News of the Public Square

Last night, at the informal Common Council meeting, Rob Perry, superintendent of Public Works, reported that the RFP (request for proposal) for Seventh Street Park "should be going out soon." This morning, Gossips received the following press release from Friends of the Public Square (FOPS).

Construction to renovate the 7th Street Park will begin in the spring of 2025. Friends of the Public Square, which has a memorandum of understanding with the City, has announced that a contract for the renovation is now ready to go out to bid. Groundbreaking will occur after a contractor has been selected in a competitive bidding process. Soon the construction fences will go up, and groundbreaking will be announced.

The detailed bid documents were produced by landscape architects Starr Whitehouse and a team from FOPS, along with various experts, Mayor Kamal Johnson, and the City of Hudson Department of Public Works. The bidding process lasts 30 days.

FOPS has raised over $1 million to support the first phase of work, which includes new pathways and benches, and the repositioning of the Veterans Memorial to Warren Street in a new Veterans Plaza, as well as landscaping and the infrastructure necessary to build a new fountain.

The park design reflects the input received from numerous community meetings and surveys to have a park that allows for gathering, entertainment, and perhaps most importantly a functioning fountain. FOPS also worked with the American Legion Post 184 and VFW Post 1314 on the repositioning of the memorial to its new Warren Street location.

Fundraising continues for the fountain and its surrounding plaza.

Katherine Kanaga, co-chair of the FOPS board stated, “We remain confident that generous donors and other grants will meet the remaining shortfall, and the fountain will take its rightful place at the center of Hudson’s Public Square.”

The challenges of updating a historic park for contemporary uses, while maintaining its original design intent and character, have been a fundamental component of the design process. Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects worked with FOPS and the City of Hudson to set forth a phased plan to bring back the Public Square Park to the forefront of the public imagination, while accommodating programming and activities which speak to the patrons of today and tomorrow.

Friends of the Public Square Hudson Inc is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit formed to renovate the 7th Street Park (the Public Square) in partnership with the City of Hudson. Further information is available on their website–fopshudson.com.

In Case You Missed It

Last week, an article by Jamie Larson about the new Frederic Church Center for Art and Landscape at the Olana State Historic Site appeared in Rural Intelligence: "Olana's New Award-winning Multi-million Dollar Building Is Almost Invisible."

Photo: Peter Aaron

Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead

The holidays are now well over, and the new year is in full swing meetingwise. The week ahead includes meetings of the Common Council, the Planning Board, and the Zoning Board of Appeals.

• On Monday, January 13, the Common Council holds its organizational meeting at 6:00 p.m., followed by the informal meeting. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.  
• On Tuesday, January 14, the Planning Board meets at 6:30 p.m. The agenda includes many things that have been before the Planning Board for a while, as well as something that has been expected for a while: the conditional use permit for Colarusso's dock operations. It is worth noting that Colarusso has been carrying on its dock operations since January 24, 2017, without a conditional use permit. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Zoom. Click here to join the meeting remotely

• On Wednesday, January 15, the Hudson Industrial Development Agency (IDA) meets at 10:30 a.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at 1 City Centre, Suite 301, and on Zoom. Click here to join the meeting remotely.

Update: The IDA meeting for today was canceled without notice and will be rescheduled.

• Also on Wednesday, January 15, the Zoning Board of Appeals meets at 6:00 p.m. On the agenda for the meeting is an application for the area variances needed to demolish a single-story structure at 9 Partition Street and construct in its place a three-story single family dwelling. The meeting takes place in person only at City Hall.

• On Thursday, January 16, Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency (HCDPA) meets at 4:30 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.  
• Also on Thursday, January 16, the Public Works Board, a.k.a. the Sidewalk Board, meets at 6:00 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.
• On Saturday, January 18, the People's March in opposition to the Project 2025 agenda takes place on Warren Street. Marchers are asked to assemble at noon in Seventh Street Park. The march will proceed down Warren Street, ending at Promenade Hill. Click here for more information.

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Me & Mini Me Redux

In the early aughts, Eric Galloway acquired 317 Allen Street, the Jacobean and Dutch inspired mansion designed by Marcus Reynolds for Morgan A. Jones, a young man who had inherited a fortune from his father's manufactured soap company. In the brief time he owned the property, Galloway divided it into three parts: the main house, the carriage house, and southernmost part of the parcel where a tennis court and an overlook were once located.

This photograph, which appeared in 1910 in the architectural magazine Brickbuilder, shows the carriage house, the formal garden, and the path leading to the tennis court and the overlook. 

On the southernmost part of what had once been the grounds of an elegant urban mansion, Galloway built two faux Greek Revival houses, one smaller than the other. Disgruntled residents of Willard Place, unhappy about the intrusion of these houses of anachronistic design into their pristine late 19th-century neighborhood, dubbed them "Me & Mini Me."

Now it seems Galvan is proposing another architectural Me & Mini Me for Hudson. At Friday's meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission, Walter Chatham presented plans for 123 Union Street, a building that has been owned by Galvan since 2010, first by Galvan Partners LLC, then by Galvan Initiatives Foundation. 

Chatham described the house as a "lovely former mansion" which for many years had been "broken up into apartments." The plan is to turn the house once again into a single family residence. An alteration being proposed for the exterior of the house is adding four windows on the west side of the building that replicate, in size and design, the windows at the front.  

The plans also involve removing the tumbledown garage at the back of the property, facing Partition Street, and replacing it with a building that is a miniature of the original house, replicating all the finishes and details of the larger house. The building would house a two-car garage and a second-floor apartment. Chatham referred to the two buildings as "Me & Mini Me."

Chatham explained, as Gail Walker, wife of Kevin Walker, who designed the original Me & Mini Me on Willard Place, did years ago, that it was a common phenomenon in the South to have an outbuilding that was a miniature version of the main house. Chatham admitted he had yet to find any examples of this practice in the North.

Chatham acknowledged that the construction of the new Mini Me would entail the removal of two large maple trees, which he said were "kind of at the end of their life," but he assured the HPC that their loss would be compensated for by new landscaping.

Reacting to the proposed new building, HPC member John Schobel said it looked unconventional, "because it's a garage that looks like a house." Miranda Barry asked if the proposed new building would be an exact copy of the original house. When Chatham confirmed that it would, Barry commented, "It's like a dollhouse in the back." She went on to say, "It's unlikely the original owner would have built a replica of the house." Phil Forman, who chairs the HPC, opined, "There is something startling about the replica concept."

Chatham responded to the HPC's less than enthusiastic reception of Mini Me by saying he would try to figure out how the design could have "a little humor and a little style" while meeting the HPC's standards for appropriateness and compatibility.   

A public hearing on the project has been scheduled for Friday, January 24.

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Hudson in the New York Times

On Wednesday, the "What You Get" feature in the Real Estate section of the New York Times was this: "$2.3 Million Homes in Florida, New York and Maryland." The $2.3 million home in New York is "an 1890 townhouse in Hudson," specifically 522 Warren Street.

According to the county assessment rolls, the last time the building was sold, in 2020, the price was $755,000.

Support Your Local Farmers' Market

Having the Hudson Farmers' Market in January is an experiment this year. To keep the year-round structure, shoppers are urged not to miss a weekend. To encourage that, the HFM is introducing an incentive program. 

When you go to the market tomorrow, stop by the Info Table and pick up this punch card.

Then, every week for the fifteen weeks until the market returns to its warm weather location, return to the Info Table to have your card punched. If between now and April your card is punched ten times, you will receive a beautifully designed, well-constructed, long-lasting HFM tote bag.

So head on over to the Hudson Farmers' Market tomorrow morning. You will find it in its winter location at the Hudson Elks Lodge, 201 Harry Howard Avenue. The market is open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Commercial Corridor or Historic District?

In November, after a public hearing, the Historic Preservation Commission denied a certificate of appropriateness for an internally illuminated sign to be affixed to the east side of 251 Allen Street, a house that has been operated as a B&B, by different owners, since 2002. The opinion of the HPC was that a sign of the size proposed was inappropriate in a historic district.

Today, the proposed sign was back before the HPC, but the changes to the design for the sign were minimal. Instead of the diameter of the sign being 7 feet, it would be 82 inches--a difference of 2 inches. Instead of being all plastic, it would be a combination of aluminum and plastic.

The applicant, Ben Rinzler, who owns the Hudson Whaler (542 Warren Street) and the Hudson Mariner (26 Warren Street) and plans to develop 10-12 Warren Street as a hotel, argued that Third Street was "clearly a commercial corridor" and he was "trying to do something tasteful." He told the HPC that if the sign were any smaller it would not be legible and asserted that the code allowed a sign as big as 12 feet by 12 feet.

Nevertheless, the HPC once again denied a certificate of appropriateness, maintaining that, despite the fact that the sign was visible from a "commercial corridor," it was located in a historic district and was hence not appropriate.  

It is expected Rinzler will make a third attempt to get his sign approved, but one has to wonder why he thinks putting a sign on the side of this building is so important. Does he think guests of the Hudson Navigator won't be able to find their destination without an illuminated sign to guide them? Overnight stays in Hudson aren't exactly like 1950s road trips. It's not as if people driving into town are going to see the sign and say, "That place looks nice. Let's stay there tonight." 

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Mark Your Calendars

The Citizens' Initiative for Charter Change announced today that there will be a public gathering on Wednesday, January 22, at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will take place in the Community Room at the Hudson Area Library, 51 North Fifth Street. At the meeting, the team of citizens proposing the charter change will present their findings and answer voters' questions about the proposal.

The following is quoted from the press release issued today.

The decision we face is not complex: Do we cling to our outdated mayor-council system, which has become increasingly inefficient and costly while our population has halved, or do we embrace a manager-council system--a proven model that professionalizes city management and prioritizes fiscal responsibility and long-term planning? 

Meet the team that has brought the proposal forward. Ask questions. Learn the process to achieve success for the proposal.

Light refreshments will be served at the meeting. Information about the initiative can be found at www.hudsoncharterchange.com.

More Grant Money for Home Improvements

City Hall issued the following press release yesterday.

The City of Hudson has been awarded two housing rehabilitation grants from New York State’s Office of Homes and Community Renewal. Hudson received a $520,000 HOME grant to fund critical health and safety repairs for single-family owner-occupied housing and a $120,000 Access to Home Grant to make residential units accessible for low- and moderate-income persons with disabilities. . . .

The HOME grant will fund critical repairs of owner-occupied single-family houses in the City of Hudson for households at or under 80% of the Area Median Income (approximately $57,800 for a household of one and $66,000 for a household of two). Examples of eligible repairs include, but are not limited to: roof repairs, structural repairs, plumbing, or electrical repairs. The main goal of the program is to help keep housing safe and healthy for homeowners and to prevent displacement due to prohibitive costs of repairs.

The second grant, ACCESS TO HOME, provides funding to make residential units accessible for low- and moderate- income persons with disabilities. Both tenants and homeowners in the City of Hudson are eligible for this funding if they have a documented disability and meet the income eligibility guidelines. Examples of modification may include wheelchair ramps and lifts, handrails, doorway widening, and roll-in showers.

Local organizations such as the Independent Living Center of the Hudson Valley, the Columbia County Office for the Aging, and the Columbia County Veterans Service Agency helped support the grant application for the Access to Home grants, and the City will continue working with these groups to identify and support program applicants.

The City is currently accepting pre-applications from interested households. Residents of Hudson interested in either grant can read more on the City’s website. Interested households can submit a pre-application here or by calling 518-828-7217 no later than February 10, 2025. Pre-applications will be screened for eligibility. Funding is limited and projects will be selected based off household eligibility, severity of need, and project feasibility.

Inquiries related to either grant may be directed to Housing Justice Director Michelle Tullo at housing@cityofhudson.org.

The County and the City, Round 2

Last year, any hope for redeveloping 11 Warren Street to create something more appropriate for the westernmost block of our main street than the out-of-character failed 1970s strip mall currently there was dashed when the Columbia County Board of Supervisors purchased the building to use as office space. Now the County's plans are once again threatening the well-being of Hudson.

The County intends to install EV (electric vehicle) chargers in the courthouse parking lot. The installation is part of a NYSERDA initiative and is being carried out with NYSERDA grant funding. The EV chargers require that new 60-foot utility poles be installed to bring power to the chargers, and where it is proposed these poles will be installed is on the 300 block of Allen Street, Hudson's "stately homes block," the block that contains the city's finest collection of grand 19th-century houses, including a rare example of Egyptian Revival style architecture. Beyond the simple unsightliness of these additional poles, bringing power to the EV chargers would involve the brutal pruning of a century-old silver maple at 342 Allen Street and the removal of two mature trees at 357 Allen Street.

 

342 Allen Street

357 Allen Street

The situation was briefly discussed at the meeting of the Conservation Advisory Council on Tuesday. Michael O'Hara, who serves on the CAC and represents Hudson on the Columbia County Environmental Management Council (EMC), said the new powerlines could be rerouted to avoid Allen Street, but it would be more costly. O'Hara indicated that it was the county's decision and said of the rerouting, "Randall Martin, the new First Ward supervisor, needs to make this happen."

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Returning to Mill Street Lofts

The Planning Board meets next Tuesday, and before that happens, Gossips wants to share some of what took place at the December 10 meeting of the Planning Board. As usual, residents of Mill Street showed up in force to express their opposition to the project. The current residents of Mill Street are universally opposed to the project which would increase the density of their neighborhood, now comprised of eleven households, by 600 percent. Several of the residents urged the Planning Board to "right-size" the project, making it only three stories rather than four stories. Incentive zoning, which was adopted in 2011 as part of Hudson's Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan (LWRP), makes it unnecessary for the project to be granted a height variance by the Zoning Board of Appeals and allows the Planning Board to give affordable housing projects a "density bonus." The project, as it is currently proposed will have 70 units. A Mill Street resident told the Planning Board, "If you had a 35-unit building proposed, none of us would be here."

Another Mill Street resident pointed out that what is being proposed runs counter to years of community visioning regarding this area of the city. As Gossips has already reported, in 1983, when the City of Hudson took possession of the land that had been the playing fields for Charles Williams School, there was a clause in the deed requiring that ownership of the land revert back to the school district if the City wanted to use it for anything other than park land and recreation. Somehow the City got the school district to agree to abandon that "reverter clause" in exchange for half the proceeds from the sale of the land, although exactly how that deal was reached and why it never came before the Common Council remain a mystery. 

At the meeting on December 10, it was pointed out that the idea of this land being preserved for recreational purposes persisted for decades. On page 58 of the City's 2002 Comprehensive Plan, the site is included in the proposals for Parks & Recreation Improvements.  

Figure 24 in the City's LWRP, adopted by the Common Council in 2011, shows the parcel as recreational open space. 

Interestingly, when the LWPR was mentioned, Victoria Polidoro, counsel to the Planning Board, pointed out that the LWRP had not been approved by the State, implying that the information contained therein could be ignored but apparently not appreciating the irony that incentive zoning, which is enabling the project to circumvent the ZBA, is also part of the LWRP.   

At this meeting too, "Friendly Neighborhood Immigrant" told the Planning Board, "There is a clear double standard in how you are dealing with this project" as compared with its treatment of the market rate apartment building proposed for Fairview Avenue, bordering "the Boulevards." He went on to say the board had made a "wrongful determination" when it made a negative declaration on the Mill Street project in the SEQR (State Environmental Quality Review) process, "knowing your conflict of interest." The conflict of interest he referenced is that of Theresa Joyner, who chairs the Planning Board. In addition to chairing the Planning Board, Joyner is the City's Fair Housing Director. Asked about this perceived conflict of interest, Joyner declined to comment.  

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Skeletal Remains Identified

On December 9, 2024, a survey crew discovered skeletal remains in a wooded area off Mill Street. Today, the Hudson Police Department issued a press release announcing that the remains have been identified.

The skeletal remains found in the City of Hudson were identified to be Robert J. Coons of Hudson, NY. The femur bone was sent to the New York State Forensic Investigation Center located in Albany, New York, on December 10th, 2024. On January 3rd, 2025, the Hudson Police Department received a report that stated that the DNA extracts were tested and the results matched Robert J. Coons. HPD contacted Coon’s family immediately and advised them of the above findings. In July of 2023, Robert Coons was reported missing to the Hudson Police Department. HPD Detectives led the missing person’s investigation and the investigation was still active and ongoing upon the recovery of the remains. Following the autopsy, Dr. Ng advised HPD that the cause of death is undetermined; however, his findings do not suggest that there were any signs of trauma or anything to indicate foul play.

The report confirms what many, including a commenter on Gossips, suspected might be the case.

Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead

After the holidays, the meeting schedule for the first full week of 2025 is pretty light. Here is what's happening.

• On Tuesday, January 7, the Conservation Advisory Council meets at 6:00 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.  
• On Thursday, January 9, the Columbia County Housing Task Force meets at 4:00 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at 1 City Centre, Suite 301, and on Zoom. Click here to join the meeting remotely. 
• On Friday, January 10, the Historic Preservation Commission meets at 10:00 a.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.

Water Crisis Is Over

The Register-Star reports today that the leaks causing the City's recent loss of water have been located and repaired: "Hudson's water replenishing after line freezes, breaks."  The cold snap around December 23 caused both pipes in homes and water lines to break. According to the article, the Department of Public Works identified fourteen buildings with water line breaks, "homes that were vacant, unoccupied, under construction, or left empty by people traveling during the holidays." 

Even though the problems have been corrected and the City's water tank is being replenished, residents are still urged to conserve water.

Diminishing Democracy

When the Hudson Charter Change group went public with its plan to reform city government, Mayor Kamal Johnson and Council president Tom DePietro contemned it as an effort to circumvent the will of the people. Speaking to the Register-Star, Johnson said what was proposed "kills the democratic process" and characterized the citizens' initiative as "making backroom decisions about city government without the citizens." Ironically, tonight, at the special meeting of the Common Council, we witnessed the will of the citizens of the First Ward ignored by the majority of the Common Council. 

The principal purpose of tonight's special meeting was to appoint someone to finish out Claire Cousin's term as supervisor for the First Ward. Two people expressed interest in the position: Alexandria Madero and Randall Martin. 

In the run-up to the special Common Council meeting, supporters of Madero initiated a petition which in four days (two of which were holidays--New Year's Eve Day and New Year's Day) garnered 61 signatures from people confirmed to be First Ward residents and voters. The petition actually had 68 signatures, but some of the signatories could not be confirmed as First Ward residents. It is of no small significance that when Martin ran unsuccessfully for First Ward alderman in 2023, he received only 66 votes.

Learning of the petition for Madero, Martin launched his own petition. It would seem it didn't do too well since there was no mention of it at tonight's meeting. Instead, Martin seems to have sought support not from his would-be constituents but from the political establishment in Hudson. Councilmember Vicky Daskaloudi (Fifth Ward) mentioned that three Hudson supervisors had submitted letters of support for Martin. One of them was Rick Scalera (Fifth Ward), another was Michael Chameides (Third Ward), and the third was former Fourth Ward supervisor Bill Hughes. Gossips has also learned that Martin got Sam Hodge, chair of the Columbia County Democratic Committee, to write a letter of support for him. 

So tonight, instead of respecting the will of the First Ward, as Councils in the past have done,  the Common Council appointed Randall Martin to be supervisor to represent the First Ward. Only three members of the Council voted against appointing Martin: Jennifer Belton (Fourth Ward), Margaret Morris (First Ward), and Rich Volo (Fourth Ward). Remarkably, although early on in the meeting, Gary Purnhagen (First Ward) declared his support for Madero, when it came time to vote, he abstained, without explaining his reasons for doing so.

DePietro was quoted in the Times Union as saying. "Charter revision should enhance democracy in Hudson not diminish it." That doesn't seem to apply to other things. For First Ward residents, it feels like democracy was diminished for them by the Common Council's action tonight.

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What It's All About

Since reporting about the resolution that has been added to the agenda for tonight's special Common Council meeting, Gossips has learned more about Galvan's Article 7 proceeding against the City of Hudson. It involves ten properties whose assessments Galvan is challenging--seven belonging to Galvan Initiatives Foundation, one owned by Galvan Partners LLC, and two belonging to Hudson Collective Realty LLC. In the list of properties below, the first number is the final assessed value determined by the city assessor, and the second is what Galvan claims the assessment should be. 

• 223 Union Street: $430,000 vs. $326,000
• 213 Union Street: $385,000 vs. $312,000
• 449 Prospect Street: $280,000 vs. $181,760
• 105 Union Street: $275,000 vs. $191,700 (According to Zillow, this house was sold in November 2024 for $740,000.)

• 354 Warren Street (Johnny's Ideal): $390,000 vs. $279,030 (According to the tax rolls, Galvan purchased this building in 2019 for $730,000.)
• 28 Allen Street: $325,000 vs. $159,750
• 30 Allen Street: $639,000 vs. $159,750  (According to Redfin, this house was sold in August 2024 for $950,000.)

• 250-252 Allen Street: $275,000 vs. $67,450 (According to Zillow, this house was sold in August 2024 for $740,000.)

• 70-72 North Fifth Street: $290,000 vs. $128,510
• 92 Union Turnpike: $610,000 vs. $443,700 (According to the tax rolls, Galvan purchased this building in 2019 for $650,000.)

In total, Galvan is seeking to reduce the assessments of these ten properties by $1.65 million--$1,649,350 to be exact--and hence to reduce the amount due in property tax.

The special meeting of the Common Council takes place at 6:00 p.m. today. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.

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Special Meeting Tonight

The Common Council meets today at 6:00 p.m. to appoint a replacement for Claire Cousin as First Ward supervisor. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.

Something new has been added to the agenda for tonight's special meeting. Once again, the Galvan Initiatives Foundation has filed an Article 7 proceeding against the City of Hudson, protesting the assessments, for taxing purposes, of some of its many properties in Hudson. The resolution that will come before the Council tonight authorizes the mayor to spend up to $5,500 for appraisals on properties whose value is being contested.

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First News of 2025

It's a local election year, and at least one political race is getting started early. The Register-Star reports today that Mayor Kamal Johnson, who has run unopposed in the last two elections, will have not one but two challengers this time around: "Two candidates seek to unseat Hudson mayor." The two candidates are Billy Blowers and Peter Spear.

According to the article, Blowers intends to run as a Democrat, which means he would be challenging Johnson in a primary. Spear, on the other hand, plans to run on his own party line, which he is calling Future Hudson, after the "ongoing experiment in civic engagement and advocacy" Spear launched in 2019 with a series of discussions on community issues.

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A Wonderful Story for the End of the Year

Ten years ago, prompted by an inquiry from someone seeking to learn the location of a house that appears in the book Modern Buildings by Henry S. Moul Architect, which was labeled simply "Residence of the Late Hon. Elbert Payne, Hudson, N.Y.," I did a post about 4 McKinstry Place and the people for whom it was designed and built: "The Human History Behind a Hudson House." 

The picture below shows how the house looked in 2014, when I wrote that post.

In 2021, the house got new owners, and in the intervening years, it has undergone an extensive and meticulously authentic restoration. The current owner told Gossips, "Everything, and I mean everything, had to be redone--for example, 80 percent of the front porch is reconstructed and about 50 percent of the elaborate exterior moldings are new." Of the decorative millwork details, he said, "While these were probably 'order by mail' elements for our old friend Henry S. Moul, they had to be painstakingly recrafted by hand to match."

The pictures below show the house in the early stages of the restoration.

The architect, Michael Walch, comments about the restoration on his website, which can be accessed here. This photo of the completed restoration is from that website.

This photo of the lovely family who own the house and are making it their home was provided by John M. Schobel, one of the members of the family.

What may be most worthy of note is that this remarkable restoration/renovation took place in a part of city—McKinstry Place—that is not part of any designated historic district, although, in my opinion, it should be.

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Attention First Ward Residents

As Gossips has reported, Claire Cousin has resigned her position as First Ward supervisor. On Friday, January 3, the Common Council will hold a special meeting to vote on who will finish out her term on the Columbia County Board of Supervisors. 

In the past, when an elected official representing the First Ward has resigned, residents of the First Ward have made their preference known to the Council. This has happened twice during the years that Gossips has existed: in 2012, when Larissa Parks resigned as First Ward alderman after serving in that position for only about ten weeks; and in 2015, when David Marston resigned as First Ward alderman to take a job in Minnesota. Each time, residents of the First Ward gathered to hear from the people interested in being appointed and to take a straw poll to show their preference. In 2012, the winner of the straw poll was Nick Haddad; and 2015, the winner of the straw poll was Rick Rector. Both times, the Common Council honored the wishes of the ward residents and appointed the person chosen in the straw poll.

First Ward gathering and straw poll 2012

First Ward gathering and straw poll 2015

Two people have expressed interest in becoming First Ward supervisor: Randall Martin and Alexandria Madero. 

Martin, who currently serves on the Planning Board and represents the Planning Board on the Hudson Industrial Development Agency (IDA), ran for a seat on the Common Council in 2023 and lost in the primary, receiving 66 votes as compared with 130 votes for Margaret Morris and 73 votes for Gary Purnhagen. 

Madero is a newcomer to Hudson politics. She got her introduction to civic engagement here in Hudson as a charter member of the 11 Warren Street Action Group, an experience that inspired her to become more involved in local politics, "with the hope," as she expressed it in her letter of intent, "of preventing something like that from happening again." Her experience with 11 Warren Street also revealed to her how little communication there is between the Board of Supervisors and the Common Council, and she intends, if appointed, "to act as a conduit between County and City" to remedy that situation. 

Perhaps because the appointment of a new First Ward supervisor is happening during the holidays, the tradition of having a First Ward meeting and a straw poll did not happen.  Nevertheless, there are still ways for First Ward residents to make their preference known. First Ward residents have started a petition to show their support for Alexandria Madero. That petition can be found here. 

Gossips believes that Madero will bring a fresh energy to the Board of Supervisors and the ability and willingness to fight our corner at the county level. Readers who live and are registered to vote in the First Ward are urged to sign the petition and let the Common Council know their preference. The petition can be found here.

A Post-Christmas Message from City Hall

Yesterday, December 26, the following message appeared on the City of Hudson website. (The exclamation marks are as I found them.)

ATTENTION HUDSON RESIDENTS!!! The City's water plant is losing a lot of water at a high rate. This usually means there is a break somewhere. DPW has not been able to locate it, but are thinking maybe an empty house or building may have had a water line freeze and break. They are doing everything they can to keep the water levels up, but are encouraging residents to conserve water usage and be on the lookout for any leaks. Please share and thank you for your cooperation!!!!

There is no indication that the problem has yet been located and corrected.

Merry Christmas to All!

New Face Coming on Union Street

For everyone who has been distressed over the years by the picture window crudely cut into the facade at 250 Union Street, there is good news.

The plans for the restoration of this building and the one next to it (252 Union Street) came before the Historic Preservation Commission on Friday, December 13. The good news is that the picture window and the additional door are going away, and the original configuration of the windows on the first floor at 250 Union is being restored. Also, the aluminum awning over the doorway at 252 Union is going away.   

A cause for concern, however, is the doorway at 250 Union. It appears from the elevation drawing that the new design for the door surround may eliminate part of the Italianate trim over the door. Although it is unlikely this ornament was part of original house, it has probably been there for at least a hundred years and is part of the historic fabric of the house.

Members of the Historic Preservation Commission Gossips consulted were not certain if the ornamental hood would remain intact. HPC member John Schobel told Gossips, "There was no discussion, but I feel confident they wouldn't [remove it]." Schobel indicated, however, that the HPC would get clarification about the plans for the door surround before the HPC votes to grant a certificate of appropriateness at its next meeting on January 10. Gossips' inquiry to the architect of the project about this detail did not receive a response.

The restoration/renovation of these two houses is part of The Spark of Hudson's affordable housing initiative, HudsonDots.

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Update: Liam Turkle, the architect for the project, has contacted Gossips to give assurance that the Italianate ornamental hood over the door at 250 Union Street will be retained intact. He provided this clearer image of the proposed restoration of the entryway. 

Celebrating the Winter Solstice

Saturday is the Winter Solstice, when the march of darkness falling ever earlier begins to reverse itself. For those of us who hate that sunset comes before 4:30 p.m., this is a significant holiday, marking the return of the light. If you are looking for a way to celebrate the day, Olana may be offering just the thing.

The Olana Partnership and New York State Parks invite the community to join in celebrating the changing season during its annual Winter Solstice Celebration at Olana. Visit the site on Saturday, December 21, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. for a series of free opportunities to experience the Hudson Valley's beautiful winter landscape.

The Winter Solstice Celebration will include free access to the historic interiors, a bonfire, a live set with DJ Jared, drop-in activities and games, refreshments for purchase from Citiot in Catskill, The Cookie Board, and Nine Pin Cider, a special visit from everyone's favorite miniature donkey, Hank, back by popular demand, and much more! Special events take place throughout the afternoon at both the Frederic Church Center for Art & Landscape and the East Lawn near the historic house.

Derek James Smith of Constellation in Catskill will share a presentation and discussion around the astrology of Frederic Church and Olana to kick off the afternoon at 1:00 p.m. This introduction will study Church's natal chart to provide an introduction to astrology's possibilities for aficionados and beginners alike. From 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., Derek will offer interactive outdoor astrological readings for those curious to learn more about the craft.

Local outdoor educator Nature Sarah will lead two family-friendly walks at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., sharing information about solstices and sunsets. A nature-themed scavenger hunt will be available for younger participants. Each hike will start from the historic house and follow Ridge Road (0.6 mile). The route is considered easy, with minimal elevation gain and short distances of steep grade. Strollers are welcome.

From 1:00 p.m. until sunset, participants can view the sun directly through specially equipped solar telescopes. Amateur astronomers from the Mid-Hudson Astronomical Association will help point out sunspots and other solar features, using specially designed filters.

The day will finish with a sunset performance by the Hudson Community Choir and sunset from one of the best views in the Hudson Valley.

House entry will be available on a first come first served basis beginning at 2:00 p.m. Last house entry will be at 4:00 p.m. Outdoor bonfire until 5:00 p.m. provided by the New York State Parks. A free shuttle will be available to Olana from Hudson with pick up and drop off at the Hudson Area Library every hour beginning at 12:30 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. This free community event is presented in collaboration with The Olana Partnership and New York State's Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, and generously sponsored by the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce and Price Chopper/Market 32.

For more information, visit olana.org/solstice.