I Don't Know Which Look Is Worse! Do You?

The ugly house at 251 Columbia Street was demolished several years ago, likely in 2018 or 2019.  What has followed is a prime example of what we're up against with City Hall's lack of attention to important matters and details.  Yet again, HUDseen must state the obvious:  NO ONE AT CITY HALL IS PAYING ATTENTION!

For the past 5 years or more, the "vacant" property has been an eyesore of its own, covered in black plastic sheeting weighted down by cinder blocks and "protected" by orange plastic netting.  Actually, calling it an eyesore is being charitable. The plastic cover was the owner's idea of weed control, which worked pretty well.  It also kept Code Enforcement at bay.

Number Six (At Least)!!!!!! Hooray For Stupidity and Wasted Money! And More Plastic Crap For A Landfill Quickly Filling Up!

 

When They Can't Pay Attention, We Pay the Price

 

This parked car that I came across on the even side of South Front Street today had an overnight $15 WRONG SIDE PARKING ticket on its windshield. It looked familiar.  When I saw that the ticket -- which is yellowed and has been shat on by a bird -- was issued by a Hudson cop early in the morning on March 15th, I realized that I had noticed the ticketed car when I biked by it about a week ago.  Fifteen bucks is a pretty good parking deal for someone on a 3-week (or longer) trip away from Hudson, starting with a train ride on Amtrak.  It's a fantastic deal!  It's unheard of, actually!  And, apparently, HPD has no problem with that deal that loses the city money.

The Big Dig Is On! (And The Fibs Continue)

Our $125,000 DPW Superintendent is a strange bird, isn't he?

One week ago, eleven days after Harry Howard Avenue at the flats along Underwood Pond was closed to all traffic because of sudden major road failure there, Rob Perry made an announcement on the city's website about the situation.  Perry had had over one week to assess the very serious situation. (While Perry's name was not included on the "Harry Howard Avenue Closure Update," it certainly couldn't have come from anyone but him.) 

It's Getting Better All The Time!

 

The new 4-foot-wide concrete sidewalk on North 6th Street between Prospect and Washington was created late last fall by the new business complex known as Pocketbook Hudson. But our code is explicit: new sidewalks must be no less than 5 feet wide.   A four-foot-wide sidewalk does not allow two people to walk side by side comfortably, safely or possibly at all.  The Code Enforcement Department is literally directly across the street from the city's latest non-compliant pedestrian sidewalk.  

A New Perk Of The Parking Enforcement Job: Interacting With The Public!

During the few months in 2014 when I was a proud Hudson Parking Enforcer, I'm almost certain that I never once had to explain to anyone how to pay for their parking space. No one who had just gotten out of their car parked in a metered space ever approached me with a puzzled look to ask me how to put a quarter in the parking meter next to their car.  No one ever asked me why it was so difficult to pay for their parking space or if they needed a mobile phone to pay for it.  (Yes, I did get the occasional, "Do you have four quarters for a dollar?")

What New Idling Law? What Climate Disaster? What Budget Woes? What Public Trash Can That's Looked Like Crap For Years? DPW's Got A Road To Rebuild!

As DPW Superintendent Rob Perry promised us last week via an announcement on the city's website, excavation began yesterday on Harry Howard Avenue to fix the problem below that caused the road to fracture and be shut down to vehicle traffic two weeks ago.  There is now a rather large hole in the street, though it is not where I expected it to be.