CLOSED AGAIN! SURPRISED? GET USED TO IT!

I'm not sure how long the Huddson Parking Bureau has been closed to the public this week, but it is closed today and, according to an automated email response I received from the bureau, it will reopen Tuesday (Monday is a holiday).  Word on the sidewalk is that the Parking Bureau Clerk, Emily, is pregnant. It will be interesting to see who, if anyone, fills in for her when she goes on maternity leave, which could last as long as 6 months.  Right now, there is no one to take her place behind the window when she is gone for whatever reason.  The public relies on that bureau and that office being open at all times when it is supposed to be.  No one should be driving over there to find out no one is available to help.  Allowing the office to be closed is rude, disrespectful and disgraceful.  It's no surprise that HPD Captain David Miller is involved with the Parking Bureau (though he does not work for the bureau). 

How Dangerous, Narrow, and Speedy Is Green Street? Ask Jason Foster, Not Rob Perry!

A few months ago, during a Legal Committee meeting, 3rd ward council member (and Green Street resident) Jason Foster did his best to convince Margaret Morris that a yellow median line and shoulder lines were needed on Green Street to prevent crashes and slow down traffic. (There are zero marking on Green.  It's insane that there isn't a yellow median line, particularly for the bend.)  To prove his point, Jason provided two pictures of vehicle crashes on Green Street, each involving a parked car that was rammed into that he opined might have been prevented with pavement markings.  Jason also said that he was provided the pictures by the Hudson Police Department as a result of a Freedom of Information Law request he had made for them.  I don't recall where things were left after Jason's presentation, but I do know that this issue has not come up again at a Legal Committee meeting.  And for good reason.

The Absolute Insanity of Our Truck Route. Not To Worry, Though -- Margaret Morris Mentioned Something About It A few Months Ago!

Minutes after I left Stewart's this morning, where 7 or 8 Hudson cops were having their annual 2-hour meet-and-greet ("Coffee With A Cop"!) and 4 police vehicles were parked in the always busy and often full parking lot, I came across a tractor trailer pulling a U-turn around the triangle at the bottom of Columbia.  This was a first for me, though I'm sure it's happened many times. Come to think of it, that might be the only place in town that a big rig driver can make a (illegal) U-turn... or even consider attempting it.

Dear Common Council "President" Margaret Morris!

I'm sorry to bother you, Margaret, but I have just a few important questions that I feel require answers from you, an elected city official who owns a Hudson property that abuts two sidewalks.  The issues I bring your way, as I can only assume you will agree, are central to Hudson's public infrastructure, well-being (fiscal and otherwise), and future prosperity and success.  For reasons that I cannot understand, you appear to be ignoring these critical issues.  Thus, the questions for you.

For how many more months will the wooden pallet be leaning against your fence for all the world to walk past and see?  Would you be okay if every property owner in town were so sloppy and inconsiderate?  Isn't the message you're sending out to the world that you don't care what Hudson looks like or how messy it is?  Who are you hoping removes that pallet from your property, Margaret?  Or do you not care if it ever gets removed from public view?  What is the pallet there for?  Who is it there for?  The eyes of passers-by, to enhance the beauty of downtown Hudson?

(I took the picture of your pallet on September 14th, at least 2 weeks after I first noticed it in the same spot.)

ALSO

Who Invited Tesla To Offer Free (Supervised) Rides In Their Driverless Car, The Latest Oktoberfest Tradition?

Were you among the brave and fortunate few to take a ride in a "supervised" driverless Tesla during the Upper Depot Brewery's Oktoberfest celebration on Saturday? No, me neither!

WORKING SMOKE ALARMS SAVE LIVES, You Say? What About WORKING FIRE HYDRANTS? Do They SAVE LIVES Too?

It seems to me that in the most practical of terms there's no difference between the purpose of a smoke alarm and a fire hydrant: they're both intended to prevent fires and save lives and structures when a fire does occur.  They go about their jobs differently, but they both have the same goal in mind; they are both part of the arsenal of fire safety, along with fire extinguishers.  The only difference is that one is inside a structure while the other is outside.  And any sensible person or fireman can agree that both alarms and hydrants need to be WORKING in order to prevent fires and save lives and structures.  Furthermore, when they are found to be not working, alarms, extinguishers, and hydrants should be fixed as quickly as possible, like without hesitation.  And if they can't be fixed, they should be replaced with working ones right away!  You never say, as Rob Perry and any number of Hudson Fire Department officials have said at public meetings justifying the existence of out of service hydrants, "There are others should we need them."  This is an idiotic approach to fire and death prevention.  If that thinking applies to fire hydrants, it should apply to smoke alarms, shouldn't it?

Who Paid For Nick Fox's "BUILDING DEPARTMENT" Business Cards and How Much Did They Cost?

Last I checked, there is no such thing as a BUILDING DEPARTMENT associated with Hudson City Hall, not inside 520 Warren nor at any other location, including on 7th Street.  The only departments located at 77 North 7th Street are the Hudson Fire Department and the Hudson Code Enforcement Department.  (The business card is taped to the door leading to the Code office.)