News About Sidewalks

The previous meeting of the Legal Committee ended with Councilmember Ryan Wallace (Third Ward) proposing that the City issue bonds for $5 million to pay for sidewalk repair throughout the city. At the meeting of the Legal Committee last night, members of the committee backed away from that idea in favor of pursuing a Sidewalk Improvement District plan.

There were objections to the bonding idea because it would raise taxes (it was estimated that a $5 million bond would increase the annual budget by $350,000), and the burden would fall exclusively on property owners who must pay property taxes. Councilmember Margaret Morris (First Ward), who chairs the committee, argued that "the community version tries to spread it out more equitably." By "community version" she meant a plan similar to what's in place in Ithaca, which charges an annual sidewalk fee, separate from property tax, to all properties regardless of their tax status. Churches, government buildings, the hospital, the school district, and other not-for-profits that are exempt from paying property tax would still be responsible for paying sidewalk fees.

Other members of the Legal Committee present, Theo Anthony (Fourth Ward) and Mohammed Rony (Second Ward), agreed with Morris that some version of the Ithaca model of Sidewalk Improvement Districts should be pursued. This is pretty much where the Legal Committee was in addressing the problem more than three years ago.   

Even if there is consensus on the approach, much remains to be determined before the Common Council can adopt a plan that will satisfy the Department of Justice, and the deadline for having a plan in place is the end of this year.

First is the matter of establishing Sidewalk Improvement Districts. Ithaca has five. Morris and others have maintained that the entire city should be one Sidewalk Improvement District. Wallace contended that areas of the city where there are no sidewalks, most notably Mt. Ray Estates, where Wallace owns a condo, should be excluded. Although some of his arguments seemed reminiscent of those that led to the secession of Greenport from the City of Hudson back in 1837, it is not unreasonable to think that property owners in areas of the city that have no sidewalks should not be required to pay an annual fee for sidewalk maintenance.

Second is the matter of establishing rates for sidewalk assessments. Draft legislation created in 2019 suggested the following: "The annual maintenance fee for non-developable lots and sliver lots is $0; for low foot-traffic lots, it is $70; and for all other lots, it is $140." Those figures have no reality or any relation to the actual amount required to finance needed sidewalk repairs. Nor does it seem fair that the fee for a property with 26 linear feet of sidewalk (the street frontage of the standard lot in Hudson) should be the same as that for a property that sits on two or three lots or a corner property with upwards of 100 linear feet of sidewalk.

At one point in the discussion, Wallace shared an estimate that "roughly 20 percent of the existing sidewalks need repair." My personal experience suggests otherwise. Based on my regular dog walks around the First Ward, it is my supposition that, with the exception of Warren Street, where the brick-paved sidewalks installed during Urban Renewal were replaced with cement sidewalks around the last turn of the century, only about 20 percent of the sidewalks do not require repair. Identifying high priority areas, creating a budget for addressing the problems, and determining the fees to finance the repairs will be no small task.

Peter Bujanow suggested that Hyman Hayes Associates, the group that did the sidewalk audit required by the Department of Justice back in October 2020, might be helpful to the committee in charting its next steps. The plan is for a representative of HHA to address the committee in a Zoom meeting sometime next week.

Toward the end of the meeting, Wallace reported that an unnamed "city partner" fell because of a hole in the sidewalk somewhere on State Street and had to go to the hospital for stitches.

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Update: The estimate that "roughly 20 percent of the existing sidewalks need repair" was based on a report submitted to the Common Council Public Works Committee by Rob Perry, DPW superintendent, in 2018. Perry has informed Gossips that the 20 percent referred to sidewalks that require total replacement. According to Perry, "Most sidewalks just need repair. Maybe cutting down, maybe filling gaps, maybe replacing a panel or two."

The Scourge of GPS

Last summer, Gossips reported about an eighteen-wheeler that got stuck trying to make a left turn off South Second Street onto Allen Street. 

The driver's explanation for why he was off the truck route and on narrow residential streets was that his GPS (Global Positioning System) had directed him there.

This morning, Gary Mason, who works for DPW, averted a disaster when he halted an eighteen-wheeler heading toward the dead end on North Third Street and directed the driver safely back to State Street. The driver explained that his GPS had indicated Robinson Street was the best route to Harney & Sons, located at the end of North Second Street. 

Imagine a giant truck on Robinson Street. Even for someone driving a tiny SMART car, navigating that narrow street is like passing through the eye of a needle.

Many thanks to Peter Spear for providing Gossips with both the news and the pictures of the incident.

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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 6 fewer than yesterday, from which it can be inferred that, since yesterday, 11 county residents have recovered from the virus. There are 3 more county residents hospitalized today than yesterday, but none is in the ICU. There has not been a death from COVID-19 reported in Columbia County since October 5.

A year ago, November 2 was Election Day, and the CCDOH did not report COVID numbers.

The House at the Fork in the Road

Gossips has posted a few times about the building at the fork in the road, encountered when approaching Hudson from the north on Route 23B. 

Photo: Paul Barrett

In 2011, the house, which according to the tax rolls, is actually in Greenport, was owned by Columbia County. There was a proposal then to demolish the house and create in its place a park, to be known as Gateway Park. This is the rendering of the park that circulated at the time. A central feature of the park design was a boulder, to be donated by A. Colarusso & Sons.

Mercifully, that plan was not pursued, and in 2014, Gossips reported the news that the house had been purchased at auction from Columbia County for $5,000 by Michael Molinski, who intended to restore the house. He even created a blog to document his progress.

The house in 2014

Molinski made a lot of progress in clearing out the house and stabilizing it, but in 2018 he sold it, for $20,000 more than he paid for it. Since then, the house has changed hands once again, and efforts to restore it continue.

Today, Paul Barrett sent Gossips this picture of the house, found in the collection of the Columbia County Historical Society. 

Photo courtesy Columbia County Historical Society 

This picture very likely dates from before 1920. Socony, which is an acronym for Standard Oil Company of New York, merged with Vacuum Oil in 1931 to form the company Socony-Vacuum. The absence of the word Vacuum in the signage suggests the picture was taken before 1931. The handwritten placard in the foreground advertising "Bottle Beer" suggests that the picture could not have been taken after 1920, which was the beginning of the Prohibition Era in the United States (1920-1933), but, given Hudson's scofflaw history, you never know.

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Happening Here

The Hudson Police Department shared the following information on Facebook yesterday. It merits repeating here:

Hudson Residents! HPD has received FOUR reports of catalytic converter thefts from vehicles. The vehicles were parked at West Court Street, the John L. Edwards parking lot off State Street, Worth Avenue, and Green Street. It only takes thieves 1 to 1½ minutes to saw the converters off.

We are asking residents to be vigilant and report anything that may appear suspicious.

Here is a link to an informative video describing this nationwide rash of thefts: http://youtu.be/d1OoxDe-IDg.

THREE of the FOUR cars involved were Honda Elements. Thieves target vehicles with higher ground clearance. Also, Hondas have a more accessible converter. It's easier to get under with the tools to remove your converter.

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been 15 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is the same as yesterday, from which it can be inferred that, since yesterday, 15 county residents have recovered from the virus. There are 2 fewer county residents hospitalized today than yesterday, and none is in the ICU. There has not been a death from COVID-19 reported in Columbia County since October 5.

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 13 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 5,446, and the number of active cases was 73. There were 108 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 4 were hospitalized, and 1 was in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 in Columbia County at this time last year was 104.

Galvan Rebranding

Recently the following appeared on Facebook, providing evidence that the Galvan Initiatives Foundation has been morphed into what is now being called the Galvan Center for the Common Good.

This post is ironic in a few ways. First, the building featured is the house at 215 Union Street, which was built by Galvan from 2014 to 2017, using some of the materials salvaged from 900 Columbia Street, demolished by Galvan in 2013. 

The notion that the rather grand single-family house at 215 Union Street, currently occupied by a single individual, somehow represents affordable housing for Hudson seems a tad absurd. According to Gossips sources, the house, owned by Galvan, is currently being rented to one of Eric Galloway's friends.

Another irony is that Galvan, a group that under several different names acquired countless properties in Hudson, emptied them of residents, and held them vacant for ten or more years, is now touting itself as a housing advocate. Many have contended that Galvan created the housing crisis in Hudson that it is now purporting to remedy.  

Then there is the notion of building more housing. Galvan's efforts to address what is perceived as a crisis are happening at a snail's pace. The restoration of 501 Union Street has been going on in fits and starts for nine years. The two apartment buildings proposed by Galvan for the "Depot District" had their needed approvals back in July. The state funding sought for 75 North Seventh Street didn't come through as expected, but work on the building across the street, 76 North Seventh, the one being privately financed, could have commenced, but it hasn't. 

The post on Facebook encourages readers to visit galvan.org to learn about the Galvan Center's housing advocacy. If you visit the website, you will find not only the new logo that Gossips posted about in September but also a new mission statement. The registration documents filed with the New York Charities Bureau for the Galvan Initiatives Foundation in 2011 defines its mission in this way:

To preserve the unique heritage of the City of Hudson, New York, by acquiring, interpreting, conserving, and maintaining buildings of architectural and historical significance.

The certificate of incorporation for the not-for-profit foundation expands on this mission statement by saying:  

It is their [Donors' and Trustees'] further intent that said Foundation direct its efforts specifically toward the promotion of affordable housing and related services to low-income and otherwise disadvantaged persons living in the vicinity of the City of Hudson, New York State, by: (a) sponsoring, planning, acquiring, developing, restoring and operating fee and leasehold properties in the area of the aforesaid City of Hudson; and (b) conducting any and all lawful activities which may be useful and desirable in furtherance of the foregoing.

The website defines the mission of the Galvan Center for the Common Good in this way: 

To advance the common good by supporting strong advocates, vibrant communities, and cultural expressions that foster civic action.

There is another change at Galvan that merits mention. Gossips has learned that Galvan Housing Resources and Galvan Asset Management have moved from their office at 252 Columbia Street to 11 Warren Street, Suite 3. That building, of course, is the ill-fated strip mall constructed during urban renewal, which never was a shopping center but was for many years the location of COARC. The move suggests that the plan to partner with Benchmark Development of Great Barrington to replace "an unattractive and out-of-place building with a new mixed-use building designed to reflect the historic character of Hudson" and provide 68 market rate apartments, proposed in February 2021, has been abandoned.

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A Little Political Drama Played Out on Facebook

On Saturday, Brandon Gaylord, the Republican who is challenging Didi Barrett to represent the 106th District in the NYS Assembly, published the following post on Facebook. 

Gaylord was one of the awardees in Mayor Kamal Johnson's "40 Under 40" competition. The post on Gaylord's campaign page seems meant to imply that he has Johnson's endorsement and support.

Yesterday, the Hudson City Democratic Committee responded on Facebook by reiterating its support for Barrett, the Democratic incumbent. The message from the Hudson Democrats was reposted by the Columbia County Democratic Committee.

It will be remembered that in September the Register-Star reported that Johnson was contemplating running for the Assembly two years from now, presumably challenging Barrett in a primary: "Hudson mayor considers Assembly run in '24." 

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COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since Thursday, October 27, there have been 34 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is the same as on Thursday, from which it can be inferred that, since Thursday, 34 county residents have recovered from the virus. There are 2 fewer county residents hospitalized with COVID-19 today than on Thursday, and none of those hospitalized is in the ICU. There has not been a death from COVID-19 reported in Columbia County since October 5.  

A year ago, October 31 was a Sunday, and the CCDOH did not report COVID numbers. On the previous day, Saturday, October 30, the CCDOH reported 11 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 5,433, and the number of active cases was 96. There were 161 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 3 were hospitalized, and 2 were in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 in Columbia County at this time last year was 104.

Remembering Hudson's Recent Past

At last report, the City was still waiting for Amtrak and National Grid to cooperate on the utility easements required to begin work on rebuilding the Ferry Street Bridge. 

Today, John Cody sent Gossips this picture taken in 1985, which shows a functioning Ferry Street Bridge. What is accessed by crossing the bridge is somewhat different from what is there today: the state boat launch at the right and an oil tank farm at the left.      

Here's the view of that tank farm from the river, also taken in 1985. 

The oil tanks occupied what is now Henry Hudson Riverfront Park, as well as the now vacant lots north of the Dunn warehouse. They weren't removed until the mid-1990s.

Thanks to John Cody for providing these historic images.

More Voting Prep

For those who missed the Save Our Democracy Rally at Catskill Point on October 17, you can watch Assemblymember Didi Barrett address the gathering on Vimeo by clicking here.

News from the Polls

Early voting began over the weekend and continues throughout the week. The early voting polling places--401 State Street in Hudson and the Martin H. Glynn Municipal Building, 3211 Church Street, in Valatie--opened today at noon and will remain open until 8 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday, the Hudson Democrats and the Columbia County Democrats were out on the corner of Fourth and Warren streets reminding people that early voting had begun and a polling place was just two blocks away.

Photo: Hudson Democrats | Facebook

The efforts seem to have paid off. Statistics from the Board of Elections, provided to Gossips by Sam Hodge, chair of the Columbia County Democratic Committee, indicate that 72 percent of the voters who cast their ballots over the weekend were registered Democrats--more than six times more Democrats than Republicans. Here are the cumulative numbers from Saturday and Sunday.

Of course, as news reports regularly remind us, Republicans tend not to do early voting but traditionally vote on Election Day.

Here's the early voting schedule for today and the rest of the week.

• Monday, October 31, noon to 8 p.m.
• Tuesday, November 1, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Wednesday, November 2, noon to 8 p.m.
• Thursday, November 3, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Friday, November 4, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday, November 5, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Sunday, November 6, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

On Election Day, Tuesday, November 8, the polls are open from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m. Click here to find your polling place.

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Meetings of Interest in the Week Ahead

Today is Halloween, and there are no meetings. But, as the new month begins, here is what's happening.

• On Tuesday, November 1, the Conservation Advisory Council meets at 6 p.m. The meeting is in person only at City Hall.
• On Wednesday, November 2, the Hudson Industrial Development Agency (IDA) meets at 9:30 a.m. The agenda for the meeting has not yet been published, but, since the IDA has lifted its moratorium on reviewing applications for hotels, it is likely that the review of the application for Hudson Public, the hotel the Galvan Foundation plans to develop at Fourth and Warren streets, will resume. The project received site plan approval from the Planning Board on September 29. Available records indicate that the project has not yet received a certificate of appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Commission. The IDA meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at 1 City Centre, Suite 301, and on Zoom. Click here to join the meeting remotely. 

• Also on Wednesday, November 2, the Common Council Legal Committee meets at 6:00 p.m. At the meeting, the committee is likely to pursue its plans for repairing the sidewalks, which may involve issuing a bond for $5 million to finance the undertaking. The meeting will be a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Zoom. Click here to join the meeting remotely. 

• On Thursday, November 3, the Common Council ad hoc committee tasked with solving the problem of trucks in Hudson meets at 6:00 p.m. The meeting will be a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Zoom. Click here to join remotely.

All the budget workshops that were scheduled since Wednesday, October 26, have been canceled, which suggests that the Board of Estimate and Apportionment has completed its work on the budget. The budget is typically presented to the Common Council early in November, so we are soon to find out what budget items have been approved and how it will impact property tax.

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Voting Prep

If you missed the Save Our Democracy 2022 Rally at Catskill Point on October 17, you can watch Josh Riley's speech at that event, and Natalie Merchant's introduction of our congressional candidate, on Vimeo by clicking here.

Early voting began today and continues through Sunday, November 6. Here is the schedule:

Sunday, October 30, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Monday, October 31, noon to 8 p.m.

Tuesday, November 1, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Wednesday, November 2, noon to 8 p.m.

Thursday, November 3, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Friday, November 4, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday, November 5, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sunday, November 6, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

There are two polling places for early voting: 401 State Street here in Hudson and the Martin H. Glynn Municipal Building at 3211 Church Street in Valatie. Click here to review the sample ballot.

Election Day is Tuesday, November 8. On Election Day, the polls will be open from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m. Click here to find your designated polling site for Election Day.

Time and Again

Many times historic photographs are of broader interest for what appears in the background than for their subject. Such is the case with the photograph below, found by Paul Barrett in the archives of the Columbia County Historical Society. We don't know who the little girl in the picture is, but the houses in the background are 546 and 548 State Street. 

Photo: Columbia County Historical Society

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One More Halloween Event

Yesterday, Gossips posted about the Halloween Bash taking place tomorrow at the Hudson Farmers' Market and Hudson Halloween 2022 happening on Sunday. One Halloween event was omitted: Trunk or Treat at the FASNY Museum of Firefighting.

Molly the Museum Dog, the Dalmation named for one of the first female firefighters in New York State, will be joined by local firefighters with their decorated firetrucks giving out treats. Inside the museum, kids can collect even more treats from the trunks there. In addition to collecting treats, kids can play games and vote for their favorite firetruck and trunk. 

The event takes place from 10:00 a.m. until noon at the FASNY Museum of Firefighting, 117 Harry Howard Avenue. All activities, treats, and games are free and will be both indoors and outdoors. Free admission to the museum will be offered to all who attend this special event. Reservations are not required. The event is made possible by a grant from the museum's Super Saturdays sponsor, Hudson River Bank and Trust Co. Foundation.

Happening on Saturday

For the past year, the Hudson Valley Collaborative, a research, planning, and design team headed up by Kaja Kühl, has been working on a climate adaptive redesign of Henry Hudson Riverfront Park. This Saturday, October 29, at 4:00 p.m., the design and recommendations that are the result of the year-long process will be presented at the Hudson Area Library.

The design team, in collaboration with stakeholders, developed four overarching goals.

Expand the Park to include areas currently used for parking or not accessible for people.

Improve Access for people of all abilities, including direct access to the water.

Enhance Nature to improve ecological diversity and plan for nature-based adaptation to sea level rise.

Design for Inclusion--Keep the spaces flexible to allow for a diversity of programs, people and uses in the park

Regarding the expansion of the park, the executive summary provided to Gossips by Kühl explains:

Areas currently occupied by gravel parking lots will be transformed into new park green spaces for flexible uses, and Water Street will be relocated to former Franklin Street. This allows for improved pedestrian circulation in the park and connections between the upper and lower lawn area. It also offers the opportunity to create a plaza area in front of Dunn Warehouse that integrates the historic structure into the park. A new amphitheater connects the upper and lower lawn and provides seating during events.

This is proposal is a welcome development for those of us who feared the open space north of the Dunn warehouse might be sacrificed for commercial or residential development, as reported in this post from 2020: "Transformation with Little Information."

The presentation on Saturday will also include discussion of next steps toward implementation of the proposed redesign.

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COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been 9 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 8 fewer than yesterday, from which it can be inferred that, since yesterday, 17 county residents have recovered from the virus. There are 3 fewer county residents hospitalized today than yesterday; none of those hospitalized is in the ICU. There has not been a death from COVID-19 reported in Columbia County since October 5.  

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 13 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 5,390, and the number of active cases was 85. There were 210 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 2 were hospitalized, and 1 was in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 in Columbia County at this time last year was 104.

Halloween in Hudson

Halloween isn't until Monday, October 31, but this weekend offers two great opportunities for kids to dress up and celebrate the spooky holiday.

On Saturday, October 29, the Hudson Farmers' Market stages its Halloween Bash. 

The festivities begin at 9:30 a.m., when the Bad Cats arrive to perform. They will be roaming around the market, in costume, with fiddles and banjos.

At the Kids' Tent, there will be grab bags filled with apples and popcorn from Samascott Orchards, chocolate chip cookies from Happy Belly Hudson, masks, vampire teeth, and more. There will be a temporary tattoo station, a spooky craft spot, some Halloween-y books, and pumpkin/veggie decorating.

Come in costume (or not) to the Hudson Farmers' Market, open at the corner of Sixth and Columbia streets from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

On Sunday, October 30, it's Hudson Halloween 2022. 

Trick-or-treating on Warren Street begins at 2:00 p.m. and continues until 4:00 p.m. Look for the sticker on shop windows to know where treats are being doled out.

At 4:00 p.m., participants gather at Seventh Street Park for the parade down Warren Street to Hudson Hall where the "spectacularly spooky costume contest" takes place. 

The event is free and open to all ages, and it happens rain or shine!

'Tis the Season for Ghosts . . . of All Kinds

Halloween is the season of ghosts, so it seems appropriate to do a post about ghosts found on buildings, the telltale traces of their past uses. Recently a reader sent me these pictures of the ghosts found on 402 Warren Street, one of the buildings destined to become the Galvan Foundation's hotel, Hudson Public.

The ghosts inspired me to want to learn more about H. Hogeboom and to figure out when his law office would have been located here.

H. Hogeboom had to have been Henry Hogeboom. There were two Henry Hogebooms in Hudson history, both of whom were lawyers. The first was a New York State Supreme Court Justice and an esteemed citizen of Hudson. He resided at 116 Warren Street, and it was there that he died, in the wee hours of the morning, on September 12, 1872, at the age of 63. His obituary, published on the day of his death in the Daily Star, ran for more than two full columns. The following is quoted from that obituary:

The announcement of his death has fallen like a pall over every avocation and interest in our community. All feel that "a good man has departed from among us," as well as that a luminary of law has been extinguished; the lips of eloquence been sealed in eternal silence; a mind munificently endowed by the God of intellect, and cultivated by careful, liberal, and exhaustive study and discipline has exchanged its contemplation of "things temporal, for that of things Eternal"; a heart large with all-embracing beneficence, warm with tenderest love for family and friend, for broad humanity, for justice, mercy and right; and alive to all the nobler, finer feelings of our nature, has at last become stilled in that dread silence which anticipated the tomb. And such being the universal feeling, our community "mourn through all its borders." The sad event engages all attention, absorbs every other interest, stills even the selfish clamor of partisan strife and imparts a becoming solemnity to every phase and department of life.

Judge Henry Hogeboom is probably not the Henry Hogeboom who had his law office at 402 Warren Street. It is more likely it was his grandson and namesake, who would have been three years old when the illustrious grandfather died. 

The second Henry Hogeboom was born in Hudson on February 16, 1869, the son of John C. Hogeboom and Clara Esselstyn. His father was a lawyer and involved in state politics, and the family lived at 810 Warren Street.

Photo: Zillow

Henry Hogeboom started his law practice here in Hudson, but in 1911 he moved to Mt. Vernon. Exactly when he had his law office at 402 Warren has not yet been discovered, but it is certain that the ghosts that survive on the building predate 1911, when Hogeboom relocated to Mt. Vernon. Although he had only lived in Mt. Vernon for nine years, his sudden death in 1920, on the platform of a subway station in New York City, was reported on the front page of the Mt. Vernon Daily Argus on August 4, 1920. The following is quoted from that report:

Former Deputy Attorney General Henry Hogeboom, until last January a civil service commissioner here, and who was well known in local political circles, died suddenly yesterday morning at 11 o'clock in the Park Place station of the subway after he had left the train there. His death came one month after the demise of the law partner, Richard J. Donovan, and whose death is believed to have caused Mr. Hogeboom such grief as to have been partly responsible for his death. He was 51 years old, and a well known attorney. 

Overtaxing of his heart following an attack of intestinal poisoning suffered a week ago is believed to have been the primary cause of death. In addition he was intensely affected after the death of his partner, and grieved constantly over it because he and his partner were like brothers. . . .

The article provides this information about the circumstances of his death.

Mr. Hogeboom had left for his office shortly before 10 o'clock and boarded a subway train from Grand Central to go to his office in the Woolworth building. At Park Place he arose to leave the train and just as he reached the door, he gasped several times and fell back. Several passengers grasped hold of him and carried him to the platform.

He died within a few seconds and before Dr. Kenner, of the Broad Street Hospital, only a short distance away, could reach there.   

What history our old buildings hold.

Gratitude to Peter Tenerowicz for providing the photographs of the ghosts that inspired this research.

COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health released its numbers earlier today. Since yesterday, there have been 10 new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is 1 more than yesterday, from which it can be inferred that, since yesterday, 9 county residents have recovered from the virus. There is 1 more county resident hospitalized today than yesterday, but for the first time since October 6 none of those hospitalized is in the ICU. There has not been a death from COVID-19 reported in Columbia County since October 5. 

A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 11 new cases of COVID-19 and a death. The total number of cases was 5,377, and the number of active cases was 75. There were 221 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 2 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 104.

The Entrance to Promenade Hill at Night

Photo provided by Peter Jung