What Would Fredric Church And His Painterly Pals Say?

Hudson's million-dollar view, often full of the distracting
 and unwelcome non-stop CLANGING of metal

Though I posted an article a few months ago about the annoyingly loud flag in Promenade Hill Park, I think my interaction yesterday with the flag warrants another look at (or listen to) the ol' Red, White and Blue that figures so prominently in downtown Hudson.

When I say the huge flag is loud, I'm not being accurate.  Of course, occasionally one will hear the flag flapping in the wind, but that's not a sound that is unwelcome or bothersome -- it's expected, unpreventable and, some would say, pleasing and natural.  Rather, the unexpected, preventable and very unwelcome problem in the park is the long aluminum flagpole that reverberates every time it is hit by the heavy weight below the flag when a breeze dies down: the CLANGING of metal on metal, a sound that is so lovely and so welcome in the park!  The quietest and most peaceful time to be in the park is when there is a steady breeze or wind, or no air movement at all.  Yesterday afternoon was not one of those times (nor is it today, it looks like).

As I approached the park in the early afternoon, I could hear the CLANGING as I made my way through the new entrance to the park.  There was an intermittent breeze that made conditions for the annoying noises to flourish.  CLANG! CLANG!  A light breeze is usually a good thing, especially on a hot day, but not in Promenade Hill Park.  I tried to stand at the fence to enjoy the view but could only hear the intermittent CLANG (or CLANG! CLANG!) of the weight striking the pole.  There was no way to tune the bothersome noises out, and I had no interest in trying to get out of earshot of the CLANGING by walking to the other end of the fence, if that is even possible.  (Why should anyone have to?).  Annoyed and ready to leave, I decided to start my phone's stopwatch and count the number of times the weight CLANGED against the pole.

Seconds away from a CLANG!,
or the even lovelier CLANG! CLANG!

After 5 minutes, I had heard 36 CLANGS from the flag, or about one every 8 seconds.  Some were quite loud, some not so, but all were clearly evident -- sensitive ears are not required to hear the nuisance CLANGING.  Several of the distractions came in rapid succession as the breeze came and went quickly.  The view of the Hudson River and the Catskill Mountains isn't so peaceful when it sounds like a blacksmith is busy working over your head.  

It's pretty obvious to me that DPW installed the weight in the wrong place.  If it were in the correct place (or covered in something soft) there would be no CLANGING of metal on metal in the Promenade Hill Park.  Surely, the apparatus that allows the flag to flutter upright in the wind wasn't designed to make so much god damn noise.  The question is:  Does DPW Superintendent Robert Perry even care about his sometimes loud and bothersome American flag and flagpole?  How much noise would he tolerate from the flagpole?  Would he be okay if it were making CLANGING noises all the god damn time?

I wouldn't go as far as to say that an American flag producing an obscene amount of unnecessary noise is a desecration of the flag (though I would say it's pretty close).  But I would most definitely call the CLANGING noises found in our ever so popular and important Promenade Hill Park a desecration of the park itself, as well as the views it offers us.

Definition of the verb DESECRATE:  To treat a sacred place or thing with violent disrespect; violate.

If the City of Hudson (specifically DPW) can't treat Promenade Hill Park and its majestic views of the Hudson River, its surroundings, the Catskill Mountains, and the sky as sacred, what point is there in flying an American flag there?  America ...CLANG CLANG... Oh, Beautiful ... CLANG ... For Purple Mountain ... CLANG CLANG.

Constant violations, indeed!

Here is a link to the original article on the subject of the noisy flag: Loudest Flag

DPW Superintendent Robert Perry can possibly be reached at 518-828-9458.  You will have to leave a message for him as he does not answer the phone nor work anywhere near his clerk in the DPW offices at City Hall.  His office seems to be inside a building found at the top of Rossman Avenue near the water treatment plant facility, surrounded by a fence with NO TRESSPASSING signs along the road leading to the facility.  No member of the public is allowed inside the grounds unless given prior authorization -- a sign on the little-known road in the back of the cemetery leading to the secure facility says so. DPW publishes no phone number for the facility or the offices there.  It is as if the place doesn't exist and Mr. Perry would rather not be bothered by the public at any time.