Thank You, SHPO

In 2022, the Historic Preservation Commission granted a certificate of appropriateness to the restoration/renovation proposed for 702-704 Columbia Street. Because the building's owners are seeking historic preservation tax credits, the proposal was subsequently reviewed by the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). 

Today, the project was back before the HPC seeking approval for the changes requested by SHPO. What was proposed and approved by the HPC is shown in the first elevation drawing below; what SHPO is requesting is shown in the second elevation drawing.  

It was explained that SHPO wants the building to look as much as possible the way it does in historic pictures. 

Photo: History Room | Hudson Area Library

Photo: Columbia County Historical Society

Instead of the windows in the storefronts being divided into eight sections, SHPO requested that they be divided into only four. SHPO also asked that all the windows--the arched windows on the Columbia Street facade as well as the windows on the east and west sides--be restored rather than replaced, and that the arrangement of windows on the west side be the same as that of the windows on the east side. 

A proposal to replicate the cornice on the east side of the building has been eliminated because evidence from the historic photographs suggests that it never existed.

The HPC agreed to accept all the changes to the plans requested by SHPO.

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Tomorrow at Christ Church

Tomorrow, January 27, is the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in 1945, a date that is observed as a day of Holocaust remembrance internationally. Appropriately, tomorrow is the opening of Shoah: A Meditation on the Holocaust, an installation by Phillip Schwartz at Church Church Episcopal, 431 Union Street.

Child's Mugshot. Phillip Schwartz, 2024. Upholstery fabric and satin

Inspired by the Stations of the Cross, the story of the Passion of Christ told through visual art which has been used for centuries in Christian prayer and meditation, Shoah: A Meditation on the Holocaust is a combination of egg tempura paintings, icons, and textile works. Many of the images in these works are based on open-sourced photographs housed in the collection of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.

Schwartz is a Hudson-based artist and iconographer whose work has been shown locally and internationally. His textile work was recently featured in Fiber Art Now. One of his quilts will be on view at the Texas Quilt Museum in La Grange, TX, from March until August, as part of the exhibition "Excellence in Quilts." His work is also included in an exhibition at the Center of Exploratory and Perceptual Arts (CEPA) in Buffalo called "The Power of Resilience and Hope: Photography and the Holocaust: Then and Now."

Shoah: A Meditation on the Holocaust opens on Saturday, January 27, at Christ Church Episcopal, 431 Union Street. There will be an opening reception from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. The installation will be on view through Sunday, February 11. Exhibition hours are Sunday from noon to 4:00 p.m., Thursday through Saturday from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m., and by appointment. Call or text (518) 929-4411 to arrange a visit outside of the hours given.

In Case You Missed It

Last week, there was an article in Chronogram about the saunas at Oakdale: "Big Towel Spa at Oakdale Beach: Hudson's Mobile Sauna." 

Public Input, County Government Style

Yesterday, the Columbia County Board of Supervisors held a "public input meeting" about 11 Warren Street, the property the County purchased recently from the Galvan Foundation for $3.35 million. Close to forty people showed up to witness the event or to offer their input. Four of the five Hudson supervisors--Claire Cousin (First Ward), Michael Chameides (Third Ward), Linda Mussmann (Fourth Ward), and Rick Scalera (Fifth Ward)--were among the supervisors present to hear what the public had to say. 

At the outset, Matt Murell, supervisor for the Town of Stockport and chair of the Board of Supervisors, stated unequivocally, "We purchased [11 Warren Street] for county office space, and that will not change." He then explained that Ray Jurkowski, who has been Commissioner for Public Works for the county since the beginning of 2022, would make a presentation about the project, and comments from the public had to be confined to "the presentation and who is recommended to inhabit the building."

Jurkowski's presentation confirmed the departments to be relocated to 11 Warren Street:

• Board of Elections (now located at 401 State Street)
• Probation Department (now located at 610 State Street)
• Public Defender (now located at 610 State Street)
• District Attorney (now located at 325 Columbia Street)

Jurkowski explained 11 Warren Street would be "the legal building for the county." He also indicated that the County wants to hear ideas from the public about how the appearance of the building could be improved. "It is now a county building," Jurkowski said. "It should look like it belongs in that area. We are looking for ways to improve the facade."

When it came time for public comment, Councilmember Margaret Morris (First Ward) was the first to be called on. Fearful, as she told Gossips later, that she might be asked to sit down if she didn't abide by Murell's constraints, she began by saying she was concerned about putting the District Attorney and the Public Defender in the same building. She went on to say that the County's plan for 11 Warren was not compatible with what the City planned for the site, spoke of foregone tax dollars since the building will be off the tax rolls, and expressed the opinion that it was unfortunate that there had not been a call for public input earlier.

The next speaker completely ignored Murell's request that comments be confined to "the presentation and who is recommended to inhabit the building" and took the Board of Supervisors to task for not allowing the Hudson Youth Clubhouse, a program run by Pamela Badila, to remain in the building. Although their lease with Galvan was up at the end of November, the County could have allowed them to stay. As Jurkowski indicated in his presentation, the design phase of this project will take up most of 2024. There seems to be no good reason why the Clubhouse couldn't have stayed in the building during that time.

In all, nine members of the public spoke at the meeting, and none spoke in favor of the project. Six of the comments objected because the County's proposed use of the building postpones any hope of replacing the 50-year-old relic of misguided urban planning with more appropriate development for another three to five decades. Typical was this statement by Peg Patterson, proprietor of the retail store Dish, located just two doors up from 11 Warren Street:

This move by the County just throws away any opportunity to rethink an entire block and an unattractive eyesore of a strip mall that is out of character with the neighborhood. With all the money spent and excitement felt about the new Promenade Park with its graceful steps to the river, this seems like a wasted opportunity. . . .

This is the beginning of Warren Street. The first block of our City's commercial and historic street should be an attractive row of buildings offering retail opportunities and apartments. Many have said this but it's worth stressing that retail businesses create money for the City and the County. . . .

So thoughtless. Another missed opportunity. Why does this happen over and over again in Hudson?

In her comments, Annick de Bellefeuille made the point that a 18,632 square foot building taking up such a large space was wrongheaded and wasteful in a small city where the demand for housing is greater than the supply. 

Two of the Hudson supervisors who were present at the meeting--Claire Cousin (First Ward) and Linda Mussmann (Fourth Ward)--also spoke out against the plan. Cousin, who claimed to have "voiced her concern" about the project previously, complained that Hudson supervisors were "the last to have a say in issues that affect Hudson." Mussmann declared that she had been opposed to the project from the beginning but couldn't "reach out" because of the constraints of executive session. She expressed the opinion that "the County should think of reducing its footprint [in Hudson] rather than expanding it." She also echoed what others had said about 11 Warren Street: "That building was the one building that everyone had hoped could be eliminated." 

Interestingly, Mussmann serves on the Board of Supervisors Space Utilization Committee, the committee that, according to some accounts, identified 11 Warren Street as a possible location. Mussmann, however, denied being part of any meeting of that committee which was devoted to the acquisition of 11 Warren Street. Other supervisors on the Space Utilization Committee are Ronald Knott (Stuyvesant), Clifford "Kippy" Wiegelt (Claverack), James Guzzi (Livingston), Brenda Adams (Canaan), and Robert Lagonia (Austerlitz).

The videorecording of the meeting has not yet been posted on YouTube. Gossips will let you know when it is.

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A (Thankfully) Rare Occurrence

This morning, part of a utility pole at the corner of State and Seventh streets fell to the ground.

Gossips has no information about what caused the mishap--other than gravity--nor have there been reports of consequent power outages. The picture below, from a 2023 Google Maps capture, shows the utility pole intact.

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Thanks to Rich Volo of Trixie's List for bringing this to Gossips' attention.

Of Interest

Roger Hannigan Gilson has an article in the Times Union today about the lawsuit recently filed against the Planning Board: "Hudson sued over approval of industrial road to waterfront."

Photo: Lori Van Buren | Times Union

Unfortunately, Gilson gets a couple of things wrong. Early on, he states: "The Columbia County-based mining and paving company's trucks have been using the road for years on return trips to the quarry, but it was not wide enough to handle two-way traffic, forcing Colarusso's trucks into state roads that wound through city neighborhoods to get to the docks." In fact, it was trucks heading to the dock that used the private road through South Bay, and trucks returning to the quarry that traveled on Front Street and lower Columbia Street. The reason for this was, as it was explained at one time, that the NYS Department of Transportation didn't want trucks coming off the haul road making a left turn onto Route 9G.

  

Another error in the piece is a bit more egregious. Gilson claims, "Colarusso had working docks for years before Hudson rezoned its waterfront in 2011." Not true. Colarusso did nothing at the waterfront until they purchased the property from Holcim in 2014. Prior to 2005, when St. Lawrence Cement (later to be called Holcim), in the aftermath of being denied critical permits for the giant cement plant it wanted to build, entered into a deal with O&G Industries to ship gravel from the dock, the dock was used only to receive shipments of road salt and store Coast Guard buoys. Colarusso did not begin its activity on Hudson's waterfront until 2014, three years after Hudson adopted its Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan (LWRP).

The article does talk about the LWRP and the Local Coastal Consistency Review Board. The lawsuit argues that the Planning Board failed to refer the Colarusso application to the Local Coastal Consistency Review Board, as required by city code. The problem is Hudson does not have a Local Coastal Consistency Review Board, and the reason for this is very likely that our LWRP, although adopted by the Common Council, was never approved by the NYS Department of State. Interestingly, as Gossips has explained before, Colarusso seems to have played a role in that shortcoming.

As we were given to understand at the time, the approval of Hudson's LWRP was contingent on fulfilling some conditions, one of which was the transfer of ten acres of land on the waterfront, south of the dock, from Holcim to the City of Hudson. Cheryl Roberts, then city attorney, was negotiating with Holcim's lawyers to make that happen, but those negotiations broke down sometime in 2014. That was because, as Gossips learned in 2016, Colarusso had begun its negotiations with Holcim to buy Holcim's property in Hudson, and Colarusso wanted those ten acres adjacent to the dock to use as a staging area.

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Returning to "Men We Know"

On Sunday, Gossips posted about "Men We Know," a series of drawings of prominent Hudsonians that appeared once a week in 1909 in the Hudson Morning Republican, and its companion volume "Just for Fun." In that post, William Gray, proprietor of R. Gray's Sons Furniture was featured. Today, we share another of the images from the series.

The rhyme that accompanies the drawing reads as follows: 

If by any chance if happened that his medicines ran shy,

Why,  it needn't bother him a single bit.

He could cure man or beast with a banjo tune,

From the minstrels in which he made a hit.

The rhyme and the clues in the drawing--the horses, the medicine bottles, the sign on the door--were very likely sufficient to let readers in 1909 know this was the veterinarian Dr. J. Homer Luff. The drawing, with its subject identified, appears again in "Just for Fun."

Luff, who practiced veterinary medicine in the building that is now Governor's Tavern, was the founder of Carter-Luff Chemical Company, which produced very popular liniments for horses.

On April 12, 1979, the Chatham Courier featured an article about Luff and the Carter-Luff Chemical Company titled "The Horse is still king at Carter-Luff Co., makers of equine ailment cures since 1904." The following is quoted from that article:

No. 738 Warren Street in the City of Hudson is a handsome residence whose large pillars pinpoint the date of its construction, circa 1837. Passersby, particularly those of the present generation, probably don't realize it, but immediately behind this old homestead is one of the city’s venerable firms established when horses afforded Columbia County residents with their principal form of transportation.

One has to look sharply to see a small sign with gold leaf letters at one comer of No. 738 which marks the location of Carter-Luff Chemical Co. Entrance to the laboratory is gained by walking through a narrow flower-lined passageway until the visitor stands before a story and a half wooden frame building on Hudson's little known Haviland Place.

Founder of this firm was Dr. J. H. Luff, a native of Felton, Delaware, who came to Hudson in 1897 at the age of 28. He graduated from New York College of Veterinary Surgeons and hung out his shingle at a small office near Van Tassel’s Livery Stable on South 7th St. to be near the horse trade. 

Dr. Luff’s fame as a veterinarian spread rapidly as he not only drove a horse and buggy to all sections of Columbia County but he frequently crossed the Hudson River ice in wintertime to treat Greene County animals. In 1900 he purchased the pillared home at 738 Warren St. and four years later had constructed the story and a half laboratory of Carter-Luff Company at a total cost of $1,000. 

Just how the name Carter fitted into the corporation’s title, no one is quite sure. Mrs. Elizabeth Riley, Dr. Luff’s daughter, who succeeded her father in ownership, believes her father chose Carter, a family name, to give the new laboratory, “a touch of prestige.”

By 1910, Dr. Luff’s reputation as an expert in diseases of the horse was known throughout the Middle Atlantic States. Hardly a day passed without several consultations with prominent horsemen on possible cures for their animals. With the advent of the motor age, horses, particularly runners and standardbreds, were trucked to Hudson for examination by Dr. Luff. 

In the pre-World War I era, as many as 75 pharmaceuticals were prepared and distributed by Carter-Luff Chemical Co. from their Hudson office. Dr. Luff originated the packaging of proprietory medicines for veterinarians and he added a personal touch by placing the doctor’s name and address on every bottle or box that left the lab.

This picture of Luff accompanied the 1979 article
in the Chatham Courier

Dr. Luff, in addition to being an expert in veterinary medicine, was also an adept musician and cook. He played the banjo and appeared in a number of Hudson’s minstrel shows. The kindly, whitehaired gentleman also enjoyed spending hours in the kitchen testing his culinary skill and indeed fortunate were the Hudsonians invited to his home for one of his lobster dinners. . . .

Among the popular medicines still sent out from Hudson is “MAC,” a trade name for a counter-irritant used by horse owners who seek to avoid blemishing a valuable animal by firing or blistering.

Originated in 1900 as “Mist Argenti Comp" compound mixture, it was given its present abbreviated name in 1940 and, by that time, more than 3,000 veterinarians were using “MAC” for treating lameness in horses. Another popular product sent out from Hudson is Carter’s Liniment. A pink solution, it is used to relieve muscle soreness in horses and mules. 

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Of Interest to HCSD Property Owners

The Register-Star published an article today about Governor Kathy Hochul's proposed budget and its possible impact on state funding to public schools: "Proposed state budget sees $6.3 million funding decrease for Columbia County Schools." For readers in the Hudson City School District, here's the relevant information: The budget as it is currently proposed would reduce state funding to HCSD by 10.5 percent, from $26.8 million to $24 million. If this should happen, it will be interesting to see how HCSD deals with a decrease of $2.8 million in its budget, which for the current school year is $54.5 million.

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Four Mesmerizing Minutes

There is an effort underway to repair, restore, and protect the damaged underwater foundation of our beloved Hudson-Athens Lighthouse. Since its construction in 1874, the lighthouse has survived weather, tides, and ice floes. 

Today, Glenn Wheeler posted an amazing drone video of the lighthouse on YouTube. It shows the lighthouse in recent days, as ice floes on the river crash into it and move around it. Watching it is definitely a worthwhile experience. 

Breaking News

Gossips just received the following press release: 

THREE GROUPS FILE ARTICLE 78 TO OVERTURN FLAWED 

WATERFRONT DECISION BY HUDSON PLANNING BOARD

Three local organizations have filed an Article 78 proceeding in Columbia County Court to overturn a recent decision by the Hudson Planning Board. In December, the Board approved one of two permit applications for A. Colarusso & Sons for its destructive gravel operation at the City’s Waterfront, disregarding hundreds of letters, verbal comments and petitions from the public.

The groups are jointly represented by the Capital District office of Rupp Pfalzgraf, LLC, a large law firm with branches in Buffalo, Rochester, Saratoga Springs, New York City and Jamestown, as well as Albany.

“The Planning Board had the opportunity to choose a win-win option for the people of Hudson,” said Peter Jung, President of The Valley Alliance. “Denying the applications would stop gravel trucks from harming both downtown and the Waterfront,” Jung continued. “Instead, the Planners rolled over for a Greenport corporation which has put its own narrow self-interest over everyone else.” The Alliance has been working on Waterfront issues since 2006, submitting more than 20 detailed memos and legal briefs on the project—none of them mentioned by any of the Board members in their cursory discussion of the proposal.

“Since the beginning, we’ve sought a thorough review of negative impacts, given the huge economic and social potential of the River District," says Our Hudson Waterfront President David Konigsberg. “Despite concerns expressed by the city’s engineers, and a strong declaration from the previous Board in 2021, the current members disregarded both in rendering their recent decision.”

“For more than a decade,” Konigsberg added, “residents have called for an end to unregulated and steadily increasing gravel truck traffic in both the city and by the river.” OHW expects that Colorusso’s high capacity truckway will only make matters worse, enabling a massive jump in traffic at the waterfront, dampening public enjoyment and job-creating economic development. Since 2019, OHW has has focused on downsides to health, open space and community character, and thoroughly analyzed gravel truck traffic on the Waterfront and on city streets. It has also gathered a petition with more than 1,200 signatures explicitly voicing opposition to Colarusso’s plans.

"The private road serves and dock and gravel operations exclusively," explained Clark Wieman, President of the River District Economic Council, formed in 2023 to promote sound, sustainable economic development. Wieman noted that "The Planning Board's decision to permit doubling the road's size sets the stage for major intensification of industrial activity on the waterfront. This decision flies in the face of a 40-year trend toward low-impact service sectors, retail, light industry, and recreation. It violates the spirit and letter of Hudson's LWRP which envisions a mixed-use, sustainable waterfront. Most importantly, it ignores earlier Planning findings of potential significant environmental impacts of gravel operations, including negative impacts on the River District's character, now defined by these rapidly expanding businesses, recreation, and cultural sectors."

A summary of the Article 78 verified petition follows:

On behalf of three Hudson organizations, the firm of Rupp Pfalzgraf in Albany commenced a "special proceeding brought pursuant to Article 78 of the New York Civil Practice Law and Rules for a judgment to annul, vacate, and in all respects void" the recent City of Hudson Planning Board resolution granting site plan and conditional use permit approval to Colarusso. 

The 29-page petition concludes that the Court should annul the Hudson Planning Board's decision as arbitrary, capricious, and contrary to law. 

The three main grounds presented for overturning this decision are:

(1) The Hudson Planning Board failed to determine that the Colarusso application is compatible with the City's Local Waterfront Revitalization Program as required under the City Code.

(2) The Board failed to make a determination that the conditional use permit is in harmony with the appropriate and orderly development of the district . . . and will not be detrimental to the orderly development of adjacent properties.

(3) The Board's determination to approve the site plan and conditional use permit contradicts and is inconsistent with its prior determination in 2021 to issue a positive declaration of significance ("pos dec") in relation to Colarusso's commercial dock operation, including its private roads of ingress and egress.

Specific portions of the City Code which the Planning Board failed to comply with, and/or treated in an arbitrary and capricious manner, include sections § 325-35.2(B)(1), (2), (5), § 325-34, 325-35(H), especially part (2), et al. 

An example of the Board's basic failure to handle the application properly is that the City Charter (at § C32-5) requires the Board to refer projects like Colarusso's to the Local Waterfront Revitalization Program Consistency Review Board. However, this required referral did not occur.

Another example cited is the current Board's contradiction of its own prior findings in 2021, which concluded that Colarusso's commercial dock activities and associated haul roads are "out of character with the area around the project site," while also congesting, inhibiting, degrading, and potentially endangering the safety of pedestrians and vehicles in the Waterfront area.

To obtain a complete copy of the Verified Petition, email a request to hudsonbay@mac.com.

Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead

In a week that is predicted is see the return of 40-degree weather, here is what's happening.

• On Monday, January 22, the Housing Trust Fund Board meets at 6:00 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at the Central Fire Station, 77 North Seventh Street, and on Microsoft Teams. Click here to find the link to join the meeting remotely.

Update: The Housing Trust Fund Board meeting scheduled for tonight was canceled.

• On Tuesday, January 23, the Planning Board meets at 6:00 p.m. Since this is the meeting originally scheduled for January 9, it is expected the items on agenda will remain the same: the subdivision proposed for Hudson Avenue, the relocation of Lil' Deb's Oasis to 735 Columbia Street, and the boutique hotel proposed for 601 Union Street. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at the Central Fire Station, 77 North Seventh Street, and on Microsoft Teams. Click here to find the link to join the meeting remotely.  

• On Wednesday, January 24, the Columbia County Board of Supervisors holds a public input meeting at 3:30 p.m. at 401 State Street. The purpose of the meeting is "reviewing the County's proposed plan for the use, by department, of the 11 Warren Street building." Anyone wishing to speak at the meeting must register in advance. This can be done by calling (518) 828-1527 or sending an email to kelly.baccaro@columbiacountyny.com before 4:00 p.m. on Monday, January 22. 

Update: If you cannot make it to the public input meeting on Wednesday, written comments regarding 11 Warren Street and the County's proposed use of the building can be submitted by email to kelly.baccaro@columbiacountyny.com. It is recommended that written comments be submitted before noon tomorrow, Tuesday, January 23.

• On Thursday, January 25, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m., the Hudson Area Library, in collaboration with the Jacob Leisler Institute for the Study of Early New York History, presents "Grain and Tobacco, Wampum/Sewan, and Beaver/Drielings: Making Sense of Money in Seventeenth-Century New Netherland and North America," a talk by Simon Middleton. The event will be held virtually on Zoom. To register, visit the Hudson Area Library History Room website.
• On Friday, January 26, the Historic Preservation Commission holds its second meeting of the month at 10:00 a.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at the Central Firehouse, 77 North Seventh Street, and on Microsoft Teams. Click here to find the link to join the meeting remotely.

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Hudson at the Beginning of the 20th Century

In 1909, the Hudson Morning Republican ran a series called "Men We Know." Every week, the newspaper featured a drawing of a prominent Hudsonian (all men, of course) accompanied by a four-line rhyme. The subjects of drawings were not identified, but hints to their identities could be found in the drawings. There were fifty-two drawings in the series, one for each week of the year. Below is an example from the "Men We Know" series.

The rhyme accompanying the drawing reads:

He leaves this bride and groom to settle for themselves

Whether one chair will not do for two.

And he has the goods wherewith to furnish all their house,

If they'll cut out that bill and coo.

A clue to the subject's identity is on the spine of the tome lying atop the armoire:

The notable depicted in the drawing is William Gray, son of Rensselaer Gray and the proprietor of R. Gray's Sons Furniture. The furniture store was located at 547-549 Warren Street, the building that is now Stair Galleries.

If people were unable to figure out the subjects of the "Men We Know" series, a volume called "Just for Fun" reproduced all the drawings and identified them. This is the drawing of William Gray as it appears in "Just for Fun."

Recently, Frank Meyers donated a set of "Men We Know" clippings from the Hudson Morning Republican and a copy of "Just for Fun" to the History Room at the Hudson Area Library.

The material can be viewed at the History Room by appointment. To request an appointment, contact history@hudsonarealibrary.org.

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Following Up

On December 27, 2023, Gossips posted about a notice that appeared in the Hudson Weekly Star for January 1, 1874, reporting that Frederic Church had completed "one of the largest landscapes he has painted for a long time." The painting was Syria by the Sea, and it was painted for James Frederick Joy of Detroit. In 1910, Joy's widow donated the painting to the Detroit Institute of Arts. Today, a Gossips reader visiting DIA provided this photograph of the painting on display there.

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Whodathunkit? It's Been 14 Years!

On January 20, 2010, The Gossips of Rivertown published its very first post. Fourteen years, 13,000 posts, and 12 million pageviews later, Gossips is still going strong. It has become a valued source for local news and history, earning the respect of many and the disdain of a few. The ability to search fourteen years of posts makes Gossips an amazing archive of Hudson's most recent past.

Today, as I do every year on Gossips' anniversary, I humbly acknowledge all the readers whose interest and loyalty have made Gossips a success and offer my profound gratitude to the generous Gossips supporters and advertisers whose monetary contributions help pay the bills. Today, too, I invite readers to celebrate fourteen years of sharing news, history, and occasional gossip about the trials and triumphs in our river city by joining those readers who have already shown their support for The Gossips of Rivertown in 2024.

For those who read Gossips on a computer, the process is easy. Just click on the "Donate" button near the top of the right column. For those who read Gossips on their phones, the process is a bit more complicated. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and touch "View web version." Then find the "Donate" button in the right column.

Your support--in any amount--will be gratefully acknowledged and will ensure the continuation of Gossips for yet another year.

The Way It's Done at the County Level

On Monday, Gossips reported that the Columbia County Board of Supervisors was planning to hold a public hearing on Wednesday, January 24, about the future use of 11 Warren Street. The official announcement of the hearing, billed as a "Public Input Meeting," appeared today on Facebook.

It turns out the meeting will take place at 3:30 p.m. next Wednesday, not at 4:00 p.m., as originally indicated, and people who wish to speak at the meeting must register in advance with the clerk of the Board of Supervisors. The deadline for registering is Monday, January 22, at 4:00 p.m. This is reminiscent of the bad old days of Hudson government, when residents had to ask for permission, in advance of the meeting, from Mim Traver, then Common Council president, to speak at a Council meeting. As I recall, you had to make your case for why you should be allowed to address the esteemed body, and she didn't always grant permission.

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They're Back

At the beginning of the year, the City switched from Zoom to Microsoft Teams for hybrid meetings. As a consequence, posting the meetings to YouTube became more complicated, and it didn't happen as quickly as many of us expected it to. 

Today, Gossips can report that all the meetings of the Common Council that have taken place since the beginning of the year can now be viewed on YouTube. The links are provided below.

• Organizational Meeting, Monday, January 8 
• Informal Meeting, Monday, January 8
• Regular Meeting, Tuesday, January 16

Get Ready to Slow Down

Hudson has been talking about reducing its speed limit for at least four years now, a conversation initiated by Councilmember Dominic Merante (Fifth Ward). In 2021, the Common Council voted to reduce the speed limit from 30 mph to 25 mph on Glenwood Boulevard and on Union Street. New York State law at that time prohibited making a citywide reduction in the speed limit. 

In August 2022, Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation to allow cities in New York to lower their speed limit to 25 mph, and Hudson is now pursuing that. Part of the process is having an engineer do a speed limit evaluation, and earlier this week, the Common Council passed a resolution authorizing the mayor to enter into a contract with Creighton Manning Engineering to do the evaluation. The study will cost $7,500. 

Councilmember Margaret Morris (First Ward), who is shepherding this initiative through the process, told her colleagues that studies she has looked at indicate that reducing the speed limit from 30 mph to 25 mph results in close to a 50 percent reduction in traffic fatalities, significant decreases in collisions and accidents, because there is sufficient stopping time, and reduces the stopping time for trucks and larger vehicles. When Councilmember Gary Purnhagen (First Ward) asked what the likelihood was Hudson's request to lower the speed limit would be rejected by the state, Morris responded, "Very close to zero."

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Paying Last Respects

Service arrangements for Senior Sergeant Christopher Filli, who died while on duty last Friday, are taking place today, Wednesday, January 17, and tomorrow, Thursday, January 18. 

Calling hours are today, from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m., at St. Mary's Church/Holy Trinity Parish, 429 East Allen Street.

The funeral service will take place tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. at St. Mary's Church/Holy Trinity Parish, 429 East Allen Street.

Vehicular access to East Court Street, East Allen Street, and Power Avenue will be prohibited from noon to 10:00 p.m. today and from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. tomorrow.

Not Too Soon to Be Thinking About Summer

This summer, as it has for the past fourteen summers, The Olana Partnership will offer four weeks of hands-on exploration for children ages 6 to 11, from July to August, at Olana State Historic Site. Discounted early bird registration is now open.

Children can experience art, science, and nature through sketching, lake exploration, hiking, painting, play, and more, all while meeting new friends and learning from the experts. The whole summer focuses on art and nature with special guest visits and different activities each week. 

Highlights for each of the four weeks include exploring habitats, animals, and ecosystems within Olana's 250-acre artist-designed landscape with Taconic Outdoor Education Center and Columbia Land Conservancy; unleashing your inner sculptor by experimenting with clay, wire, and paper mâché; creative cooking classes with The Sylvia Center; a special visit from beekeepers at Fox Farm Apiary; and experimenting with professional materials like paint, charcoal, and collage.

The program runs Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Secure your space now. Early bird registration is available from January 1 through February 29 and offers a $50 discount. Registration will close on June 1, 2024. The cost of attendance is $350 a week for members of The Olana Partnership and $450 for nonmembers. To become a member, visit Olana.org/membership. Early bird pricing is available until February 29 and is $300 a week for members and $400 a week for nonmembers. 

Full scholarships and financial support for transportation are available for students who attend Title I schools and/or receive SNAP and EBT benefits. To learn about this opportunity and apply for funding, email education@olana.org.

To learn more about the program and to register, visit olana.org/panorama.

Considering Committees

The offices of City Hall (now located at the Central Fire Station) closed today at noon because of the snow. So far, the snow has not caused tonight's meeting of the Common Council to be canceled, but apparently that could still happen. If the meeting does take place as scheduled, it is expected that the discussion about standing committees that Councilmember Margaret Morris (First Ward) wanted to have at the organizational meeting last week will be taken up at this meeting. 

The document, which is essentially a proposal, Morris wanted to talk about is now on the City of Hudson website. It presents the following reasons why standing committees, which were eliminated three years ago by Council president Tom DePietro, should be reinstated:

• To provide focused opportunities to address/discuss department specific updates
• To provide forums for members of the public to bring up specific concerns
• To eliminate detailed departmental reports from the informal meeting so that that meeting can focus on review and discussion of upcoming resolutions and local laws that will be subject to a vote at the regular meeting of the Common Council

Morris proposes six committees, all of which have existed in the past or are a variation of committees that have existed previously.

• Finance (Treasurer; monthly YTD reports compared with prior year)
• Public Safety (Police, Fire)
• Infrastructure (DPW, Water/Sewer, Code Enforcement)
• Youth and Aging (Youth Dept, Senior Center)
• Legal
• Economic Development (Hudson Business Coalition, Hudson Development Corporation)

The notion that the Hudson Business Coalition (HBCi) and Hudson Development Corporation (HDC) should report to a committee of the Common Council seems like a bit of overreach, but who knows. They may welcome the opportunity.

It seems tonight's Common Council meeting will take place as scheduled. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at the Central Fire Station, 77 North Seventh Street, and on Microsoft Teams. Click here to find the link to join the meeting remotely.

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A Hudson Connection

Last Friday, there was an article in the Times Union about The Free School in Albany and its financial problems: "How the Albany Free School sold off its real estate portfolio." The article reports that the school, which Wikipedia claims is "the oldest independent, inner-city alternative school in the United States," has in recent years "hemorrhaged money and students." 

Photo: Jim Franco | Times Union

One passage in the article is of particular interest for us in Hudson:

When the Times Union visited the school in November, it was down to a single teacher and fewer than two dozen students. A housing nonprofit from the city of Hudson had agreed to pay the school’s bills in exchange for tuition, while the nonprofit's senior policy advisor, Quintin Cross—who had been in a relationship with the school's sole instructor—had joined its board of directors. Its leadership said the school had spent its small endowment and was effectively out of money.

The article the Times Union published in November 2023 about the Free School, "Albany's Free School, nation's oldest urban alternative school, is dying," provides more information about the relationship between the Hudson Catskill Housing Coalition and the Albany Free School. The following is quoted from that November article:

In a last-ditch attempt—and unusual move—to save the school, a housing nonprofit from 35 miles away in Hudson has taken over. The coalition got involved two years ago because its senior policy advisor, Quintin Cross, advocated for the school. Cross' children attended part-time while being homeschooled, and his mother, Sanon, is the head teacher. 

The Hudson Catskill Housing Coalition said it is now paying the school’s National Grid bill and any other bills, which would include teacher salaries. In exchange, it is keeping all tuition payments and 5 percent of any fundraising.  

It seems that in the months that have passed since November, the Times Union realized that the only teacher at the Free School is not Cross's mother but rather someone with whom he "had been in a relationship."

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Following Up: The February newsletter of the Hudson Catskill Housing Coalition includes this information about the Albany Free School.

Meetings of Interest in the Week Ahead

In this week, which begins with the observance of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, there are just two meetings.

• On Tuesday, January 16, the Common Council holds its regular monthly meeting at 6:00 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at the Central Fire Station, 77 North Seventh Street, and on Microsoft Teams. Click here to find the link to join the meeting remotely.
• On Wednesday, January 17, the Hudson Housing Authority Board of Commissioners meets at 6:00 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person in the Community Room at Bliss Towers, 41 North Second Street, and on Zoom. Click here to join the meeting remotely.

COPYRIGHT 2024 CAROLE OSTERINK