It Has Arrived

We've had a couple of spring days in the past week, but today is the vernal equinox, the First Day of Spring!

Lafayette in Hudson

On Tuesday, the Common Council passed a resolution supporting the installation of a marker in Hudson commemorating the Marquis de Lafayette's visit to Hudson in 1824. The marker is part of the project being undertaken by the not-for-profit organization The Lafayette Trail, Inc.

Lafayette was, of course, the French aristocrat and military officer who fought in the Revolutionary War, commanding American troops in several battles, most notably the Battle of Yorktown in the autumn of 1781, which was the decisive victory in the war. 

Washington and Lafayette at the Battle of Yorktown, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Center, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation 

Lafayette in 1825, National Portrait Gallery

In 1824, President James Monroe and Congress invited Lafayette to return to the United States, in part to celebrate the country's upcoming fiftieth anniversary. During that visit, which lasted for more than a year, Lafayette traveled to all twenty-four states that then made up the Union. Hudson was one of his early stops. He arrived in New York on August 15, 1824. On September 17, 1824, he paid a brief visit to Hudson. An account of Lafayette's visit to Hudson is found is Stephen B. Miller's 1862 book, Historical Sketches of Hudson. The following is quoted from that book:

Hudson was one of the first cities in the Union which sent a committee of invitation to meet Lafayette in New York, and tender him the hospitalities of the city. In the month of September, in 1824, he started upon the steamer James Kent, commanded by Capt. Samuel Wiswall, or the "Commodore" as he was styled, to visit the different places upon the North river. Upon his arrival at the residence of the Hon. Edward P. Livingston, the evening previous to his visit here, word was sent to the city, when a committee of citizens, consisting of Rufus Reed, Esq., Mayor, Doct. John Tallman, and Col. Strong, accompanied by two military companies mentioned [Hudson City Guards and Scotch Plaids], the Hudson Brass Band, Gen. Jacob R. Van Rensselaer and suite, Brig. Gen. James Fleming and suite, proceeded upon the steamboat Richmond, Capt. William J. Wiswall, to meet Lafayette at Clermont and escort him to this city upon the day following. In the evening the grounds and dwelling of Mr. Livingston were beautifully illuminated, and a ball given, attended by several hundred people, among them many of the most distinguished citizens of the State. The military companies from this city were quartered over night upon the James Kent. After a short visit at Catskill, Lafayette reached Hudson about noon of the day following, and "met with a reception the most heartfelt and joyous ever bestowed upon man." He was conducted to an elegant carriage drawn by four black horses, attended by four grooms in livery, and accompanied by a lengthy procession of military and citizens of Hudson and its vicinity, under the direction of Col. Charles Darling as Marshal of the day, was carried through the principal streets, which were literally choked with people, to all of whom Lafayette tried in vain to bow. Arches of evergreens were erected at various points, bearing inscriptions of welcome, and that at the head of the street was surmounted by a colossal figure of the Goddess of Liberty, bearing the Stars and Stripes in her hand. At the Court House, which was filled "by elegantly dressed women," he was welcomed by his Honor, the Mayor, to whom he replied in a brief speech. Sixty-eight veterans of the Revolution were then presented to him, for each of whom he had a kind word; after them the military officers, lastly the "elegantly dressed women." Dinner had been provided for a great number of people at Mr. Allen's tavern, the long room of which had been beautifully decorated by the ladies. Over the chair designed for Lafayette was suspended a beautiful wreath of flowers, enclosing an appropriate poetical welcome, while around the room were the most tasteful and elaborate decorations which had been anywhere seen upon his journey. But these labors of love were all lost, the want of time preventing his remaining for dinner; he did, however, so great was the pressure of citizens upon him in passing this point, alight, and after remaining for a short time and partaking of a glass of wine, bade the multitude farewell, proceeded directly to the river and embarked for Albany about the middle of the afternoon.

We take the particulars of this reception from the Commercial Advertiser of that date, whose reporter accompanied Lafayette upon his extended tour through the country.

In 1824, the courthouse was not located where it is today. What was the second Columbia County Courthouse (the first was in Claverack) and the first of four in Hudson was located at the corner of Warren and Fourth streets, where the First Presbyterian Church now stands. The location of "Mr. Allen's tavern" is unknown. Wisely, it was decided not to put the commemorative marker on the site where Lafayette was welcomed by Mayor Rufus Reed and responded with a "brief speech" or where he declined dinner and partook of a glass of wine but rather in riverfront park, where he would have arrived and departed. 

These pictures from the Lafayette Trail website provide a preview of what the marker will look like.

The following is the proposed text for the marker:

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COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been 7 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 1 fewer than yesterday, from which it can be inferred that, since yesterday, 8 county residents have recovered from the virus. The number of county residents hospitalized with the virus today is the same as yesterday, and as yesterday no one is in the ICU. There has not been a death from COVID-19 reported in Columbia County since March 3.

The New York Forward dashboard is reporting a positivity rate for Columbia County today of 2.4 percent and the seven-day average is 3.1 percent. By comparison, the daily positivity rate for the Capital Region is 2.8 percent and the seven-day average is 2.5 percent.

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 21 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 3,712, and the number of active cases was 90. There were 250 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 9 were hospitalized, and 3 were in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 89.

Learn About the Lake

Yesterday, Friends of Oakdale Lake announced a public presentation of the two-year Oakdale Lake Water Quality Assessment Project carried out by the ecological consulting firm Great Ecology. The event will take place on Wednesday, March 30, at 5:30 p.m., at the Hudson Area Library.

The following is quoted from the press release announcing the event:

The presentation will include a brief overview of the Oakdale Lake project and partners; a description of the Citizen Science Water Quality monitoring program that was conducted during the past two years, and a summary of the results of ecological studies, water quality surveys and predictive modeling efforts undertaken by Great Ecology. The presentation will conclude with a series of recommended management options for nutrient reduction and conservation at Oakdale Lake.

“The Oakdale Lake project is a showcase example of doing 'Great Ecology' in an urban setting, where competing uses and complex management issues often challenge efforts to conserve natural resources,” says David Yozzo, Ph.D, Senior Ecologist at Great Ecology. “Working with Friends of Oakdale Lake and the City of Hudson has been truly collaborative and multi-disciplinary. We look forward to continued work on this exciting project in the years ahead.”

“After nearly four years of wondering about the water ecology of Oakdale Lake, I'm so excited that thanks to the Department of Environmental Conservation, the Columbia Land Conservancy, our ecologist partners at Great Ecology, and the tireless work of Hudson volunteers who gathered water samples over two years, we have answers!” says Friends of Oakdale Lake Director, Tamar Adler. “We can use everything we've learned to build a cleaner, healthier Oakdale for the next generation of kids. I really hope the whole community turns out to hear these results.”

Something to Consider

Here in Hudson, we are looking at the possibility of two major buildings, constructed in the last century, being demolished in the near future: Bliss Towers and John L. Edwards. 

PhotobyGibson.com

People have been talking about demolishing the nine-story Bliss Towers for more than a decade. At the recent HCDPA (Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency) meeting, it was noted that the building, constructed in 1973, had a "serious asbestos issue" and a "serious infestation issue." Nick Zachos, interim director of the Hudson Housing Authority, asserted that the building needed a "gut renovation" or a "tear down."

Photo courtesy Bruce Mitchinson

The future looks equally bleak for John L. Edwards, the former elementary school constructed in 1964. Adirondack Community Development, the group considering buying the property, originally planned an adaptive reuse of the building, explaining the it would cost "millions and millions of dollars to demo it and cart it away." Their latest plan, however, involves demolishing the building and constructing something new on its footprint.

Before plans to demolish either building are carried out, the decision makers and everyone in the community should read and carefully consider the arguments set forth in this article, which appeared recently in the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Preservation Leadership Forum: "The Reuse Imperative." The following is quoted from the article:

Reuse avoids the upfront embodied carbon emissions that occur when materials are mined, harvested, manufactured, transported, and assembled to create a new structure. Preservationists have long touted the environmental benefits of building recycling and argued that "the greenest building is . . . one that is already built." We have published research showing that it can take from 10 to 80 years to pay back the carbon debt that is incurred when an existing building is replaced with a new structure, even if the new building is highly energy efficient.

Reading the entire article, found here, is recommended. 

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COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been 5 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 7 fewer than yesterday, from which it can be inferred, assuming that yesterday's number was correct, that, since yesterday, 12 county residents have recovered from the virus. There are 3 fewer county residents hospitalized with COVID-19 today than yesterday, and 2 fewer in the ICU. It has been two weeks since a death from COVID-19 has been reported in Columbia County.

The New York Forward dashboard is reporting a positivity rate for Columbia County today of 3.3 percent and a seven-day average of 3.0 percent. By comparison, the daily positivity rate for the Capital Region is 2.2 percent and the seven-day average is 2.4 percent.

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 14 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 3,691, and the number of active cases was 75. There were 203 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 9 were hospitalized, and 3 were in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 89.

A New Chapter for an Italianate Mansion

Six years ago on March 16, the Zoning Board of Appeals granted a use variance for 41 Cross Street, clearing the way for the former factory building turned theater to be redeveloped as The Wick Hotel. On March 16 this year, the ZBA granted a use variance for 601 Union Street, to allow the building, originally a private home and for decades the Hudson Elks Lodge, to be developed as a boutique hotel. The curious fact that both use variances permitting the development of hotels in historic buildings were considered by the ZBA on the same date was pointed out last night by Andy Howard, counsel for the prospective buyers of 601 Union Street.

Photo: Zillow

The decision to grant the use variance came after a public hearing, during which one member of the public commented, "It's all kumbaya here." Judah Catalan, who owns and resides at 555 Union Street, immediately west of the site, confessed that he had originally been opposed to the plan, because "fourteen cars would be parked facing our house." He also explained that he had had an agreement with Eleanor Ambos, the late owner of 601 Union Street, that allowed him to garden on some of the land around the building. He said he has spoken with the prospective owners, and they have agreed to locate parking for the hotel farther back on the property and to make the agreement he had with Ambos an officially recorded easement. As a consequence, Catalan told the ZBA, he was now enthusiastically in support of the project.

Diane Townsend, Catalan's partner, also spoke in favor of the project, saying, "This will benefit the area far more than any other use," adding that if the building were to be put to a residential use, there would be more cars. Walter Chatham, who lives on nearby Hudson Avenue, attested that he and his wife, Mary, supported the proposed project.

Lance Helfert, who spoke for the group seeking to create a hotel in the building, told the ZBA, "We only like to put hotels in places that we like to visit."

There are four criteria to be considered when granting a use variance:

1. The applicant cannot realize a reasonable return, provided that lack of return is substantial as demonstrated by competent financial evidence.
2. The alleged hardship relating to the property in question is unique, and does not apply to a substantial portion of the district or neighborhood.
3. The requested use variance, if granted, will not alter the essential character of the neighborhood.
4. The alleged hardship was not self-created.

In its deliberation, the ZBA struggled with the fourth standard, which ZBA chair Lisa Kenneally called "the elephant in the room." She explained, "If you buy a property knowing the situation, [the hardship] is self-created." In this case, the purchase of the building has not yet occurred. 

ZBA member Abbie Lazare mused, "How can you use it any other way? There is no other use for this building." Later in the discussion, Lazare read from the code some of the permitted uses: "It could be a hospital or a nursing home or a boarding house."

Making reference to the second standard for use variances, Kenneally summed up the situation: "It is unique. The neighbors have no problem. [The prospective buyers] came very transparently to the board asking for a variance." 

ZBA member MaryEllen Pierro suggested, "The biggest weight is what we have approved in the past. We approved The Wick." Kenneally advised that precedent alone should not determine their decision. ZBA member David Giroux noted that there was both precedent and the uniqueness of the building.

After some further discussion, Pierro moved to approve the application, and the five members of the ZBA present--Pierro, Lazare, Kenneally, Giroux, and Kathy Harter--voted unanimously to grant the use variance.

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COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been 8 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 10 more than yesterday, from which it can be inferred that the number of active cases reported yesterday was incorrect. There is 1 more county resident hospitalized with the virus today than yesterday, but the number in the ICU has not changed. There has not been a death from COVID-19 reported in Columbia County since March 3. 

The New York Forward dashboard is reporting a positivity rate for Columbia County today of 1.7 percent and a seven-day average of 3.1 percent. By comparison, the daily positivity rate for the Capital Region is 3.2 percent and the seven-day average is 2.3 percent.

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 15 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 3,677, and the number of active cases was 65. There were 184 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 7 were hospitalized, and 2 were in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 89.

What's Happening at Fifth and Union Streets?

The building at Fifth and Union streets, once known as "Apartments of Distinction," has been owned by Galvan for more than a decade and vacant for even longer. It has a long and distinguished history. Constructed around 1864, it is one of the earliest apartment buildings in the country. This image of the building is from 1893.

In 2013, the chimneys on the building, which had been lost to time, were re-created, a new slate mansard roof was installed, and the upper windows were restored. After that work was done, another seven years passed before there was any further word of what was planned for the building.

In October 2020, Walter Chatham, representing the Galvan Foundation, appeared before the Historic Preservation Commission with a proposal to complete the exterior restoration of the building. The proposal involved replacing the temporary replacement windows with permanent replacement windows, removing the fire escape on the South Fifth Street side of the building, adding shutters to the Union Street side, and re-creating a storefront at the corner of the building. Chatham told the HPC that replacing the windows was a necessary preliminary step to beginning the interior renovation, which he said involved creating one bedroom and studio apartments.

The HPC granted a certificate of appropriateness for all but the storefront. The design proposed for the storefront was considered inappropriate because it disrupted the verticality of the building. But, alas, a year and five months later, none of the work proposed has been completed. The fire escape is still there, and the windows are the same as they were in 2013. The picture below was taken this afternoon.

But it appears something may be going on in the building. Last night, there were lights on inside. A reader passing by provided Gossips with these pictures. 

Curious minds want to know what the building's future may be.

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Call Us by Our New Name

At the beginning of the year, Gossips announced the intention to achieve gender neutrality in language by using the term Alder instead of Alderman. Although some pointed out that alder named a tree, and others argued erroneously that alder was an adjective not a noun, there are several municipalities that have replaced Alderman with Alder for the sake of gender neutrality.

At the February meeting of the Common Council, members of that body decided they wanted their title to be gender inclusive. In the discussion that took place at the meeting, the Council decided to break with tradition completely, rejecting both Alder and Alderperson as substitutes for Alderman and opting instead for the term Councilmember. At last night's Council meeting, a resolution was passed to update the city charter and the city code to replace the word Alderman wherever it occurs with Councilmember. 

Interestingly, the resolution changing Alderman to Councilmember twice refers to the legislative body of Hudson as the City Council rather than the Common Council. Can codifying that further break with tradition be far behind?

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COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been 10 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 12 fewer than yesterday, from which it can be inferred that, since yesterday, 22 county residents have recovered from the virus. The number of county residents hospitalized with the virus and in the ICU remains the same as yesterday. There has not been a death from COVID-19 reported in Columbia County since March 3.

The New York Forward dashboard is reporting a positivity rate for Columbia County today of 9.6 percent and a seven-day average of 3.1 percent. By comparison, the daily positivity rate for the Capital Region is 3.2 percent and the seven-day average is 2.2 percent.

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported a death from COVID-19 and 9 new cases. The total number of cases was 3,662, and the number of active cases was 67. There were 180 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 7 were hospitalized, and 2 were in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 89.

Let the Sunshine In

If you are still adapting to the time change that happened on Sunday, take heart. This could be the last time you have to do it. The Senate has unanimously passed the Sunshine Protection Act to make daylight saving time permanent throughout the country. The bill still needs to pass in the House of Representatives and be signed by President Biden, but if successful, it will mean the end to depressingly early afternoon darkness in winter. You can read more about it in the Boston Globe: "Senate passes bill to make Daylight Saving Time permanent."

If You See Something, Say Something

The importance of this admonition was demonstrated this morning. At around 10:00 a.m., I noticed this post on Facebook. The building that is the subject of the post is the very one that has been getting attention on Gossips recently because of the proposed plans for its renovation.  

A few hours later, I learned the backstory from the person who had seen something and said something, Bill Huston. Huston was walking past the building at around 9:00 a.m. this morning when he noticed smoke coming from one of the wooden planters at the front of the building. He speculated that someone had disposed of a lit cigarette in the planter. 

Huston hailed on a passing DPW worker, who, according to Huston's account, "attended to it right away with a shovel and some water from a nearby puddle." The DPW worker must also have summoned the fire department, given that the incident was reported on the Columbia County Fire-Rescue Incidents Facebook page.   

The fire was extinguished, the planter moved to the side of the building, and "minor extension into the structure" was reported, but as Huston observed, "This could have been really bad if it had occurred overnight."

Let's all be thankful this didn't happen at night, and that, when it did happen, someone was there to notice it and raise the alarm.

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HCDPA, HHA, and Four Vacant Parcels

Hudson Community Development & Planning Agency (HCDPA) owns several parcels of vacant land. Hudson Housing Authority (HHA) needs more land to carry out its plan to replace or completely renovate Bliss Towers. HDCPA wants HHA to have its properties, but HHA is not yet in a position to buy them. In the meantime, HCDPA is facing insolvency and must sell something immediately to raise some cash and stay afloat. That is the situation, but once again, at yesterday's meeting, the HCDPA board decided to table the question of which property they would sell.  

There are four parcels being considered: 238 Columbia Street, a single building lot; 202-206 Columbia Street, what remains of the community garden at Columbia and Second; 2 to 12 State Street, the land on the north side of State Street, beginning at Front Street; and 2-4 Warren Street, the northeast corner of Warren and Front.

At yesterday's meeting, Dominic Merante, who as Common Council majority leader serves ex officio on the HCDPA board, suggested that, because Habitat for Humanity was interested in acquiring the parcel back in 2013, 202-206 Columbia Street should be the property sold. (HCDPA tried unsuccessfully to sell it in 2019.) 

Nick Zachos, who is serving as interim director of HHA, noted that 202-206 Columbia is adjacent to HHA properties and therefore was most appealing to HHA. He explained that a relocation plan was needed if HHA is to carry out its plan to demolish or do a "gut renovation" of Bliss Towers, and they needed to "maximize every property around them." That would make 202-206 Columbia Street and 2 to 12 State Street most desirable to HHA, leaving 238 Columbia Street and 2-4 Warren Street as properties HCDPA could consider selling at this time. HCDPA has tried twice to sell 238 Columbia Street in recent years, with no success, which seems to narrow it down to 2-4 Warren Street.

Zachos said 2-4 Warren Street was of "little or no interest to HHA" and suggested it would be "a valuable property to sell to someone else." He speculated, "It could be liquidated sooner and wouldn't affect HHA's plans." Mayor Kamal Johnson concurred. Still, no decision to sell that property or any other was made at yesterday's HCDPA meeting.

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A Bake Sale for Ukraine

This coming Sunday, which is the first day of spring, there is to be a bake sale to benefit victims of the war in Ukraine. The sale will take place at St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Volunteers are needed to provide baked goods for the sale and to help during the sale. To volunteer, contact annehars@me.com. 

If you can't volunteer, just show up on Sunday and buy things. The church is located at the corner of Union and South Second streets.

The Devolution of the Fountain

We know the Venus fountain that was installed in the Public Square in 1883 was replaced by "Inspiration Fountain" in 1975.

Evelyn & Robert Monthie Collection|Columbia County Historical Society

PhotobyGibson.com

Gossips recently discovered or received two photos that show there was an intermediate step--when the pedestal and top pan of the fountain were removed, the bottom pan was filled with soil, and Venus statue was repositioned on the ground. These two pictures, from 1958 and 1959 respectively, show the Venus statue at the center of the park after the fountain had been eliminated.

History Room Collection|Hudson Area Library

Photo courtesy Robert Tomaso

When "Inspiration Fountain" was created in 1975, Venus was relegated to the northwest corner of the park, where the statue suffered a series of indignities. In 1998, the statue was removed from the park altogether. It is now in storage in a DPW garage.

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On Springing Ahead (and Falling Back)

In the wee hours of yesterday morning, we sprang ahead. Surrounding this biannual occurrence, there have been a lot of memes and grousing on Facebook, as there always are when the time changes.

According to legend, the time changes have to do with farming, but an article that appeared on Saturday in Modern Farmer reveals how farmers really feel about springing ahead and falling back: "It's Time to Put Daylight Saving Time to Bed."

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since Friday, there have been 15 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 10 more than on Friday, from which it can be inferred that, since Friday, 5 county residents have recovered from the virus. There is 1 more county resident hospitalized today than on Friday, but the number in the ICU has not changed. There has not been a death from COVID-19 reported in Columbia County since March 3. 

The New York Forward dashboard is reporting a positivity rate for Columbia County today of 2.3 percent and a seven-day average of 2.5 percent. By comparison, the daily positivity rate for the Capital Region is 1.3 percent and the seven-day average is 2.2 percent.

A year ago today, it was Sunday, and the CCDOH did not report COVID numbers, but on the previous day, March 13, there were 11 new cases. The total number of cases was 3,653, and the number of active cases was 62. There were 205 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 10 were hospitalized, and 2 were in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 88.

Ask, and It Shall Be Given

Yesterday, Gossips made an appeal for historic images of 702-704 Columbia Street to help guide the restoration of the building's storefronts. Within an hour after publishing the post, Jim Hoon of the History Room Committee at the Hudson Area Library sent me these two photographs from the History Room's collection.

History Room Collection|Hudson Area Library

History Room Collection|Hudson Area Library

The second picture, with the building in the background, shows what was collected in a scrap drive during World War II.

The History Room at the library has a large and ever growing collection of historic images of Hudson. It is an amazing resource to be explored and supported. The History Room website can be found here.

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Meetings of Interest in the Week Ahead

This is the week that the pandemic emergency ends and public meetings cease being held remotely. Totally remote meetings are to end on Wednesday, March 16, but the public will still be able to attend most meetings held at City Hall on Zoom.

• On Monday, March 14, Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency (HCDPA) holds its regular monthly meeting at 4:30 p.m. Three topics of interest--the ADLN (Anti-Displacement Learning Network) program, the disposition of HCDPA properties, and the creation of a Housing Trust Fund board--will be discussed. Click here to see the full agenda. Click here to join the meeting on Zoom.    
• On Tuesday, March 15, the Common Council ad hoc committee exploring how the City can improve its sidewalks meets at 5:30 p.m. At its February meeting, the committee seemed to be changing course and abandoning the solution being discussed by the previous committee. Click here to join the meeting on Zoom.

• At 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 15, the Common Council holds its regular monthly meeting. On the agenda, among other things, is the amendment to the local law regarding the lodging tax which abolishes the Tourism Board. Click here to join the meeting on Zoom.
• On Wednesday, March 16, the Zoning Board of Appeals meets at 6:00 p.m. The meeting includes a public hearing on converting 601 Union Street, the Italianate mansion that was once the Elks Lodge, into a boutique hotel. It is not clear if this meeting will be accessible remotely. No Zoom link has yet been provided.

Photo: Zillow

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Another Improvement for the Public Square

As the Friends of the Public Square (FOPS) pursues improvements and enhancements to Seventh Street Park, a significant building on the perimeter of the park, 702-704 Columbia Street, is soon to get a much needed restoration.

The proposed project will create a restaurant space and two retail spaces on the ground floor of the building and four residential units on the second and third floors and involves restoring the facade and building an addition at the rear. Although the building is adjacent to the so-called "Depot District," this is not a Galvan Foundation project. 

What is being proposed for the building was presented to the Planning Board for site plan review on Tuesday, March 8. The application submitted to the Planning Board can be found here. The Planning Board declared the project a Type II action, not requiring SEQR review, referred the project to the Columbia County Planning Board for a recommendation, and scheduled a public hearing on the project for April 12.

On Friday, the project went before the Historic Preservation Commission. In the presentation to the HPC, some interesting information emerged about the building. Most interesting is that the plywood panels at the top of the windows on the second and third floors were installed to hold rectangular storm windows. Amazingly, the original arched windows survive behind those panels.

The plan is to restore the windows to their original arched configuration. The proposal was to replicate and replace them, but the HPC asked the applicant to consider repairing and restoring the original wood windows instead of replacing them.

The plan was also to restore the existing storefronts, but Chip Bohl, architect member of the HPC, suggested that the storefront as it exists today is "not original and not worth restoring." 

Bohl asked the applicant to find historic pictures of the building to assist in determining what the original configuration of the storefronts might have been. 

Gossips was able to find these historic images and share them with the applicant. In each, the building appears in the background. 

Photo: Columbia County Historical Society

Of these, the final image, the subject of which, of course, is the Venus fountain that once stood in Seventh Street Park, provides the best view of 702-704 Columbia Street. Here is that detail enlarged.

Bohl called 702-704 Columbia Street "a handsome building" with "a lot of the original materials still there." He went on to say, "Its restoration is going to be important to the park and the community." 

If any readers have or know of historic photographs of the building that could help guide the restoration, please share them with Gossips at carole@gossipsofrivertown.com. I will pass them along to the applicant and the HPC.

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We Have Sprung Ahead

This morning at 2:00 a.m., daylight savings time returned. Can spring be far behind?

Do Not Be Misled

In a comment on one of Gossips' recent posts about the raid on Hudson by the New York State Police in 1922, a reader cynically suggested that since scandals involving the police were a regular occurrence in Hudson, happening in 1922, 1950, and 1991, we were due for another. What he had in mind as a cause for state intervention was the "failure to enforce the speed limit in town and mostly ignoring reckless, dangerous and distracted drivers." 

As if right on cue, the Register-Star ran this headline today, under a red banner that screamed "EXCLUSIVE REPORT": "Police records spark AG probe."

You have to look twice and carefully to realize that the subject of scrutiny is not the police department in Hudson but the police department in Coeymans, a municipality not in Columbia County or even Greene County but in Albany County.

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COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been 10 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 1 fewer than yesterday, from which it can be inferred that, since yesterday, 11 county residents have recovered from the virus. There are 3 fewer county residents hospitalized with the virus today than yesterday, but, whereas yesterday none of those hospitalized was in the ICU, today there are 2. There has not been a death from COVID-19 reported in Columbia County since Thursday, March 3.

The New York Forward dashboard is reporting a positivity rate for Columbia County today of 2.4 percent and a seven-day average of 2.6 percent. By comparison, the daily positivity rate for the Capital Region is 2.2 percent and the seven-day average is 2.2 percent.

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 6 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 3,637, and the number of active cases was 64. There were 168 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 13 were hospitalized, and 4 were in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 88.