A reader provided Gossips with these photographs of the event described by some as "an anti-vaxxer's Woodstock."
Saturday, August 21, 2021
Make Your Opinions Known
In June, Maria Suttmeier announced that she was retiring as superintendent of the Hudson City School District at the end of the calendar year, 2021.
The survey can be found here. You have two weeks--until Friday, September 3--to complete the survey. Doing so is recommended.
Friday, August 20, 2021
Of Interest
"Festival in a Field," the gathering happening tomorrow in Claverack that is being called "an anti-vaxxer's Woodstock," was the subject of a report on WAMC this afternoon. You can listen by clicking here.
COVID-19 Update
The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been three new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is the same as yesterday, from which it can be inferred that since yesterday three more county residents are now considered to be recovering from the virus. There are eight fewer county residents in mandatory quarantine today than yesterday. The number of hospitalized remains the same, but today one of those hospitalized is in the ICU. There has not been a death from COVID-19 in Columbia County since yesterday. Yesterday's death was the first in the county since June 24.
The New York Forward dashboard has not updated its numbers since yesterday.
A year ago today, the CCDOH reported no new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 531, and the number of active cases was 6. There were 39 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 4 were hospitalized, and none was in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 37.
Where the Historic District Ends
A month or so ago, in reporting on the changes originally proposed for 258-260 State Street, Gossips recounted the history of designating historic districts by way of explaining why, for the most part, neighborhoods on the south side of town are designated and neighborhoods on the north side are not: "Another Chapter for the William Ball Place."
The owner of the building told the Planning Board, "My vision is to make the building look very similar to The Maker. Anything that we can maintain we will."
It is a cause for celebration that this major historic house on the north side of town will be appropriately restored, but the fact that, on the north side of Warren Street, the historic district ends at Prison Alley remains a problem. The Historic Preservation Commission could have very little to say about the siting of wireless communications antennas on Providence Hall because, although the roofline of Providence Hall is visible from the rear of houses on the one of the few blocks considered worthy of preservation back in Urban Renewal days, Providence Hall is on the north side of Prison Alley, just outside the historic district. Now a house, just across Second Street from Providence Hall, is set to be demolished and three new houses constructed, and the HPC will not be able to weigh in on the necessity of the demolition or the compatibility of the new houses.
The proposal, which went before the Planning Board on August 10 and the Zoning Board of Appeals this past Wednesday, involves the house at 20 North Second Street and the two vacant lots beside it. It will create three new single-family dwellings, but a historic house, dismissed as "in bad shape," will be lost in the process.
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Is the End Near?
A. Colarusso and Sons has been before the Hudson Planning Board on and off for the past six years. It all started in 2016, when the company began seeking approval for a haul road to follow the path of Fred W. Jones's mountain railroad and travel more or less as the crow flies from the dock in Hudson to the quarry in Greenport. Five years and a few lawsuits later, the issue still has not be resolved, but according to an article by Roger Hannigan Gilson that appeared in the Times Union earlier this week, the Planning Board is coming close to making a decision: "Recreation or industry? The battle over Hudson's waterfront is coming to a head."
Update: Gossips just learned from Stephen Steim, chair of the Planning Board, that the next special meeting to consider the Colarusso applications is being scheduled for sometime in September.
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Thursday, August 19, 2021
The Return of the Bargeboards
I saw the bargeboards arriving a few days ago but couldn't take a picture, because they were being carried by Galvan workers, and Dan Kent has forbidden me from photographing Galvan staff. Today, a neighbor alerted me that the bargeboards and finials were in place at 59 Allen Street. It was raining, so there were no Galvan workers around, and I had a chance to take these photographs of the Charles Alger House.
COVID-19 Update
With the rise in new COVID cases and the increase in the number of people being hospitalized with the virus, it seemed inevitable, but it is still tragic and disheartening. After nearly two months without a death from COVID-19, the Columbia County Department of Health today reported the county's 97th death as a consequence of the pandemic.
Since yesterday, there have been seventeen new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is ten more than yesterday, from which it can be inferred that seven more county residents are now considered to be recovering from the virus. The number of county residents in mandatory quarantine today is four fewer than yesterday. The number hospitalized with the virus is one fewer, and no one is in the ICU.
A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 2 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 531, and the number of active cases was 8. There were 47 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 4 were hospitalized, and none was in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 37.
The Tree Inventory Has Begun
In December 2020, Hudson was awarded a $20,000 Urban Forestry Grant from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to fund a tree inventory and a tree management plan. Yesterday, the Conservation Advisory Council announced that the tree inventory has begun. The following is the press release that was issued by the CAC.
Hudson Tree Canopy
The trees in the City of Hudson will be inventoried this month by an ISA [International Society of Arboriculture] forester. This August you may see people looking at and evaluating our trees in public spaces; this will be ISA Certified Arborist Miguel Berrios or members of his team from Land Beyond the Sea of Ithaca, New York. Berrios, who is also Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Certified Technical Service Provider for Habitat Planning, has been awarded the contract for executing the urban forestry work of Street and Park Tree Inventory and writing up a Community Forest Management Plan for the care of these important community members. All of this is made possible by a grant awarded to the City of Hudson by the New York State Department of Conversation and was applied for by the Hudson Conservation Advisory Council.
What goes into a tree inventory?
The foresters will evaluate each tree noting its species, DBH (diameter at breast height), health, exact GPS location and any management needs. This information will be provided to the City in an Excel-friendly, update-able format and also in hard copy.
What is a Community Forest Management Plan?
The foresters will review the data and make a 5-year management plan recommendation from their findings. The plan will have an overview of the state of the Hudson canopy, list recommended maintenance in order of priority, such as, immediate removal due to danger, likely to fail, necessary pruning, tree pit too small to sustain tree, and more. They will also look at the diversity of species to help us balance out as we move forward and plant more trees; thus avoiding the sad result of losing many of our Ash trees in the swift spread of the Emerald Ash Borer.
Why is this important for our community?
We need to know what we have so that we can plan for future planting of more trees and we need to preserve and maintain those trees that we currently have thriving. Trees are quiet workhorses in the environment; they sequester carbon, provide oxygen, soak up rainwater, create habitat and sustenance for pollinators, provide shade for our buildings, sidewalks and roads to help reduce the effect of global warming and help keep cooling prices down. All that, and they look darn good while doing it.
So, if you see Mr. Berrios or members of his team snooping around trees, please welcome them and maybe offer a glass of water. Their work is as important as the trees are to our community.
Many thanks to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Third Doses of the COVID Vaccine
The Columbia County Department of Health announced today that third doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are now available by appointment only to people who are moderately to severely immunocompromised. More information about the health conditions that qualify for a third dose and when the CCDOH is offering vaccination clinics can be found here.
Amend Your Calendars
If you have already added the second Hudson Connects Public Workshop to your calendar for Tuesday, August 24, delete it. It was announced today on the City of Hudson website that "the team has taken several steps to solicit more feedback on the initial vision," and, as a consequence, the workshop has been postponed and will be rescheduled. Additional information is not available at this time.
When you have deleted the Hudson Connects workshop, add this Scenic Hudson Zoom webinar, which takes place on Thursday, August 26, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
All the benefits of connecting with the Hudson River … are threatened by Amtrak's current proposal to erect gates and fences blocking access to riverfront destinations between Poughkeepsie and Rensselaer. But the good news is Amtrak has promised to work with local officials and other stakeholders as the plan is finalized. . . .
At the event, we'll discuss:
- Amtrak's proposal and opportunities for you to get involved
- Progress implementing the Hudson River Access Plan to safeguard current river connections and create new ones
- Efforts to restore historic bridges that will increase waterfront access
- Federal legislation compelling Amtrak to be more inclusive of community access needs
- A successful project in California--that could be replicated here--to create rail crossings that minimize risks to pedestrians and trains
You need to register to be part of the Zoom meeting, and that can be done by clicking here.
The Plot Thickens
During the Planning Board review of Verizon's plan to install wireless communications antennas on Providence Hall, members of the Planning Board and members of the public were repeatedly warned, by attorneys for Verizon and counsel to the Planning Board, that the review of the proposal could not consider health risks presented by the antennas. The standards were set by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission), and Verizon's only obligation was to meet those standards.
For several months during the Planning Board's extended review of the Verizon project, a landmark lawsuit was being argued in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. This lawsuit, brought against the FCC by Children's Health Defense (CHD) and the Environmental Health Trust, challenged "the FCC's refusal to review its 25-year-old obsolete wireless 'health guidelines' and adopt scientific, biologically based radio frequency emissions rules that adequately protect public health from wireless devices and infrastructure, including 5G."
Last week, a ruling was made in the case. Gossips' first information about the ruling comes from The Defender, a publication of CHD, which reports:
On Aug. 13, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled the FCC's 2019 decision that its 1996 guidelines adequately protect the public from non-cancer harms from 5G and wireless-based technologies was capricious, arbitrary and not evidence-based.
In 2019, after an alleged six-year review of the science on the potential harms of 5G and wireless technology, the FCC concluded the evidence showed no harm and therefore its 1996 guidelines are sufficient to protect the public and no review of the guidelines was warranted. . . .
CHD's case revealed that while the FCC has been pushing 5G and forcing Wi-Fi-based technologies on our children, the safety assurances made by the FCC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are not supported by evidence. As the court's ruling indicates, the contrary is true.
The entire statement from CHD can be read here.
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Wednesday, August 18, 2021
COVID-19 Update
The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been seven new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is five fewer than yesterday, from which it can be inferred that, since yesterday, twelve county residents have recovered from the virus. The number of county residents in mandatory quarantine today is thirty fewer than yesterday, but one more is hospitalized with the virus, and number in the ICU remains the same. There has not been a death from COVID-19 in Columbia County since June 24.
A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 1 new case of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 529, and the number of active cases was 9. There were 44 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 5 were hospitalized, and none was in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 37.
Laws Before the Council
At the Common Council meeting last night, the proposed local law amending the zoning to allow eating and drinking establishments in R4 districts was not placed on the aldermen's desks. Instead, Council president Tom DePietro told the Council the legislation would be discussed further at the next meeting of the reconstituted Legal Committee, but when that meeting will take place has not been announced.
Alderman Ryan Wallace (Third Ward) noted that, given the hierarchical structure of Hudson's zoning code, any change to what is allowed in R4 districts will affect the levels below. To this, Alderman Tiffany Garriga (Second Ward) responded, "That's the point. If we are going to create opportunities, let's do it!" Alderman Jane Trombley (First Ward) commented, "I imagine there are a lot of ways to make that happen." Alderman John Rosenthal suggested that Local Law No. 9 of 2017, which was never enacted, would work faster to achieve the goal. Trombley agreed.
The question of what course of action will be pursued to resolve the dilemma of 61-63 North Third Street will be discussed when the Legal Committee meets.
Another new law that made a sudden appearance this month without any vetting in public was an amendment to the code prohibiting evictions without cause. The proposed law appears to have been modeled after the good cause eviction law passed in July by the City of Albany Common Council. Gossips believes copies of the Albany law were passed around to members of the ad hoc committee pursuing inclusionary zoning at its meeting on Wednesday, August 4, but the law was not discussed at that meeting.
At last night's Council meeting, Trombley suggested that the proposed law "has not been thought through" and said it should be discussed in the Legal Committee. Wallace said the law could be made much stronger, noting that there is no penalty in the law for taking multi-unit buildings and making them single-family again.
Garriga, however, insisted that the Council had to act on the law now. She told her colleagues that she gets calls about illegal evictions all the time, describing scenarios where locks are changed and belongings put out on the street when tenants are away. She asserted that the victims of such evictions "don't know their rights." She said of the proposed law, "It is straightforward, and it needs to be passed right now."
Jeff Baker, counsel to the Council, advised Garriga that no law can solve the problem she was describing--that of tenants not knowing their rights. Garriga asserted that the Hudson/Catskill Housing Coalition "will empower tenants."
The Council voted to lay the proposed law on their desks, but DePietro assured the aldermen, "We can talk about it in the Legal Committee."
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The Clock Shall Continue to Toll the Hours
Last month, Gossips reported that the city clock, located, as it has been since 1802 in the tower of the First Presbyterian Church, was no longer tolling the hours. This happened as a consequence of one person, who lives in close proximity to the church, complaining that the clock striking the hours was keeping her up at night.
The issue of the striking clock came up again at last night's Common Council meeting. Council president Tom DePietro told the aldermen that the City had researched and found a device that would turn the striking of the hours off at night. The device would cost an estimated $6,000. He wanted to know if there was interest on the Council in pursuing this.
Speaking of the tolling of the hours, Alderman John Rosenthal (Fourth Ward) said, "This has been going on for decades," and asked, "How many people have complained?" He commented that he lived near the church and found the tolling of the hours through the night reassuring.
Tiffany Garriga (Second Ward) recalled a time when the entire city was without electricity, and the striking of the clock still told the time. "The noises that bother me," said Garriga, "are car crashes and shootings." She expressed the opinion that $6,000 could be better spent in other ways.
It appears tradition and the will of the majority have triumphed, and the City will not be investing $6,000 in a device to suspend the tolling of the clock through the night.
Below is a photograph of the clockworks, provided to Gossips by DPW superintendent Rob Perry.
Tuesday, August 17, 2021
COVID-19 Update
The Columbia County Department of Health has released its numbers for today. Since yesterday, there have been fifteen new cases of COVID-19. The number of active cases being reported today is six more than yesterday, from which it can be inferred that, since yesterday, nine county residents have recovered from the virus. The number of county residents in mandatory quarantine today is 81 more than yesterday, and the number hospitalized with the virus is four more than yesterday. The number in the ICU remains the same. There has not been a death from COVID-19 in Columbia County since June 24.
A year ago today, the CCDOH reported 4 new cases of COVID-19. The total number of cases was 528, and the number of active cases was 10. There were 45 county residents in mandatory quarantine, 4 were hospitalized, and none was in the ICU. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 at this time last year was 37.
Hudson Connects and the HPC
On Friday, David Lustberg of Arterial made a presentation to the Historic Preservation Commission. It was an abbreviated version of the presentation made at the public workshop on July 27 and which is available on the City of Hudson website.
Chip Bohl, architect member of the HPC, expressed enthusiasm for the bump outs, saying, "They are really important and super useful." He opined, "Warren Street reeks of the 1970s. We don't have a cherished palette to work with."
John Schobel, vice chair of the HPC, cautioned, "We have to be very careful with materials," and continued, "I can't wait to have a deep discussion [about this]."
Forman suggested that the commission "spend time with the presentation and see where we can make the greatest contribution."
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More Census Data
Gossips has reported some 2020 census data for Hudson here and here. Today, the Columbia Economic Development Corporation released this summary of 2020 census data for the county as a whole.
What is interesting is that, while the population of Columbia County decreased by 2.4 percent since 2010, the number of households increased by 32.9 percent. In the past ten years, the median household income increased by 34.1 percent, from $49,795 to $66,787.
Right Here in Columbia County
On Thursday, the Hudson Youth Department canceled the last day of summer camp because a rec attendant tested positive for COVID-19. Yesterday, the Columbia County Department of Health reported 21 new cases of COVID-19. Today, Mayor Kamal Johnson announced that masks must be worn by everyone--vaccinated or unvaccinated--in City buildings, and public attendance at meetings at City Hall will be limited to ten. Meanwhile, Do We Need This?--"the primary local group fighting against vaccination, masking and other public health measures"--is holding an anti-vaxx festival on a farm somewhere in Claverack on Saturday, August 21, from noon until 7:00 p.m.
People concerned about the threat of COVID in our community should steer clear of the Saturday, August 21, anti-vaxx "festival" at a Claverack farm, misleadingly described as "benefiting health freedom." This large gathering of unvaccinated, unmasked people risks spreading the virulent Delta variant. The event will raise money for four anti-vaxx groups that are spreading dangerous disinformation and have worked with extremist--sometimes violent--alt-right groups. . . .
Some local anti-vaxxers are organic farmers, proponents of home schooling, and peace advocates. Some anti-vaxxers oppose hate speech and violence, and discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, and religion.
Nonetheless, nationally and in Columbia County, anti-vaxxers are spreading dangerous misinformation and disinformation that cause real and significant harm to public health in the community by deterring people from receiving life-saving vaccines.
Being "anti-vaccine" does not make someone an alt-right extremist, but nationally racist right-wing groups are working to ally themselves with anti-vaxx groups. Concerningly, anti-vaxx groups like Do We Need This? are increasingly joining hands with groups with ties to extremist, alt-right groups whom they might otherwise disavow.
"Festival in the Field!" is the subject of an article by Roger Hannigan Gilson, "Anti-vaccine 'festival' planned this weekend," which appeared yesterday in the Times Union. Gilson reports, "according to an online flier," the farm where the event is to be held is not in Claverack but is Cowberry Crossing Farm in Livingston. He goes on to report: "When contacted, Cowberry Crossing Farm proprietor Richard Harrison claimed the event--advertised online as including vendors, organic food and performances by nine entertainers and bands--was "a small, private family event," and declined further comment."
Whether it's happening in Claverack or Livingston, the site is in the 12534 zip code. The Do We Need This? website identifies the location of the event as Hudson, NY.
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Be Advised . . .
The Common Council holds its regular monthly meeting tonight at 7:00 p.m. In advance of that, Mayor Kamal Johnson yesterday issued the following policy statement.
In order to protect the health and safety of the public and City employees, due to the spread of COVID-19 variant(s) and the City's obligation to hold in person meetings pursuant to the Open Meetings Law, effective immediately, no one may attend a public meeting or hearing in City Hall or in any City owned and operated building without wearing a mask, even individuals who have been fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus.
Further, due to the small size of the City Hall Common Council Chamber, often used for public meetings, the number of people who may attend meetings in the Chamber, not including the Council or board members themselves, will be limited to 10 members of the public at any one time. Members of the public who attend public meetings must maintain a social distance of 6 feet. To supplement the public access, the City will utilize an "Owl" camera, screen and projector to allow the public to participate in meetings and hearings virtually. Details of those wishing to participate via the Owl can be found on the City's website.
Anyone who does not comply with this policy shall be removed from City Hall or other property owned and operated by the City.
Oddly, the resolution authorizing the purchase of the equipment needed to livestream the meetings for remote access is on the agenda to be voted on at tonight's Council meeting, so it seems unlikely this remote access will be available for tonight's meeting. Gossips looked for the "details of those [sic] wishing to participate via the Owl" on the City of Hudson website and found nothing. It will be interesting to see what happens if more than ten masked members of the public show up for tonight's Council meeting.
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