About 11 Warren Street

Over the years, Gossips has shared the history of the strikingly out-of-place structure at 11 Warren Street on several occasions, the first time being in 2013, when word was out that Galvan going to buy the building from COARC. Now that it's been announced that the County intends to buy the building from Galvan, for close to $2 million more than Galvan paid for it ten years ago, I am inspired to share the history of the building again, because it was a disastrous mistake for the building to have been constructed in the first place, and the County's action ensures that Hudson will have to continue to live with this mistake for a few more decades.

The building at 11 Warren Street is a monument to wrong-headed urban development. It was meant to be shopping center, with off-street parking, to lure people back to Hudson from the strip malls that were popping up along Fairview Avenue in Greenport in the late 1960s and early 1970s. An entire block of 19th-century buildings, with the exception of one building, was demolished during Urban Renewal to be replaced by this wannabe suburban bad idea. This vintage photograph shows some of the buildings that were lost.

This is the building that stood at the southwest corner of Warren and First streets.

The screen capture below, from the 1959 film Odds Against Tomorrow, shows the first block of Warren Street in the late 1950s--intact on both north and south sides.

This picture of the block was taken in 1973, before the demolition that was Urban Renewal began.

In 1975, a developer from Schenectady named Howard Goldstock built the one-story complex--totally out of character with the surrounding neighborhood--and dubbed it Parkview Plaza, a name inspired by its proximity to Promenade Hill. Goldstock promised to fill the plaza with retail businesses--an anchor store at the east end and smaller shops in the remainder--but he never made good on that promise. In 1978, after a lengthy foreclosure proceeding, the building, still unfinished, was sold at public auction on the steps of the Columbia County courthouse as, to quote the Register-Star from August 3, 1978, "disinterested county employees and visitors strolled by."

The buyer, who paid $200,000 for the three-year-old white elephant, was the Hudson City Savings Institution, the very bank that had originally financed the project. (The Hudson City Savings Institution, chartered in 1850, morphed into Hudson River Bank & Trust in 1998 and was sold to First Niagara in 2005, which in turn was acquired by Key Bank in 2016.) William Fisher, who was mortgage operations vice president for HCSI at the time, was quoted in the Register-Star as saying, "We are now pursuing all avenues to try to come up with a viable use [for the building] that will be mutually beneficial to the community and the bank."

In 1981, COARC established Promenade Hill Center, a day activity program, in the building. That use continued until 2013, when COARC moved out, and Galvan bought the building. Initially, it was rumored that Eric Galloway intended to demolish the ill-fated strip mall and re-create in its place the buildings that once were there, but that never happened. In the ten years that Galvan has owned the building, its only use has been as the Warren Street Academy, an alternative high school program that opened in 2016 and closed in 2020. In 2021, Galvan proposed partnering with Benchmark Development of Great Barrington to construct a mixed-use building on the site, with market rate apartments, retail spaces, a restaurant, and underground parking. 

In the press release announcing the plan, Galvan said this about the project.

The project improves the streetscape and connectivity between Warren Street and the waterfront by replacing an unattractive and out-of-place building with a new mixed-use building designed to reflect the historic character of Hudson. . . .

The project furthers the goals set forth in the City of Hudson's vision for the BRIDGE District as part of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI). The city was awarded a $10 million DRI Grant from New York State which seeks to reestablish the link between downtown and the waterfront with quality housing, economic development, and beautiful, transportation-oriented design. 11 Warren Street revitalizes the connection of Warren Street and Front Street, linking Hudson's vibrant downtown to its waterfront parks and Amtrak station.

It is not known why the project was abandoned, but selling the building to the County to use as the location of the Probation Office and the Public Defenders Office and for storing voting machines achieves none of the goals outlined in that 2021 press release. 

Curious to know how this all came about, I contacted Claire Cousin, the county supervisor who represents the First Ward, my ward. When close to a day passed, and Cousin had not responded to my email, I contacted the other four Hudson supervisors--Abdus Miah (Second Ward), Michael Chameides (Third Ward), Linda Mussmann (Fourth Ward), and Rick Scalera (Fifth Ward)--to ask how they had voted when the question of buying 11 Warren Street came before the Board of Supervisors. More than a day has passed since I sent the email, and only Mussmann has responded. Mussmann told me that Cousin had not been present at the meeting on August 9. She, Mussmann, had not voted because she had to leave the meeting before the vote has taken, but she had spoken out against the purchase prior to the vote. She didn't know how Miah and Chameides had voted, since she wasn't present, but she said Scalera had recused himself because of his association with the Galvan Foundation.

Update: Gossips learned this morning from Kelly Baccaro, clerk of the Board of Supervisors, that the notes from the August 9 meeting had just been posted on the County website. Here is the information provided there. 

Request the Clerk to Read the Resolutions

Resolution numbers 301-2023 through 312-2023 were read. A motion to approve was made by M. Chameides seconded by T. Houghtling; motion carried unanimously. Resolution numbers 313-2023 through 325-2023 were read. A motion to approve was made by K. Weigelt, seconded by R. Knott, with a recusal from R. Scalera on Resolution #318-2023; motion was carried unanimously. A SEQR review was required on Resolution #318-2023 R. Fitzsimmons led the group through the SEQR process. A motion to declare a negative declaration for the 11 Warren Street property was made by R. Knott, seconded by J. Guzzi; motion was approved unanimously.

Supervisors - do they have any other business to bring before the Board?

T. Houghtling requested a meeting of the Space Utilization committee regarding the 11 Warren Street property.

As anyone who has attended a county Board of Supervisors meeting knows, the board votes on several resolutions at a time. Information provided allows one to infer that, of the thirteen resolutions voted on in the second block, the resolution regarding 11 Warren Street was Resolution #318-2023. Since the motion to approve the thirteen resolutions carried unanimously, it can be inferred that Hudson supervisors Abdus Miah (Second Ward) and Michael Chameides (Third Ward) voted in favor of the resolution. As Gossips reported earlier, Claire Cousin (First Ward) was absent, Linda Mussmann (Fourth Ward) had to leave the meeting before the vote was taken, and Rick Scalera (Fifth Ward) recused himself.

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In Memoriam: Joan Davidson

Joan K. Davidson died yesterday. Her obituary appeared this morning in the New York Times: "Joan Kaplan Davidson, Philanthropist Who Championed New York, Dies at 96."

Joan Davidson in 1997 
Photo: Alan E. Solomon for the New York Times

Joan Davidson was not only a champion of New York, she was also a champion of the Hudson Valley and the City of Hudson. In 1996, she helped found Historic Hudson and spoke at the organization's inaugural event at the Carrie Haddad Gallery, where Lynn Davis's Warren Street Project was exhibited for the first time. She was also a great supporter of the Hudson Opera House through its reclamation and decades long restoration and on into its new life as Hudson Hall. In 2021, the Proprietors Gala, Hudson Hall's annual fundraising event, took the form of an elegant picnic on the lawn at Midwood, Davidson's estate on the Hudson River in Germantown.

Midwood was also the setting for the annual Shad Party, which Joan hosted every year, for more than a decade, in early May. In a 2010 article in the Wall Street Journal, Ralph Gardner, Jr., described the event as "a reunion of 400 or so of the philanthropist's closest friends and favorite politicians." The guest list for the Shad Party had the quality of a meritocracy. If you were included, you knew you were doing something Joan considered worthy. What was  miraculous about the Shad Party was that, no matter what the weather on the morning of the event, the rain stopped, the clouds parted, and the sun was beaming down on Midwood by the time the guests arrived.

New York, the Hudson Valley, and our little city of Hudson have lost a gracious, generous, and astute champion and an indomitable force for good. 

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Not Good News

For everyone who hoped that the plan to demolish the ill-fated "shopping center" in the first block of Warren Street and replace it with a market rate apartment building, as proposed by Benchmark Development in February 2021, would eventually happen, this is not good news. 

Today, Matt Murell, chair of the Columbia County Board of Supervisors, announced that the county intends to buy the property from Galvan for $3.35 million "to solve [the county's] infrastructure concerns that have arisen in recent years." Galvan bought the building from COARC in August 2014 for $1.575 million. What follows is the press release issued by Murell today:

The Columbia County Board of Supervisors at its Wednesday, August 9, monthly meeting voted to purchase the building located at 11 Warren Street, Hudson, in a move that is expected to solve infrastructure concerns that have arisen in recent years.

The property at 11 Warren Street sits on a .94 of one acre and is zoned Central Commercial, for professional, governmental, or business use. It offers 18,622-square-feet, all on one level, with 30 onsite parking spots. The building was erected in 1985. [Gossips correction: The building was built it 1975.]

With a purchase price of $3,350,000 and anticipated renovations and contingencies, the overall projected project cost of 11 Warren Street is $8,715,500.

“This is a positive step for Columbia County and I’m excited about this opportunity,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Matt Murell, who noted that with the high cost of commercial construction, the sum required to put up a structure that would solve the needs under consideration makes that option virtually prohibitive.

“11 Warren Street solves a multitude of issues,” he said.

Among those issues, outlined Department of Public Works Commissioner Ray Jurkowski, are space and storage concerns with the Board of Elections at 401 State Street, an aging county building at 610 State Street, as well as other space questions. “11 Warren Street is a unique opportunity, with a number of features that make it attractive to the county,” he said.

Commissioner Jurkowski explained that “610 State Street, a building that dates to 1886, has been identified as an issue in the county infrastructure. The purchase of 11 Warren Street means the county will not have to make a significant investment in upgrades and renovations to that building.”

At this time, 610 State Street is home to the Probation Department, the Public Defender’s Office, and the 911 backup call center. The latter will be decommissioned when the new 911 center at Commerce Park is complete, at which time the 911 center in use at this time in the county public safety building becomes the backup call center.

A long-term third-party building condition estimate to maintain 610 State Street, conducted in 2019 and adjusted for inflation, stands at $5,090,400.

The county Board of Elections is currently housed in the county building located at 401 State Street, where its new voting machines are stored in the basement. That’s a situation Commissioner Jurkowski described as “not the best. The machines are a big investment and there are concerns with storing them in that environment.”

Further, a county Board of Elections is required by state law to maintain its offices within the limits of the county seat. A ballot initiative would be needed to move it out of the county seat.

“I stand strongly behind the purchase of 11 Warren Street–it’s a no-brainer,” said Austerlitz Town Supervisor and county Deputy Chairman Rob Lagonia. “It’s a huge game-changer for the county. I’m very excited about it.”

“It’s a home run for the county,” added Livingston Town Supervisor and county Deputy Chairman and Finance Chairman James Guzzi, who pointed to 11 Warren Street’s open floor plan, with no interior load bearing walls, as a “good fit in terms of its simplicity. It allows us to move office space around in different ways. 11 Warren Street is in good shape and it fills a void for the county in a good way.”

In addition, when the move out of 610 State Street is complete, it can be placed on the market and ultimately restored to the tax rolls.

It will be interesting to see how the five Hudson supervisors voted on this issue, but the minutes of this meeting have not yet been made available.  

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Movie Night at Olana

Next Friday, August 18, The Olana Partnership and Upstate Films Hudson Valley Picture Show will present Martin Scorsese's 2011 film Hugo for a special outdoor sunset movie night on the East Lawn at Olana State Historic Site. 

With Hugo, Scorsese transmutes Brian Selznick's captivating and imaginative book The Invention of Hugo Cabret into an alternative universe: a creaky, magical Paris train station where an orphan boy encounters a movie director who is about to change the world. Hugo was nominated for eleven Academy Awards, eight BAFTA Film Awards, and three Golden Globe awards.

The Hudson Valley Picture Show is a traveling cinema festival held under the stars. The film will be shown at 8:00 p.m. Beginning at 7:00 p.m., Upstate Films will have a concession stand selling wine, beer, and popcorn; Frankie's Hudson Valley mobile bar and coffee shop will be serving seasonal favorites; and the Anatole Trio (Matthew Schreiber, accordion; Megan Gould, violin; and Martin Keith, bass) will give a special prescreening performance as the sun sets behind the Catskill Mountains.

For more information and to purchase tickets (for adults only; kids are free), click here.

Small World

Back in 2015, Gossips published a post about Bert Geer Phillips, the artist born and raised in Hudson who, with Ernest Blumenschein and four others, founded the Taos Society of Artists in 1915: "Hudson and Taos." More than a century later, the connection between Hudson and Taos continues.

At the Planning Board meeting on Tuesday, Lance Helfert and Gary Mead from Casetta, the group that wants to create a boutique hotel in the Terry-Gillette mansion, formerly the Elks Lodge, spoke of their experience developing a hotel in Taos, New Mexico, a town they feel shares many similarities with Hudson. Mead noted that the food and beverage partner for the Taos hotel had previously owned a restaurant in Hudson. 

Although Mead didn't mention the name of the food and beverage partner, I figured it could only be Zak Pelaccio, creator of Fish & Game and of BackBar here in Hudson, who now has a wine bar and cafe in Taos called Corner Office. A little investigation on the website of the Taos hotel, which is called Hotel Willa, confirmed I was right.

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Also at the Planning Board Meeting

Tuesday's Planning Board meeting lasted for close to two and a half hours. An hour was spent talking about Colarusso and the road through South Bay. Another hour was devoted to 601 Union Street, the Italian villa that once was the Elks Lodge, where the Casetta Group is planning to develop a boutique hotel. 

The project has been before the regulatory boards for more than a year. Because the building is located in a residential district, a use variance was required for its adaptive reuse as a hotel. A use variance was granted in March 2022, with the enthusiastic support of the neighbors to the west of the building. The original plan was to locate some hotel amenities on the roof of the building, but that plan had to be abandoned when it was discovered that the roof could not support what was envisioned. As a consequence, a new plan was developed, which involved siting a pool, an event space, a kitchen and bar, a gym and spa, and a building housing ten additional rooms on land that is part of the property, which extends east behind the municipal parking lot and 611 Union Street.

The change in plan required an amended use variance. It also attracted the attention of the owner of 611 Union Street, Walter Brett, who was concerned about the negative impact of the hotel development on his historic house. In February, when the project came back before the Zoning Board of Appeals for an amended use variance, Brett summarized his objections by telling the ZBA, "It feels like the circus has come to town permanently, and it has settled in my backyard."

Despite Brett's concerns and his lawyer's contention that a major requirement for a use variance--that the alleged hardship was not self-created--had not been satisfied, the ZBA granted the amended use variance in July. It remains for the project to get site plan approval from the Planning Board and a certificate of appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Commission. When the project came before the HPC in February, it was received enthusiastically, but its potential impacts on the historic house at 611 Union were not considered at that time.

At the Planning Board meeting on Tuesday, Brett was present to express his concerns about the noise, lights, and smells that would emanant from the pool, event space, and kitchen proposed for the space behind his house. Lance Helfert of Casetta said they had wanted to talk with Brett when they were developing the plans for the additional buildings but Brett's attorney didn't want him to speak with them. Victoria Polidoro, counsel to the Planning Board, asked Brett if he had challenged the ZBA's decision to grant the use variance. Brett responded that he still had some time to file an Article 78 challenging the decision.

It was decided that the members of the Planning Board would make a site visit to Brett's backyard on Saturday, August 19, at 11:00 a.m., after they had visited the site of the Colarusso road. The Planning Board also requested a rendering of the proposed buildings from the vantage point of the rear of 611 Union Street. Below is an aerial rendering of the proposed site that was presented to the HPC in February.

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On the Road Again

Colarusso was back on the Planning Board agenda last night, for the first time since November 2021, when the Planning Board made a positive declaration in the SEQR (State Environmental Quality Review) process. Colarusso responded by bringing a lawsuit against the Planning Board, and that lawsuit has prevented the Planning Board from continuing its review for the past twenty months. In the intervening time, the makeup of the Planning Board has changed significantly. Only two people who were on the Planning Board in November 2021 are still on the Planning Board: Theresa Joyner, who now chairs the board, and John Cody.

Photo: Bill Huston

Last night, Victoria Polidoro, legal counsel to the Planning Board, prefaced the presentation by Colarusso attorney John Privatera, by explaining that Colarusso had two applications for conditional use permits before the board: one for the road and one for the dock. She went on to say: "The Planning Board has issued a positive declaration on the dock, which was challenged, and we're waiting for the court to issue a decision on the dock. So, tonight . . . the only application the board is reviewing is the road, and that's because the board was directed to review this application by the court."

Privatera's presentation provided no new information. He stressed that A. Colarusso & Son was a "local, family owned business," asserted that the Columbia County Planning Board considers the road to be "an environmental justice project," claimed that the road was the fulfillment of a goal of the 2002 Comprehensive Plan, alleged it was the vision of the City to have a mixed use waterfront and the City wanted the dock, and touted the plan as protecting and restoring the wetlands of South Bay. Privatera's entire presentation can be heard here, beginning at 29:50.  

John Privatera (left), Colarusso attorney, and Paul Colarusso (right), president of A. Colarusso & Son

Although the meeting was not a public hearing, Joyner said she wanted to give people a chance to ask questions. Given the opportunity, many of the usual supporters of the project spoke up. Bill Hughes, former Fourth Ward supervisor, alleged, "Environmental justice doesn't get talked about enough," and wanted to know, "When will the trucks stop?" Linda Mussmann, current Fourth Ward supervisor, declared, "It's time to let this happen. We have a business in town that wants to share our dock--their dock--and our waterfront. . . . I would appreciate moving forward." Cappy Pierro, who moved from Hudson to Taghkanic in 2013 but has remained a great supporter of Colarusso, asserted that the proposed road through South Bay would eliminate a "big percentage" of trucks passing over Hudson's streets.

Sam Pratt noted that the Planning Board had a "monumental task" before it, for two main reasons. The first reason cited was the turnover on the board--only two of the current members were on the board in 2021--and "massive record of public input and professional studies to be reviewed." Pratt wanted to know how the Planning Board intended to get up to speed. The second reason was the applicant's attorney, who, Pratt said, "is quite willing to mislead you and sue you." As an example, Pratt pointed out that the 2002 Comprehensive Plan, which Privatera cited as evidence that what Colarusso was proposing was in line with what the City had envisioned for itself, said nothing about truck traffic going to the waterfront because at the time the comprehensive plan was done there were no trucks going back and forth from the quarry to the waterfront.  

Responding to Pratt's question about the board getting up to speed, Joyner assured him, "We plan to be diligent. . . . It's gonna take time. . . . We are going to read [everything] and not move until we understand every bit of it."

The entire segment of the Planning Board meeting devoted to Colarusso merits viewing. The video of the meeting can be found here. The Colarusso part of the meeting begins at 29:50 and ends at 1:27:17. 

The Planning Board has scheduled a site visit to the proposed road for Saturday, August 19, at 9:00 a.m. The public hearing on the project will take place at the next Planning Board meeting, which is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, September 12.

Who Writes This Stuff?

Recently, an online publication called World Atlas ran a feature called "12 Small Towns in NY Were Ranked Among US Favorites." One of the small towns featured is Greenport. This is the first paragraph of the description of Greenport:

Greenport, a long-time fishing village on the Peconic River on the northern fork of Long Island, is an easy-going town with delectable seafood, especially oysters. Enjoy a day trip or a seaside weekend escape right next to the Big Apple into a whole other atmosphere with quick access by train from Manhattan. Gorge on sea delicacies with pretty views in between museum visits, and wash it down with your favorite glass from wineries or breweries. One of the most beautiful villages in the state, with serenity that feels alien to the city, is abuzz during the summer months.

This is the photograph that accompanies the text about Greenport:

The Valley Alliance Reacts

Yesterday, Gossips remarked on the the bizarre new greenwashing title and description of Colarusso's business before the Planning Board that appeared in the agenda for tonight's meeting. Today, The Valley Alliance sent this statement to the members of the Planning Board.

We’re writing regarding the agenda for tonight’s meeting. . . . It appears that Colarusso will be discussed publicly for the first time in more than a year. 

The portion of Colarusso’s controversial ambitions apparently up for discussion tonight involve an exponential increase in truck traffic to and from the Waterfront—generating fugitive dust, diesel pollution, traffic snarls, visual and noise impacts, et al. An approval could allow vast quantities of gravel to be hauled, dumped, stockpiled and loaded right next to Hudson’s only riverfront park. This would also have harsh negative impacts on three major entrances to the city, neighboring business and homes, as well as the South Bay, which was protected a decade ago by New York State as a rare and fragile ecosystem. 

Dozens of previous Planning Board public notices, agendas and minutes for the company’s applications have correctly listed Colarusso’s proposal in standard, neutral legal terms. This has been consistent across many different chairs and sets of board members. 

So we were surprised and concerned to see tonight’s Colarusso agenda item described in non-legal, irregular terms—promotional language seeming to originate with and biased toward the applicant. . . . 

Your June 2021 minutes appropriately stated that “The board took up continued review of applications for conditional use permits with site plan components from A. Colarusso and Son Inc. for a replacement bulkhead and haul road improvements.” Your November 2021 records show the Colarusso agenda items as “175 South Front Street (Tax ID #109.15-1-1) Conditional Use Permit applications and site plans from A. Colarusso and Son Inc. for road improvements and commercial dock operations.” Your March 2019 minutes quote Board Attorney Howard that “the applications were for conditional use permits with a site plan.” Similar language was used as well by Columbia County Planning. 

Even Colarusso’s attorney Mr. Privitera in a February 2021 memo to your agency acknowledged their “applications to the City of Hudson Planning Board for conditional use permits for 175 South Front Street (the ‘Dock Application’) and the adjacent haul road (the ‘Haul Road Application’)…. [T]he Haul Road Application, seeks a conditional use approval for the proposed improvements to the haul road within the City limits.”

But oddly, the Colarusso agenda item for tonight’s meeting reads completely differently: 

Here, all references to the actual applications for Conditional Use Permits and Site Plan review have disappeared, replaced by language minimizing its impacts. The agenda item spins the project entirely using the applicant’s preferred lens of minor “improvements.” We hope this was a clerical error, and that future agendas will revert to your prior neutral practices.

We once again note, as we and our legal counsel have many times before, that the shallow SEQR ruling by Greenport in no way prevents Hudson from upholding its own separate codes and planning goals via Conditional Use and Site Plan review. Indeed, in his 2016 resolution of a dispute between Hudson and Greenport, NYSDEC Commissioner Seggos specifically stated that while he granted Greenport lead agency status solely for SEQRA review of the haul road, “This decision in no way limits the jurisdiction or responsibilities of the other involved and interested agencies — particularly the City Planning Board.” The City retains the right and obligation to uphold its own local code provisions, which are far more rigorous than Greenport’s.

We again note that the legislative intent of the LWRP code revisions was clearly stated by NYS Department of State lead attorney William Sharpe—and seconded by the City Attorney—on the night that it was enacted by the Common Council.

“They would not be able to enlarge or expand under the City’s zoning. The existing zoning that you have does not permit expansions of nonconforming uses… So it would be at the point where something happens on the property, where the paving of the road, or the road needs to be regraded. If that’s regraded, they’re going to have to get a conditional use permit for the entire property.

This standoff was caused by Colarusso’s own reckless actions—making unpermitted changes to the property, while subjecting downtown to truck traffic as a means of pressuring your Board to accept the unacceptable. The company brought full reviews down upon its entire Hudson operation under the known terms of the LWRP. The project has been ungrandfathered. Colarusso’s claims to be generously “diverting” trucks from downtown streets are self-serving, much like its crocodile tears about “delays” caused by its own lawsuits.

This review cannot properly be framed either as some minor change, nor as a false Hobson’s choice between City streets and the South Bay. It is a crucial struggle between the broad goals of the citizens of Hudson vs. the narrow interest of a single Greenport corporation. The win-win solution to the problem Colarusso itself has created is to deny its permits—freeing the streets of trucks, allowing the Waterfront to be developed to benefit the people, and sparing the Bay from further degradation.

HCSD Selects New Superintendent

The Hudson City School District has chosen a new superintendent to replace Dr. Lisamarie Spindler, who resigned after serving as HCSD superintendent for only seventeen months. The following is quoted from a letter to the community from Willette Jones, president of the HCSD Board of Education:

The Hudson City School District Board of Education is scheduled to name Dr. Juliette Pennyman, a highly experienced educational leader, as the next Superintendent of Schools at its meeting Tuesday, August 8, 2023. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the Hudson Junior/Senior High School cafeteria, 215 Harry Howard Avenue.

We are excited to appoint a highly accomplished education executive with almost 30 years of experience at all levels of learning in school districts, including Dallas, Kansas City, MO, and Rochester, NY.

Dr. Pennyman's vast experience as an educational leader in major cities and small districts throughout several states gives her an unparalleled insight into innovations and strategies that create an exceptional education system.

Dr. Pennyman will officially begin her role on September 1, but she will be present frequently in the district throughout August as a consultant to enhance her transition. She succeeds Dr. Lisamarie Spindler, who left the district on June 30.

Cheryl Rabinowitz, the Hudson City School District's Manager of Instructional Technology and Data Protection Officer, is serving as Interim Superintendent, and we thank her for her stellar performance in guiding the District through this transition. Ms. Rabinowitz will remain in the interim position for the remainder of the summer, returning to her permanent position upon Dr. Pennyman's arrival.

Dr. Pennyman plans to meet with various stakeholder groups, and to put an emphasis on meeting with District faculty and staff to develop a strong bond with teachers, principals, and others who serve the district with such devotion.

Dr. Pennyman now serves as the Associate Dean of Academic Services at Cheyney University in the Pennsylvania suburbs of Philadelphia. She most recently served in a public school district as Interim Superintendent of the Niskayuna Central School District in Niskayuna, NY, in 2021 and 2022. Her previous positions included Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning in the Reading, PA, school district and Chief of Schools in Rochester, a district of 32,000 students. Earlier positions included serving as a principal in the Great Valley School District in Malvern, PA, and assistant principal in the Kansas City, MO, school district. She began her career as a special education teacher in several districts, including in major cities such as Dallas and Atlanta.

Dr. Pennyman also is an educational consultant and serves as educational program advisor of the LIFE Male STEAM Academy in Wilkins Township, PA. She holds a doctorate in educational and organizational leadership from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, an education specialist degree in educational administration from the University of Missouri in Kansas City, and a master's degree in exceptional student education from Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta. Her undergraduate degree was a bachelor of arts in sociology from Mercer University in Macon, GA.

We are eager to see the knowledge, wisdom, compassion and love for children that Dr. Pennyman will bring to our Hudson schools.

Gossips found this picture of Pennyman online, accompanying a 2021 article announcing her appointment as interim superintendent at Niskayuna Central School District.

Long-Awaited News

At the informal meeting of the Common Council tonight, Rob Perry, Superintendent of Public Works, reported that the NYS Department of Transportation has given permission to proceed with the construction of the new Ferry Street Bridge.

Perry said that the bid documents for construction of the new bridge would go out this week or early next week. The date for opening the bids has been set for Thursday, September 14. Perry predicted that, at the September meeting of the Common Council, there could be a resolution authorizing the mayor to enter into a contract for the construction of the bridge.

The Ferry Street Bridge has been closed to vehicular traffic since early October 2014, when Bill Hallenbeck was mayor. Funds for rebuilding the bridge were secured in April 2016, when Tiffany Martin was mayor. At that time, it was projected that, according to the timeline determined by the DOT, construction of the new bridge would begin in 2020. It seems now construction of the bridge will begin in 2024, only four years behind schedule.

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Colarusso Returns

The agenda for tomorrow's Planning Board meeting has been published, and it turns out that Gossips was wrong. The plans for the boutique hotel in the former Elks Lodge is not on the agenda. Instead Colarusso's quest for conditional use permits is back before the board after an extended hiatus during which Colarusso sued the Planning Board for making a positive declaration in the SEQR (State Environmental Quality Review) process in its review of Colarusso's application for conditional use permits for its operations at the river and in the City of Hudson. 

Photo: Our Hudson Waterfront

It seems in preparation for the return someone has done some rebranding worthy of the finest spin doctors. On the Planning Board's agenda, Colarusso's effort to get the required conditional use permits is now being identified as the "Causeway Improvement and Truck Traffic Diversion Project." This is the description that appears in the agenda:

The Truck Diversion Project proposes to improve the surface of the existing Causeway with a two-lane haul road, so that trucks can be diverted from the City streets and so that the low-lying service road can be abandoned and restored to wetland vegetation.

It's not clear where that language came from. What is clear is that it is meant to appeal to those people who just want to see the gravel trucks off the city streets without considering the consequences for the waterfront of Colarusso's plans and aspirations.

Photo: Linda Mussmann

Photo: Linda Mussmann

The Planning Board meeting takes place tomorrow, Tuesday, August 8, at 6:00 p.m., in person at the Central Fire Station, 77 North Seventh Street, and on Zoom. Click here to join the meeting remotely.

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A New OWL Has Arrived

Mayor's aide Michael Hofmann has confirmed that the new OWL is here and all set to go. It will debut at tonight's informal Common Councill meeting. If you want to attend tonight's meeting, there is no need to brave the thunderstorms that are expected to be happening at that time. You can watch the meeting from the comfort of home. The agenda for the meeting can be found here. Click here to join the meeting remotely.

Chickens and the City

Last week, Modern Farmer had an article about backyard homesteading: "Impulse Chickens and Trendy Goats: The Pitfalls of Modern Homesteading." The article reports: "A few months after backyard chickens became popular in the spring of 2020, farm rescues and sanctuaries saw an influx of surrendered birds."

Reading the article reminded me of the chicken issue in Hudson. The notion of allowing backyard chickens in Hudson was proposed to the Common Council Legal Committee in February 2020, and the necessary amendment to the zoning code to make that happen was finally passed in July 2020. According to the law, "Chickens may be kept in any zoning district within the City of Hudson subject to a conditional use permit issued by the City of Hudson Planning Board." 

In Gossips' recollection, confirmed this morning by code enforcement officer Craig Haigh, only two such permits have been issued by the Planning Board, one of them to the person who requested the amendment in the first place. It is not known if there are people raising chickens in Hudson without the required conditional use permit, or if the two people who received conditional use permits are still keeping chickens.

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Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead

At this time last week, the calendar on the City of Hudson website indicated that all city meetings would be in person only. The reason for that was the OWL, the device that enables hybrid meetings, was on the fritz. Since that is not the case this week, we will assume that the new OWL has arrived, the hybrid meetings will resume.

• On Monday, August 7, the Common Council holds its informal meeting at 6:00 p.m. At this point, it's indicated that the meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at the Central Fire Station, 77 North Seventh Street, and on Zoom. Click here to join the meeting remotely.
• On Tuesday, August 8, the Planning Board meets at 6:00 p.m. The agenda for the meeting is not yet available, but, since the Zoning Board of Appeals granted the necessary amended use variance last month, it is likely that site plan review of the boutique hotel proposed for the former Elks Lodge at 601 Union Street will be taken up at this meeting. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at the Central Fire Station, 77 North Seventh Street, and on Zoom. Click here to join the meeting remotely. 

• On Wednesday, August 9, it's the final Waterfront Wednesday of the season. Along with the regular features of the event--the Ujima Community Drum Circle, fishing lessons for kids, sails on the Apollonia, boat rides by Hudson Ferry Co., and trips to the lighthouse provided by the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Preservation Society--there will be a CREATE Council on the Arts award ceremony, opportunities to try your hand at juggling provided by the Bindlestiff Cirkus's Hudson Juggling Club, a mending party hosted by Like Minded Objects, and an all ages outdoor dance party with DJ Mike Mosby. Waterfront Wednesday starts at 5:00 p.m. and continues until dusk.

• On Friday, August 11, the Historic Preservation Commission meets at 10:00 a.m. An agenda for the meeting is not available, but it is expected that the adaptive reuse of 241 Columbia Street, the origin house of worship for Shiloh Baptist Church, which was granted a certificate of appropriateness in 2021, will be coming back before the HPC. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at the Central Fire Station, 77 North Seventh Street, and on Zoom. Click here to join the meeting remotely. 

Update: Today's HPC meeting was canceled.

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HDC and JLE

The City's plan to acquire the former John L. Edwards school building and relocate all city offices as well as the Youth Department to the building withered on the vine during the pandemic. Since then, the idea of acquiring JLE and repurposing it for some community purpose has been taken up by Hudson Development Corporation (HDC). In July, HDC sent a letter of intent to the Hudson City School District (HCSD) requesting a six-month due diligence period, to begin on July 1, 2023, and end on January 31, 2024. The letter, which HDC member John Friedman described as "uniquely devoid of content," states the purpose for the request in this way:

HDC has been exploring the feasibility of creating a work force/job training facility at JLE in order to provide job opportunities not only for the residents of the City of Hudson but also for the surrounding communities in Columbia County. 

JLE is centrally located, with parking, as such, relieves the City of Hudson of dealing with any parking issues. The development of JLE will complement its original design of a building for knowledge. JLE will house job training, workshops, social gatherings and meeting venue within walking distance for City of Hudson residents and the availability of parking allows the surrounding residents of Columbia County a place for opportunities.

Although the letter of intent doesn't mention it, HDC is also thinking City Hall, the Youth Department, and the Senior Center might move into the building. 

Photo: Jonathan Simons

At the last HDC meeting, which took place this past Tuesday, board president Chris Jones reported that she had gone to the July meeting of the HCSD Board of Education to talk about HDC and its interest in JLE. According to Jones, the school board and interim superintendent Cheryl Rabinowitz were very interested in what HDC is contemplating for the building. At the meeting on Tuesday, Mark Thaler of Lacey Thaler Reilly Wilson Architecture & Preservation, the group that did the feasibility study of the building for the City in 2019, made a presentation of that feasibility study via Zoom. The study can be found here.

HDC is planning a walk-through of the building for its board members, and Jones announced she would be attending the August 8 school board meeting to talk more about the possible future of the building.

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Following Up

If you haven't already watched Mark Allen's new video, Dear Hudson Historic Preservation Commission . . . , you should, and after you've done that, read Rich Volo's interview with Allen about the video on Trixie's List. 

A Gossips PSA

I heard this report on NPR this morning on the way to the dog park and thought it was worthy of sharing: "Petting other people's dogs, even briefly, can boost your health."

My beautiful Freddy loves the attention of friends and strangers alike. So, when you see him around town (accompanied by me, of course), feel free to pet him and boost your oxytocin.

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New from Mark Allen

Mark Allen has created a new video called Dear Hudson Historic Preservation Commission. . . . Using the device of composing a letter to the HPC, the video takes a droll and satirical (not to mention anachronistic) look at Warren Street architecture, historic preservation, and other things Hudson. Click here to view the video on YouTube.

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The Date Has Been Set

City Hall announced today that the auction of 10-12 Warren Street and 429 Warren will take place on Thursday, August 17, at 5:30 p.m., at the Central Fire Station, 77 North Seventh Street. 

Earlier that day, there will be public viewings of each property: 10-12 Warren from 11:00 to 11:45 a.m.; 429 Warren from 12:00 to 12:45 p.m. No appointment is necessary to participate in the public viewing.

No minimum bid has been set for either property. Winning bids are subject to final approval by the Common Council. For more information about the auction, click here.

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