Waterfront Wednesdays Wraps Up This Week

Tomorrow's event is the last of Waterfront Wednesdays for this year. Along with fishing lessons with the Hudson Sloop Club, this week's On Water activities feature sails on the historic sloop Eleanor.

The On Land activities include an Ujima drum circle at 5:30 p.m., and the Bindlestiff Family Circus workshop. At 6:30 p.m., the CREATE Council will hold an awards ceremony for Columbia County grantees, among them Waterfront Wednesdays. At 7:00 p.m., the New York Dance Force and Operation Unite NY present the third and final iteration of Dance by the River! featuring the dance company A-Y/Dancers. At 8:00 p.m., Catskill-based rock diva Lex Grey performs with the Urban Pioneers.

Once again, there will be free shuttle service between Henry Hudson Riverfront Park and the Wednesday Farmers Market in the Public Square provided by The Wick Hotel in its electric minibus. The shuttle makes its first trip to the waterfront from the corner of Park Place and Warren Street at 5:00 p.m. and makes its first return trip from the waterfront back to the farmers market at 5:30 p.m.

Vote Today!

If you haven't already voted during the many days of early voting, today is the day. There are  two elections happening today.

• The Special Election to determine who will finish out Antonio Delgado's term as member of Congress for the 19th District of New York. The choice is between Pat Ryan (Democrat) and Marc Molinaro (Republican).

• The Democratic Primary to determine who will face Molinaro in November in the race for Congress in the new 19th District--Jamie Cheney or Josh Riley.

The polls opened at 6:00 a.m. this morning and will remain open until 9:00 p.m. tonight. The polling places for Hudson voters are:

• First, Second, and Third Wards--St. Mary's Academy, Allen and Third streets
• Fourth Ward--County Office Building, 401 State Street
• Fifth Ward--Central Fire Station, 77 North Seventh Street

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since Friday, there has been another death from COVID-19 and 33 new cases. The number of active cases being reported today is 2 more than on Friday, from which it can be inferred that, over the weekend, 30 county residents have recovered from the virus. There is 1 more county resident hospitalized today than on Friday, but none of those hospitalized is in the ICU.

A year ago, August 22 was a Sunday, and the CCDOH did not report COVID numbers. On the previous Friday, August 20, the CCDOH reported 3 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 4,493, and the number of active cases was 57. There were 115 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 8 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 97.

Of Interest

Roger Hannigan Gilson has an article about the Hudson IDA (Industrial Development Agency) in today's Times Union: "Hudson rethinks how it gives tax breaks after hotel developers flock." The article begins with the Pocketbook Factory, which it claims is "one of more than a half-dozen hotel projects that have started the approval process in the city of 6,000 in the last few years." As a pretty faithful observer of the IDA, I'm at a loss to name "more than a half-dozen hotel projects that have started the approval process." There was The Wick, which was granted a ten-year PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) in 2016. (The Wick is now in Year 5 of its PILOT, which began in 2018, and its tax payment for this year is $53,125.) 

In 2020, the hotel proposed for 620 Union Street, the former Home for the Aged, was granted a PILOT and other tax abatements. (This is the project referred to in Gilson's article as "Hudson Home.")

In December 2021, the IDA approved a PILOT for the restoration of the Pocketbook Factory, the plans for which include a 40-room hotel component.

In April 2022, the Galvan Foundation made a presentation to the IDA of its plans for The Hudson Public, the hotel being proposed for the buildings at the corner of Warren and Fourth streets. The consideration of that proposal was halted in May, when the IDA decided to delay making any decisions until it had adopted its new guidelines and rubric for evaluating applications for tax benefits. Gilson includes this project in his article as if tax benefits for it had already been granted.

That makes only four hotel projects "that have started the approval process . . . in the last few years," and only if you consider six years ago to be "in the last few years." Both Mike Tucker, consultant to the IDA, and Ryan Wallace, who chairs the IDA, have made reference to two more hotels--the one being proposed for the former Elks Lodge and another at an undisclosed location--but neither has as yet presented an application. Even including those, the total is just a half dozen not more than a half dozen.

What seems strange about this article, which posits that the Hudson IDA is giving greater tax breaks than other IDAs in the Capital Region, is that there is no mention of the PILOTs given to the two apartment buildings proposed by the Galvan Foundation for the "Depot District."

The four projects Gilson focuses on are commercial projects with 10- or 11-year PILOTs structured in such a way that the amount paid in property tax increases over the duration of the PILOT. When the PILOT ends, taxes are levied on the assessed value of the property. The duration of the PILOTs for the Galvan buildings is longer: 25 years for 76 North Seventh Street and 30 years for 75 North Seventh Street. When the PILOTs on these buildings are over, it is unlikely that Galvan will start paying taxes on the assessed value of the property. Early on, a study by the Benjamin Center pointed out that, when the PILOT ends, Galvan could take the buildings off the tax rolls because they fulfill the foundation's mission as a not-for-profit. Dan Kent, vice president of initiatives for Galvan, has been quoted as saying Galvan "was completely onboard with entering into another PILOT when this one is up."

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Clarification: Roger Hannigan Gilson has informed me that when he stated that the Pocketbook Factory was "one of more than a half-dozen hotel projects that have started the approval process in the city of 6,000 in the last few years," he did not mean approval by the IDA but rather site plan approval by the Planning Board. He has edited his article to reflect that.

When the Shoe Was on the Other Foot

At the last Common Council meeting, Mayor Kamal Johnson reprimanded members of the Council for questioning resolutions that had originated with his office, in particular one that accepted a $30,000 grant for a project that was going to cost a total of $112,350. Council members wanted to know where the rest of the money was coming from. The incident was reported both by the Register-Star and Gossips. During the meeting, First Ward supervisor Claire Cousin also rebuked Council members for "interrogating" mayor's aide Michael Hofmann.

Since that meeting, while searching the Gossips archive for a picture of the original sign at Henry Hudson Riverfront Park, I came upon an account of a Common Council meeting that took place on July 16, 2019, and was struck by the parallel: "Last Night at City Hall." That night, there was a resolution before the Council which had originated in the mayor's office. It authorized the mayor to apply for a grant to do master plans for the improvement of Seventh Street Park and Henry Hudson Riverfront. In this case, the person being "interrogated" by the Council was Mayor Rick Rector, and the first member of the Council to ask a question was Kamal Johnson, who was then a First Ward alderman. Johnson wanted to know where the required $7,500 match would come from should the City be awarded the grant. Earlier that same evening, the Common Council Finance Committee had approved taking the money from the general fund. Both the Gossips post and Dan Udell's video of the meeting are worth reviewing. The discussion of the resolution in the video begins at 9:12.

In the end, the Council approved the resolution, but the application was not successful.

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Meetings of Interest in the Week Ahead

As we move toward the end of August and summer, there's not much happening on the meetings front.

• On Wednesday, August 24, the Common Council Technology Committee meets at 6:30 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid--taking place at City Hall and on Zoom. Click here to join the meeting remotely. 
• On Friday, August 26, the Historic Preservation Commission meets at 10:00 a.m. The meeting will be held virtually. Click here to join.

And that's it for the week.

What's in a Name?

There may be a plan afoot to rename Henry Hudson Riverfront Park, but it seems a bit of renaming has already occurred, though perhaps more by accident than intention. Recently, Gossips noticed a new sign at the park, which gives the name of the park as "Henry Hudson Waterfront Park" instead of "Henry Hudson Riverfront Park." The message about "no smoking or vaping" at the bottom of the sign suggests that Tobacco-Free Action of Columbia and Greene Counties might have had something to do with the new sign.

The original signs--there were two: one welcoming visitors who came by land to the park, the other welcoming visitors who came by water--were designed by Tom Mabley. The picture below shows the front of the original sign. (The only picture I could find in the Gossips files was one taken in the early days of the pandemic.)

On the back of each sign was this text, composed by Mabley:

". . . a seaport far from the sea"

In his fantastical tale Rip Van Winkle, Washington Irving told of how the ghosts of Captain Henry Hudson and his crew appeared every twenty years in the Catskill mountains, across the river from here. According to the story, the Captain could then ". . . keep a guardian eye on the river and the great city called by his name."

What is known from actual history is that in 1609, Henry Hudson, an English explorer sailing under the flag of the Dutch East India Company, passed this point of land while searching for a northwest sea route to Asia. He could not have imagined that this great river would someday bear his name, or that in 1785, a group of American whalers and merchantmen from Nantucket and other Atlantic ports would sail to this very place to establish for themselves a new and more secure port, 120 miles from the sea. They would name their new home the City of Hudson, in honor of that fellow mariner whose seminal voyage of discovery had redrawn the world's trade routes forevermore. Hudson became one of the new nation's fastest growing cities, quickly rivaling New York City as a bustling seaport, but it would miss being named the permanent capital of New York by just one vote.

This park was dedicated during the City of Hudson Namesake Celebration, July, 2009, as part of the Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial Commemoration. 

The text, which survives on the sign at the water's edge, has not been included on the new sign.

It's curious that whoever made the decision to install a new sign chose to replace only one of the signs. The one facing the water is in far worse shape than the one facing Water Street ever was.

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In Memoriam: Tom Mabley

The obituary for Hudson resident Tom Mabley, who died on August 12 at the age of 89, was published today in the New York Times. The obituary recounts his acclaimed career in advertising--he was responsible for such famous taglines as "The Few. The Proud. The Marines." and "The Marines Are Looking for a Few Good Men" and was the creative mind behind the campaign for IBM's first home computer featuring the iconic Little Tramp character played by Charlie Chaplin and the tagline, "A Tool for Modern Times"--and also speaks of his life in Hudson:

A stalwart resident of Hudson, NY for the past 45 years, Tom spent his golden years living there full-time and volunteering to create campaigns for the Hudson Fire Department ("Pride Is Our Pay") as well as for the Quadricentennial celebration of Henry Hudson's river voyage.

Hudson has lost a very kind, generous, and talented man.

Of COVID and Monkeypox

The following is quoted from a press release issued today by Matt Murell, chair of the Columbia County Board of Supervisors:

COVID-19 cases  

“Positive COVID-19 cases remain elevated,” said Director Mabb. Through this morning, this week the county has performed case investigations on 101 positive individuals. Last week there were 90 positives. “These remain pretty significant numbers considering how many people are testing using home tests that don’t get reported.” 

As of Monday, per the CDC, Columbia County’s rate of new COVID-19 cases remained in the low risk category. On Thursday, the CDC-reported current average of new daily cases per 100,000 of population stood at 20.3. The positive test rate is 13.1 percent. . . .

Monkeypox
“The County Health Department will be receiving more than 70 doses of the Jynneos monkeypox vaccination next week after a successful clinic at Columbia-Greene Community College, where 35 doses were dispensed last week,” reported Columbia County Department of Health Director Jack Mabb this morning. He said the county has recorded three cases of monkeypox in the last two weeks, and has worked with the infected individuals to learn of anyone in their circle who may benefit from the vaccine. 

"We’re in a good location for individuals who are looking for the vaccine. Now they won’t have to travel all the way to Saratoga,” added Director Mabb. Many of the individuals who received their vaccine at the first monkeypox clinic traveled up from New York City. 

County DOH is planning a monkeypox vaccine clinic on Thursday, August 25, from 10 a.m. to noon at ColumbiaGreene Community College. Links to sign up will be posted today on the county DOH website: https://www.columbiacountynyhealth.com.

Opportunity Tomorrow

Tomorrow, Saturday, August 20, the Robert Jenkins House, 113 Warren Street, will be open for tours from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

The house, which was built in 1811, was originally the home of Robert Jenkins, the son of Seth Jenkins, one of the original Proprietors. In 1900, the house was given to the Hendrick Hudson Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution by Robert Jenkins' granddaughter Mrs. Frances C. W. Hartley. Since that time it has been the DAR Chapter House. 

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been 24 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, 27 county residents have recovered from the virus. There are 2 more county residents hospitalized with COVID-19 today than yesterday, but, as was the case yesterday, none is in the ICU. There has not been a death from COVID-19 reported in Columbia County since August 10.

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported a death from COVID-19 and 17 new cases. The total number of cases was 4,490, and the number of active cases was 57. There were 123 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 8 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 97.

Checks and Balances

City government is supposed to be a system of checks and balances, a system that allows the executive branch and the legislative branch to amend or veto each others' acts so as to prevent either branch from exerting too much power. At Tuesday's Common Council meeting, the executive branch of Hudson government, Mayor Kamal Johnson, took issue with members of the Common Council for questioning and in one case amending two resolutions that had originated with his office. The mayor's statement to the Council was reported by Ted Remsnyder in the Register-Star: "Council takes hits from mayor, DPW chief during water main debate." Johnson's statement can be heard in the videorecording of the meeting on YouTube, from 1:03:22 to 1:05:11.

What seemed to have provoked the mayor's comment was the Council's discussion of a resolution accepting a $30,000 grant for a "free-to-the-public outdoor Fitness Court" to be located in Charles Williams Park. The resolution indicated that the total cost of the equipment and shipping was $112,350, and members of the Council, not unreasonably, wanted to know where the rest of the money—$82,350—was coming from. The resolution explained that "the City of Hudson will secure supplemental funding as needed through public-private partnership and community sponsors," but the Council wanted more details. During the meeting, mayor's aide Michael Hofmann explained that The Spark of Hudson, which last spring conducted a survey about Charles Williams Park and held public input events at the park, would by one of the sources of funding for the "Fitness Court."

Johnson may also have been annoyed by the Council's scrutiny of a resolution authorizing entering into a contract with a consultant for indigenous peoples programming. The scope of work for the project, for which the City would pay $7,000, was in three parts: (1) organizing programming for Indigenous Peoples Day, formerly known as Columbus Day; (2) creating programming for Native American Heritage Month, to be observed in November; (3) researching renaming Hudson's waterfront park and creating citywide land acknowledgment. 

In the Council's discussion of the resolution, it was pointed out that there were currently many other sources of funding for this type of project and perhaps the money should not be coming from the City's coffers. It was also suggested that there needed to be public awareness efforts and public input "before we start renaming things." Although a motion to table the resolution failed, the Council did amend the resolution to eliminate the third part of the scope of work and include only programming for Indigenous Peoples Day and Native American Heritage Month, reducing the fee to $3,500.

For those who may not know or may have forgotten, our waterfront park was officially named Henry Hudson Riverfront Park in 2009, during the celebration of the Quadricentennial, the 400th anniversary of the discovery of the river by Henry Hudson in his quest for a Northeast Passage to Japan and China.

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COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been 24 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 12 more than yesterday, from which it can be inferred that, since yesterday, 12 county residents have recovered from the virus. The number of county residents hospitalized with COVID-19 and in the ICU remains the same as yesterday. There has not been a death from COVID-19 reported in Columbia County since August 10.

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 7 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 4,473, and the number of active cases was 47. There were 127 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 9 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 96.

Among the Things . . .

that you don't expect to see in Hudson. 

Parked, of course, on lower Warren Street, where there are no parking meters.

Violence in the City

Gossips just received this press release from the Hudson Police Department.

On Tuesday, August 16, 2022, at approximately 7:48 p.m., the Hudson City Police Department received a transferred call from the Columbia County 911 Center reporting that a stabbing had just occurred in the area of the Hudson Terrace Apartments located on Front St. within the City of Hudson. 

HPD Patrol Units responded immediately to the area and located the injured victim, a 14-year-old male with a stab wound to his chest. Information gathered at this point indicates that the victim was engaged in a verbal argument with another juvenile male just prior to the stabbing.

Greenport Rescue Squad responded to the scene and transported the victim to a helipad where he was transported by helicopter to Albany Medical Hospital for emergency treatment. The victim was treated for non-life threatening injuries at the hospital and later released. 

The suspect was not immediately identified when police arrived on the scene. Police checked the area for the suspect with negative results. HPD Detectives are currently investigating this felony assault.

This was an isolated incident involving an ongoing issue between the two subjects who are familiar with one another.

Police are currently still investigating the above incident. If anyone has any further information they would like to share with the Police, please contact the Hudson City Police Department, Detective Division at (518) 828 3388.

The New York State Police, the Columbia County Sheriff's Office, and the Greenport Police Department HPD with this investigation.

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been 13 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 6 fewer than yesterday, from which it can be inferred that, since yesterday, 19 county residents have recovered from the virus. The number of county residents hospitalized with COVID-19 today is 6 more than yesterday, but, as was the case yesterday, none is in the ICU. There has not been a death from COVID-19 reported in Columbia County since Wednesday, August 10.

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 15 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 4,466, and the number of active cases was 52. There were 157 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 8 were hospitalized, and 1 was in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 96.

News from Last Night's Council Meeting

As Gossips previously reported, the Common Council went into executive session last night "to discuss litigation." When the Council came out of executive session, there was a vote. On a motion by Councilmember Margaret Morris (First Ward), seconded by Councilmember Ryan Wallace (Third Ward), the members present voted to authorize going forward with a Notice to Appeal related to the decision handed down last week by Acting Supreme Court Justice Henry F. Zwack in the lawsuit brought by A. Colarusso & Sons against the Hudson Planning Board. All members presented voted in favor; Councilmember Amber Harris (Third Ward) was absent. 

TVA Weighs in on the Colarusso Decision

Earlier today, The Valley Alliance sent the following memo, signed by codirectors Sam Pratt and Peter Jung, to the Planning Board, the Mayor, and the Common Council. The memo was also shared with The Gossips of Rivertown.

We’re writing regarding the recent and, frankly, bizarre ruling in the Colarusso matter. We trust that the City will fully and vigorously defend the Planning Board, as it would any of its agencies, from repeated nuisance suits from those with enough money to be exempt from local codes.

But just in case there is anyone wishing to encourage such manipulation of City laws and regulations, we offer these brief observations for your consideration:

1. The Waterfront is potentially Hudson’s greatest asset for creating jobs and other economic, educational, housing and recreational opportunity for residents, especially those who may not have benefited from development of other areas such as Warren Street. We have argued this for more than 20 years, as have others before us. That opportunity must not be cast away hastily or lightly, due to legal harassment by one Greenport company.
2. The ruling is very sloppily argued and needs to be appealed if only to correct many fundamental errors of fact and law. If these are left standing, it would prejudice the remaining review of this major project, which still has other outstanding components besides the so-called haul road. . . .
3. No one will serve on local boards if the City does not have their backs. Those who volunteer to serve on the Planning Board, ZBA and other City agencies deserve to know the time and effort they devote will not be wasted if a wealthy applicant keeps filing nuisance suits. For example, we understand that at least one previous Planning chair only agreed to serve on the assurance the City would support their findings, whichever way it decided.
4. It would encourage others with the money to file endless lawsuits if this inaccurate and illogically-argued ruling is allowed to stand. Doing so would effectively create a two-tiered class system, wherein the City’s laws and regulations only apply to those who lack the resources to pay lawyers to try, try again with the courts.
5. Funds already spent defending past suits and on the review will be wasted if this easily overturned ruling is not challenged with an appeal. This situation is very rare, Colarusso being the only applicant we can think of which has sued the Planning Board not once, but twice. The minor added cost of an appeal is a manageable and essential expense in the context of all the City’s budgeting over a period of 10-20 years.
6. Zwack’s decision ignores the plain instructions of the DEC Commissioner who empowered Hudson to do its own review. In his 2016 resolution of the dispute between Hudson and Greenport, NYSDEC Commissioner Basil Seggos specifically stated that though he granted Greenport lead agency status for the haul road portion of the project, “This decision in no way limits the jurisdiction or responsibilities of the other involved and interested agencies—particularly the City Planning Board.”
7. Zwack’s decision ignores the clear intent of the Hudson LWRP, as explained by the Department of State’s lead attorney and the then-City attorney. Taking questions from Council members prior to voting on this new suite of laws, DOS attorney Bill Sharpe stated that if any changes were made to the road, dock, or other portion of these operations in Hudson, the owner would have to undergo a full review of the whole project. City Attorney Cheryl Roberts promised that the new zoning would be “very protective” of the waterfront and provide the Council the “handle on the port and the causeway” which they wanted. . . .
8. Zwack’s decision could effectively force illegal segmentation of the review. If allowed to stand, the court ruling goes against established SEQRA precedent which requires agencies like the Planning Board to consider the entire, overall impact of a proposal. The dock has no purpose for Colarusso without the road, and vice-versa. Cumulative impacts arising from an approval of either must be assessed as a whole, not just approved one-by-one. The Board should not be forced to violate SEQRA just because a judge was impatient.
9. Any harm which Colarusso claims has arisen from this review is 100% self-inflicted. The existence of the local laws which caused this review was known, or should have been known, to the company when it bought property from Holcim. It disregarded or failed to notice that when they made changes to the dock, it triggered a full review of the entire project. At least 2-4 years of delays have been caused by Colarusso either suing Hudson, or refusing to provide necessary data to the Board. As such, the only harms and delays it has suffered were caused by its own actions and disregard for local zoning codes.
10. The Planning Board votes which Colarusso dislikes were unanimous. It’s notable that despite Colarusso’s allegations against just two members, the Board has voted unanimously. The recusal of two members would not have led to different outcomes, since the others all also voted for a Type I declaration (6-0 vote) and Positive Declaration (7-0). This strongly suggests that whatever the personal views of each member, as a group they all came to the same conclusion. Moreover, if one opens this can of worms, in a City the size of Hudson it will be impossible to find any members to serve who someone will not accuse of bias. There are many instances we could cite of bias against those challenging the project both within the Board and in City Hall; but we haven’t sued every time someone disagrees with us.
11. The City can stop the truck traffic on lower Columbia Street today if it wishes. The current operation has no local permits governing truck traffic, gravel loading, barge activity, dust management, etc. Meanwhile, the project has lost its grandfathered status through Colarusso’s own actions, and is the subject to an Order to Remedy. The City thus can demand that the Code Enforcement Officer order work to be stopped at the dock unless the Order to Remedy is satisfied by the thorough Board review which Colarusso so fears. 

There are many other points which are tempting to make here, but we will leave it at that for now—and trust that common sense prevails in supporting a Planning Board with appeal, which is both sound legally and necessary to protect the City’s integrity. 

At its meeting tonight, the Common Council went into executive session, inviting the Mayor to join them. The stated purpose of the executive session was "to discuss litigation." It is not known what litigation was discussed.

Good News for Oakdale Lake

The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation announced today $3.1 million in Environmental Justice Community Impact Grant awards. Among the thirty-two recipients is the Columbia Land Conservancy, which was awarded a $100,000 grant to implement water quality improvements at Oakdale Lake and to collect data on the lake's water quality.

Commenting on the grant, Tamar Adler of Friends of Oakdale Lake noted this was the second consecutive cycle in which Oakdale has been awarded a grant. Adler continued, "The funds are already being used to implement the water improvement measures recommended during our last grant cycle. There has been mechanical submerged aquatic vegetation harvesting and removal of overhanging branches which drop nutrient heavy leaves, etc., into the lake. On the docket are solar-powered aeration to improve oxygenation of the lake, and more!"

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been 19 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 5 more than yesterday, from which it can be inferred that, since yesterday, 14 county residents have recovered from the virus. The number of county residents hospitalized with COVID-19 and in the ICU remains the same today as yesterday. There has not been a death from COVID-19 reported in Columbia County since Wednesday, August 10. 

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 21 new cases of COVID-19 after a two-day weekend. The total number of cases was 4,451, and the number of active cases was 46. There were 76 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 4 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 96.

There Could Be an Arbor Day After All

On August 3, Gossips reported that the Conservation Advisory Council might not do an Arbor Day this year for lack of funding. At the August meeting of the CAC, Britt Zuckerman reported that she had applied for a $10,000 grant from National Grid to fund this year's tree planting, but the application was still under review, and she considered it a "long shot." Without the grant, Zuckerman told her colleagues, there could be no Arbor Day.

Since that post, someone who wishes to remain anonymous has come forward to donate five trees to the CAC for this year's Arbor Day tree planting. The donor has asked Hudson Development Corporation to be the liaison to make this happen. To that end, HDC is coordinating with Zuckerman and members of the CAC who will select the tree sites and work with the Department of Public Works for the actual planting of the trees. HDC board president Chris Jones commented, "While our mission is focused on growing business and jobs in Hudson, we are happy, once again, to be able to connect Britt and the CAC with a generous donor who wants to help plant more trees in Hudson."

Last year, the CAC's Arbor Day observation was financed with $1,000 contributed by the Hudson Parks Conservancy and a GoFundMe campaign, for which HDC served as fiscal sponsor. HDC also introduced members of the CAC to a nursery that provided a discount on the cost of the five trees acquired and planted last year.

Photo: Hilary Hillman

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Benefactor Revealed

Last spring, it was announced that an anonymous donor would pay the back rent for all Hudson Housing Authority tenants who were in arrears. The source of the money, which totaled $60,000, was not identified, but the Hudson/Catskill Housing Coalition was mentioned often as having played a role in the philanthropic act.

Last night, at the meeting of the Hudson Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, Jeffrey Dodson, executive director of HHA, announced that the anonymous donor no longer wished to be anonymous. Dodson revealed that The Spark of Hudson, with its "sister organization" the Eutopia Foundation, had provided the funds to clear all the overdue rent for HHA tenants. The Eutopia Foundation also partnered with The Spark of Hudson to fund the second cohort of HudsonUP, the universal basic income program in Hudson.

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An Idea Whose Time Has Just Now Come

Last September, the Common Council passed a law lowering the speed limit on Glenwood Boulevard and Union Street to 25 miles an hour. The language of the law clarified that this was just the beginning: "Initially this law will apply only to Glenwood Boulevard and Union Street but can be amended from time to time by the Common Council to add additional streets." Discussion prior to passing the law made it clear that the ultimate goal was to lower the speed limit throughout the city. Now it seems it can happen without doing it piecemeal, a street or two at a time.

On Friday, August 12, Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law S02021A/A01007A, a bill that "authorizes cities, villages and towns to reduce the speed limit to twenty-five miles per hour." The Common Council can now do what they wanted to do in the first place: reduce the speed limit in Hudson from 30 to 25 miles an hour in one fell swoop.

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COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since Friday, there have been 30 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 1 fewer than on Friday, from which it can be inferred that, over the weekend, 31 county residents have recovered from the virus. There is 1 fewer county resident hospitalized with COVID-19 today than on Friday, and 1 fewer in the ICU. There has not been a death from COVID-19 in Columbia County since Wednesday, August 10.  

A year ago, August 15 was a Sunday, and the CCDOH did not report COVID numbers. On the previous Friday, August 13, the CCDOH reported 5 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 4,430, and the number of active cases was 40. There were 65 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 5 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 96.

Waterfront Wednesdays This Week

This week, Hudson Hall takes over Waterfront Wednesdays, not with music and dance performances but with an evening dedicated to "the art of upcycling and the stories behind what we leave behind." The featured activities in Hudson Hall's Waterfront Wednesdays takeover include:

From 5:00 p.m.  T-Shirt Waste Loom Demonstration with LikeMindedObjects

Created in collaboration among LikeMindedObjects, weaver Francesca Capone, and The Spark of Hudson, the T-Shirt Waste Loom Project empowers creative individuals to give new life and purpose to their discarded clothing. Each loom requires six T-shirts, so raid that bottom-drawer T-shirt tomb and bring them down to the waterfront to be woven into wonderful new objects.

From 5:00 p.m.  Silkscreen Upcycling by Wolfy Part II (Jef Scharf)
Wolfy Part II is a Hudson-based artist and DJ whose free silkscreened upcycled creations were a hit a Winter Walk last year. Wolfy returns to work his magic on old shirts, totes, or flags at Waterfront Wednesdays, this time bringing his mobile silkscreen press to print designs celebrating the Hudson River Valley using images from the Hudson Hall archives.

From 5:00 to 5:30 p.m.  City of Trash Puppet Making

Who needs new toys when there is infinite fun to be had right inside your recycling box. Join puppet theater makers Grand Pistachio for a fun puppet making workshop using discarded objects and household items. No experience or registration necessary. All materials are provided.

From 6:00 to 6:30 p.m.  City of Trash Work-in-Process Puppet Performance

Enjoy an excerpt from Grand Pistachio's upcoming production, City of Trash, all about the fascinating life of a New York City sanitation worker and the stories behind the items we hold dear and the objects we choose to toss. City of Trash is a series of theatrical experiences for young people that makes visible the invisible work of sanitation professionals who keep society healthy and safe. City of Trash is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and support from Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.

 

In addition to the activities and events produced by Hudson Hall, this week's Waterfront Wednesdays will include such regular features as a drum circle, fishing, and sails on the sloop Apollonia, as well as rides on the Solaris, the Hudson River Maritime Museum's 100 percent solar-powered tour boat and floating classroom.

As always, Waterfront Wednesdays runs from 5:00 p.m. until sunset. 

Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead

The week ahead promises to be filled with lovely late summer days and these meetings and events.

• On Monday, August 15, the Hudson Housing Authority Board of Commissioners meets at 6:00 p.m. It is possible that the meeting may yield some information about the agreement being proposed to acquire property owned by Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency for new HHA development. The meeting is a hybrid--taking place in person in the Community Room at Bliss Towers and on Zoom. Click here to join the meeting remotely.

• On Tuesday, August 16, the Common Council holds its regular monthly meeting. So far, there is little of interest on the agenda, but at the informal meeting last month, Council president Tom DePietro promised, "We'll have a lot for next week." The meeting is a hybrid--taking place at City Hall and on Zoom. Click here to join remotely. 
• On Wednesday, August 17, the Zoning Board of Appeals is scheduled to meet at 6:00 p.m. The ZBA meeting has been canceled for the past two months for lack of applications before the board. It is not known if there is there anything on the agenda this month. If the meeting does take place, it will take place in person only at City Hall.

Update: For the third month in a row, the ZBA meeting has been canceled.

• Also on Wednesday, August 17, there is a preview screening of WindShipped, Jon Bowermaster's new film about the sloop Apollonia. Doors open at 7:00; the film will be shown at 8:00 p.m. Click here to RSVP and secure a ticket.

And that's it for the week.

COPYRIGHT 2022 CAROLE OSTERINK

Another Comment on the Court Decision

On Friday, Gossips published a statement from the Mayor's Office about the decision handed down on Tuesday by Acting Supreme Court Justice Henry F. Zwack in the lawsuit A. Colarusso & Sons v. City of Hudson Planning Board. Today, Our Hudson Waterfront published the following statement on Facebook:

With little regard for precedent, or the impacts on Hudson and its future, a Supreme Court Judge has ordered our Planning Board to cease its review of the Colarusso "haul road" and approve the company's disastrous expansion plan ASAP. This will bring a deluge of gravel trucks to the waterfront, threaten the City's ONLY riverfront access, make road and rail crossings far more dangerous, and depress economic activity that would otherwise create real jobs for people of Hudson.

If you think this stinks--as we do--then contact your alder, the mayor's office and the Planning Board and demand the Board appeal this horrendous decision.

We have the power to stop this travesty, but we can only do it if you step up. Demand real environmental justice. Demand the waterfront Hudson deserves.

The Facebook post was accompanied by these pictures.

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been 18 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 3 more than yesterday, from which it can be inferred that, since yesterday, 15 county residents have recovered from the virus. There is 1 more county resident hospitalized today than yesterday, but the number in the ICU remains the same. There has not been a death from COVID-19 reported in Columbia County since Wednesday, August 10.  

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 9 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 4,425, and the number of active cases was 47. There were 66 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 2 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 96.

Regarding That Court Decision

Today, the following statement was issued by the Mayor's Office about the decision handed down on August 9 by Acting Supreme Court Justice Henry F. Zwack.

The Mayor is aware that, on August 9, 2022, the Columbia County Supreme Court issued a decision and order denying the Planning Board's motion to dismiss the case of A. Colarusso & Sons, Inc. et al. v City of Hudson Planning Board. We understand that the Planning Board is evaluating the decision, and all of its options, with its legal counsel. The Mayor will be speaking with all relevant parties within the City's administration to discuss the City's next steps with regard to this decision and order. 

Gossips is inspired to accompany this statement with these photographs, recently provided by a reader.