The Gossips of Rivertown

Sunday, May 8, 2022

More Money for Events

On Friday, in addition to discussing the nature of Warren Street Shared Usage 2022, the Common Council Tourism & Events Committee doled out the funds remaining for festivals and events in 2022. There were eight requests for funding, totaling $65,087. The committee had only $14,650 left from the $51,000 it started out with. Of the eight events seeking financial support, the following five will be getting funds from the City:

Sankofa Hudson Black Arts & Cultural Festival (Operation Unite) $5,000
Bangladeshi Cultural Fair (BASH) $2,500
LatinX Parade and Festival (Columbia County Sanctuary Movement) $2,500
Bindlestiff Family Cirkus Flatbed Follies $1,000
Second Saturdays with the Park Theater Hudson $3,650

Click here to see the projects that got the first $36,350 awarded by the Tourism & Events Committee.

Saturday, May 7, 2022

New Facade on Warren Street

It's not often that a new building is constructed on Warren Street. Ironically, the last time it happened, in 1996 or so, it was the building right next door to the most recent new building: 211 Warren Street.

Gossips has documented the sad tale of the building that originally stood on the site, right next door to the fabled General Worth Hotel.

In 2010, there was a fire in the building, which caused significant damage. At that point, the building had been vacant for a few years, and it continued to be vacant and derelict after the fire.

In 2011, the building was purchased by a group called Passive Aggressive Housing. The original plan was to retain the facade of the building and construct a passive house behind it. That plan was granted a certificate of appropriateness by the Historic Preservation Commission in 2015.

Work did not begin on the project immediately. More than three years passed before any work on the building commenced, and when it did, in October 2018, a foundation collapse, very likely exacerbated by persistent heavy rains, made the preservation of the facade impossible, and the entire building had to be demolished. The demolition happened in early November 2018.

A design for a new building to replace what was lost was presented to the HPC in April 2019.

Over the course of several months, the design evolved into what was finally granted a certificate of appropriateness in November 2019. The design element that carried the day was the ersatz oriel, which in the version of the design immediately preceding the one that was approved had three windows at the front and no windows on the side. In the final design, the oriel has four windows on the front and a window on the side, in imitation of the oriel on 209 Warren Street, the building next door.

Earlier this week, the scaffolding came down around the new building. The building is still under construction, but the absence of scaffolding provides the opportunity compare the reality with the renderings and judge the compatibility of the real thing with its historic context.

Word on the Street

It appears that the controversial concrete blocks will be coming back to Warren Street (and maybe some adjourning streets) this summer, but the schedule and details of the return are still to be determined.

At yesterday's meeting of Common Council Tourism & Events Committee, Alex Petraglia of the Hudson Business Coalition (HBCi) outlined a proposed program for Warren Street Shared Usage 2022, developed based on his conversations with business owners. The following is quoted from that proposed program:

The program will run from Memorial Day weekend through the beginning of November
The concrete blocks and planters will return, for any and all dining and drinking establishments that wish to participate . . .
The program is open to any dining/drinking establishments, on or off Warren St
Each business can be allocated up to two contiguous non-handicap parking spaces immediately in front of their place of business . . .
The setup would be installed by Department of Public Works (DPW) for Memorial Day weekend, and removed in early November . . .
We are working to secure a grant to help cover the hard costs for aesthetic and safety improvements to the blocks, fixing the planters and stocking them with plants, covering the fees that would otherwise be incurred to the businesses in lieu of lost parking revenue, and ideally some money for marketing the program
With that said, we may ask businesses to pay a fee to help offset the costs associated with the program, again, depending upon how much we raise from grants
All businesses are required to manage the upkeep of their areas for appearances, sanitation, etc.--water plants, remove garbage and debris, remove impediments in and around, etc.

Petraglia reported that 15 businesses have already confirmed their interest in participating, and there were 12 more that were likely to participate. Petraglia stressed that there was no intention to close Warren Street, just to use the parking spaces for outdoor dining.

Photo: JD Urban | HBCi

In the discussion that followed, Councilmember Dominic Merante (Fifth Ward) noted that the outdoor dining spaces in the street were not universally accessible and insisted that every area have accessibility and there be no obstructions on the sidewalks. He also took issue with the proposed duration of the program, expressing the opinion that continuing until the beginning of November was too long. Councilmember Vicky Daskaloudi (Fifth Ward) concurred, saying it was inconvenient for Warren Street residents for parking spaces to be unavailable and continuing until early November "doesn't give enough time for change of season." The end of September was suggested as a preferable conclusion of the program. A logical time for ending the program would seem to be after Columbus Day, a.k.a. Indigenous Peoples Day, in early October, but no one suggested it.

Councilmember Ryan Wallace (Third Ward), who chairs the committee, noted that wheelchair ramps can be purchased and suggested that businesses participating in the program be required to provide one for access from sidewalk to street level. He also expressed the opinion that one parking space should be sufficient for most businesses and no businesses that have the capability for outdoor dining be allowed to participate in the program. He said he thought businesses "can very easily pay the full value of the parking for the spot." The forgone parking revenue has been calculated to be $42 a week for each parking space. Councilmember Art Frick (First Ward) agreed that restaurants should pay for the lost revenue. Petraglia had argued that the City forgo the parking revenue to support its local businesses, which are struggling with inflated costs, particularly since the lost revenue will be offset by increased sales tax revenue.

After this discussion had gone on for a while, Council president Tom DePietro informed the councilmembers that the Council has no say in Warren Street Shared Usage 2022 and the only authority is the mayor's office. During the discussion, Mayor Kamal Johnson shared his opinion that the proposed season was too long, declared, "I'm all for whatever iteration," but stressed, "The huge issue has been enforcement." He spoke of noise complaints from residents and neighboring restaurants and told the committee, "I was getting complaints at one, two in the morning."

Exactly how this all will resolve itself is not yet clear. Wallace suggested the Council might make a recommendation to the mayor. That recommendation presumably would be ready by the Council's informal meeting on Monday, May 9. After the meeting, Petraglia posted an update on the HBCi website. That update can be found here.

HCSD Watch: A Fifth Candidate for the BOE

There are five vacancies on the Hudson City School District Board of Education, and only four people filed petitions to run for the seats: Willette Jones, Lakia Walker, Kjirsten Gustavson, and Mark DePace. That means if the five seats are to be filled in the election that takes place on May 17, there need to be some write-in candidates.

Yesterday, Ọṣun Zotique announced on Facebook a run for school board as a write-in candidate.

Two of the current members of the Board of Education, Selha Graham and Mark DePace, were elected as write-in candidates in 2021. Graham won by 81 votes, DePace by 80. DePace, whose term expires at the end of June, is now seeking reelection to the school board.

Friday, May 6, 2022

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been 34 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 3 fewer than yesterday, from which it can be inferred that, since yesterday, 37 county residents have recovered from the virus. The number of county residents hospitalized and in the ICU--16 and 3 respectively--remains the same as yesterday. There has not been a death from COVID-19 reported in Columbia County since March 3.

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 13 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 4,133, and the number of active cases was 54. There were 89 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 0 were hospitalized, and 0 were in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 in Columbia County at this time last year was 94.

It Isn't Over Yet

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) updated its data yesterday, as it does every Thursday. There has been no word about it from the Columbia County Department of Health, but the CDC is reporting the risk of COVID-19 in Columbia County is now considered HIGH.

That little red patch on the map above is us. It would seem it is time to put those masks back on when you are indoors with other people.

Click here to check out the CDC site for yourself.

Along the Electric Trail

On Saturday, May 7, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., there is an opening reception for an exhibition of the interpretive panels along the Electric Trail in Columbia and Rensselaer counties, presented by the Hudson Area Library in partnership with Columbia Friends of the Electric Trail.

The exhibition will be installed in the Community Room of the library, 51 North Fifth Street. During the opening reception, there will be an introduction to the history and conversion of the electric train line by Matt Kierstead, who provided the documentation and interpretive services for the Electric Trail panels.

The exhibition of the panels continues through June 30.

In conjunction with the exhibition, on Thursday, May 26, Kierstead returns to discuss the project in more detail in his talk Trolleys, Trails and Tales: Interpreting the Empire State Trail's Albany-Hudson Electric Trail. The talk, which is part of the History Room's local history series, will present the corporate, social, and technological history of the Albany-Hudson Fast Line, the electrified high-speed interurban railway in Columbia and Rensselaer counties. It will also tell the story of the Hudson River Valley Greenway's conversion of the surviving trolley line right-of-way into the Empire State Trail's "Albany-Hudson Electric Trail" segment. Finally, Kierstead will discuss the process of developing the trailside interpretive signage that explains the history of the railway, the communities it passed through, and historical features visible from the trail to the trail's users. The talk takes place in person in the Community Room at the Hudson Area Library.

Thursday, May 5, 2022

Mark Your Calendars

On Saturday, May 14, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., the public can learn about climate change adaptation and view the proposed redesign of Henry Hudson Riverfront Park.

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been 40 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, since yesterday, 30 county residents have recovered from the virus. There is 1 fewer county resident hospitalized with COVID-19 today than yesterday, but the number of those in the ICU remains the same. There has not been a death from COVID-19 reported in Columbia County since March 3.

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 10 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 4,120, and the number of active cases was 56. There were 108 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 0 were hospitalized, and 0 were in the ICU. The total number of deaths in Columbia County attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 94.

Committee Meeting Tomorrow

It was just announced that the Common Council Tourism & Events Committee will be meeting tomorrow, Friday, May 6, at 3:30 p.m. The meeting will take place virtually, but the link to the meeting has not yet been published.

Update: The link to the meeting is now available. Click here to join the meeting.

The major agenda item is considering a second batch of requests for funding, for the following events:

These eight funding requests total $65,087. The committee has only $14,650 left to give away. The deliberations over how to divide up the money are likely to be long and painful.

At the meeting, it is also expected that the committee will make a recommendation/decision about Warren Street Seasonal Usage 2022. Does outdoor dining in the parking lanes return or does it not? Do the cement blocks return or do they get retired forever?

HCSD Watch: About the Contingency Budget

A flyer will soon appear (if it hasn't already) in the mailbox of every voter in the Hudson City School District regarding the proposed 2022-2023 school budget, which the flyer declares is "Educationally Sound & Fiscally Responsible." What may be most interesting about the flyer is that it reveals the amount of the contingency budget--the budget we may end up with if the proposed $54,124,024 budget is voted down.

The contingency budget is $52,531,224--$1,592,800 less than the proposed budget but still $286,820 more than last year's budget and the largest HCSD budget yet.

Here's what the flyer says will happen if the proposed budget is defeated:

If the proposal is voted down, the District may resubmit the original budget or submit a revised budget to voters on June 21. If the revised proposal is not approved, the Board must adopt a contingency budget. Under a contingency budget, the District may not increase the tax levy over the prior year. Each program and department would be reviewed to eliminate non-mandated expenses for next year (e.g., extracurricular activities, field trips, sports, staff positions, and non-mandated academic programs or electives).

The flyer also outlines what will be eliminated if the contingency budget is adopted.

Under a contingency budget, no equipment or student supplies can be purchased, including athletic equipment/uniforms, buildings & grounds purchases, and classroom equipment. Public use of facilities by outside groups, regardless of affiliation, must be charged a fee to cover ALL expenses related to usage. This includes the pool and fitness center, playing fields, and building space. Field trips not part of the instructional program cannot be provided unless self-funded. Non-instructional employees, not in a collective bargaining unit, cannot receive a salary increase. Public relations firms and publications used to assist the district in promoting its image cannot be funded.

The good news about the contingency budget for the overburdened taxpayers of the Hudson City School District is that, under the contingency budget, the district may not increase the tax levy over the prior year.

The budget and the school board vote takes place on Tuesday, May 17. The polling place for us Hudsonians is the Central Fire Station, 77 North Seventh Street. Polls are open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The IDA Presses Pause

In April, the Hudson Industrial Development Agency (IDA) began its consideration of a request for tax benefits from the Galvan Foundation for "The Hudson Public," the hotel being proposed for the buildings at the corner of Warren and Fourth streets. (The minutes from the presentation of that project can be found here, beginning on page 6.) At that meeting, it was reiterated that the IDA would take no action on the project until the Planning Board had made its determination. Yesterday, it was decided to delay an IDA decision on this hotel project for 90 days.

The IDA is in the process of developing guidelines and a rubric for evaluating applications for tax benefits. Gossips posted about this at some length yesterday. At the IDA meeting yesterday, Councilmember Ryan Wallace (Third Ward), who chairs the IDA, told the board that applications have been requested for two more hotels and suggested that the IDA delay approving any hotels for 90 days, to allow time to establish the evaluation criteria and ensure that all the hotel projects would be evaluated using the same criteria. A 90-day delay was agreed to by the members of the IDA present. (Cheryl Kaszluga, city assessor, was absent from the meeting.)

When the meeting was opened for public comment, Claire Cousin, First Ward supervisor, said there needed to be a moratorium on all new hospitality businesses in Hudson. Mike Tucker pointed out that restaurants and retail businesses were not eligible for IDA benefits and therefore the IDA had no authority over such businesses. Cousin insisted there needed to be a conversation about hospitality businesses "that are affecting housing and small local businesses." Rebecca Wolff suggested a study needed to be done "to determine how many hotel rooms we have and how many a city our size needs." Wallace asserted that information was already available, commenting, "We don't have to spend money on that." City treasurer Heather Campbell, who is a member of the IDA, indicated that this research is done by those who propose opening new hotels, adding, "Nobody wants to come into an oversaturated market."

Wednesday, May 4, 2022

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been 35 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 15 more than yesterday, from which it can be inferred that, since yesterday, 20 county residents have recovered from the virus. The number of county residents hospitalized with COVID-19 today is 5 more than yesterday, and 1 more is in the ICU. There has not been a death from COVID-19 reported in Columbia County since March 3.

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported a death from COVID-19 and 11 new cases of the virus. The total number of cases was 4,110, and the number of active cases was 48. There were 107 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 1 was hospitalized, and 0 were in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 94.

Eyes on the Hudson IDA

Gossips has told this story before. The Hudson Industrial Development Agency was established in 1975, during the heyday of Urban Renewal in Hudson. In the early years, the agency was very active, granting property tax abatements in the form of PILOTs (payments in lieu of taxes) not only to industrial projects (the no longer existing L&B Furniture being one example) but also to housing projects (for example, Hudson Terrace). For the rest of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st, the Hudson IDA was fairly dormant. In the mid-1990s, the IDA gave a ten-year PILOT to what was then Hudson City Savings Institution for its new building at 1 City Centre. In 2009, the IDA granted a PILOT to Evergreen Partners for the redevelopment of Hudson Terrace. That PILOT, initiated in 2010, is ongoing.

In 2015, the NYS Authorities Budget Office recommended that, because of its lack of activity, the Hudson IDA be absorbed by the Columbia County IDA. That did not happen. In 2016, the Hudson IDA worked with the county IDA to structure a ten-year PILOT for The Wick Hotel.

After The Wick, there were no new projects before the Hudson IDA for a few years, but that has changed. In February, Mike Tucker, president and CEO of CEDC (Columbia Economic Development Corporation), which provides support staffing for the Hudson IDA, reported that, in the previous two years, the IDA had approved $78.67 million in new investment in Hudson. Those projects were:

The hotel at 620 Union Street--$14.3 million
Affordable housing at 75 North Seventh Street--$22.5 million
Affordable housing at 708 State Street--$16.2 million
PBF Hudson (Pocketbook Factory)--$25.6 million

And the IDA continues to review new projects. At its meeting today, Wednesday, May 4, which takes place at 4:00 p.m., the IDA will continue its consideration of an application for benefits from the Galvan Foundation for the hotel it proposes to create at Warren and Fourth streets and will receive an application for tax abatements and benefits totaling $777,500 for a new business at 7 Dock Street called Hudson Foods Venture, LLC. Both those applications can be found here, as attachments to the agenda for today's meeting.

At its meeting later today, IDA will also be considering proposed guidelines for considering applications and a community benefit agreement framework developed during three workshops that took place between March 31 and April 28.

Claire Cousin, Rebecca Wolff, and Kaya Weidman at second IDA workshop

The baseline guidelines being proposed for assessing applications for IDA benefits are:

Affordable Housing--does the project consider the affordable housing needs of employees/workers? Is the project consistent with the City's Affordable Housing Development Plan and other city efforts to address affordable housing development goals?
Workforce Training--has the project included job training for existing city residents who are unemployed or underemployed?
Green/Resiliency--has the project considered LEED certification and other green building practices in its design, including resilient design to address increasingly violent weather, storms, and climate change?
Historic Preservation--does the project revitalize vacant properties or make use of brownfield, other formerly active land and properties?

Along with these baseline guidelines, the following scaled guidelines are being proposed to help gauge the tax exemption benefits based on the benefit to the community of the proposed project:

Projected New Jobs--how many new jobs will the project bring? Increasing percent tax exemption the greater the number.
Retained Jobs--how many jobs will be retained by the project?
Projected Wages--will the project pay above the minimum wage for entry-level workers? Higher paid jobs increase the exemption value.
Workforce Training--will the developer invest in additional funds in workforce training? Additional investment will increase exemption value.
Creativity of Project/Differentiation of Employer or Project--does the project bring a new employer, or additional industry to the city that is not currently well-represented? Is the project unique, creative, or otherwise desirable?

The framework for seeking community benefit agreements includes an outline of the process, which begins with forming a coalition, and identifies these benefit categories:

Housing--additional housing benefits, including funds for the Housing Trust Fund/Land Trust
Community Amenities--creation of built environment improvements to city spaces
Open Space/Recreation--improved green space, recreation space
Youth--terms that benefit youth through education, health, employment
Transportation--additional transportation infrastructure improvements
Additional Items--items agreed upon by the coalition

The IDA meeting happens today at 4:00 p.m. The meeting will be a hybrid--taking place in person at 1 City Centre, Suite 301, and on Zoom. Click here to attend the meeting remotely.

Hudson in the Times Union

The Times Union today has two articles of interest about Hudson.

The first is about Hudson's short-term rental law and Rebecca Wolff, its principal framer: "Airbnb hypocrisy riles up Hudson residents."
The second reports on a godsend for tenants of the Hudson Housing Authority: "Anonymous donor paying all back rent owed at Hudson's public housing."

Tuesday, May 3, 2022

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been 57 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 26 more than yesterday, from which it can be inferred that, since yesterday, 31 county residents have recovered from the virus. There are 3 more county residents hospitalized with COVID-19 today than yesterday, and 2 of those hospitalized, 1 more than yesterday, are in the ICU. There has not been a death from COVID-19 reported in Columbia County since March 3.

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 16 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 4,099, and the number of active cases was 41. There were 111 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 2 were hospitalized, and 1 was in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 93.

The Mad Hatters' Parade Returns

This Saturday, May 7, is the day of the Third Annual Mad Hatters' Parade, the procession of "aspiring artists, agile absurdists, and ambulatory agitators" through the streets of Hudson. Anyone with an appropriately flamboyant hat or headdress, body extension, puppet, or wearable assemblage of any kind is invited to join the procession, or you can just position yourself along the route to enjoy this "shared spectacle of the nonsensical."

Participants are asked to assemble at the Hudson Area Library, 51 North Fifth Street, at 1:30 p.m. The parade steps off at 2:00 p.m., wending its way from the library to Warren Street, down Warren to Second Street, then south on Second to Allen Street, down Allen to Front Street, and on the Basilica Hudson for a final Grand Sashay.

For more information, visit madhattersparade.org. For a preview of what to expect, click here to view the Trixie's List video of last year's Mad Hatters' Parade.

Breaking News

Governor Kathy Hochul has appointed Antonio Delgado as lieutenant governor. Read about it in the New York Times: "Hochul Chooses Antonio Delgado as New Lieutenant Governor."

Photo: Lauren Lancaster | The New York Times

Dr. Spindler Responds

Last week, Gossips published the link to the U.S. News & World Report annual report on the state of schools in the country and the data it provided for the Hudson City School District, information that was also shared by Ken Sheffer in his April 25 opinion piece, "Now, More Than Ever, It Is Time for an 'Emergency Intervention.'"

Yesterday, Gossips received an email from Dr. Lisamarie Spindler, superintendent of the Hudson City School District, explaining that the school rankings in U.S. News & World Report do not accurately reflect the academic achievement in HCSD and seeking to set the record straight. With her permission, the text of her letter is reproduced below.

I saw your blog post about the U.S. News & World Report school rankings, and while I do appreciate your interest and reporting on the school district, your post is missing important context about these rankings and it paints an incomplete representation of the Hudson City School District. You pointed out that Hudson is ranked 736th in the state and scored 47.81 out of 100, but you did not mention how this ranking system is based on extremely narrow criteria--test participation/scores and graduation rates--or how the Hudson City School District faces challenges that many of the top-ranked schools in this list do not face--particularly the high percentage of economically disadvantaged students.

Admittedly there is room for improvement in student performance on state exams, however, it should be noted that many factors contribute to student test scores, and some factors are more prevalent in a district like Hudson comparted to more affluent communities, such as poverty, food insecurity, and nonpermanent or transient housing. The District does what it can to address these issues, such as school food pantries, clothing closets, and employing social workers to support families in need, but these factors can greatly impact a student's ability to do well in school.

Another issue with the ranking criteria is the narrow definition of "college readiness" and heavy emphasis on how many students took and passed the Advanced Placement exams. It costs almost $100 for a student to take an Advanced Placement exam, which is a steep price for many families in our district and a huge barrier to AP exam access for those who cannot get financial assistance. The U.S. News rankings measure "college readiness" solely by "participation and performance on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams," thereby labeling Hudson High School with a low college readiness ranking because fewer students are able to take these exams, let alone multiple exams. Furthermore, a student's ability to be ready for and succeed in college is not dependent on whether they took or performed well on an AP exam. There are many opportunities for Hudson students to become college-ready other than AP exams that allow them to earn college credits, including the Bard Early College program and more than a dozen college-credit-bearing courses offered at Hudson High School. We also have multiple articulation agreements with colleges to offer early college high school pathways that are not acknowledged in the data used by U.S. News. Also, it must be recognized that college is not the desired path for every high school graduate and many graduates choose to enter the workforce instead of attending college. The U.S. News' narrow criteria for college readiness are incomplete measures of our students' actual readiness for college (or career). It is unreasonable to put so much emphasis (40% of the total score) on these narrow definitions of college readiness when assigning a score to represent the overall quality of a school

Lastly, Hudson's graduation rates are not nearly as dismal as [implied in the post "Now, More Than Ever, It Is Time for an 'Emergency Intervention,'" which] claimed that Hudson High School's graduation rate is "at a cliff's edge." . . . [T]his is far from true. The data below from the New York State Education Department shows Hudson's graduation rates over the last decade, and if they are "at a cliff's edge" it is only because they've climbed so much since 2013 and are reaching the top of the cliff. The data clearly shows that Hudson's graduation rates are comparable to and sometimes even higher than the New York State average (when looking at the Building graduation rate, which is specific to the students who actually attend classes in Hudson High School, whereas the District graduation rate includes special education students who attend out-of-district programs that Hudson has no control over--an important distinction to be made when using graduation rates to judge a school and the quality of education provided to students in its buildings). The U.S. News school rankings seem to use the District graduation rate in its criteria instead of the Building graduation rate, which is a more accurate representation of the school.

While improving student proficiency on state assessments continues to be a priority for the Hudson City School District, Hudson's progress is something to be proud of, and to see the hard work of students and staff being undermined by inaccurate and incomplete reporting is disheartening. The lack of context and the reliance on a single and limited source of information in these posts is a disservice to our school district, your readers, and the Hudson community. . . .

Monday, May 2, 2022

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since Friday, there have been 67 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 7 fewer than on Friday, from which it can be inferred that, since Friday, 74 county residents have recovered from the virus. There are 5 more county residents hospitalized with COVID-19 today than on Friday, and, for the first time in more than a month, 1 of those hospitalized is in the ICU. There has not been a death from COVID-19 reported in Columbia County since March 3.

A year ago today was a Sunday, and the CCDOH did not report COVID numbers. On the previous Friday, April 30, the CCDOH reported 7 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 4,083, and the number of active cases was 30. There were 135 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 3 were hospitalized, and 1 was in the ICU. The total number of deaths in Columbia County attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 93.

In the Early Days of Daylight Saving Time

Seven weeks ago, we made the transition from standard time to daylight saving time. There there was a bit grousing on Facebook, but we survived and are now enjoying daylight lingering longer into the evening.

A hundred years ago, daylight saving time started only yesterday, on May 1. The following article, which appeared in the Columbia Republican on May 2, 1922, claims there was "practically no confusion" accompanying the change, but that's hard to imagine given that not every city in New York made the transition that year and the railroads continue to operate on standard time.

A Century Ago in Hudson

On this day in 1922, the following story was featured on the front page of the Columbia Republican, above the fold, right under the masthead.

The school to be built, of course, was Charles Williams School, now the Second Ward Foundation. The school was constructed in 1924 and officially opened in September of that year.

The playground facilities celebrated in this account--"a large tract big enough for two baseball fields and places for all sports"--is now Charles Williams Park. The enthusiasm for this site as an "excellent playground" for the school and for this part of the city suggests that in 1922 it was much easier to get from the end of Third Street down to what is now Charles Williams Park. Margaret Schram's excellent research about Lake Albany clay, published in 1988 in The Independent, in a series of articles called "Columbia County's Sleeping Dragon," suggests why. Sometime between 1924, when the school was completed, and 1988, when Schram did her research, it seems there was a landslide at that location, which may have had the effect of making the slope steeper.

Meetings of Interest in the Week Ahead

Hooray, it's May! And here are the meetings happening this week.

On Tuesday, May 3, the Conservation Advisory Council meets at 6:00 p.m. A guest at the meeting will be Sean Roland, managing partner of PBF Hudson LLC, who talk about working with NYSERDA and the NYStretch Energy Code, a supplement to the 2020 Energy Conservation Construction Code of New York State, which improves the State Energy Code's efficacy by about 10 percent. The meeting will take place virtually. Click here to join.

On Wednesday, May 4, the Hudson Industrial Development Agency (IDA) meets at 4:00 p.m. No agenda is yet available for the meeting, but it expected the a draft of the criteria for reviewing projects, developed during the three recent IDA workshops, will be reviewed. The meeting will be a hybrid--taking place at 1 City Centre, Suite 301, and on Zoom. Click here to join remotely.
On Thursday, May 5, the Housing Trust Fund Board meets at 3:00 p.m. The meeting will be virtual. Click here to join.

Sunday, May 1, 2022

Plans for Olana

On Wednesday, plans for the Frederic Church Center for Art and Landscape were presented to the public in a virtual informational meeting. Sean Sawyer, president of The Olana Partnership, explained that several sites had been considered, but a site near the entrance from Route 9G, next to the lake, had been chosen.

In the presentation, Sawyer reminded participants that, in the creation of Olana, Church started with heavily deforested land. The lake is artificial, and the landscape is Church's final work of art. The view from the proposed visitors' center will be this composed landscape, created by Church.

Sawyer described the design for the new building as "landscape driven" and a "piece of self-deprecating architecture." It will be a state of the art structure in terms of sustainability--a carbon neutral, net zero building. Wood from very small caliber trees is the predominant building material, and all the glazing is bird sensitive. The building is designed to blend into the historic landscape and not be visible from the top of the hill, where the historic house is located.

The project is anticipated to cost $11 million. In Round XI of the Regional Economic Development Council Initiative, the project received grants of $1,868,776 from NYSERDA (New York State Energy Research and Development Authority) and $1.4 million from the Empire State Development Market New York program. The remainder of the funding is coming from private donations and the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

The project is currently going through the SEQR (State Environmental Quality Review) process, and, if all goes smoothly, construction is anticipated to begin in 2023. The opening of the Frederic Church Center for Art and Landscape is expected to happen in 2024.

More information about the project is available here. For the next week or so, specific questions about the project can be emailed to TOP@olana.org.

Of Interest

Roger Hannigan Gilson has an article today in the Times Union about the incident that happened in Kinderhook in the wee hours of July 5, 2020: "Court records offer new insight into man's beating at a deputy's home."