Whose Pockets Will The Money For This Emergency Project Come From? How Much Longer Can This Continue?

Yesterday afternoon, in the upper portion of the 500 block of Union, I came across a few DPW workers, including the foreman Frank Rogers, and one guy working for a contractor hired by a utility, likely National Grid.  Over the past few years, that guy has spray painted our streets and sidewalks more than you can imagine (his color is yellow), all of it in preparation of excavation to mark where gas lines lie below so that no preventable or regrettable "accidents" occur.  (Honestly, given the amount of excavation of our streets and sidewalks and the number of different contractors doing the digging, I'm surprised we haven't had a gas line rupture and explode yet.)  Anyway, that guy is doing his best to keep the accidental gas leaks and explosions to a minimum, as well as keeping National Grid from being sued and dealing with a big headache. The last thing they need is for 2 or 3 houses or an apartment building to go up in flames because a contractor nicked a natural gas line out front with a backhoe.  Our streets and sidewalks look like shit with all that spray paint, but at least we're alive. For now at least. 

Is EVERYTHING Broken?

Given the city's troubling financial outlook, I wasn't at all surprised to see that tonight's scheduled monthly meeting of the FINANCE Committee was cancelled.  Not rescheduled (it's too late in the month for that, I guess) but cancelled.  That committee is made up of Margaret Morris, Rich Volo, and two others who we should not be relying on for anything -- Mohammed Rony and Lola Roberts.  At least Greenport resident Dewan The Fraud Sarowar isn't offering any financial wisdom to the committee.  Thank goodness for miracles!

What If A Hudson Cop Had Been Waiting At The Red Light?

Would they have backed up and out of the way to let the big rig get out of town and to the bridge? (Pics taken Friday.)

Sorry, The Wait Is Not Over!

For those of you, like me, who thought that there was no way 2026 was not going to be the year that a new paved area would finally arrive completely surrounding the Antiques Warehouse down at the end of South Front Street, I do not have good news for you.  Big work is going on there, but it's the roof above the enormous building that is being replaced, not all the ancient asphalt surrounding the building that is full of potholes, missing chunks, loose chunks, loose stones, crumbled asphalt, patches, cracks, depressions and other assorted ugly, dangerous crap designed to ruin your car, bicycle, and what's left in your faith in humanity. Oh well, there's always next year!  Or the next!  (Can you imagine how much it is costing the owner to replace the roof, which definitely had leaks?  Can you imagine how much it will cost them to replace the asphalt?  Let's hope the public's appetite for beer and antiques keeps up!)

The Questions Not Asked. The Lack of Information and Jokes That Were Made. The Time And Money Wasted. Everything Is Fine! No STRESS Here!

During Rob Perry's DPW report at last Thursday's monthly meeting of the so-called Code & Infrastructure Committee (which Code abandoned months ago), he brought up the issue of the troubled new stop sign for westbound Warren Street traffic approaching Park Place.  Perry began his explanation while displaying two pictures of what appeared to be a DPW crew of two replacing the missing sign, one of them being sideways, as is Rob's respectful habit.  He said, "The new stop sign which everyone is well aware of over at Park place.  [This got a few laughs from the audience.]  There were questions why the stop sign is out in the road."  Perry went into great detail about how there was far too much signage and other infrastructure already clogging the sidewalk where a stop sign would typically be located.  (With very few exceptions, and possibly just one, stop signs are not posted in the street.  And for good reason.)  Perry failed to mention that the sign was posted 8 feet from the curb, and no one asked him how far into the street he felt the sign needed to be or whether 8 feet from the curb was necessary.

At Least It's Still Green! Oh, If City Hall Were So Fortunate!

Do you remember a time not too long ago when someone had the great idea to transform the former church at 241 Columbia into a museum for Hudson's glorious religious past?  It seems to me the idea must have been in the news and on everyone's mind around 2020, which is the year on the still very readable and secure Code Enforcement Building Permit taped to the basement door.  The project likely died about 5 years ago, the same year the permit expired.  Oh, well!  But what next?  Is Code Enforcement making any attempts to get the owner of 241 Columbia to get their renovation project finished so that something might be done with the building other than it continuing to rot, perhaps -- and don't think I'm crazy here, please -- allowing it to be inhabited by human beings who can call Hudson home and maybe keep the sidewalk in walkable condition so that no one gets hurt or killed and sues the city for stupidity, disrespect, an inability to pay attention, laziness, dysfunction, and negligence?  Am I missing something that "sidewalk" represents?  (2nd ward council member Mohammed Rony apparently lives directly across the street.  His partner in crime, Dewan The Fraud Sarowar, lives in Greenport on Green Acres Road.  It's the place to be, they say.) 

One Week Later...

 

... and still no sign of mayor Ferris' "permanent" stop sign number 3!  Welcome to Hudson, we're a work in constant progress.  Get used to it!