Gossips Was Not Amused

Last weekend, someone told me about a Facebook page called Remembering Hudson, which she recommended to me because "the person who created it has great photos and some interesting historical things on it that you might like." Curious, I checked it out, only to discover that the "great photos and some interesting historical things" were lifted from The Gossips of Rivertown. 

The woman who had created the Facebook page and was doing most of the posting on it was picking up material from my blog and presenting it as if it were her own discovery or her own work. She took not only historic photographs, discovered in my research or sent to me by readers, but also my text and original photographs. She lifted material from other sources as well. I recognized things that I knew had come from Lisa Durfee's blog, Tainted Lady Lounge, and Sam Pratt's blog.

I alerted my fellow bloggers to Remembering Hudson, and one of them posted comments on the page pointing out the need to cite sources. As a consequence, Remembering Hudson has gone underground. It can now be accessed only by those who had joined the group before the page went private. Very likely the pilfering continues, but I'll never know.

When someone produces a creative work--an essay, poem, photograph, short story, even a blog post--in a form that can be experienced by others, copyright protection is automatic. Obviously, the person who created Remembering Hudson was ignorant of this fact. It's possible that others are as well. So from now on, every post on Gossips, as well as every page, will carry a copyright notice as a reminder that this is my work, my intellectual property, and you cannot reproduce it as if it were your own. References and links to The Gossips of Rivertown, on the other hand, on blogs, Facebook pages, and other online publications, are perfectly acceptable and indeed appreciated. 
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Not to Be Missed

A guide to Hudson by Zak Pelaccio, the chef and creator of the eagerly anticipated restaurant on Third Street, Fish & Game, appears today in GQ: "The Short Order: Chef Zak Pelaccio's Guide to Hudson, New York." Find out if any of Pelaccio's thirteen favorite places in Hudson are yours, too.

You Heard It There First

Joe Gentile reports today in the Register-Star that Mayor William Hallenbeck announced yesterday in a press release his intention to run for re-election: "Hallenbeck eyes second term as mayor." Gentile sought a comment from perennial mayor Rick Scalera, and apparently we have his word that he doesn't intend to reclaim the mayor's office as he has twice in the past twenty years when someone else tried his hand at being mayor.
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Galvan to the Rescue

At last night's Common Council meeting, a resolution was introduced that would rescind a resolution that was passed at last month's meeting which, among other things, directed Spacesmith to prepare new bid documents for the senior center. The goal of re-bidding was to bring the project in at no more than $1,080,000, which is all the money the City has to spend on it. The reason for the new resolution was to give the Council time to consider an entirely new proposal for a senior center from the Galvan Initiatives Foundation. Daniel Kent, executive director of the Galvan Foundation, was on hand to explain what they were offering.

The plan is to put the senior center in the Armory, now being developed as the Galvan Community Center. The Hudson Area Library is going to occupy the drill hall. What is being proposed for the senior center is the second floor of the part of the building that faces Fifth Street, known as the officers' hall. In December, when the schematic design for the building was presented to the library board and the public, this part of the building was being called the Community Wing and the plan was to rent space in this part of the building to not-for-profits.

Kent explained the total area being offered for the senior center was 2,700 square feet. (The new building proposed to be built on Third Street, next to the Youth Center would be 4,200 square feet.) The space consists of a 1,200 square foot room, which Kent suggested could be used for yoga and aerobics classes, two other rooms, and a long, narrow 100 square foot space (a mezzanine) that could be developed as a kitchen and handicapped accessible bathrooms. The senior center would also have the use of a community room on the first floor which is being developed in collaboration with the library and over which, according to Kent, the library will have "administrative control." This is being offered to the City, on a lease basis, for a dollar a month, with no initial investment or development costs, with the City, going forward, paying for utilities, maintenance, and liability insurance for this part of the building.

The thinking about the new wing that Galvan plans to build on the west side of the building, where the garage now stands, has evolved since December. Originally, this proposed addition was being called the Education Wing, but its exact use was undefined. Last night, Kent explained that they were now seeking to develop this as a facility for health care providers delivering primary care and urgent care. 

Kent talked enthusiastically about the senior center being part of an intergenerational center, since the library has programs for children, teenagers and adults, and spoke of the "obvious synergies" of the senior center and health care services. He also said the location--"at the center of the city"--was a "big plus."

The proposal met with skepticism from some aldermen and unquestioning enthusiasm from others. Robert Donahue (Fifth Ward), noting that building a new senior center on Third Street would cost $1,080,000 while the new proposal would cost only $12 a year, admonished his fellow aldermen, "You should be saying a prayer of thanks." David Marston (First Ward) expressed the opinion that the proposal seemed "too good to be true."

At the beginning of the discussion, it seemed that the Council was being asked to abandon the plan to build a senior center adjacent to the Youth Center and embrace the new plan. Marston wanted to know why Kent had waited until the formal meeting to present the proposal, leaving the aldermen no time to study it or consult their constituents before having to make a decision. Kent explained that it was a new concept, and they "just came up with it."

Nick Haddad (First Ward) expressed concern that progress on the Armory project depended on the library raising the $2 million that is its share of the development costs. Kent explained that work would begin when the design development process was complete, even if the library had not yet raised all its money. When Council president Don Moore asked how the financing for the library will work, Kent recited a list of government funding sources--New Markets Tax Credits, historic preservation tax credits, New York State economic development grants--and said that he expected the funding "to be in line by this fall." 

Mayor William Hallenbeck, speaking from the audience, said that he had not "abandoned the idea of a senior center at the Youth Center" and announced that he had an appointment at one o'clock on Monday in Albany to discuss an extension on the $400,000 grant, which is the first and largest sum contributing to the $1,080,000 for the project. Last month, the Galvan Foundation offered to give the City the $300,000 needed to fill the gap between what the City had and how much even a trimmed down version of the new building was going to cost. (The complete budget breakdown is CDBG $400,000, HCDPA $100,000, Hudson River Bank & Trust Foundation $150,000, City of Hudson $130,000, Galvan $300,000.) Someone asked if the new proposal meant that Galvan was withdrawing its offer of $300,000 for the new building, if the City decided to pursue that project. Kent indicated that it did not. 

There was much discussion of the proposal. Haddad described it as "a wonderfully generous offer that comes out of the blue in the eleventh hour," and, recalling Galvan's recurrent interest in building supportive housing in Hudson--Starboard, Civic Hudson, Galvan Quarters--he wondered aloud, "Are we going to end up with a homeless shelter here?" Victor Mendolia, former chair of the Hudson Democratic Committee, expressed his skepticism, noting that the Galvan Foundation and Eric Galloway "have had these fits and starts" when it came to undertaking projects and seeing them through to completion. Supervisor Bill Hughes (Fourth Ward), a great proponent of Galvan Quarters, took issue with Mendolia's comments. He observed that "there is dissension whenever Galvan is mentioned" and suggested that "if we work with him, maybe something will be finished." In support of the proposal, Hughes concluded, inscrutably, "I don't know how we can look it in the face."

It was finally decided that the resolution was not absolutely necessary. City attorney Cheryl Roberts could review the contracts, but they would not move ahead on re-bidding the project. The Council would take a month to consider the new proposal, and Kent agreed to give the aldermen a tour of the space late next week.
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A Thought for Spring

Tomorrow is the first day of spring, and, as the snow falls outside, I discovered this little item which appeared in the Hudson Evening Register at about this time of year in 1901.

If you're wondering who Rev. Dr. Henry Van Dyke was, check out this biography of the man.
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Warren Street Building Heading for Auction

This building in the 400 block of Warren Street has been moving toward foreclosure and auction for a while now. Last year, litigation kept 405 Warren Street off the list of properties to be auctioned, but it seems the City has now taken title to the building, on which $78,200 is owed in back taxes. An obstacle to selling the building at auction is that there are still people living there. At tonight's Common Council meeting, a resolution will be considered authorizing the mayor to have the tenants evicted. Joe Gentile has the story in today's Register-Star: "City may evict residents from city-owned building." 

A Police Chief for Hudson

It was standing room only at the Central Fire Station on Monday morning where Hudson residents and elected officials, as well as people from farther afield, gathered to witness the swearing in of L. Edward Moore, the new chief of the Hudson Police Department. It would have been a great opportunity to commit a crime in Hudson, since it seemed that all of Hudson's police officers and all of Hudson's police cars were there at the fire station.

Mayor William Hallenbeck was the first to speak, stressing the importance of public safety and cooperation among agencies and expressing the desire that the HPD "be the best that it can be." Police commissioner Gary Graziano, who made the appointment formally and publicly at the swearing in ceremony, spoke of Moore as "a guy I have come to respect in the short time I've known him." He explained that, before making the decision to appoint Moore, he sought out information that would not come out in an interview or be included on a resume: "what peers and the rank and file think of him as a leader." Graziano reported these responses: "He's a great guy"; "Everybody here respects him"; I learned a lot from him"; "He's a cop's cop."

After being sworn in by his brother, Livingston town justice Robert Q. Moore, the new police chief delivered his own address to the audience, in which he called Hudson "a city that is improving daily," characterized himself as a "tough boss" who will "demand excellence," and identified quality of life as a top priority. He called himself "a super proponent and advocate for the officers on the force" and made a commitment to building teamwork and esprit de corps. 

Moore concluded by saying that he had loved being a state trooper and he was now going from "one job that I absolutely loved to another that I will absolutely love," and he promised not to let us down.

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Lance Wheeler's video of the swearing in ceremony can be viewed here.

Architecture in Hudson

So far in the 21st century, new architecture in Hudson has been pretty lackluster. We've gotten "design–build" structures like the Central Fire Station and the county building at 325 Columbia Street and CAD created faux period houses like 9 and 10 Willard Place and 102 and 104 Union Street. It often seems that the days when architects of stature and reputation--A. J. Davis, Marcus Reynolds, Warren and Wetmore, Shreve and Lamb--were designing buildings for Hudson ended in the earliest decades of the 20th century, but there is an exception. In the 1960s, Edgar Tafel, a disciple of Frank Lloyd Wright, designed not only the campus of Columbia-Greene Community College but also the rectory and offices at Christ Church. The latter project was completed and the building dedicated in 1967.

In 1932, Tafel, then a twenty-year-old from New York City, became part of the Taliesin Fellowship, which Frank Lloyd Wright and his third wife, Olgivanna, were establishing on Wright's estate in Wisconsin. In an obituary of Tafel in the RIBA Journal, Zoe Blackner characterizes Taliesin as "at once architecture school, workcamp, bohemian community and autocratic fiefdom." Tafel stayed at Taliesin for nine years before beginning his own architectural practice, ultimately becoming one of Taliesin's best known alumni and a dedicated preserver of Wright's legacy.

Northwest Architectural Archives

In 1971, Tafel brought the imminent demolition of this house, designed by Wright for Francis W. Little in Wayzata, Minnesota, to the attention of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The outcome was that the living room of the house was dismantled, transported to New York, and installed in the American Wing of the Museum in 1972. Other rooms from the Little house are preserved in museums in Minneapolis; Allentown, Pennsylvania; Dallas; and Karlruhe, Germany.
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Last Night in Hudson and Beyond

John Mason covered "The State of the Community" forum at Shiloh Baptist Church last night, organized by the Staley B. Keith Social Justice Center, and reports on it in today's Register-Star: "County's disparity, lack of inclusion seen in Justice Center forum." 

One of the speakers at the forum--the only speaker, it would seem from the report, who was not African-American--was former Hudson politician Dan Grandinetti. His participation in the forum seems to be another hint that he may be interested in making a political comeback in Hudson. Grandinetti criticized county government for its lack of African-American employees, concluding "I'm not sure Columbia County heard about the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s." He also criticized the Hudson City School District, making the statement that "White privilege is a problem in the school district."

By an interesting coincidence, at the same time the forum was happening in Hudson last night, there was a fundraiser going on at the Red Barn in Ghent. The party, which was given by Chris Jones and Susan Simon, both mentors in the Hudson Reads program at Montgomery C. Smith Intermediate School, brought together mentors and supporters of the program which exists to improve students' reading and academic skills and to build their confidence and self-esteem. The $25 donation from each person present at the well-attended event will go directly to a financially disadvantaged child in the Hudson City School District to enable the child to purchase books at the upcoming Hudson Children's Book Festival.

Of Historic Interest

This little notice appeared in the Hudson Evening Register on this day, March 16, 150 years ago.

Learn More About the Future

Last week, Gossips reported that Marina Abramovic and Shohei Shigematsu had made a presentation at the Harvard Graduate School of Design about the Marina Abramovic Institute for the Preservation of Performing Art proposed for Hudson. The entire lecture can now be heard and seen online. If you have an hour and twenty-five minutes to devote to it, you're encouraged to do so.

Curiously, the text that accompanies the video makes it sound as if the project has already been completed. Here's a quote: "Shigematsu speaks about the process in which they transformed a former theater in Hudson, New York, into a structure that's capable of assisting the institute mission to develop new kinds of performance, while functioning as a space for preserving and hosting historic performance pieces." He also shares the ambitions for the area beyond the building.

Screen Shot

Mayberg on Mendolia Resignation

As Gossips reported three days ago, Victor Mendolia has resigned as chair of the Hudson City Democratic Committee and as first vice-chair of the Columbia County Democratic Committee. Earlier this week, Mendolia was interviewed by Nathan Mayberg of the Register-Star, and today Mayberg's report from that interview appears online: "Democratic chair resigns post." The article touches on many subjects--Mendolia's future plans, the state budget, the Galvan Foundation, Rick Scalera, Mayor William Hallenbeck, the weighted vote, charter reform--and provides more evidence that a Register-Star reporter cannot write an article that deals in any way with Hudson politics without including a quote from Rick Scalera.   

The Fate of a House

A year ago, it was reported that this house at 834 Warren Street was being considered by Maranatha Human Services, Inc., as the possible location of a transitional housing facility. The owner withdrew the house from the market, and that never happen.

Gossips learned recently from a reliable source that the house was donated in January to Columbia Memorial Hospital. The hospital plans to have offices on the first floor, which has now been emptied of tenants. According to our source, the first floor rooms retain all their original details, but perhaps not for long.

You Can't Have It Both Ways

Today's Register-Star reports that Greenport Supervisor John Porreca wants to do a traffic study focused on Fairview Avenue: "Porreca: Study of Fairview Ave. crashes proposed." In the article, Porreca is quoted as saying, "We're really concerned about the amount of out of town vehicles using that road and creating a bottle neck for residents." 

Porreca's comment brings to mind how, six years ago, during the pre-construction review of the controversial Widewaters shopping mall, people spoke enthusiastically about Greenport and Fairview Avenue becoming a "retail destination" for the region, attracting shoppers from miles around. You can't do that without having to put up with "out of town vehicles" on the road. Readers may also recall that during the review process the Greenport Planning Board was content with a traffic study that didn't go much beyond the intersection of Route 9 and Joslen Boulevard.

Pursuing the topics of traffic, retail, and Fairview Avenue, I discovered online this fact sheet from the developer about "Widewaters Commons at Greenport." The demographic statistics quoted are from 2012 so it must be fairly current. Some of the text is most interesting. The first bullet point makes these claims:

Widewaters Commons Greenport is located in Hudson, NY, the county seat of Columbia County. Hudson, NY is directly adjacent to the Hudson River and midway between Albany and Kingston, NY. The area is widely known for its art galleries and antique shops, and is also home to many properties on the state and national register of historic places. Hudson, NY has been called "The finest dictionary of American Architecture in New York State. [Note: Punctuation and capitalization are exactly as found.]

I find it bizarre that our little city should be used to promote something that is its antithesis.

The second bullet point, repeating the error that the Widewaters mall is in Hudson, asserts that "Widewaters Commons Greenport's addition to the Route 9 regional shopping corridor in Hudson has changed the way Columbia County shops, bringing shoppers from in access of 30 miles in every direction."

Hudson on YouTube

Gossips recommends this very sweet video, created by Hudsonians, filmed near Hudson, and featuring a number of people you know: "Yes Sir, That's My Baby"--A Tribute to Marriage Equality. 

News About the Library

Last night, the Hudson Area Library Board of Trustees held two meetings in succession: their regular monthly meeting at 5:15 and their annual meeting at 6:15. At the beginning of the regular monthly meeting, board president Mark Orton asked the committee chairs be "cryptic" when making their reports. His choice of words was curious. It would have been understandable if he had asked them to be succinct. After all, the meeting had to be over in an hour. But to ask them to be cryptic suggested that were things that the board wanted to keep from the press and the members of the public present. Notwithstanding this admonition, some interesting information was presented about the library's proposed move to the Armory, a.k.a., the Galvan Community Learning Center.

Back in December, when the schematic design for the library was presented to the public, $1 million was mentioned as the library's share of the project. At the board's January meeting, $2.8 million was mentioned as the possible figure. Yesterday, however, with design development underway, the library's share of the project costs was said to be $2 million. Theresa Parsons, co-chair of the Capital Campaign Committee, reported that the funds currently available for the project total about $245,000, which includes the net proceeds from the sale of 400 State Street, "money left over from before," and $38,000 "contributed by individuals in the past few months."

Orton told the board that the Galvan Foundation's commitment to the entire structure was $8 million. This presumably includes the new wing to be constructed on the west side of the building, where a garage is now located, but it was not entirely clear if the $8 million includes the $2 million for which the library is responsible. According Orton, "Galvan is making the commitment before the library raises the money."

During the annual meeting, the board elected a new member, Brian Stickles, and a slate of officers: Mark Orton, president; Mark Young, vice president; Marie Rasner, treasurer; Ginger Benedict, recording secretary. The board also approved the 2013 operating budget which totaled $203,200--$130,800 of which comes from "Local Government Funds" and $120,000 of that comes from the City of Hudson.

Planning Commission Intel

Planning Commission meetings are always good places to learn things, and last night's meeting was no exception. Last night, for example, I learned, for the first time, of the existence and location of Joe Alley. For those who may be similarly ignorant, Joe Alley is between Green and Columbia streets, running in both directions from Frederick Street, in the part of Hudson that seems far more random and haphazard than the regular grid of streets laid out by the Proprietors.

It was also revealed, in a discussion between Planning Commission chair Don Tillson and legal counsel Cheryl Roberts about change of use and the need for a site plan review, that a new ice cream parlor is being planned for the 500 block of Warren Street.

Support for Hudson Events

The Arts, Entertainment & Tourism Committee of the Common Council has a small pot of money--$15,000--to award in grants to support events that are created by Hudson-based organizations, take place in Hudson, and have a positive impact on the entire city. This year, the committee is asking all groups seeking financial support from the City of Hudson to make a formal written application. The specifications for what must be included in the application can be downloaded here. The deadline for making requests is April 15, 2013.       

What Spring Will Bring

Fish and Game, Zak Pelaccio's new restaurant on Third Street, is expected to open around the middle of April. The Barlow, Hudson's first boutique hotel, is planning its grand opening on Memorial Day weekend. And there's another new eatery hoping to open before spring is over and summer begins: Hudson Food Studio. To be located at 610 Warren Street, the new restaurant is the creation of Dave Chicane, whose wife owns Red Chair on Warren, and will feature Southeast Asian cuisine, with an emphasis on Vietnamese dishes.

Hudson's development as a destination continues.

The Political Scene

As a Hudson resident and a registered Democrat, I attended the monthly meeting of the Hudson City Democratic Committee last night and was present when Victor Mendolia announced his resignation as chair of the HCDC. 

Mendolia, who was involved in ACT UP in New York City, explained that he was stepping down because he wanted to play a more active role in AIDS advocacy at the state level but assured the committee that he would continue to be involved in Hudson politics and to work for Democratic candidates in the November election. Mendolia will stay on as vice chair of the HCDC. 

Also at last night's meeting, the HCDC unanimously passed a resolution supporting the anti-fracking law that is in the process of being passed in the City of Hudson and urging Columbia County to enact similar legislation. The text of the resolution can be found on the HCDC website.