The Thinking At City Hall Persists: "What Pedestrians?"

Today: Street made right by DPW!  Sidewalk still ignored!

The situation in front of 414 State Street is yet another glaring example of the city's continued lack of attention to safe, accessible sidewalks for all.  We all deserve a whole lot better.

How Many More Months Will It Take You, Mr. Perry?

At the Informal Common Council meeting on June 12, 3 1/2 months ago, DPW Superintendent Robert Perry was informed by a council member that the street sign at the corner of Washington and 7th Streets had been knocked over by a passing car moments before the meeting.  Perry acknowledged the issue and then misrepresented how the sign was originally installed and to be taken care of, referring to "bolts," "breakaways" and "concrete," when none of those things existed for this sign.  Maybe that confusion and misunderstanding is what is causing the delay to replace the damaged pole and the pair of street signs 3 1/2 months after they were removed by DPW.  Or perhaps our DPW Superintendent just doesn't give a crap about any of it. 

Of course, the missing street sign WAS directly across the street from the temporary home of City Hall, there to, among other things, assist people in locating City Hall.  And, of course, Robert Perry doesn't even have an office in any City Hall, temporary or not.  It's not a sign he has a need for.

If Only The Pavement Could Speak!

I'm thinking that if I were a user of psychedelics, my walks and bike rides around town would be a lot more interesting and much slower -- and probably embarrassing.  With the kaleidoscope of colors now spray painted on so many of our streets and sidewalks, it's like the pavement is trying to communicate with us.  Talk about distractions!  For some, it's a dream -- colors, any and all of them, are a welcome relief to the dull roughness of uninspiring concrete and asphalt.  A new canvas!  A treat for the eyes, at last!  For others, like me, all the markings make for crude, ugly, unwelcome, even confusing, sights that stick around for far too long.  Hooray, uglier concrete!  Still others don't even notice or seem to mind.

It Turns Out That I Was Wrong!

It turns out that this is a violation of our city code, 
and for good reason!

Yesterday in Hudseen, I claimed that there was nothing in chapter 266 of our code related to electric wires strung across our sidewalks. I failed to read section 11 closely, titled Stringing Wires Over Streets Restricted.  I was thrown off by the word street.  Here is how the section reads:  

No person shall attach or string any electric or other wire or adjust or carry into or over any street, road, highway or public place except with written permission from the Commissioner of Public Works. (my bold)

Our sidewalks are also known as PUBLIC RIGHTS OF WAY.

Hudson's DPW Commissioner doesn't live in Hudson, and he doesn't have an office at City Hall or any place else in Hudson.  Don't expect this section of the code to be enforced any time soon, though it certainly should be before things get way out of hand!

Is Anyone In Charge Of Our City?

Columbia Street can, yesterday

Over the course of at least 8 months in 2021 and 2022, there was an F-bomb painted in large orange letters on the black lid of a Warren Street public trash can.  Since DPW empties the cans just about every day, I guess they didn't mind it being there for several months.  Let's see how long it takes for DPW to remove this latest vulgarity on public property found on Columbia Street.

Has Anyone Seen Robert Perry or Know Where His Office Is Located?

What I have come to understand over the past ten years is that too many quality of life issues in the City of Hudson that are and are not the responsibility of DPW or Code Enforcement get completely ignored.  For instance, Robert Perry said he couldn't figure out who owned the 8 payphones in town to get them removed.  It took me 15 minutes on the phone with Verizon to get the name of the company they sold our phones to over ten years ago, and 6 months before our phones were removed.  Robert Perry never called Amtrak to get their rough crossing on Broad Street replaced.  I did, and Amtrak replaced it last week.  No one from City Hall ever tries to figure out who is responsible for all the double utility poles in town and get the old poles removed.  It's all rather pathetic, and City Hall failing to tend to their own responsibilities is a further slap in the face to every Hudson citizen.  

Read All About It: Child Dies By Electrocution On Sidewalk. Mother In Coma After Tripping Over Same Live Wire. Owner Of Killer Electric Vehicle Makes It To Work On Time. Hudson City Hall Mum About Tragic Incident!

WELCOME to the world where pedestrians, children, and the 
disabled do not matter.  The one thing that does matter 
is that electric cars can be charged anywhere an owner
feels is appropriate. 

I took a few minutes to peruse chapter 266 of the Hudson City Code, titled Streets and Sidewalks, but I couldn't find anything related to power cords, extension cords, or welcome mats crossing a sidewalk.  At some point, preferably soon, there will need to be an amendment to that chapter regarding the issue of powering electric vehicles while parked on a city street.  Hopefully, it happens prior to someone tripping and falling on their face because someone had to charge their car parked in front of their house with a thick power cord laid across the sidewalk (possibly covered by a dark mat). 

Is This "Progress"? Is This A Sign Of More Ugliness To Come?

I've had my doubts that Galvan would actually follow through with their plans to build 2 apartment buildings on North 7th Street, seeing as they tend to give up on, or take forever to start work, on projects they even call WORKS IN PROGRESS.  

I also seriously doubt that Galvan's contractor for the mega-project, Baxter, will break ground this late in the year given the approaching cold weather, but something appeared over the weekend that indicates the contractor is ready to begin constructing the 140 apartment units on narrow and quiet North 7th Street.  Let's just hope that this is not the permanent location for their on-site office.  It shouldn't have been dropped where it is in the first place, and it shouldn't remain there.  But, of course, this is Galvan we are talking about here.  And City Hall probably doesn't give a damn, either. 

Sinkhole City!

It's been a relief to be without the regular torrents of rain we had in late June and all of July, but we're not out of the water yet, so to speak. Through the remainder of this year and possibly into next, DPW will continue to deal with the effects of all that rain we had.  By my count, DPW has tended to at least 5 sinkholes and two water main breaks this year. I say tended to, not repaired. Let's see what still lies ahead for them and us.

Is This Really What Hudson Needs Or Wants Right Now?

I recall that it was in the winter of 2015 that Hudson City Hall (or just DPW) made the brilliant decision to turn the basketball courts at Oakdale Park into an ice skating rink as an alternative to skating on the lake, which had become prohibited by the city.  I remember walking past the "rink" one not-so-cold day that winter and seeing wet plastic sheets all over the courts.  It was hard not to laugh.  The city had lined the walls of the courts with plastic, flooded the "rink" with water, and hoped that the water would remain to freeze and offer hours of skating enjoyment for us all.  But the water leaked out and the cold weather never came.  I remember thinking at the time, "Can you do anything more dumb and wasteful?"  8 years later, I think the answer is YES.

Just Another Sunday In The Park

As I reported last Tuesday, the bane of the 7th Street Park, Michael A. Madison, was released from jail that day.  His mental health counselor, Jill Potter, agreed to pick him up at the jail.  She works for the Mental Health Association of Columbia-Greene Counties, which is located next to the Hudson police station on Union Street.

No What? [with update]

Big surprise -- it's an enormous pickup
truck parked in front of a hydrant

This afternoon, on a busy Saturday downtown, approximately ten minutes after I called HPD about this pickup truck parked in a clearly marked fire hydrant zone at Warren & 2nd, a Parking Enforcement Officer had slapped a $50 ticket on the windshield. Since the truck was parked west of 3rd Street, where no meters are located and officers do not normally patrol, this ticket likely never would have been issued without a call to HPD.

The truck was still parked there 45 minutes after I made the call.

Seen On The SideWALK

 

At least the driver had the respect to put his flashers on so that no pedestrians would walk into his truck!

Someone's Idea Of A Joke?

Are we supposed to stop and TRY to 
read this sign?

Yesterday was my first visit to the Columbia County Solid Waste transfer station on Newman Road in Greenport since they finished with the site's improvements a few months ago.  The layout of the station is still kinda wonky and confusing (maybe more than it used to be, honestly), but the most ridiculous thing of all that I experienced, worse than the unnecessary speed bumps(!), was the new station map sign that greets visitors along the entrance drive.  It's colorful all right, and it is no help at all.  It is nothing short of embarrassing and insulting, and it reflects poorly on our county government utilizing tax dollars.

Coincidence?

Go ahead Colarusso, destroy our new smooth crossing!

Early this year, I made a formal complaint to Amtrak about their rough track crossing on Broad Street, the connector that gets us in and out of the Riverfront Park. The complaint was done by email, sent to the Amtrak headquarters in Washington, D.C.  I even got a response thanking me for my complaint and that it would be considered.  Also, on two occasions over the past few months, I stopped by the local Amtrak Engineering office to complain about their crossing. During the second visit, I was told that the crossing was scheduled to be redone "in the fall."

How To Run A City (Into The Ground)! [with update]

At Monday's Informal Council meeting, DPW Superintendent Robert Perry (on Zoom, of course) failed to mention anything about permanently repairing the water main break under South 4th Street that occurred on July 9th, over two months ago.  This was the second consecutive monthly meeting with no update about the main break, no pictures of the mess still on 4th Street across from the Post Office, and no questions for Perry from anyone on the Common Council about the situation (not even from Art Frick or Margaret Morris, who supposedly represent the 1st ward where the break occurred).  

I saw Mr. Perry downtown yesterday in his Crocs talking with contractors about National Grid's upcoming gas line replacement work on Warren Street (that's going to be a real treat!).  I asked him if he had gotten his hands on Catskill's braided guillotine saw so that DPW could permanently fix the water main.  "No," he replied, "we're on their schedule."  I then asked him why Hudson DPW didn't own this important saw.  He replied with something about budget cuts.

Our Daily Garbage

On Thursday, August 30th, I noticed a DPW crew of 3 emptying the public trash cans on Warren Street.  They then repeated the task on Friday.  And on Saturday.  Yes, on Sunday, too.  And Monday (Labor Day), and on the following day.  Then I stopped paying attention to the cans.  DPW empties all the cans on Warren and the side streets, and as needed, in the parks. Usually, it is a crew of 3 (including the driver of the truck), but sometimes 2 recently.

The "Church" Update

It's been a while since I've updated on the situation at the so-called church at 64 N. 6th Street.  Nothing much has changed -- it's still as ugly, concerning and as puzzling as ever.  Though it is still quiet there, I did see a pair of contractor's pickup trucks parked on the sidewalk in front one day a week or so ago.  There are still no "church" services to speak of, yet the dumpster out back fills up every few days and gets emptied once or twice a week.  The building is vacant, yet the dumpster out back always seems to be full of random garbage, bagged household trash and used auto parts.  City Hall doesn't seem to mind any of it -- nothing out back is a problem or a code violation. 

News From The Hudson City Court

This morning in Hudson City Court, Michael Madison, the bane of the 7th Street Park and its surroundings, was brought before Judge Connor in his prison jumpsuit and handcuffs.  Madison has been in the County Jail since early April, and today was his 3rd or 4th appearance in front of Connor since then.  On August 22nd in court, Madison's mental health counselor, Jill Potter, spoke out loud of the beneficial "injections" Madison had received during his 30 day stay at the Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital in Poughkeepsie (I wonder who paid for that).

DPW, You Are Just Asking For Trouble! Again!

Pavement cut, ready to dig.  No permit necessary!

Work on the eyesore of a house at State & Carroll, 414 State Street, began either early this year or late last year.  At least one month ago, in preparation of replacing water and/or sewer pipes for the house, someone cut a long rectangle in the street, 2/3 of the way across the street, to eventually get at the pipes below.  Curious to see if the contractor or property owner had been issued a DPW Street Permit to cut into the city-owned street, I talked to the DPW Clerk at City Hall.

Always Remember: Galvan Cares About "The Hudson Community"

This is the "sidewalk" today along the backyard of the Galvan property located at the southwest corner of 5th & Prospect.

Are The People At National Grid Feeling Well?

"Sorry, we don't have time to finish this project!"

Regular readers of Hudseen may be aware that the gas line replacement work that National Grid is "doing" in the 200 block of State Street began in mid to late May, approaching 4 months ago, and that National Grid is hardly ever actually working there anymore. This morning at 10:00, it was once again as quiet as can be near National Grid's equipment which has been in front of 217 State for at least 10 days. This situation has gone beyond ridiculous to insulting. I wonder if Robert Perry or Kamal Johnson lived in the 200 block of State Street if they would be as tolerant of this disrespectful crap from National Grid. Tolerant? More like ignorant of and ignoring.  This work was never posted on the city's website, so no one at City Hall has been paying any attention to it anyway, that's for sure.  Just the way National Grid prefers it!

Here are some of the other things National Grid has left behind for residents of the block and anyone walking or driving by there, including asphalt covering several holes in the sidewalk that National Grid dug.  Cones not in the street aren't actually doing anything helpful for anyone.  Any cones along the sidewalk were originally placed in the street.

19 Inches!

 

This afternoon, an hour before I noticed this obscenity in front of the f'ng Maker, I came across two large clothing racks directly in the middle of the sidewalk on the opposite side of Warren Street.  When I asked the owner why he needed to leave his racks directly in the middle of the sidewalk, he asked me, "Is it a problem?  Can't you just walk around them?"  He reluctantly moved them to the curb and continued to whine about my complaint.

You Have How Many Tens Of Thousands of Employees?

Several months ago, I came across a young man in an orange vest with a clipboard on N. 5th Street near Prospect who seemed to be inspecting utility poles, so I asked him what he was doing.  He told me that he lived in Saratoga Springs and worked for a company in North (or South) Carolina that had been hired by National Grid to take an inventory of all of their utility poles in Hudson.  He was making assessments of the poles, essentially giving them a grade, to give National Grid an idea which of their old poles needed to be replaced, as well as situations where a new pole is placed next to an old pole and years later the old pole is still standing (known as double pole).  I asked him why National Grid couldn't do this work themselves, given that they own every utility pole in Hudson and are such a large company.  He wasn't sure why, guessing that they were probably overwhelmed with other work.  Before parting, this friendly fellow told me that there were a lot of poles in Hudson in need of replacement and that there was no shortage of double poles.

Priorities At DPW

DPW found the time, manpower and resources to do some extensive storm water drainage improvement work along Harry Howard Avenue today.

Want To Know How Well A City Is Being Managed? Just Follow The Garbage!

Behind a Galvan property, next to their LOCKED dumpster

Seems to me that if you want to create the worst, most uncivil society, allowing people and businesses to do whatever they want with their garbage would be a good starting point. Let people leave garbage out for removal, either in bags (opened or closed) or loose, wherever and whenever they want while those in power do absolutely nothing to discourage that behavior.  Don't even bother creating rules for where and when garbage is supposed to be left out for removal!  And if rules regarding garbage must be created, do not enforce those rules.  This will help create a landscape full of ugliness and disrespect, with violence, mental health issues and dysfunction the norm among residents.  This is essentially what we are approaching in Hudson, if we are not there yet.  It's simple:  You cannot separate issues and code violations related to garbage from residents' quality of life and general satisfaction with their surroundings.  You do not need to be a psychologist to understand this.

Changes At HPD (and Coming To DPW) -- And Changes Needed On Their Webpage!

According to the Hudson Police Department's webpage, there are 3 detectives in the department:  Detective Sargeant Finn, Detective Waithe, and Detective Meister.

Double The Fun!

2 months and counting

According to the city's website, there has been another water main break for DPW to deal with -- this one yesterday on Parkwood Boulevard.  Meanwhile, the mess above the water main break on 4th Street at Cherry Alley is a constant reminder that DPW has not done anything to permanently solve that problem, which arose nearly two months ago on July 9th.

3 Weeks And Counting

There are two things you may be wondering about when looking at these pictures or when driving past Stewart's recently.  First, why is there a line of cones in the street?  Second, why are cars parked partially on the sidewalk along Green Street?

First The Bullets...

... now a car!

"2nd Life," You Say? How About "No Hope"?

On Saturday, as I walked near the ugly and unwelcome scam clothing donation boxes on Washington Street across from the firehouse, curiosity got the better of me and I decided to see what had been left on the ground in front of the boxes.

The Furgary Shacks Are So Much More Than Just Ugly

Ever wonder what the inside of a
Furgary shack looks like? That's a fallen
roof in the back room!

As long as the Furgary shacks are around, there will always be debate about what to do with them.  Either you love them, or you can't wait for them to be sent to a landfill.  Although it's been a while since I've heard any earnest discussion at City Hall about the Furgary area, one thing is certain: Just ignoring the shacks isn't helping matters.