Hudson and Bard

Gossips did not attend the roundtable with Bard representatives at Park Theater last night. Although I had secured myself a place in the room, I gave up that space when HBCi clarified that the roundtable was intended only for business owners and asked people were not business owners to forfeit their seats. It seems I may have been the only person to respond to Billy Blowers' appeal. From people who did attend, I was able to glean the following information.

There is still no published list of the properties involved in the gift made to Bard College by the Galvan Foundation, but it seems the total number of properties being donated to Bard is about eighty, a number that includes all the properties in the area of the city that Galvan has dubbed the "Depot District": Hudson Depot Lofts; the former train station that now houses Upper Depot Brewing Company; the remnant of the Gifford-Wood Foundry building, part of which now houses Return Brewing and the other part which is being renovated as a theater and eating and drinking establishment; the former Community Theatre building, which previously was reported not to be one of the properties being given to Bard.

3D rendering of the Depot District as envisioned by Galvan in February 2022

Although Bard is, at this point, not certain what they will do with all the properties that have come into their possession, the goal, not unreasonably, is to use them in a way that provides the greatest benefit to Bard. The gift was, after all, to be "directed towards Bard's groundbreaking $500 million endowment campaign." Given that, it is likely about 50 percent of the properties will be sold within the next five years. 

Although Gossips wasn't present at the roundtable, two of the editors of Hudson Common Sense were and share their impressions of the event in a special report on The Shallot, HCS's satirical arm: "Adults from The City of Bard visit students from Hudson College." 

The following is quoted from that report:

This week’s Hudson Business Coalition roundtable, billed as a business focused meeting so popular that confirmed guests were asked to give up seats for actual business owners, quickly revealed itself as something else. It became a collision between Hudson’s lingering Galvan trauma and Bard’s good intentions delivered with the finesse of a bright but impatient physics professor who skipped sensitivity training. 

The report is entertaining and recommended reading. 

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The Peaceful Transition of Power Revisited

Exactly one month ago, on November 10, Gossips published a post titled "No Peaceful Transition of Power Here," inspired by this comment, made on an earlier post reporting the results of counting affidavit ballots: "This is the mayor's last opportunity to exhibit any grace: he should concede immediately, congratulate Joe, and begin cooperating with his transition team." That wasn't happening then, and a month later, with only three weeks left in the year, it's not happening now.

This morning, Roger Hannigan Gilson reports on the situation in the Times Union: "Hudson mayor has yet to meet with successor more than a month after the election." The following is quoted from the article:

Ferris confirmed on Monday afternoon that no transition meeting had been held. He emailed Johnson the week before Thanksgiving, asking to meet, then again early this month after he had not heard back, Ferris said. Johnson responded that he would “be in touch” at the end of December.

The city’s charter does not spell out an official policy about mayoral transition meetings. Mayor Johnson and Mayoral Aide Justin Weaver did not respond to questions.

Another argument for charter revision.

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On the Trail of Blaze

Last month, Gossips shared the news, first reported by Roger Hannigan Gilson in the Times Union, that the owners of Riverbend Dispensary at 531 Warren Street are suing the Cannabis Control Board for granting a waiver to Blaze NY, a cannabis dispensary that plans to open at 519 Columbia Street, just a block away from Riverbend. Blaze NY needed a waiver because New York State regulations require that cannabis shops be at least 2,000 feet apart in municipalities with fewer than 20,000 residents.

The waiver is not the only special treatment the proposed Blaze dispensary has received. In October 2023, the Common Council passed a resolution in support of Blaze NY's application for a cannabis dispensary license. The resolution contained this justification for Council support:

WHEREAS, the proposed business operation is a minority owned business which proposes a community plan to work with the City of Hudson to support the local Hudson community by seeking employees from the local population, reinvesting financially into the community, and creating a Community Support Committee to include official representatives of the City of Hudson. . . .

When Blaze was seeking the waiver, Mayor Kamal Johnson reportedly sent a letter of support to the Cannabis Control Board, in which he stated, "This is the type of licensee and business that corresponds to what [state legalization] purports to support, that the [state legalization] has defined that we wanted inclusivity, we wanted opportunity, we want access, and that's exactly what the letter of support means is for, and that resonated with me in this moment."

The Planning Board also seems, in its own way, to be showing its support for Blaze NY. The dispensary will be located at 519 Columbia Street. A review by the Planning Board is required because locating a dispensary in the building constitutes a change of use--from storage to mercantile.

The Planning Board made the decision not to hold a public hearing on the proposed change of use, a rather unusual move for the Planning Board which seems to hold public hearings on every project before them. At its meeting tonight, the Planning Board approved the change of use, without so much as a mention of two letters of concern that had been received about the proposal. 

One of the letters was from Tina Sharpe, executive director of Columbia Opportunities, located at 540 Columbia Street. Sharpe's letter expressed concern about the proposed dispensary's proximity to Columbia Opportunities, which is a licensed daycare center, the lack of parking in the area, traffic and pedestrian safety, impact on neighborhood character, and redundancy, given that Blaze would be the third cannabis dispensary within the city limits of Hudson.

The second letter was from a homeowner and resident on the 500 block of Columbia Street who also owns a rental property on the block. The letter reiterates the concerns expressed in Sharpe's letter but adds an issue not mentioned by Sharpe: security. The following is quoted from the letter:

Due to federal banking restrictions, cannabis dispensaries primarily operate as cash businesses, creating potential security risks for our neighborhood. The presence of a high-cash-volume business could attract criminal activity, including the possibility of robberies. This security threat would place residents, nearby childcare attendees, and dispensary customers at risk, while increasing the burden on local law enforcement in what is currently a relatively peaceful residential area with little foot traffic.

Because there was no discussion of the letters, or even mention of their existence, at tonight's meeting, it is not known if members of the Planning Board, other than the board's chair, Theresa Joyner, were aware of the concerns expressed in the letters when they voted to approve the change of use.

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News from Across the River

Here in Hudson, Kearney Realty & Development is trying to build two apartment buildings--Mill Street Lofts--on land that is designated parkland. A hundred years ago, the parcel chosen by Kearney to be the site of Mill Street Lofts was the playground for Charles Williams School, completed 1924. When the land was conveyed to the City of Hudson in 1983, it was specified in the deed that the land would be used only as a park or for recreation. Since 1983, the parcel has been used as a ballfield and maintained by the City as recreational space.

Something similar is happening across the river. Gossips recently learned that Kearney Realty & Development is planning to construct a mixed-use building on Main Street in Catskill, on the site of what is currently "Park for Paws," a dedicated pet friendly space shaded by mature trees, which is described on Bark Park Finder as "a quiet green area where leashed dogs are welcome to relax with their owners."

 

In March, the Village of Catskill was awarded $10 million in Downtown Revitalization Initiative funding in Round Eight of the program. The Kearney project has requested $1 million of the DRI funding.  

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Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead

With Winter Walk now behind us and the end of the year in sight, here is what's happening.

• On Monday, December 8, the Common Council holds its informal meeting 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 Tuesday, December 9, the Planning Board meets at 6:30 p.m. No agenda for the meeting has yet been published. The meeting takes place in person at City Hall. It will be livestreamed on YouTube. The link to the livestream can be found here.
• On Wednesday, December 10, the Housing Trust Fund Board meets at 5:30 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.

Update: The Housing Trust Fund Board meeting was been canceled.

• On Thursday, December 11, the Public Works Board meets at 5:30 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. 

Update: The Public Works Board meeting has been rescheduled for Monday, December 15, at 5:00 p.m.

• On Friday, December 12, the Historic Preservation Commission meets at 10:00 a.m. No agenda for the meeting is as yet available, but it is possible that the Galvan Foundation's plan to demolish 14 and 16 North Fourth Street in order to build an annex to the Hudson Public Hotel may be on the agenda. 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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And the Winners Are . . .

As in past years, a distinguished panel of anonymous local gallerists and artists has chosen the winners in the annual Winter Walk Window Decorating Contest. This year, instead of assigning a clever designation to each winner, the judges have grouped the winners into three categories: Gold, Silver, and Bronze. 

GOLD GROUP

Farm Shoppe Hudson NY, 554 Warren Street

Neven & Neven Moderne, 618 Warren Street

Stair Galleries, 549 Warren Street

Rebus, 337 Warren Street

Alfredo Paredes Studio, 519 Warren Street

SILVER GROUP

Les Indiennes, 444 Warren Street

Battle Brown, 528 Warren Street

Clove & Creek, 613 Warren Street

Hudsontricity, 428 Warren Street

Atelier Bianca, 741 Warren Street

BRONZE GROUP

Finch, 427 Warren Street

Jamestown Hudson, 548 Warren Street

The Social Type, 238 Warren Street 

Taiga, 119 Warren Street

CoCollaborations, 438 Warren Street

A Dog's Guide to Winter Walk

If you plan to attend Winter Walk with your humans, be sure to take them to 441 Warren Street, where folks from the Hudson Dog Park will be serving up pup cups--made with the good whipped cream meant exclusively for dogs. 

If you have to stay home, make sure your humans to visit the Hudson Dog Park table to get you a yogurt-dipped Milk Bone from Vasilow's--yum!

While they are there, they can show their support for the awesome oasis for dogs that is the Hudson Dog Park. 

Celebrate the Winter Solstice

Olana is once again offering the opportunity to celebrate the Winter Solstice and welcome the returning of the light.

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 State Historic Site. Visit the site on Saturday, December 20, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. to experience the Hudson Valley's beautiful winter landscape through free indoor and outdoor activities and events.

The Winter Solstice Celebration will include free access to the historic interiors, a bonfire, seasonal storytelling for families, a winter choir performance by Catskill High School musicians, refreshments for purchase from Citiot in Catskill, a special visit from everyone's favorite miniature donkey, Hank (back by popular demand), and much more! Special events will take place throughout the afternoon at both the Frederic Church Center for Art & Landscape and the East Lawn near the historic house.

Nature Sarah will lead family friendly, drop-in nature walks along Olana's historic carriage roads. She will also lead hands-on activities designed to give audiences of all ages an understanding of the science of snow and ice and a deeper appreciation for winter weather.

The Olana Partnership's educators will be facilitating winter-themed art activities throughout the day in the Wagon House Education Center. The educators will also gather around the bonfire for a special book reading focusing on how cultures from around the world celebrate the winter solstice. The story hour will be provided in English and Spanish. . . .

The Catskill cafe Citiot will be on site providing seasonal refreshments like hot cocoa, coffee, and delicious baked goods to get visitors in the winter spirit. Nine Pin Ciders, also based in Catskill, will be providing full and half pours of everyone's favorite Hudson Valley hard cider. Non-alcoholic sparkling cider will be available as well.

Discover the global treasures of Olana's Main House interior in your own time for free throughout this special community event. Enjoy free access to Olana's historic interiors during this self-guided opportunity. House entry will be available on a first come, first served basis.

Generous support for Olana's Winter Solstice Celebration is provided by Art Bridges Foundation's Access for All program. To learn more, visit OLANA.org/solstice.

Clarification from HBCi

Two weeks ago, Gossips shared the news that there was to be a roundtable with representatives of Bard College on Tuesday, December 9, to discuss the Galvan Foundation's gift of its Hudson real estate holdings to Bard. Needless to say, many people were interested in attending, and the limited space at the Park Theater filled up quickly. What was not made clear in any of the information available about the roundtable was that it was intended only for business owners, so instead of making arrangements for the event to be livestreamed, which would make it available to anyone interested in the impact this move by Galvan will have on our little city, people who have registered for the event but who are not business owners are being asked to give up their space so business owners can attend. The following appeal was distributed this morning: 

Dear Community Members,

Thank you for your RSVP to the upcoming Hudson-Bard roundtable. We're grateful for the strong interest in this conversation and the care our community is bringing to this opportunity.

I want to take a moment to share an important clarification about the scope of our upcoming roundtable, it is specifically intended for Hudson's business owners and members of the Hudson business community. The purpose of this event is to open a dialogue between Bard College and the local business community, specifically focusing on the impact of Galvan's real-estate gift to commercial property and our Hudson businesses.

We understand that some attendees who RSVP'd may not be part of the Hudson business community and we kindly ask that you release your spot so we can ensure space for those the event was designed to serve. We truly appreciate your understanding.

A forum for discussing residential impacts and properties included in the gift will be addressed in an upcoming public event in early 2026 at an appropriate venue. This will provide Hudson residents and the broader community with an opportunity to understand the full scope and potential impact of the gift as it is finalized. Please look to Bard's Communications Office for updates on that public event.

We look forward to creating a productive, informed conversation with Bard's leadership, one that supports transparency, collaboration, and a strong future for Hudson's business community.

Thank you again for your interest and engagement. Hudson's strength has always come from people who care deeply about this place, and we appreciate your commitment to staying informed during this important transition.

Best,

William S. Blowers

President & Membership Director

Hudson Business Coalition (HBCi)

Looking Forward to Winter Walk

Winter Walk happens this Saturday, December 6, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. This year, some new features have been added, which are described in the following press release.

The Foundry at Hudson which has partnered with the City of Hudson to produce this year's Winter Walk announces new transportation options for visitors to the beloved street festival which will feature over 50 attractions and conclude with fireworks.

For the first time, the festival has arranged for additional satellite parking to be available on the campus of Montgomery C. Smith Elementary School, 102 Harry Howard Ave. Visitors to the festival who choose to take advantage of the ample parking at the elementary school lot will be able to take a free shuttle from the elementary school parking lot to Warren Street sponsored by Johnston Transportation. The shuttle will run in a loop all evening from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. transporting visitors to and from Winter Walk.

The Foundry and the City also announce the addition of an accessibility "Slay Ride" to the Winter Walk festival. This "Slay Ride" is a holiday decorated six-person golf cart which has been donated to the festival by W&B Golf Carts. The drivers of the "Slay Ride" are sponsored by OUT Hudson. The golf cart will travel up and down Warren Street throughout the festival transporting the elderly, or those who require assistance traveling the length of the street. It will stop at each intersection and for anyone who flags it down.

Winter Walk 2025, which takes place this year on December 6 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Hudson's historic Warren Street, will feature over 50 attractions and performers, 34 street vendors, and at least 75 shops open late. At 5 p.m., the festival will begin with a colorful procession down Warren Street featuring all the artists performing at the festival. For the first time, the procession will include extraordinary large-scale illuminated puppets designed by Processional Arts Workshop and built and carried by community members.

As last year, Winter Walk will feature two performance stages with performers who are both local to the region and New York City. On one stage, the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus will perform feats of acrobatics and clowning along with Forro the the Dark, a percussive ensemble from Brooklyn performing music from Brazil. Two bands from the Capital Region will be featured on the other Winter Walk stage, including the Powerhouse Funk Band performing funk and pop hits. They'll share the stage with Alex Torres and His Latin Orchestra, a 12-piece ensemble performing upbeat dance music.

Over 30 Warren Street shops are participating in the traditional Winter Walk Window Decorating Contest by decorating their windows in elaborate and quirky ways to celebrate the holiday season. Awards celebrating some of the most outstanding windows will be given out by a special Winter Walk Committee the night of December 5. As in past years, festival attendees can stroll the length of Warren Street and just enjoy the late night shopping in the stores that are open late.

Information about all the parking options for Winter Walk as well as an online interactive map of the festival can be found at winterwalk2025.org.

The name "Slay Ride" is undoubtedly intentional and not, as a reader suggested to me, a misspelling of sleigh, but it does seem odd that a conveyance meant for Boomers (and even older folk) should be given a name whose cleverness relies on a Gen Z understanding of the word slay.

Surprising News

The Times Union reports today that Lil' Deb's Oasis is for sale: "Lil' Deb's Oasis seeking buyer as owner moves on after 10 years." According to the article, chef-owner Carla Kaya Perez-Gallardo announced on Instagram this morning that she is stepping away at the end of the year and is seeking a buyer for the restaurant. Lil' Deb's Oasis will continue to operate, however, under the management of its current staff.

Photo: Times Union

The article does not mention what is to happen with the restaurant's plans to expand and relocate to 735-737 Columbia Street, a building that was acquired for that purpose in 2022. The plans, which include two kitchens, a larger dining room and bar area, outdoor space, and event space, were before the Planning Board for months in 2023 and 2024, but a decision in the site plan review is still pending. The intended changes to the exterior of the historic building, which started its life as a Pure Oil gas station and was most recently the location of TJ Auto Service, were granted a certificate of appropriateness by the Historic Preservation Commission in March 2023.     

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Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead

We've reached the final month of the 2025. As December begins, and we anticipate the first snowfall of the season, here is what's happening.

• On Tuesday, December 2, 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.

Update: The CAC meeting has been canceled.

• On Wednesday, December 3, the Hudson Industrial Development Agency (IDA) meets at 9:30 a.m. The meeting includes a public hearing on the financial assistance, including a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) agreement, sought for the redevelopment of 601 Union Street, the Terry-Gillette mansion formerly the Hudson Elks Lodge, as a boutique hotel. The meeting is hybrid, taking place in person at 1 City Centre, Suite 301. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.

• Also on Wednesday, December 3, the Common Council Legal Committee meets at 6:00 p.m. No agenda for the meeting has yet been published. 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, December 4, 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.

Update: The Legal Committee meeting has been canceled.

• On Saturday, December 6, it is Winter Walk, Hudson's beloved event that kicks of the holiday season. As always, the event begins at 5:00 p.m. and lasts until 8:00 p.m. This year, the opening procession will feature large-scale illuminated puppets parading down Warren Street, accompanied by the Brasskill Band. 

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Bad End to a Holiday Weekend

A reader has informed Gossips that there was a hit-and-run accident at the corner of Warren and Third streets this afternoon at about 2:30 p.m. The woman who was struck is reported to be in pain but not seriously injured. The grille of the vehicle that struck her came off in the accident, so that should help in identifying the car and the driver. Also, the incident will have been captured on cameras in the area. Gossips will share information as it becomes available.

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Thinking About Parking

The announcement, on the day before Thanksgiving, that parking at meters and in municipal lots would once again be free in the month of December came as a bit of a surprise. Granted it is a long-standing tradition in Hudson, but at the informal meeting of the Common Council on November 10, Captain David Miller, acting chief of police, recommended that fees for meter parking not be suspended for December. Some members of the Common Council appeared to agree with Miller's recommendation. Despite this, in the waning days of his administration, Mayor Kamal Johnson seems to have made a unilateral decision to continue the tradition and forego around $15,000 in revenue for the City from the meters and more from potential parking tickets. 

The current situation inspired me to wonder when and how the tradition of free parking in December got started. Thanks to a reader, Gossips discovered several years ago that parking meters were introduced in 1941, only on the 5o0 and 6o0 blocks of Warren Street and on Seventh Street. What's interesting is that the merchants of Hudson petitioned the Common Council to install the meters, as explained in this article which appeared in the Hudson Evening Register in April 1941. (Because it's a bit hard to read, a transcription the text follows.)

The question of parking meters for Hudson will be determined at a special meeting of the Common Council tonight. The meeting will start at 7:30.

It is expected a resolution, asking for a six months trial of parking meters, will be introduced at the meeting. The matter has been under consideration by the council since a petition, signed by Warren Street merchants, pleaded for a trial term of parking meters this summer.

If the resolution is adopted, aldermen will be called upon to select the type of meter to be used and where they will be placed. It is believed meters will be installed on both sides of Warren street between Fifth and Park Place and on North Seventh street. The body may, however, suggest that meters be installed down Warren street as far as Fourth.

Claiming the parking situation in Hudson has been a serious matter during the past few summer seasons, merchants petitioned the Common Council to give parking meters a trial. If the situation is not improved within a period of six months, may be removed at no cost to the city, the merchants say. 

The minutes of the Common Council indicate that at a special meeting on April 10, 1941, the Council unanimously passed a resolution to install parking meters on Warren Street between Fifth and Park Place and on Seventh Street from Warren to Union and from Warren to Columbia. The resolution contains some interesting language about the need for parking meters.

WHEREAS, this council believes that the installation and operation of traffic parking meters on certain streets and thoroughfares in the City of Hudson may provide a solution of the traffic problem and relieve the congestion and confusion necessarily attendant to heavy and congested traffic and the inability of operators of motor vehicles to find adequate facilities for parking their vehicles.

In 1941, the parking fees at the meters were a penny for 12 minutes and a nickel for an hour.

Knowing when parking meters were introduced in Hudson does not tell us when the tradition of free parking in December began. A logical assumption would be that the tradition was initiated in the 1970s, by the group that called itself SPOUT (Society to Promote Our Unique Town). A major objective of SPOUT was to lure shoppers back to Hudson from the strip malls of Greenport, where parking was plentiful and free. Given that goal, it would make sense that SPOUT would come up with the idea of free parking in the city's commercial district during the biggest shopping month of the year. 

Logical as it seems that free parking in December was a SPOUT initiative, Gossips has been unable to document it, and some believe the tradition was already established when SPOUT was organized in 1975. Whether the tradition started fifty years ago or even earlier, Hudson is a very different place today than it was then. It is highly unlikely that free parking is what motivates people to visit Hudson in 2025, if it ever actually was, and, given the City's current fiscal challenges and uncertainties, foregoing any potential revenue seems a bit unwise. 

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Black Friday Shopping Guide

It's the day after Thanksgiving, and on this day, many people's thoughts turn to shopping. There are two local holiday markets opening today, as well as other opportunities to support small, local businesses. Here is Gossips' list.

• The Holiday Market at the Cannonball Factory opens today at 11:00 a.m. and continues from 11:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day for the rest of this weekend and the next three weekends (December 5-7, 12-14, 19-21).
• Basilica Farm & Flea Holiday Market opens today at 10:00 a.m. and continues on Saturday and Sunday. The hours are 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day.
• Tomorrow, on Small Business Saturday, the Hudson Farmers' Market begins its Winter Market at the Hudson Elks Lodge, 201 Harry Howard Avenue. The market is open from 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. every Saturday right up until Christmas. (The market takes the Saturday after Christmas off and then starts up again on January 3.)
• The Soft Spot, a Hudson Valley parenting newsletter, has published a local shopping guide for holiday gift purchases, which can be found here. 
• For pets this holiday season, Lilly's Natural Pet Store is now open at Hudson Depot Lofts, 76 North Seventh Street. The store is already open, but the grand opening takes place on Friday, December 5, from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., with a ribbon cutting at 5:15 p.m. that day.

The Vote on the Budget

Tonight, on the eve of Thanksgiving, the Common Council voted 8 to 3 to reject the proposed 2026 budget. Only Shershah Mizan (Third Ward), Lola Roberts (Third Ward), and Council president Tom DePietro voted yes to accept the budget. All the other members of the Council voted no.

 

What happens next is not clear. According to the Council's legal counsel, Crystal Peck, the Council cannot send the budget back to the BEA (Board of Estimate and Apportionment). From the time the mayor presents the budget, the Council has twenty days to make cuts to the budget or pass it. The Council cannot make additions to the budget, nor, it seems, can they simply reject it. If the Council does not act on the budget, it is approved by default. Mayor Kamal Johnson presented the budget to the Council on November 10. The twenty days are up on Sunday, November 30. One has to wonder why the special meeting to vote on the budget was scheduled just four days before the deadline, with the intervening days being a major holiday weekend.

The discussion that preceded the vote brought some clarity to the notion that two full-time positions were being cut from the Youth Department--a notion that provoked Youth Department supporters to come out in force to protest at the mayor's public hearing on the budget on November 19. It turns out that in his budget presentation to the BEA Calvin Lewis, youth director, erroneously indicated that there were two vacant full-time positions at the Youth Department: assistant director and athletic director (athletic director being a title change for a position that had been called "full-time rec attendant"). In fact, there was only vacant position: that of assistant director. When the BEA decided to impose a hiring freeze, eliminating the salaries for vacant positions from the budget, they unwittingly eliminated the salary of someone who was already working as athletic director, a.k.a. full-time rec attendant. As Councilmember Margaret Morris (First Ward) pointed out, this problem could have been avoided if the BEA had done a second round of workshops with department heads.

Although most of the discussion had to do with the Youth Department and its unfunded position, Linda Mussmann, Fourth Ward supervisor, rose to speak for the taxpayers, telling the Council, "You are asking the taxpayer to pay more." (The budget calls for a 3.9 percent increase in property taxes.)

Lola Roberts (Third Ward), who was one of the three members who voted accept the budget, bizarrely blamed gentrification for causing taxes to increase.

Margaret Morris, First Ward councilmember and Council president-elect, offered the most reasonable assessment of the situation: "We have been on a downward path in terms of revenue and expenses. We are not living within our means. . . . The bigger picture here is that we are not on a good path."

We can only hope that new leadership in City Hall can help us reverse course.

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Speaking of Things Fiscal

In about an hour, at 6:00 p.m., the Common Council holds a special meeting to vote on the proposed budget for 2026, which is balanced by taking money from the fund balance and raising property taxes by the maximum allowed. 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.

Related to the budget, it will be remembered that a couple of weeks ago in a Board of Estimate and Apportionment workshop, City Treasurer Heather Campbell predicted the City would not make its revenue numbers in 2025. Despite that, City Hall announced today that parking in Hudson will be free during the month of December, at meters on the street and in municipal parking lots--everywhere but in the Amtrak lot.

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About the HHA Redevelopment

Jeffrey Dodson, executive director of the Hudson Housing Authority, regularly describes what is being planned by HHA as "transformational," and indeed it will be. There are a total of 135 units in HHA's current buildings--Bliss Towers and Columbia Apartments. At the present time, not all the units are occupied. Phase 1 of the redevelopment plan will create 166 units in Buildings A and B and the four townhouses proposed for the lot at the corner of Columbia and Second streets. 

The project also has a Phase 2. In July, John Madeo of Mountco, HHA's development partner, said the total number of units, in Phases 1 and 2, would be between 260 and 270--twice as many units as HHA currently has. 

It was April 2023 when HHA chose Mountco Construction and Development from Scarsdale as its development partner. At that time, we also learned that Alexander Gorlin Architects would be designing the project. Although Gorlin and members of his team have appeared at meetings from time to time, in two and a half years, the public has never seen any drawings or renderings to show what the future buildings will actually look like. In July, the drawing below of the townhouses proposed for Columbia and Second streets was shared with the public, with the caveat that this may not be the final design.

Statements made by Madeo at the last HHA Board of Commissioners meeting suggest that we may see the "full architectural design" for the project in February. 

Meanwhile, although we know very little about what HHA is planning for our little fiscally challenged city that takes pride in its historic architecture, the Common Council last week approved a new cooperation agreement with HHA. Up until 2019, when HHA completed its RAD conversion, HHA properties were entirely tax exempt. In 2019, HHA entered into a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) agreement with the City of Hudson. HHA paid $30,000 in property taxes annually--an amount that is divided among the City of Hudson, Columbia County, and the Hudson City School District. (Most homeowners in Hudson pay more than $10,000 annually in property taxes.) According to the terms of the new cooperation agreement, HHA will make a lump sum payment of $120,000 in the third quarter of 2026, and that payment will replace the PILOT payments for 2025, 2026, 2027, and 2028. What happens after 2028, when construction of Phase 1 is complete, is not clear.

When the new cooperation agreement came before the Common Council on November 18, Councilmember Margaret Morris (First Ward) asked the question, "What happens after 2028?" If Dan Hubbell, the attorney representing HHA, answered that question, Gossips missed it. Morris, who as Common Council Majority Leader serves on the Industrial Development Agency (IDA), observed that, when considering a PILOT, the IDA has "much more information than HHA is providing." Morris suggested they table the resolution, but, ignoring her suggestion, Council president Tom DePietro called for a vote. All members of the Council voted to approve the resolution except Morris, who voted no.

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Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead

The big event this week, of course, is Thanksgiving and the holiday shopping related events that follow. But before that happens, there is a public hearing and a meeting that merit attention.

• On Monday, November 24, Mayor Kamal Johnson holds a public hearing on the law extending the lodging tax. The hearing takes place at 4:00 p.m., in person only, at City Hall.
• On Wednesday, November 26, at 6:00 p.m., on the eve of a holiday, the Common Council holds a special meeting to vote on the proposed budget for 2026. There are those in the community who don't want the Council to approve the budget because it eliminates two full-time positions in the Youth Department, and there are others who don't want the budget approved because it is not a balanced budget: there is a gap of close to $400,000 between anticipated revenues and expenses. Also, it raises property taxes by 3.9 percent. It will be interesting to see how members of the Council vote. 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 Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, November 28, 29, and 30, it is Basilica Farm & Flea Holiday Market. The market is open from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. each day at Basilica Hudson, 110 South Front Street. Click here for more information.

• On Saturday, November 29--Small Business Saturday--the Hudson Farmers' Market opens at its winter location in the Hudson Elks Lodge, 201 Harry Howard Avenue. The market is open from 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Click here for more information. 

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