News Flash: For Just $25, You Can Now Block A Sidewalk In Hudson For As Long As You LIke

The old DPW Sidewalk Permit

Until very recently, a DPW Sidewalk Permit, giving permission to contractors and homeowners to block a sidewalk, was printed on a 4-inch by 4-inch piece of paper that appeared to have been designed in the early 20th century (the word "carriageway" is used twice, and the permit refers to itself as a "barricading permit"!).  The DPW clerk always filled in the line for the duration of the Barricading/Sidewalk Permit as "2 weeks."  That was the deal (at least in this century):  You paid DPW $25 for a 2-week Sidewalk Permit to block all or most of a sidewalk.  If you needed more than 2 weeks, you were supposed to go to DPW and pay another $25 for another Sidewalk Permit.  And so on, until the job was done and the sidewalk was passable.

The Time Has Come For NO DRONES ALLOWED Signs In Our Public Parks

A few months ago, while walking along N. 5th Street near Warren, a young male approached me who appeared to be lost.  He asked me a question that had never been posed to me and that I hope never to be asked again.  He asked, "Have you seen a small black drone around here anywhere?"  First, I thought that he was kidding, then realized he was not.  I told him that I hadn't seen anything of the sort.  He continued: "I was flying it nearby and it must have crashed around here somewhere."  He then walked up Long Alley, continuing his search for his lost drone.

What "Beautiful Bicycle Trails"?

I do my best to stay off of Facebook (or Meta whatever), but do occasionally take a look at the Hudson Police Department's FB page to see what they are up to.  Sometimes I laugh, sometimes I wonder who is in charge there.  This post from a few weeks ago, regarding a Law Enforcement Bicycle Patrol Course, elicited both responses.  I had never previously seen or heard mention of HPD's "Annual Mountain Bike School," nor, as far as I know, has Ed Moore mentioned it at any recent Informal Council meetings.

Sign Of The Times

I was considering including a picture of the sign on Cascade's locked door, too, but thought I'd wait to see if they reopen, as their sign claims they will.  Most, including myself,  don't believe it.  
 

Signs Of The Month

These two signs are about 60 feet apart from one another on Dodge Street.  One of the sign poles is leaning and appears to be ready to completely fall over in a strong gust. 

Oh, What A Wonderful World It Would Be If We All Felt So Entitled

April 26th

Last week, I saw the owner of a certain coffee shop on Park Place park her car partially on the sidewalk in front of her business and directly in front of a NO PARKING ANY TIME sign.  The curb is clearly painted yellow.  

3 Months And Just 5 Speeding Tickets?

We've all seen our share of dangerous drivers and automobile accidents here in Hudson, and there is much discussion about the topic of our dangerous streets.  But how busy is the Hudson Police Department with the drivers out there breaking traffic laws, and what are they finding?  I received the list of traffic tickets that HPD issued during 2 months of last year, and I think it's interesting to see the type and number of tickets HPD issued, as well as what they did not issue.

It Would Be Nice If There Were Some Continuity and Coherence Coming From The Parking Bureau And HPD

This is what I would call
AMBIGUOUS

This morning, I noticed that 3 cars parked on the north side of Prospect Street were issued $25 No Parking Zone tickets overnight by HPD.  Curious as to why the tickets were not for a $15 WRONG SIDE PARKING violation, I finally found a pair of signs on a pole that explains what is going on.  It makes not one bit of sense.

Say Your Final Goodbyes To Our Payphones

Following up on my April 10th article about the 8 payphones slated for removal in downtown Hudson, titled "He Failed.  It Took Me One Phone Call To Succeed," there was some welcome activity today on that front.  The worthless, graffiti and sticker covered phone stall on the sidewalk in front of City Hall on Warren Street was finally removed this morning.  An employee for the contractor working on ADA updates inside and in front of City Hall told me that "National Grid made sure it was good to remove," and the contractor chopped it off at the base.  In regard to this phone, it appears that the timing of my getting this ball rolling a few months ago was fortuitous. The phone had to go to make way for an ADA compliant wheelchair accessible parking space in front of 520 Warren, I believe.  The remaining 7 payphones look like they will be gone soon, too. 

What Ever Happened To The Garbage Problem?

Do you remember a time when the issue of solid waste was our primary environmental concern?  The issues related to garbage -- what to do with it all, how to reduce it, how damaging it is to our environment -- are all still with us, but they rarely get any airtime anymore.  Perhaps solid waste just isn't the existential threat that climate change is, and so we have changed our focus. 

Galvan Truly Cares About Us All

If the half block of sidewalk on South 5th Street is not the most dangerous half block of sidewalk in all of Hudson, it has to be up there with the top 5.  Galvan owns the vacant, fenced lot at 5th and Warren, and so they are responsible for the sidewalks surrounding it.  Somehow, though, Galvan doesn't feel responsible for the safety and well-being of anyone who walks on their sidewalk.

What Global Warming Crisis?

Today in the City Hall Parking Lot,
with lights on all the time

Gee, I Hope More Of These Are On The Way

For those of you who have not been on Dock Street recently, I thought I would show you what has appeared there, across from the DPW garage.  I seem to remember that it was presented to the Planning Board as some sort of food storage warehouse.  Whatever it is, it is hideous and spooky.

The Other DPW Fia$co Continue$

Today is day 3 (or possibly 4) of DPW working on the pipe covered by the mudslide that occurred in the Washington Street lot a little over a month ago.  3 DPW workers, 2 large pieces of digging machinery, more heavy stones laid down for the machinery to be stable and not get bogged down in the mud in a sensitive area with a stream which ultimately leads to the Hudson River.

Is There Such A Term As "Court Rage"?

This morning in Judge Cheryl Roberts' City Court, the absurd was on display.  Then things got really weird. 

It's Not A Matter Of If, But When There Will Be An Accident

View from the stop line on 7th
at State.  Traffic on State does
not stop at 7th.

Now that the brewery at 7th and State is open for business, cars are parking on State Street where there were rarely ever parked cars.  Drivers attempting to exit North 7th Street to turn on to State, or cross State to continue on 7th, face a dangerous situation due to the new limited sight visibility from those parked cars.  A dangerous situation, sure to cause an accident, that the City of Hudson DPW and HPD are ignoring.

In God They Trust

554-556 Union Street

The owners of the lot at 554-556 Union Street began work a month or two ago on what appears to be a foundation for a house.  One of the contractors for the job, J & R, a local company, excavated 2 strips of the sidewalk and the street in front of the property.  Last week, I asked at DPW if there had been a Street Permit issued for that excavation, and I was told that there had not been.  Based on Street Permits I have seen for similar excavation, I'm thinking that had the contractor been issued a permit to excavate, it would have cost them at least $200.  It is not possible that J & R didn't know of the required permit to excavate.  They have been excavating our streets and sidewalks for years, if not decades.

Galvan, Hudson's Largest Landlord, At Their Best

A few weeks ago, I noticed ORDER TO VACATE/DANGEROUS AND UNSAFE BUILDING notices from our Code Enforcement Office (CEO) posted on two Galvan-owned apartments that face Long Alley.  Those 2 units are part of Galvan's 10 or 12-unit apartment complex known as 227-235 State Street.  Curious as to what was going on, I requested documents from CEO.

"So You Think You Can Tell Heaven From Hell?"

This past Saturday was, I think, the warmest Saturday of the year so far, if not the warmest April 15th in Hudson historically.  Lots of visitors, lots of automobile traffic (on the streets and sidewalks!), few places to park, and no shortage of people looking for a place to eat, drink and soak in the warmth.  At about 6 pm, from the corner of 6th and State, I could hear the faint sound of live music, so I had to investigate.

Who Got Da BOOT (Part 2)

When I last reported on this BOOTless car over a week ago, it had $1,030 in unpaid parking tickets owed to the City of Hudson.  Today, the car got its 4th ticket since then, with a total of 41 unpaid tickets, and now owes the city $1,280.

What Water? What Pollution? What River? What Planet?

 

The ideally located cigarette butt can,
located behind One City Centre on Green Street

Is Robert Perry Okay?

This was just the beginning

I just got off the phone with James Malcolm of the New York State DEC Water Resources Department, and he had some interesting things to say about the mess that DPW/Robert Perry created in the Washington Street lot, directly across from the Firehouse where City Hall is now located.  I have reported on this issue on April 15th, and March 24th, 28th and 29th.  

Why Would Anyone Want To Live At 542 Prospect?

It should come as no surprise to anyone that this house at the end of Prospect Street is for sale and appears to have been for sale for about a year.  Who on earth would want to live next to the Pocketbook Factory now that it is being turned into a hotel, spa, cafe, etc., WITH A QUASI-PUBLIC OUTDOOR SPACE a few feet away?  

Is Police Chief Ed Moore Okay?

I recently emailed Hudson Police Chief Moore to let him know about an old, unregistered pickup truck that had been parked in my neighborhood for about a week unmoved.  A few weeks ago in person, Ed had told me that unregistered vehicles parked in the city can be towed after 3 days, as they are considered abandoned vehicles.  He alone has the authority to do this.

A Wide Open Invitation To Have Some Fun And Die

Combined Sewer Outflow
 pipe with full access, adjacent
to a public park

In late March, as I have reported on recently, Hudson DPW was forced to uncover a large stormwater pipe near Oakdale Park soon after there was a mudslide that had buried and clogged the exposed end of the pipe.  It is an important bit of infrastructure, known as a Combined Sewer Outflow (CSO) pipe, which, as I understand, the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation inspects annually to make sure it is getting the outflow where it needs to go. DPW is responsible for the maintenance of the long, subterranean pipe.  After I informed DEC of the mudslide and pipe blockage, they contacted Hudson DPW and told them to fix the situation.  The work began 3 days later, on a Monday.

What's Going On At The Pocketbook Factory Project? [with update]

Empty and Locked

This morning at 8:30, on a Friday, there was no one working outside or inside the Pocketbook Factory.  No cars or trucks were parked in the contractor's designated lot on Washington Street, whose gate was locked.   At 1 pm, when these pictures were taken, there were still no vehicles or activity to be seen or heard.  Lately, on days the contractor does show up, the crew is no more than 5 or 6 workers and a few supervisors.

Property of the Month (Part 2): "No Records On File"

Following up on my March 2nd article, titled Property of the Month, here is the latest to share with what Code Enforcement has been doing recently about that disgrace known as 210-212 State Street.  In short, it appears, NOTHING.

Would The Planning Board Have Approved A Permanent Food Truck?

Last year, it took the Hudson Planning Board a long time to grant Galvan approval for the brewery in the historic Upper Depot building.  At one meeting, a Planning Board member was furious with Galvan's development guru, Dan Kent, for failing to do his due diligence and changing plans so often, as well as just failing to do what the Board had asked them to do.  There were lots of delays, most of them seemingly unnecessary.  It seemed that Dan Kent was not taking the process seriously, or just not paying attention.  I once heard him apologize to the Planning Board for the delays.

Signs Of Spring (7 Of Them)

The painted turtles in the turtle pond behind Oakdale Lake came out of hibernation in the past few days to do their basking.  This is always a good sign, even if the color of the pond water does not look normal this year.

Soon the peepers and the frogs will be making their joyful sounds, looking for a mate and announcing that winter is done with.  Now if we could just get some much needed April showers!

Does Robert Perry Care About The Safety of Bicyclists? Obviously Not.

Hudson is now fortunate enough to have the New York Empire State Trail running through it, even if it is a bit circuitous and hilly.   We need all the bicycle infrastructure we can use, even if it is foisted on us by the State.  Encouraging and supporting bicycling and bicyclists is now expected of local and state governments.

How Is This Possible?

 

Following up on my article from February 18th, titled The Curious Case of A "Church" And Its Dumpster," I thought I would just take a bunch of pictures of the ugliness that is 64 N. 6th Street, a property that is 100% tax-exempt, hasn't held a "service" in years, and is never being worked on.  Here they are:

More Concerning Omissions at Last Night's Council Meeting

No-show, mystery man
Shane Bower, from his
days as a HPD officer

When Liz York finished her monthly Youth Department report at last night's Informal Council meeting, chairman Depietro asked the Youth Department Commissioner Maija Reed if she had anything to add.  After Robert Perry finished with his DPW report, chairman Depietro asked the DPW Commissioner Peter Bujanow if he had anything to add.  Both of those commissioners were in attendance in person at the Firehouse.  

DPW Priorities and Sloppiness

(Warning:  This article contains 4 and 5 letter words and an image that some may find obscene)

This morning, a DPW crew of 2, as they do every spring, was out spray-painting the carrot arrows on several streets, hoping to direct drivers to the Hudson Farmers Market, which will be coming soon to the lot at 6th and Columbia.  It's always interesting for me to note what DPW doesn't find the time to do when they do find the time to paint the carrots. 

It Happened In City Court

This morning in Judge Connor's City Court, 2 people with traffic tickets waited 40 minutes before approaching the bench. Connor explained to them that "The DA doesn't handle plea deals in court anymore... see if you can get a plea deal on the DA's website." 

The Coup At City Hall Is Upon Us

I have been regularly attending Hudson Common Council meetings for the past 7 years.  I try to attend in person, and I rarely miss a meeting.  I almost always ask questions of department heads that need asking.  Here is how the public comment process works, or, at least, has worked, even prior to our current Council president:

He Failed. It Took Me One Phone Call To Succeed. [with update]

The issue of the long out of service public payphones found on the sidewalks of Hudson arises at Common Council meetings every few years.  Outside of City Hall, people make jokes about them. Some graffiti and sticker them.  The "phones" are considered either Hudson shabby-chic or a disgrace, depending on one's orientation.  No one has dropped a quarter in one for at least 7 years. 

Does Anyone Know Where Our DPW Superintendent's Office Is Located?

Easily accessible for most
(but not yet ADA compliant)

There are a few basic expectations most of us have for our civil servants.  At or near the top of the list, we expect them to be available and approachable -- to be present and accountable.  When those expectations are not met, problems often ensue, and the democratic process usually suffers.  There isn't much that is civil about a city worker who is difficult to track down and check in on, or just try to ask a question of.  Fortunately, nearly all of Hudson's department heads are easy to find and approach, both in person and on the phone.

Who Got Da BOOT?

I last reported on this car on March 16th, when the car's owner owed over $800 on 22 parking tickets.  This morning it was issued a $10 meter violation ticket.  As of today, the owner of this still BOOTless car owes the City of Hudson $1,030 from 37 parking tickets.  That's what the city's online ticket payment portal says.

Imagine If Every Business In Town Did This

This is what incivility and a lack
of code enforcement gets us

 

We Need A City Manager, And Badly!

Union Street, $500

Late last year, at about the same time, contractors working at 716-718 Union and 205-207 Warren excavated the sidewalks and streets in front of those buildings to get at pipes below.  I FOILed for the DPW Street Permits for each of those projects.  In response, there was only one permit to see -- for the contractor at 716-718 Union.  What of the permit for 205-207 Warren? "As per DPW, no documents responsive," the email read.

Welcome To Hudson! Two Months Later!

It has been exactly two months since HUDseen debuted!  To commemorate that occasion, I will treat my dear readers with an update of the picture in the first article, dated February 6th, 2023.  It's so lovely that it needs to be seen again, up close this time.

We All Deserve Better From Those In Charge Of Columbia County

We all know that Hudson is the county seat of Columbia County, where 7 county-owned properties are located.   As any property owner is expected to do, the county should be maintaining its properties and sidewalks to the best of its ability.  The last thing that Hudson City Hall or those in charge of Columbia County want is a county seat that looks shabby or is dangerous.

You Can't Make This Stuff Up, Either!

At the February 2023 Informal Common Council meeting, DPW Superintnedent Robert Perry gave his monthly report via Zoom, as he usually does.  He included a picture of an old dump truck parked on the 300 block of Columbia Street to once again make his point that when vehicles park for a long time in one spot, there is no way for the street sweeper to do its job properly.  He said this:  "Because this is on the truck route, this doesn't alternate [no alternate side rule forcing vehicles to switch sides every night].  What you see here is a beat-up old truck with a flat tire.  You can see the windrow of dirt and stuff because we are unable to get around it or maintain the area."  Of course, the DPW street sweeper doesn't operate in the colder months, a fact Mr. Perry failed to mention.

Who Should Get The Boot?????? (the final chapter?)

When Kamal Johnson claimed that it took 3 overdue parking tickets to get booted, did he mean to say 30 tickets?  Because that was the total number of tickets, both overdue and not, -- 30! -- that the Mini from New Jersey had accrued before getting booted today.

Is it True That Police Chief Ed Moore Will Be Retiring "Soon"?

Last week, while waiting for City Court to begin, I ran into Police Chief Ed Moore in the hallway.  He had a few interesting things to tell me. 

 

Who Should Get The Boot????? (Part 5)

 

A few days ago, I noticed the cute and infamous Mini from New Jersey being driven on Columbia Street, so I decided to check on the status of the owner's parking tickets.  Last I reported, on March 6th, the Mini had 11 unpaid tickets (9 being overdue), totaling $435.

Can A Sidewalk Tree Grow On Union Street?

According to a DPW worker I spoke to recently, the sidewalk tree that used to be located closest to the intersection of 5th and Union was run over by a vehicle that drove up over the curb and crushed it.  It was probably dead or barely surviving anyway.  What is DPW going to do about the treeless planter full of stormwater?

Sign Of The Month

Parking around the hospital has been an issue for years, and Robert Perry is well aware of this.  Yet, DPW is doing no one any favors by leaving up this sign on Columbia Street that is the incorrect sign for the parking situation.  Contrary to what the sign conveys, parking is allowed to the left of the sign, and the area is regularly full of parked cars on the weekdays.

How Does Code Enforcment Enforce The Code?

 

As I understand things, our Code Enforcement Office, other than when performing a building inspection, does not actively look for clearly obvious code violations around town.  They only respond to complaints made by the public.  Of course, I could be wrong about that, but if someone is allowed to leave plastic bags of redeemable cans and bottles (or anything, including shopping carts) in a front yard and not be approached by Code Enforcement to keep them out of sight, I'm thinking that our CEO is not paying attention to these kinds of conspicuous and easily enforceable code violations and quality of life issues.