement benefits are based on the Final Average Salary (FAS) earned by a police officer during his or her last three years of service. The union seeks to use a FAS for only the last year of employment, arguably the highest-paid year of service. In the case at hand the difference between the 3-year and 1-year FAS is significant and could cause the City to go into significant debt in an already depressed economy. The City's position is that only the 3-year FAS is allowed." To read the entire report, click here.

Walking Back the Quarantine

On Monday, Gossips reported on an undated letter from Mayor Kamal Johnson that had been sent to every lodging tax registrant. The letter asked proprietors of short-term rentals to "limit rentals to 14 days or longer and advise guests to self-quarantine (when traveling from outside Columbia County)." Yesterday, a new letter, dated June 3, was forwarded by the treasurer's office to the same recipients. Some of the text of the letter is the same as the previous letter, but the new letter notably omits the recommendation about self-quarantine.

Dear Short Term Rental Owners,

We are a small community that depends on visitors, and we must find ways to work together to keep Hudson safe. As Mayor and neighbor, I am asking you to consider adapting your short-term rental operations to our new reality.

Last week, I shared recommendations with you. Since then Columbia County has changed its public health messaging. In its daily press release, the county is no longer including a message that travelers should self-quarantine. Although, county and state officials are still advising against travel. In addition, the Capital Region has entered Phase 2 of reopening. Also, outdoor dining is allowed as of June 4.

Reviewing county, state, and federal guidelines we have updated our recommendations, and continue to urge visitors to Hudson to follow the same guidelines as our residents.

• Physical Distance: If guests leave the rental, encourage them to keep a safe distance of six feet from others.
• Wash your hands often
• Wear masks whenever near people outside their party. Consider providing your guests masks upon arrival

I ask that you share a letter addressed to your guests available at cityofhudson.org/guest. Effective action now will help us fully reopen sooner. These guidelines may change in the coming weeks to reflect changes in best practices.

Hudson enjoys and welcomes its visitors and we ask that all residents and guests join together and do their part. More information is available at cityofhudson.org/safe.

In the letter addressed to guests, the recommendation to self-quarantine has been replaced by this guideline:

REDUCE INTERACTIONS If you leave your rental, reduce the number of interactions you have with people.

"Say Their Name"

Today, in his daily press briefing, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that next week the state should be passing the "Say Their Name" Reform Agenda. The screen below identifies the four cornerstones of the agenda.

Of the agenda, Cuomo said, "It comes from the long list of names of people we have seen who have been abused by police officers, by the criminal justice system, and Mr. Floyd is just the last name on a very long list."

The complete press briefing can be viewed here. The briefing begins at 10:10.

Take the Gossips Challenge

Were you able to recognize the seven people who appeared in the Gossips "Wear a Mask" ads this week?

If you could, email your list to carole@gossipsofrivertown.com or text your list to 518 610-5339. The first person to identify them all correctly wins a bag of cookies from Trixie's Oven, which can be claimed at the Hudson Farmers Market tomorrow morning.

News from HDC

Here's some news that Gossips missed while focused on the pandemic and the many efforts to deal with the emergency. In late April, Branda Maholtz, long time executive assistant at HDC (Hudson Development Corporation) and HCDPA (Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency), was promoted to the position of executive director of HDC, the job formerly held by Sheena Salvino.

Maholtz moved to Hudson a decade ago, when she was teaching at the Culinary Institute of America. Since then, she has worked in both the private and public sectors throughout the city, focusing on community outreach at Etsy, fundraising at Hudson Hall, research and development for a local legal firm, and as mayor's aide for both Tiffany Martin and Rick Rector.

Bob Rasner, president of the HDC Board, commented, "Branda's thankless determination, experience, and creative problem solving are just a few of the many skills she brings to the board. Her work is essential to the success of HDC and the City of Hudson."

Commenting on the delayed announcement of her promotion, Maholtz told Gossips: "It was important for HDC and our board to become leaders and help bring our small businesses and creative economy community together during the state's mandated pause. I just jumped into action and started getting things done. Opening the communication lines and having real dialogue about what can be done to organize and plan to make Hudson better and stronger after the crisis was our first challenge--we achieved that." She is most proud of working with HDC board member Seth Rogovoy to set up the Hudson Arts Emergency Program to take immediate action to help the local creative community. She adds, "My plans for moving to Colorado are on hold. You can't get rid of me yet!"

News of Promenade Hill

As has been reported before, since the shutdown necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, meetings of the DRI (Downtown Revitalization Initiative) Committee have been carried out in conference calls not accessible to the public. To learn what happened at the meetings, one must wait until the meeting summary is published on the City of Hudson website or until the mayor's office publishes information about the City's DRI projects. The latter happened recently regarding Promenade Hill and the plans for its restoration and renovation: "Work Begins at Promenade Hill Park."

Hudson in the Eye of a Storm

It began with this post that appeared on Instagram.

The post was "Liked" by hundreds and reposted several times. Council president Tom DePietro became part of the conversation, recommending that people attend the Common Council Finance Committee meeting on June 16.

It seems the original post went beyond Hudson and caught the attention of Care Not Cops, a movement that appears to have started in Portland, Oregon, in 2017, "to reduce the violence of policing and build up community care." Today, Gossips learned that Mayor Kamal Johnson, Chief Ed Moore, and the entire Common Council had been inundated with emails--about forty of them--from across the country. Gossips has seen only one of these emails, but according to one Gossips source, they were all basically the same and appeared to be form letters. This was in the subject line: "CARE not COPS, INVEST in the People of Hudson New York." The body of the letter begins by giving the writer's name and place of residence (the letter I saw came from someone in Austin, Texas) and then goes on:

I am writing to demand that all of you meet with the entire city council to completely revise the city's 2020-2021 fiscal year budget in advance of the finance meeting to be held June 16 at 5:30pm via Zoom.

More than $3 million is currently allotted for the police. These funds need to be redistributed to youth programs, parks, and other city programs that benefit antiracist efforts.

We are in the midst of a health pandemic with severe economic consequences. As a result of the economic insecurity due to COVID-19 and its fallout, we can expect thousands more to be applying for unemployment as 2020 closes. Even with this knowledge, a budget is still being proposed to increase the funding of the Hudson Police Department. In fact, in addition to the $3-million-plus for the police budget, the New York State Police Retirement funds total $473,802, while the total proposal for all Parks is just $96,393.

These numbers are grossly neglecting the needs of physical land of the Hudson Valley, a place home to so much natural beauty that it spurred an entire art movement. It is the responsibility of all of you as elected officials to meet this historical social movement with swift grace. Think of it as an opportunity for Hudson to create more beauty in the world.

We will no longer accept empty gestures and suggestions of reform. We need a budget that adequately and effectively meets the needs of the people and the land of the Hudson Valley during this trying and uncertain time; and we need a budget that supports communities and their well-being, not one that empowers the forces that tear them apart.

I am urging you, Mayor Johnson and the entire Hudson City Council, to completely revise the budget for 2020-2021 and fund #CareNotCops. You need to adopt a budget that focuses on helping the people of Hudson in areas like health, education, housing, and resources for small businesses and the arts, especially given the pandemic.   

Aside from someone from Austin, Texas, demanding that Hudson revise its 2020-2021 budget, what's bizarre about the letter is the assumption that Hudson has a fiscal year that does not correspond to the calendar year and that there is now a proposed budget before the Council (which we know is called the Common Council not the City Council). It's as if the person who drafted the letter somehow conflated the HCSD budget, which currently has the status of being proposed but not adopted, with the City of Hudson budget, which was proposed and adopted at the end of 2019 for the year 2020.

The Finance Committee's Zoom meeting on June 16 may prove to be, in its own way, even more memorable than the Board of Education public hearing on Tuesday that was Zoombombed with swastikas, obscenities, and pornography, or tonight's Tourism Board meeting which was Zoombombed by a fat naked man.
COPYRIGHT 2020 CAROLE OSTERINK

Ballots and Public Hearings

The absentee ballot for the Hudson City School District budget vote and board election arrived in the mail today.

But when I tried to log in to the budget hearing that was being live streamed starting at 6:30 p.m., this is the message I got.

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there has been one new positive case of COVID-19. Eight more people have recovered from the virus, and the number of active cases has been reduced by seven. The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 remains unchanged since yesterday, as does the number of deaths.

As of 3:30 p.m. on June 4, 2020:

• Columbia County has had 34 residents that have passed away from COVID-19.
• Columbia County has received a total of 5,458 PCR [diagnostic] test results with 394 confirmed cases.
• There are 108 active cases of COVID-19 in Columbia County.
• There are 49 additional residents on mandatory quarantine and 12 residents on precautionary quarantine.
• 252 of the 394 cases have recovered from COVID-19
• 18 of the positive cases are hospitalized, 1 of those hospitalized are in the ICU
• We've received 1,482 antibody results, of which 141 were positive.

In his press briefing this morning, Governor Andrew Cuomo shared the chart below, showing the test results in four regions of the state--Long Island, New York City, Western New York, and the Capital Region--over the past six weeks.

 

Currently, in the Capital Region (that's us), 1 percent of the people being tested for COVID-19 are testing positive. Six weeks ago, it was 12 percent. Today, the Columbia County Department of Health reported one new case of COVID-19. Six weeks ago, on April 23, there were eight.

COPYRIGHT 2020 CAROLE OSTERINK

Public Hearing on HCSD Budget Continues

The Hudson City School District Board of Education continues the public hearing on its proposed $50.1 million budget tonight at 6:30 p.m. Because of the Zoombombing that brought the public hearing to an abrupt halt on Tuesday night, it appears that public participation may not be allowed for tonight's hearing. The announcement on the HSCD Facebook page invites people to submit questions in advance to districtclerk@hudsoncsd.org (if that email address doesn't work, as it hasn't in the past, here is an alternative: coonslx@hudsoncsd.org) and to view a live stream of the meeting. For more information about the public hearing and links to the proposed budget and the budget statement and the link to the live stream, click here.

HFD to the Rescue

This baby owl was discovered in the cemetery this morning. It had apparently fallen from its nest.

The Hudson Fire Department was summoned, with its ladder truck, to return the owlet to the safety of its nest.

Gratitude to Bob Tomaso for providing the photo and the story

Update: According to the Greenport Police Department Facebook page, there was no way to get the owlet back to its nest, because of power lines. Instead, it has been transported to a wildlife rehabilitation center, where it will be cared for until it is old enough to be released.

On the Avenue

A friend of mine in New York City sent me these photographs of Fifth Avenue, taken this morning. He shared his observation that the buildings most heavily barricaded were Fox News Studios and Trump Tower.

Good News for Restaurants and Their Patrons

Restaurants in the Capital District will not be allowed to reopen their dining rooms for another couple of weeks, but the Albany Business Review just reported that the governor announced today that outdoor dining can resume tomorrow, June 4: "Cuomo: Restaurants can start outdoor dining this week." Outdoor tables must be spaced 6 feet apart, all staff must wear face coverings, and customers must also wear face coverings when not seated.

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there has been one new positive case and one more person hospitalized with the virus. There has one more recovery, and there is one fewer active case of COVID-19.

As of 3 p.m. on June 3, 2020:

• Columbia County has had 34 residents that have passed away from COVID-19.
• Columbia County has received a total of 5,365 PCR [diagnostic] test results with 393 confirmed positive cases.
• There are 115 active cases of COVID-19 in Columbia County.
• There are 49 additional residents on mandatory quarantine and 12 residents on precautionary quarantine.
• 244 of the 393 cases have recovered from COVID-19
• 18 of the positive cases are hospitalized, 1 of those hospitalized are in the ICU
• We've received 1,448 antibody results, of which 138 were positive.

Looking Ahead to Next Week

The Planning Board is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, June 9, at 6:00 p.m. For those expecting that the public hearing on the conditional use permits sought by A. Colarusso &  Sons will continue at that meeting, Planning Board chair Betsy Gramkow just announced that Colarusso has asked to be taken off the agenda for the meeting. They are assembling truck data and doing a new traffic study, which will not be ready in time for the June 9 meeting. The public hearing on the Colarusso applications will resume at the Planning Board's July meeting. 
COPYRIGHT 2020 CAROLE OSTERINK

The Public Hearing That Wasn't

Gossips has witnessed many virtual meetings in the past ten weeks, but last night was the first time such a meeting was "Zoombombed." It happened during the HCSD Board of Education public hearing on the 2020-2021 budget. As HCSD business administrator Jesse Boehme was explaining equalization rates, a red line drew a crude swastika over his charts, then a pink line spelled out a four-letter word, then behind the scrawl pornographic pictures appeared. At first, district clerk Leslie Coons said she had removed the "bomber" from the meeting, but when the drawing resumed, HCSD superintendent Maria Suttmeier ordered the meeting shut down. When it resumed, the public part of the meeting was over, and the board went into executive session.

Before the Zoombombing occurred, some important information was shared. The absentee ballots for the school district election were mailed from Albany yesterday and will come directly to the Hudson post office. Ballots are expected to appear in the mail today, Wednesday, June 3, or tomorrow, Thursday, June 4. If you do not receive a ballot, you should contact the district clerk at coonslx@hudsoncsd.org or 518 828-4360, ext. 2100. 

If you decide to return your ballot by mail, you should take it to the post office and hand it directly to the post master to ensure its timely delivery. You can also hand deliver your ballot on Monday, June 8, or Tuesday, June 9, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., to any of five secure ballot boxes that will be set up at the following locations and monitored by school representatives:

• John L. Edwards School, 360 State Street
• Hudson Jr./Sr. High School, Event Entrance, 215 Harry Howard Avenue
• Central Fire Station, 77 North Seventh Street
• A. B. Shaw Firehouse, 67 Route 23, Claverack
• Greenport Community Center, 500 Town Hall Drive, Greenport

Ballots must be received before 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 9. Be certain to sign the ballot envelope. If the envelope is not signed, it will not be opened, and your ballot will not be counted.

For more information and a video on how to complete your absentee ballot, click here. 
COPYRIGHT 2020 CAROLE OSTERINK

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there are two new positive cases of COVID-19, making for two more active cases. No one has recovered from the virus in the past 24 hours, and no one has died. One fewer person is hospitalized with COVID-19.

As of 3 p.m. on June 2, 2020:

• Columbia County has had 34 residents that have passed away from COVID-19.
• Columbia County has received a total of 4,959 PCR [diagnostic] test results with 392 confirmed positive cases.
• There are 116 active cases of COVID-19 in Columbia County.
• There are 44 additional residents on mandatory quarantine and 12 residents on precautionary quarantine.
• 243 of the 392 cases have recovered from COVID-19
• 17 of the positive cases are hospitalized, 1 of those hospitalized are in the ICU
• We've received 1,280 antibody results, of which 130 were positive.

Reminder HCSD Budget Hearing Tonight

The Hudson City School District Board of Education continues its public hearing on the budget tonight at 6:30 p.m. Information for accessing the meeting can be found here.  

On May 27, Gossips reported that if voters reject the budget proposed for 2020-2021, the district's only recourse would be to adopt the contingency budget, which was the same as the current year's budget. I was wrong. The "Budget News" flyer that arrived in the mail yesterday indicates exactly what the contingency budget is.

     
The budget for the 2019-2020 school year was $49,792,463. The contingency budget for 2020-2021, which HCSD superintendent Maria Suttmeier said "squeezes out everything that motivates students to come to school," is $50,550,494--only $134,244 less than the proposed budget. Compare that amount with the numbers at the top of the HCSD payroll. 

On the topic of the absentee ballots, HCSD reported on its Facebook page today: "The absentee ballots will be mailed no later than the legally required date (June 3) and will be arriving to mailboxes of all registered voters this week."
COPYRIGHT 2020 CAROLE OSTERINK

Food News

Gossips has learned that Upstreet Market is returning to its usual location in the Public Square, a.k.a. Seventh Street Park, beginning tomorrow, Wednesday, June 3.

In the past, the market has been open from 4 to 7 p.m. every Wednesday throughout the summer. We trust that will be the case this year as well, as we wear our masks and keep our distance.

Update: Gossips' information was incorrect. The Upstreet Market is not opening until next week--Wednesday, June 10.

Bear in Town

An hour ago, the Hudson Police Department posted these photos on its Facebook page.

The bear was sighted behind the former John L. Edwards School and in the 300 block of Rope Alley. The message from the HPD: "He's big. . . . Use caution. Do not approach." 

That was an hour ago. There's no word on where the bear is now.

Update: The bear moved from the alley to the street. Just minutes ago, Lance Wheeler posted a video by 12-year-old Moriah Walker, showing the bear on State Street.

Update: The bear has left the city. At approximately 10:15 p.m., the Hudson Police Department posted this report on its Facebook page:

Our visiting bear has bid us "adieu" after some fine dumpster cuisine in Rope Alley. He has returned to the vast woods of Greenport. Thank you to our local EnCon officers who assisted us. The bear was unharmed. Believed to be a male around 250 pounds. Doesn't appear to be "Blaze" who frequented Cedar Park or the "Melino's Mauler" who climbed a telephone pole on Columbia Street last year.

Parking Reminder

As we get back into the groove, be mindful that tonight cars being parked overnight must be on the even side of the street, because tomorrow's date, June 2, is even.

Also, in a post on Facebook that Gossips missed, Mayor Kamal Johnson announced that, as in the past, alternate side of the street parking regulations will be suspended on weekends throughout the summer. So, from Friday to Saturday and from Saturday to Sunday, cars may be parked overnight on either side of the street.
COPYRIGHT 2020 CAROLE OSTERINK

HCSD Absentee Ballot Update

I was hoping to receive my absentee ballot today, but this is all that arrived in today's mail.

I did learn from a conversation with the District Clerk this afternoon that the service handling the mailing of the ballots had run out of envelopes, and another printer in Albany had taken over the task. Ballots are now expected to be in the mail tomorrow. Some people in the district have already received their ballots, but for the rest of us, getting them in time to return them by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 9, may be hard. For that reason, the plan is to set up two ballot boxes--one at the former John L. Edwards School, the other at Hudson High School--so people can deliver their ballots themselves rather than relying on the post office to get them there in time. 

The latest information about voting the HCSD election can be found here.  

"Hudson Does Not Follow; We Lead"

For those who were not present yesterday for the peaceful demonstration called by Mayor Kamal Johnson, Lance Wheeler's video of the event can be viewed here.

Welcome to the Friendly City

Gossips learned from a couple of owners of short-term rental properties this morning that they had received an email from the city treasurer's office which began: "Our office has been asked to forward the following message from the Mayor to all short-term rental operators." What followed was this message, which also appears on the City of Hudson website. 

Dear Short Term Rental Owners,

We are a small community that depends on visitors, and we must find ways to work together to keep Hudson safe. As Mayor and neighbor, I am asking you to consider adapting your short-term rental operations to our new reality. Columbia County urges anyone, both residents and visitors, traveling from outside Columbia County to self-quarantine for 14 days upon their arrival. Reviewing county, state, and federal guidelines we have developed the following recommendations, which we think are the most effective way we can keep Hudson safe and welcome guests.

• The safest approach is to limit rentals to 14 days or longer and advise guests to self-quarantine (when traveling from outside Columbia County).
• Encourage guests to wear masks whenever near people outside their party. Consider providing them masks upon arrival.
• Sanitize your rental before and after your guests arrive.

I ask that you share a letter addressed to your guests available at cityofhudson.org/guest. Effective action now will help us reopen sooner. These guidelines may change in the coming weeks to reflect changes in best practices.

Hudson enjoys and welcomes its visitors and we ask that all residents and guests join together and do their part. More information is available at cityofhudson.org/safe.

Thank you,
Mayor Kamal Johnson

Much about this letter makes it seem as if it may have been drafted weeks ago. On March 26, six days after the first COVID-19 case was reported in Columbia County, Matt Murell, chair of the Columbia County Board of Supervisors, issued a statement calling on people coming to Columbia County from elsewhere to quarantine for 14 days. On April 10, Bob Rasner, chair of the HDC Board and the proprietor of a B&B, called for the suspension of short-term rentals until the pandemic subsided. The Common Council started talking about imposing a 14-day quarantine on visitors at a Housing and Transportation Committee meeting on May 6, and the notion was discussed again at the informal meeting of the Common Council on May 11. At that time, Alderman Jane Trombley (First Ward) reasonably noted that the people do not come to Hudson to stay for months at a time, so the notion of asking people to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival, a request that is also made in the letter addressed to visitors, is impracticable.

This sentence makes the letter seem particularly outdated: "Effective action now will help us reopen sooner." We are already reopening. The Capital District Region, of which Hudson is a part, began Phase One on May 18, and we'll be ready to enter Phase Two on Wednesday. Unless something unexpected happens, Hudson will enter Phase Three, when restaurants can reopen their dining rooms to limited numbers, in a couple more weeks, when it is also expected that New York City will be ready to begin its reopening process. 

On the one hand, nothing has changed since March. The pandemic is not over. It is still possible to contract the coronavirus. Since yesterday, there has been one new case in Columbia County. On the other hand, to suggest that the proprietors of lodging establishments only accept guests who plan to stay for two weeks and then ask those guests to self quarantine for the duration of their stay seems not only unrealistic but meant to prohibit the kind of tourism Hudson has enjoyed in the past. The state is reopening. Our region is reopening. People are leaving their homes. Better the City's policy should stress the personal behavior that allows people to leave their homes and move about safely: wear a mask, stay six feet apart, wash or sanitize your hands as often as possible.
COPYRIGHT 2020 CAROLE OSTERINK

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there has been another death from COVID-19. Also since yesterday, there has been one new positive case and one more person hospitalized. Eleven people have recovered from COVID-19, and there are twelve fewer active cases.

As of 3 p.m. on June 1, 2020:

• We are sad to report that Columbia County has had 34 residents that have passed away from COVID-19.
• Columbia County has received a total of 4,679 PCR test results with 390 confirmed positive cases.
• There are 114 active cases of COVID-19 in Columbia County,
• There are 36 additional residents on mandatory quarantine and 7 residents on precautionary quarantine.
• 243 of the 390 cases have recovered from COVID-19
• 18 of the positive cases are hospitalized, 1 of those hospitalized are in the ICU
• We've received 1,243 antibody results, of which 130 were positive.

About Those HCSD Absentee Ballots

Tomorrow, June 2, is the last day to request an absentee ballot for the HCSD budget vote and school board election. Previously, the HCSD website made this statement about who would receive absentee ballots: "Qualified voters on the most recent years' poll lists will be automatically sent an absentee ballot (i.e., if you voted on a school budget/board election within the past four years)." As of today, that statement has been replaced by a new statement: 

(UPDATE 6/1) All registered voters will be automatically sent an absentee ballot and prepaid return envelope in the mail.

According to information received by Gossips, the District Clerk has indicated that more than 10,000 ballots were mailed out a week ago. So far, there have been no reports that any of these ballots have been received.

Virtual Meetings in the Week Ahead

The Capital Region is on track to begin Phase Two of the reopening by midweek, but for the foreseeable future, public meetings are still happening virtually. Here are the meetings scheduled for this week.

• On Monday, June 1, the HDC Emergency Business Task Force holds a meeting of the full committee at 3:00 p.m. Click here to access the meeting. The meeting ID is 884 8032 6330; the password is 658221
• On Tuesday, June 2, the HDC Emergency Cultural Task Force holds its weekly meeting at 3:00 p.m. Click here to access the meeting. The meeting ID is 972 7312 5560; the password is 009933.

Update: Today's meeting of the HDC Cultural Task Force was been canceled in recognition of Blackout Tuesday.

• Also on Tuesday, June 2, the regular monthly meeting of the Conservation Advisory Council is scheduled to take place at 6:00 p.m. It is not known if the meeting will take place or how the public can access the meeting if it does happen.
• Of particular interest on Tuesday, June 2, the HCSD Board of Education continues its public hearing on the $50.7 million budget proposed for 2020-2021. Click here for information on participating in the meeting.
• On Wednesday, June 3, the DRI Committee meeting takes place at 2:30 p.m. This meeting takes place as a conference call, and there is no public access to the meeting.
• In the evening on Wednesday, June 3, there are two Common Council committee meetings. The Youth, Education, Seniors, and Recreation Committee meets at 5:30 p.m., and the Housing and Transportation Committee meets at 6:45 p.m. Before the meetings begin, the information needed to access the meetings should be available here, on the city calendar.
• On Thursday, June 4, the HDC Emergency Hospitality Task Force meets at 3:00 p.m. Click here to access the meeting. The meeting ID is 857 3559 2807; the password is 917586.

Update: The meeting of the HDC Emergency Hospitality Task Force has been canceled.

• Also on Thursday, June 4, the Tourism Board meets at 5:00 p.m. Click here to access the meeting. The meeting ID is 856 6179 9519; the password is HudTour.

HCSD Budget Watch

Gossips learned this morning that the Hudson City School District Board of Education will hold a continuation of the public hearing on the $50.7 million budget proposed for the 2020-2021 school year on Tuesday, June 2, at 6:30 p.m. The continuation of the budget hearing is necessary because the Budget Book had not been made available to the public prior to the previous public hearing. People are asked to submit questions to Business Administrator Jesse Boehme boehmej@hudsoncsd.org prior to the public hearing "so complete answers can be provided within the time frame of the hearing." 

Click here for more information on accessing and participating in the meeting.