"It was a dark and stormy night . . . " at City Hall

The opening sentence in John Mason's report in the Register-Star on last night's Common Council meeting reads like an entry in the Bulwer-Litton Fiction Contest: "Hudson's seniors, neglected for years, victims of dashed hopes and swallowed promises, will apparently now have their long-awaited senior center." Mason's bathos reflects the drama of the meeting, but given the reports of how many people actually participate in the City's senior programs, one has to wonder where these masses of disappointed elders have been huddled, yearning for a senior center.

Last night, the aldermen had on their desks a document the size of a phone book for a major city, which contained the resolution authorizing the mayor to enter into a lease agreement with the Galvan Foundation, the lease agreement, the SEQR form, the site plan, and other supporting documents. Needless to say, the aldermen had questions. Is the 2010 Community Development Block Grant being repurposed? (We don't know.) Will the fit out proceed without this grant? (Yes.) Will there be an elevator and a handicapped ramp? (Yes.) Is this a self-contained space? (Yes.) Why are we being asked to vote on the lease before the construction begins? (Construction on the senior center is ready to begin now.) Can the Common Council vote on the lease before the Planning Commission has approved the site plan? (The resolution only authorizes the mayor to sign the lease.) Is the lease a critical component for financing? (Yes. Hudson River Bank & Trust Foundation will not consider an application for funding without a commitment from the City.)

None of the questions seemed unreasonable, but the mayor grew impatient. More than once he rose to complain that he and the seniors had waited two and a half months while the city attorney and the attorney for the Galvan Foundation negotiated the terms of the lease. He referred to the aldermen's questions as "delay tactics." At one point, he called upon Supervisor Sarah Sterling (First Ward) to speak on behalf of the seniors about the delays, which, according to the mayor, have been going on for eight years. Sterling gamely rose to speak, but what she said was probably not what the mayor had hoped she would say. She expressed the opinion that "if there's one final tweak, it won't hold up anything. We're almost there."

The one final tweak was the need, identified by Alderman John Friedman (Third Ward), a contract lawyer, for clarification on how the expenses for public spaces in the building would be prorated. Friedman argued that "all expenses are going to devolve to the City if there is no clarification." The mayor objected that "to change the document is an assault tactic and an obstruction for the senior center going to the Armory." He worried aloud that any change in the language would require that the document go back to the Galvan attorney.

In the end, it was decided that Friedman and city attorney Cheryl Roberts would take a half hour to amend the language--about ten words--in a specific section of the lease "to ensure that the City is only paying for public spaces in the section of the building that the City is renting." That accomplished, the Council president Don Moore called for a voice vote to amend the resolution; the city attorney asked that the minutes reflect that the Council had reviewed the SEQR form and had no issues with it; and the Council, in a roll call vote, agreed unanimously to authorize the mayor to sign the lease. 

Alderman Wanda Pertilla (Second Ward), declaring herself one of the people responsible for the senior center, proclaimed, "Today we made history."
COPYRIGHT 2013 CAROLE OSTERINK        

Dissing the Dish

Gossips has posted on this topic before, but it seems this is something that can't be repeated often enough--at least not if the message is to be heeded. A certificate of appropriateness granted by the Historic Preservation Commission is required in order to install a satellite dish on a building within a locally designated historic district. 

Here's what the law says--Chapter 169, Section 5 of the Hudson City Code (boldface inserted):

A certificate of appropriateness is required to carry out any exterior alteration, additions, restoration, reconstruction, demolition, new construction, or moving a landmark property within an historic district, or to make any materials change in the appearance of such a property or its windows, or install or move a satellite dish.

The idea behind requiring a certificate of appropriateness is that the HPC can dictate where on the building the dish should be mounted, to avoid defacing the facades of buildings in the historic districts. 

Alas, Gossips was alerted this morning to this dish, allegedly installed without a certificate of appropriateness, on the top of the portico at 28 Union Street.

Since it seems so hard to get the word out about this issue, and because oftentimes the dishes are installed on rental properties by new residents who are unfamiliar with Hudson's preservation laws, it might be effective if the city attorney, who is also counsel to the Historic Preservation Commission, were to send an official notice to all the companies that provide satellite TV in the City of Hudson, informing them to it is illegal to install a satellite dish within a historic district without a certificate of appropriateness, accompanying that notice with a map of the historic districts. How hard could that be?

Meeting Reminders

Tonight at 6 p.m., prior to the informal Common Council meeting, which begins at 7 p.m., there will be a special meeting of the Council, at which time they will consider the lease with the Galvan Foundation for a senior center, to be located in the officers' hall of the Armory, and a bond resolution and SEQR (State Environmental Quality Review) for the proposed reuse of 701 Union Street as the police and court building.

Wednesday night at 6:30, the Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the proposed site plan for the Galvan Community Learning Center, a.k.a. the Hudson Armory. Because this building is expected to house the Hudson Area Library, the senior center, and, in a new addition to be constructed at the rear of the building, a community health center, the exact nature of which is unknown, people have been concerned about parking. A parking study was done by Crawford & Associates. So that the public can prep for the hearing, the parking study, along with the site plan, the application for site plan review, and the Environmental Assessment Form (completed by the applicant), is available online at the City of Hudson website.

A Dog Story That Provokes Outrage

Two hours ago, Gossips published the link to an item in The New York Times reporting about brain imaging evidence that "Dogs Are People, Too." Then this news was discovered. At about 3 o'clock this afternoon, the dog in the photo at the right was found tied up behind City Hall--hungry, thirsty, and wet. His rescuers--Jamison Teale and James Gottlieb--dried him off, gave him food and water, and turned him over to the police. If you recognize this dog and have any information about the humans who failed to be caring and responsible guardians, call (518) 828-3388 or send a message on the Hudson Police Department Facebook page.  

Linguistic Vindication

I was once criticized--by Scott Baldinger, on his blog Word on the Street--for referring to the people with whom dogs live as the dogs' humans. He seemed to think, if memory serves (the post can no longer be accessed on gotohudson.net), that owner would be a more appropriate term. Now we learn, in The New York Times, that brain imaging findings show that "dogs have a level of sentience comparable to that of a human child," which suggests that the appropriate term for a dog's human companion is not owner but guardian: "Dogs Are People, Too." I'm not too far off thinking of myself as William's human, as he is my dog.

Book Notes

In late September, Lisa Dolan, literacy coach for the Hudson City School District, who writes a weekly column called "Lisa's List" for the Register-Star, interviewed Debby Mayer and reviewed her memoir, Riptides & Solaces Unforeseen. Dolan describes Mayer's memoir as "a personal, honest, often brutal account of her life partner Dan's rapid passage from life to death. And all that happened in between." The column appears in its entirety on Mayer's blog, 2becomes1.

Gossips learned recently that Byrne Fone's book Historic Hudson: An Architectural Portrait is now out of stock, and the publisher, Black Dome Press, is "looking into the possibility of a new printing." This is an important book for Hudson. The Spotty Dog regularly reports that Historic Hudson is the best selling book in the shop, and it is referred to often in comments by readers of The Gossips of Rivertown. Perhaps a flurry of requests from people who count on Historic Hudson continuing to be available will persuade the publisher to do a reprinting sooner rather than at some undefined later date. You can make that request here.

Dog Parade

In case you missed the Mystic Krewe of Barkus Pet Costume Parade yesterday, the Register-Star has a 1.38 minute video of the event on its Facebook page.

Job Opening in City Hall

At the Legal Committee meeting on Thursday night, it was revealed that the city has no assessor. Garth Slocum's six-year term as city assessor--he was appointed by Mayor Dick Tracy in 2007--ended on September 30. Slocum was not reappointed, nor has anyone else been appointed to fill the position. 

In today's Register-Star, John Mason reports: "Mayor William Hallenbeck Jr. said he's in conversation with the New York Conference of Mayors and the state Office of Real Property Services to determine whether the city's currently listed job qualifications are sound." The article goes on to say that the mayor is "looking at all the specifications to determine how to go about advertising for the position" and quotes the mayor as saying, "We may or may not wait till after the election." The entire article can be read here: "City seeking assessor."

Right now, many people are applying or reapplying for STAR exemptions, and it would be nice if there were an assessor in place to answer questions and remind people who need to do so to reapply. While it is admirable that the mayor is doing his due diligence and "looking for the best assessor we can find," one wonders why this didn't take place before Slocum's term was up. Surely the mayor knew well in advance of September 30 that he didn't intend to reappoint him.

Big Morning for Dogs in Hudson

William and I missed the Mystic Krewe of Barkus Pet Costume Parade this morning. Instead we went to Christ Church for the Blessing of the Animals. This is our best picture from the event. It shows William (right) hanging out, waiting to be blessed, with Tribble (left), whom he met for the first time this morning, and Scooter (center), whom he has met many times on morning walks.

Celebrity Sighting Reported

Rumors abound that Lady Gaga was seen this morning at Bagel Tyme on North Seventh Street, behind what will soon be the Marina Abramovic Institute. Gossips has not yet been able to confirm the truth of these reports, but it seems entirely feasible that Gaga might be in town.

The Evolution of a Law

Today, there are signs at Henry Hudson Riverfront Park reminding dog walkers to pick up after their canine companions, tacitly acknowledging that dogs are walked in the park. Not long ago the iron fence bordering the original section of the park (the park as we know it today was developed in three stages) was lined with signs proclaiming "NO DOGS ALLOWED." They're gone now, but Chapter 70-4 A of the city code still states: "It shall be unlawful for an owner of a dog in the City of Hudson to permit or allow such a dog . . . (11) to be present at any time at the Riverfront Park."

Last night, at the Common Council Legal Committee meeting, Alderman John Friedman (Third Ward), the committee chair, expressed his desire to repeal the law, explaining that the law was in conflict with the way people actually used the park. Friedman wondered aloud about how the law banning dogs from riverfront park came to be, and so today, Gossips recalls how it happened.

In 1999 or thereabout, someone went to a Common Council meeting to complain about dog poop in Seventh Street Park. The Council's response was swift and sure. They banned dogs from all city parks. Within a week, "NO DOGS ALLOWED" signs appeared in Seventh Street Park, at Promenade Hill, and in every little pocket park along Warren Street--including this space behind Lisa Marie, beside the passageway to the municipal parking lot.

Although they apparently authorized the Department of Public Works to erect the signs, the Council did not pass a local law making it illegal for people to ignore the signs. As a consequence, although self-righteous Hudsonians sometimes took it upon themselves to reprimand dog walkers in parks, the police did nothing to enforce the ban because there was no law to enforce.

The public admission that the signage was meaningless came a few years later, at about the same time as the first phase of what is now known as Henry Hudson Riverfront Park was opened--the first phase being everything north and west of the building that houses the restrooms. DPW workers were concerned about dog poop gumming up mower blades, and they wanted a law that the police would enforce, ticketing people who ventured into the park with their dogs.

Dog owners used the Common Council's consideration of the law as an opportunity not only to oppose banning dogs from parks but to advocate for stricter enforcement of the leash and pooper scooper laws and for more serious penalties for violations. What turned the tide was an appeal by Margaret Saliske on behalf of her elderly mother, who loved walking around town with her dog. Her mother felt secure with her dog as her companion, said Saliske, but from time to time she needed to sit down and rest. Since the places where she could sit down and rest were the parks, she wouldn't be able to do this if it was illegal to bring a dog into the parks.

Saliske's appeal touched Alderman Robert "Doc" Donahue (Fifth Ward--then as now), and the parks were thrown open to dogs once again. The single exception, however, was the new park at the waterfront, where it was envisioned that people would regularly be sitting on the lawn for concerts and other events.

Now, a decade later, when there is a better understanding of how the park is actually used by the residents of Hudson, it's an appropriate time to revisit the law that makes it illegal for a dog "to be present at any time" at Henry Hudson Riverfront Park.
COPYRIGHT 2013 CAROLE OSTERINK

Rumors Confirmed

Although it is dated September 30, Gossips just received the following press release from Karen Preuss, Director of Marketing the Communications for the Hawthorne Valley Association. 

HAWTHORNE VALLEY ASSOCIATION ASSESSING THE FEASIBILITY OF HUDSON GROCERY STORE AND LEARNING CENTER 

Hawthorne Valley Association announced that they are researching the possibility of operating a grocery store in the newly developed building at 449 Warren Street. If the research findings are favorable, the intention is to open the market in 2014. 

The store will carry a full range of grocery products, with an emphasis on bringing fresh food at an affordable price to the Hudson community. Hawthorne Valley Association (HVA) is also exploring the creation of a community learning center on the second floor that will build upon its ongoing work with children and synergize with existing programming in Hudson to offer new resources and opportunities to city residents. In October, HVA will be conducting a listening tour to determine how the store and programs can best meet the needs of the Hudson community.

Martin Ping, Executive Director of HVA said of the plans, "Hawthorne Valley Association is excited by the opportunity to meet the community’s food needs and deepen our relationship with the City of Hudson. Through our Farm & Arts program we have been working with Hudson youth through in-school and afterschool programs and have invited them and their families out to our farm in Harlemville.  We believe that this market and learning center will give us the opportunity to build stronger relationships with these families and connect more people to local food and agriculture."

Galvan Initiatives Foundation invited HVA to explore opening the store by providing a $20,000 planning grant. The Foundation has offered the space at the Hudson Arcade building for below-market rent in order to facilitate educational programs and food access. Daniel Kent, Executive Director of Galvan Initiatives Foundation, celebrated the collaboration saying, "Working with Hawthorne Valley Association helps us further a number of our initiatives. The market will create jobs and will also provide educational programs that promote health and well-being. Finally, Hudson residents will no longer have to drive, ride the bus, or take a cab to buy groceries."

About Hawthorne Valley Association: Hawthorne Valley Association (HAV) is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization promoting social and cultural renewal through the integration of education, agriculture and the arts, and is committed to environmentally sound land management as the basis for sustainable economic success. By exploring the dynamic relationships among education, agriculture, the arts, economics, and science, Hawthorne Valley hopes to foster sustainable forms of human endeavor that enhance the quality of life for ourselves and for future generations.

About Galvan Initiatives Foundation: Galvan Initiatives Foundation is a private operating foundation which began operations in January 2012. The Foundation mission is to conserve and maintain buildings of architectural, historic, and social significance in order to improve and enhance the quality of life for all Hudson residents, especially those most vulnerable or economically disadvantaged.

Rehabilitation Update

If you're curious about the status of this house in the 300 block of State Street, which has been owned by Housing Resources of Columbia County since 2008 or so, John Mason has an update in today's Register-Star: "Housing Resources seeking funds to rehabilitate duplex." 

Friday's Literary Festival Event Cancelled

Gossips learned today that "Spotty Lit," the opening event of Literary Festival 2013, to take place at Spotty Dog Books & Ale on Friday, October 4, has been cancelled. It will rescheduled, and when the new date is determined, Gossips will let you know.

Calling All Food Entrepreneurs

Last night, at the Common Council Arts, Entertainment & Tourism Committee meeting, Sheena Salvino reported that she had been contacted by a woman named Loreen Stevens, who is casting for a show about food entrepreneurs for the Food Network. Stevens is looking for people who make their livelihood by creating food products for public consumption and sell them--either directly to consumers or to stores and restaurants. Two Hudson enterprises that spring to mind as businesses that fit the bill are Trixie's Oven and Union Street Pastry Works. The process for getting considered seems to be to fill out this questionnaire and submit it to Stevens at Atlas Media Corp.

Senior Moments

Last night, at the Common Council Youth & Aging Committee meeting, Council president Don Moore revealed that there will be a special meeting at 6 p.m. on Monday, October 7, before the informal Common Council meeting, to vote on the lease agreement with the Galvan Foundation to locate the senior center at the Hudson Armory, now to be known as the Galvan Community Learning Center. With this announcement, Moore explained that "the financing isn't all in place," and, as a consequence, work on the senior center, which was supposed to begin this fall and be completed by spring, will not begin this fall and probably won't be completed until October 2014.

Alderman Wanda Pertilla (Second Ward), who chairs the Youth & Aging Committee, made no attempt to conceal her annoyance with the postponement, declaring: "We need to talk with them." Pertilla, who said the senior center was "near and dear" to her and claimed to have "campaigned on it," acknowledged that "it's a great deal we got from them," but went on to say, "Projects with this particular person are not what they appear to be"--presumably referring to Eric Galloway.

Pointing out that "we don't control the construction timeline," Moore argued that, to have a successful senior center, "we need more than just a building." Currently, the program for seniors consists of aerobics, which attracts an average of 15 people; bingo, which draws 20; and yoga, which has 8 regular participants. He suggested that the City hire a consultant to "come in and create a program." He suggested too that Doris Moore, commissioner for aging, needed a small advisory group to help her plan activities for seniors. Pertilla and Alderman Ohrine Stewart (Fourth Ward) both seemed confident that a paid consultant was not needed and that the job of planning senior programming could be done by "five or six people who want to do the job and decide what is valuable programming for seniors in Hudson."

On the subject of programming for seniors, in May, the Arts, Entertainment, & Tourism Committee awarded $350 for a bus trip to be organized by Doris Moore. Moore reported last night that the seniors were interested in taking a bus trip to Saratoga, presumably to visit the RACINO. 

John Mason has more about last night's Youth & Aging Committee meeting in today's Register-Star: "Council to vote on senior center."        

On Hudson's East End, the Lights Go On

Last night, the new streetlamps on Warren Street above Park Place were illumined for the first time, and Mayor William Hallenbeck used the moment as a campaign opportunity. Joe Gentile has the story in today's Register-Star: "New lights shine bright in Biz District."

One Fish, Two Fish, Many Fish, No Fish

Arthur Cursano reports in today's Register-Star on the aftermath of Local Ocean going belly up: "Local Ocean fish gone." 

God Bless Them Every One

October 4 is the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi, and on Saturday morning, October 5, at 11 a.m., Father John Perry, rector of Christ Church Episcopal, will be presiding at the annual Blessing of the Animals, which takes place--rain or shine--beside the church at 431 Union Street. Hudson residents are invited to bring their well-beloved and well-behaved pets on leashes or in crates to be blessed. After the blessing, there will be treats for the animals and their human companions.

The Episcopal Church recently approved a new liturgy to memorialize pets who have died. For the first time, this new service will be included in the blessing ceremony. People who have lost pets in the last year are invited to come to the Blessing of the Animals and add their departed pet's name to the remembrance.

Looking Forward to the Weekend

It's October, and in Hudson, that means ArtsWalk. Works of art are already installed in shop windows along Warren Street and beyond, the Members' Show is in readiness at the Pocketbook Factory, and the weekend is filled with events celebrating the arts. There's a lot happening, and you're likely to wish you could be in two places at once, but here are Gossips' picks. You can do them all with careful planning and a fast car.

On Friday and Saturday, the Second Ward Foundation, the not-for-profit created by Walter Sudol and Steven Johnson to exhibit and lend contemporary art, is presenting an inaugural concert event in the rehabilitated auditorium of what was once the Charles Williams School. The performances feature John Exposito and the ensemble A Book of Five Rings, with video artist Laura Steele. Each night the concert begins at 8 p.m., preceded by a reception at 7 p.m.

  
Friday night also is the beginning of the Literary Arts Festival. The opening event, "Spotty Lit," which takes place at 7 p.m. on Friday at Spotty Dog Books & Ale, is an evening of emerging and established writers--Melissa Holbrook Pierson, Sarah Kilborne, Karen Crumley Keats, Sara Kendall, Kenji Suzuki--hosted by Karen Schoemer.

The Literary Arts Festival continues on Saturday and Sunday with readings at the Hudson Opera House by award-winning New York poets and prose writers. The participating authors are all pictured above, from left to right (top row) James Lasdun, Rebecca Wolff, Adam Falkner, Cara Benson; (middle row) Tracie Morris, Lydia Davis, Djelloul Marbrook, Mahogany Browne; (bottom row) Paul La Farge, Greg Hrbek, Joydeep-Roy Bhattacherya, Illya Szilak. The readings are from noon to 5 p.m. each day. Click here for the complete schedule.

Starting tomorrow, Thursday, October 3, and through Saturday, October 5, thirty celebrated plein air artists will be at the Olana State Historic Site, creating "Landscapes Within the Landscape." You can walk the grounds, speak with the artists, and watch them as they paint the awesome Olana views. This very Hudson River School event, sponsored by The Olana Partnership and the Columbia County Council on the Arts, culminates on Saturday afternoon with a cocktail reception at 4 p.m. and a live auction of the paintings at 5 p.m. The event takes place at the Wagon House Education Center at Olana.