Let's Look On The Bright, Warm and Sunny Side, Can We?

 

On Thursday, for the first time in at least 5 months, I noticed HPD officers speaking with a scruffy group of "patrons" at the 7th Street Park.  It's typically a sign that it isn't winter when HPD is responding to calls of unwelcome behavior in the park (almost always in the portion of the park closest to the store where alcohol can be bought!).  Hooray for no winter!  Hooray for HPD in the park!

An Economic Indicator Or Just a Joke?

 

Eight dollars for a used plastic milk crate that is legally considered stolen property?  Isn't April Fool's Day next week?

At our local non-profit thrift store!

Pave Paradise And Put Up A Parking Lot No One Will Want To Park In!

The issue of on-street and off-street parking as it relates to large developments in Hudson (and the entire country) is a serious and complicated one, made all the more difficult by the fact that for the past several years, as difficult it is to believe, there has been no requirement for developers to provide off-street parking for their projects. (I still have no idea how and why this change took place.)  In short, the situation here is a true shitshow, no more apparent than on North 7th Street at State Street where Galvan's enormously out-of-scale 5 floor apartment building with retail spaces is quickly taking shape. (They call it the Hudson Depot Lofts, and according to the website, the 64 pet-friendly units will be available this year.)  But where will the hundreds of tenants and customers of the shops park their vehicles, either overnight or for an hour or two?

How Corrupt, Dumb And Disrespectful Can A City Hall Be? (You May Have Difficulty Believing This!)

In April of 2023, third ward resident Lola Roberts submitted her 8 pages of signed petition to the Columbia County Board of Elections to get on the ballot in the fall to run for one of the two third ward council member seats.  Shershah Mizan and I also submitted ours on time.  All three of the petitions were accepted by the BOE and the three of us were on that fall's ballot, vying to represent the third ward on the Hudson Common Council.  You remember who came up short.

I recently obtained copies of Lola's signed petition papers from two years ago.  Within ten minutes of perusing the petition's pages -- and with the help of my original walking list from 2023 -- I had easily found five signatures that should not have been accepted by the BOE.  No one made objections to those invalid signatures (there is only a three-day window to do so once the BOE accepts a petition!), and the BOE didn't see any of them in their own reviews of Lola's petition if they even bothered to take a cursory look at it.  It's almost as if the BOE made sure Lola got on the ballot, faulty petition notwithstanding, so that I would have less of a chance to get on the council.  (For more about the BOE making a "mistake" related to my candidacy and petition two years ago, read here: Just An Honest Mistake?).

A Lot Of Explaining And Repair Work Is In Order. Already!

Sometime in November of last year, give or take 4 months ago, the contractor who the city hired to do the DRI work on the city's west end finally put down new concrete sidewalk curb ramps (and beyond) on all 4 corners at the intersection of 1st & Warren.  The job there, from ripping up the sidewalk to replacing it, TOOK FAR TOO LONG TO COMPLETE and was the first red flag of their project.  (Actually, the intersection is still missing 4 permanent stop signs!)

Whenever possible, pouring concrete in the cold is best to be avoided.  Wet concrete needs warmth to cure properly for a long life of being walked on and subject to the elements.  Concrete that does not harden quickly is a weak and imperfect end product.  It doesn't take a professional paver to know this.  Luizzi's timing for their concrete work was the second red flag of their project.

Is It Finally Beer, Food Truck and Blocked Sidewalk Season Again?

 

After several calls last year to HPD informing them of vehicles and food trucks parking on the sidewalk in the 700 block of State Street in front, and to the side, of the Return Brewery (sometimes several vehicles at a time), I was told by someone at HPD (I forget who it was) that the management at the brewery had been spoken to about the issue of their customers parking illegally and that "they will be  taking care of it."  Through the fall, the sidewalk continued to be utilized for parking of food trucks and brewery customers' cars, obstructing the public right of way, sometimes completely.  Hooray for much needed successful new businesses in downtown Hudson!

A City Hall Uninterested In Its Taxpayers, Failing At Basic Communication

I recently heard from a reliable source at City Hall that communication from DPW Superintendent Rob The Slob Perry to the Mayor's Office is practically non-existent.  This news didn't surprise me one bit.  As soon as Kamal Johnson arrived in City Hall 5 years ago, Perry essentially removed himself from 520 Warren and settled at the top of Rossman Avenue behind barbed wire fencing.  Perhaps our DPW Superintendent is uncomfortable being near, and communicating with, black people.  Perhaps, at the same time, Kamal has difficulty dealing with Rob and other white people.  It's difficult to say if any of that is true, but something really, really weird and concerning is going on between these two city officials. Whatever it is, it's not good for the future of this city or for anyone trying to make Hudson their home.