If Not DPW, Who? If Not Now, When?

The only iced surface in town!
Ready to be stepped on!
Ignored by DPW!

Today, more than a week after the most recent rainfall and with recent temperatures often below freezing, you would be hard-pressed to find wet or icy pavement in the entire City of Hudson.  Unless, that is, you were to stand at the intersection of North 6th Street & Rope Alley, behind the ancient county-owned building at 610 State, where wet or icy walking and driving surfaces are a near constant presence.

"What Wrong Way Drivers?"

I came across another busy downtown intersection that is lacking proper safety measures to avoid accidents as a result of wrong way drivers.  If an accident hasn't occured there yet due to City Hall's lack of attention and preventive measures, one is bound to occur sooner or later.  I cringe at the possibilities.

Still There Over 2 Months Later!

A real jewel!

Missing Signs, Missing Effort, Missing In Action

In the absence of signs indicating otherwise,
GREEN MEANS GO!

On Friday afternoon while waiting to cross 5th Street at Warren, I stopped a car from entering North 5th headed in the wrong direction. I had watched the car driving north on South 5th as it headed to Warren all the way from Union, stopping momentarily at the Warren Street intersection, where it had a green light off to the side, then proceeding nearly through the intersection before I stepped into the street emphatically waving one finger to stop the driver from traveling any further in the wrong direction. The driver saw me, stopped his car (with 3 passengers inside), looked around, had the AHA moment, and then turned onto Warren Street.  Why do you suppose that driver felt comfortable driving through the intersection in the wrong direction to continue driving in the wrong direction on North 5th?  Do you suppose it was the green light and the lack of signs telling him to NOT ENTER the intersection and North 5th? 

A City That Encourages and Allows Unsafe Streets

 

The food trailer that had been parked in the 700 block of the Columbia Street truck route has now found a new home in the much narrower section of the truck route in the 400 block of Columbia.

Who is The Grinch At City Hall This Year?

This year's "tree"

For the first time in my 10 years here in Hudson, this winter there will be no actual decorated Christmas/ Holiday tree displayed in the 7th Street Park. How low can this park go? How low does City Hall want it to go?

What Are They Waiting For?

For the life of me, I can't figure out why the powers that be in Hudson City Hall have yet to post a picture and description of the scene in front of the former church on Warren Street on the THINGS TO DO page of the city's website.  What do you suppose they are waiting for?

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all.

What Did The Parking Consultant Warn Us About?

The issue of managing parking matters in the City of Hudson -- meters, revenue from meters and tickets, maintenance of meters, parking permits, enforcement, who is in charge of all these things, accountability -- is not a new one.  Desperate for help, last year the city hired a parking consultant to tell us what anyone paying attention already knew: Hudson's parking situation is a mess, things need to change with the times, and we must prepare for the future of a busier city that will lack ample parking and parking infrastructure.  

Oh, The Ugly Irony!

Welcome to Hudson, where anything goes!

Let me try to get this straight!

For 3 or 4 weeks the City of Hudson is unable or unwilling to remove a mentally unstable person and all his junk on someone else's private property along Warren Street (it often spilling into the sidewalk), while he runs up and down the sidewalk like a madman, making strange noises, behaving deranged, waving things and his fists, and frightening people. 

Our Great Communicator

Following Robert Perry's DPW report at last month's Informal Common Council meeting, via Zoom of course, 1st Ward council member Margaret Morris asked Mr. Perry for an update on the ancient sewer that has been flooding basements on the 500 block of Union Street for years.  The issue is a very serious one, and, as Perry suggested, may require DPW to build a new sewer at the cost of "upwards of one million dollars."  Mr. Perry failed to mention the problematic sewer during his report even though the issue had been discussed at prior meetings thanks to a property owner in the 500 block of Union by the name of Jack whose basement is often flooded because of an ancient sewer that, apparently, DPW was not even aware of prior to Jack bringing the flooding issue to their attention this year (or in recent years).  There are manhole covers over the 140-year old stone sewer!  That's how the contractor DPW had to hire is accessing the ancient sewer to get cameras to have a look at what is going on!

"More Concrete, Fewer Trees!" Declares Galvan

Galvan, the great benefactor of Hudson, recently installed new concrete sidewalks around their apartment building at 5th & Union.  Unlike their new sidewalk in front of the Alger house, these sidewalks appear to be free of tripping hazards. 

Is It Possible To Have a Thriving, Vibrant, and Civil City With So Many Dead And Missing Trees?

Hooray, they're alive (for now)!

The Conservation Advisory Council seems to have followed through with its pledge to get a lot more sidewalk trees planted around town this year. Many new trees have sprouted, especially along Union Street.  It's a great thing, for sure, though I do worry about too many trees choking our sidewalks.  Can pedestrians, trees, concrete, and dog pee coexist in harmony?

Communication Just Ain't What It Used To Be

One thing I noticed long ago about inter- and intra-departmental communication at much of Hudson City Hall is that it is often poor and sometimes frighteningly non-existent.  (I made this point clear in Hudseen's most widely read article, titled YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP, from February).  Then there's this:

Our Bumbling City Hall

There are a few legitimate criticisms regarding the new food truck/trailer that recently found a home on Columbia Street alongside the 7th Street Park, but I will keep it brief today and maybe pick up with other issues at a later date.  

UN-F'N-BELIEVABLE!

Today, as I was walking on the sidewalk of the 700 block of Columbia along the park, I noticed a man and his dog on the other side of the street standing next to the pole with the button for the pedestrian crossing signal, looking back and forth, obviously waiting to cross the street when the time was right.  Car after car streamed by without stopping for him.

It Appears That Galvan and City Hall Want To Put Us All In The Hospital

Earlier this year, Galvan replaced the long expanse of sidewalk along their Charles Alger house on Allen Street.  Galvan workers (not an outside contractor) created a brand new, mostly smooth concrete sidewalk.  Inexplicably, they left a stiff piece of plastic projecting an inch from a 4-inch wide hole, waiting to put someone on their chin and in the hospital or morgue.  The tripping hazard, while not in the middle of the sidewalk, is adjacent to a parking space.

What Would God Do?

At some point late last night or early this morning a 12-foot board with 8 large and rusty nails fell off the facade of the former church at 6th & Columbia, falling about 12 feet, bouncing off of the railings below and landing on the sidewalk, with nails facing down.  While there has been some work on the building lately, it has not been near the front, so this projectile made its way to the sidewalk on its own.  An "act of god," obvioulsy.

Statewide Distinctions We Should Be Concerned About

A bit of a departure today from the typical Hudseen fare:  Garbage and oddly high costs and fees at our county level!  

How Is This Allowed? (with update!)

 

A disgraceful mess on Warren Street

The person standing to the left is responsible for the mess but does not own the property.  Someone in Peekskill owns the long-vacant former church.  And City Hall does nothing, allowing the so-called artists to do whatever they want and create as large an eyesore as they like.

This Is How Our "Mayor," a So-Called Adult, Operates

About two hours after I got the news that I would not be a part of the Hudson Common Council beginning in January, I received this email from the so-called Mayor of Hudson.  From what I can tell, Kamal Johnson is 38 years old.

Car 3, Where Are You? Were You Involved In An Accident?

A few days ago I noticed a new addition to the city's vehicle impoundment lot, which is located next to the DPW garage on Dock Street.  Though I have never been told what cars end up in the "pound," it appears that the locked and fenced area is used for abandoned vehicles which the city removes from our streets before they are either repossessed by the owners or sent to a scrap yard.  But the vehicle that caught my attention was certainly never an abandoned vehicle.  Rather, it was a city-owned vehicle that until recently could be seen being driven all around town.  It was HPD patrol vehicle #3, and it had obviously been hit by another vehicle at the driver's side rear wheel, likely damaging the rear axle and rendering the vehicle totaled. (Notice how misaligned the wheel is.)

Why The Hell Should They Bother?

This afternoon at about 12:30 there was yet another two vehicle accident at the intersection of 4th & Columbia.  The new NO TURN ON RED sign for 4th Street traffic seems to be working, but the running of red lights is still a problem, and that seems to be the cause of today's accident.  Nobody was injured or killed. 

First It's Not Enforcing Open Containers, Then It's A Barbershop, Then A Homeless Encampment, Then Someone Gets Stabbed To Death

A few days ago while walking through the troubled 7th Street Park, I saw something for the first time there that made me want to scream.

All Of 19 Inches Of Concrete!

My crystal ball tells me that no one at City Hall actually cares when sidewalks are made to anger, annoy, inconvenience and even hurt pedestrians.

Yes, The Same Mullen!

You may have read or heard about the natural gas explosion in Wappingers Falls this past Friday  afternoon which destroyed 4 town homes and injured several people, some seriously.  The cause of the explosion was a gas leak caused by a contractor hired by Central Hudson Gas & Electric to replace their underground natural gas pipes.  According to an online article I read, a Central Hudson spokesperson said the contractor was performing "routine maintenance."

Pedestrians? What Pedestrians?

One of the new breweries on State Street decided to allow a food truck to set up shop for several hours yesterday, all the while completely blocking the sidewalk and forcing pedestrians into State Street, which I often refer to as the State Street Speedway (having nothing to do with the nearby gas station).

It appears that the vendor blocking the sidewalk had not been issued a Vendor's Permit from the City Clerk's Office since there was no permit of any kind displayed on or in the food truck.  At least they put an orange cone out so that no passing vehicles would hit their trailer.  Pedestrians? What pedestrians?

"What Does It Matter?" City Hall Says

The fact of the matter is that if you live on State Street above 3rd Street, you live on a portion of the truck route -- the alternative truck route, if you will.  You won't find it on any map and no one at City Hall will reference State Street and the truck route in the same sentence, but there is no shortage of huge, loud, damaging, disruptive, ugly and unwelcome trucks navigating State Street, including 53-foot trailers being pulled by a tractor of 20 or so feet in length spewing some of the most vile substances known to mankind.  Even on a Sunday morning at 9:00.  

Why Are Our Public Spaces And Parks So Often Ignored By City Hall?

This picnic table, meant for use by the public in the 300 block of Warren Street pocket park (with children's play area), has been in this condition for at least 5 months.  The walking surface in the entire park, from the Warren sidewalk to Cherry Alley, is equally obscene.

"Quick Work Of It"? And Will It Be Cheap, Too?

Our DPW Water Department began dealing in earnest with the water main break on South 4th Street yesterday, about 110 days after the break occurred and was temporarily patched.  At 3:00 in the afternoon, I counted 3 large and deep holes in the street, ten workers (not one of which was our DPW Superintendent), several trucks and one backhoe, one outside contractor, and at least one pipe spewing water at the bottom of the hole where the break happened.  This is turning into a very expensive, time-consuming task.  Robert Perry was either caught by surprise or didn't care for over 3 months what his department might be in for below 4th Street.  These things happen, I guess.  But showing no sense of urgency for nearly 4 months to permanently fix a water main break with winter fast approaching?  What kind of sensible approach to our ancient infrastructure is that?