How Much Will A New Garbage Bag Vending Machine Cost Us?

There's plenty to dislike about the city's garbage bag vending machine that showed up in front of 520 Warren over 7 years ago.  Well, here's another issue with that eyesore that doesn't get discussed much, if at all, which could and should have been taken care of long ago.  You probably won't be surprised to know that this involves our DPW Superintendent Robert Perry.

Off To A Really Great Start With The DOJ Sidewalk Repair Project!

To comply with the U.S. Department of Justice's 2019 order to repair sidewalks in certain areas of the city, work began last week on curb ramps along Warren Street to make them ADA compliant and safe for all.  The city's newly formed Public Works Board (not DPW) hired a company by the name of Precision Safe Sidewalks (PSS)* to shave curb ramps to certain slope specifications and to remove tripping hazards where sidewalks approach and meet street surfaces. (We also had to hire the local engineering consultant firm Crawford & Associates to oversee this project!)  

Introducing Our Nature-Loving Pals At National Grid

Readers are likely aware that our sidewalks and streets have been much more colorful since National Grid and their contractors showed up last year to replace our natural gas pipes.  Readers may also be aware that National Grid recently decided that spray painting the popular walking trail behind Oakdale Lake was just as necessary and appropriate. 

PRIME?

 

Friday's Features

Here are a few things seen around town this week, including some follow-ups from previous Friday's Features.

Well, it took a few months, but this week DPW finally attended to the damaged storm drain on Carroll Street.  However, it appears they didn't do any structural work, instead just patching the surface.  They were nice enough to leave the loose chunks of asphalt nearby on the grass, too!  Maybe those will make their way back in the street soon.  My guess is that this was just a temporary patch and DPW will have to be back to dive deeper into this drain.  Maybe in 2026.

PSA: Drivers Beware of Beer Party Taking Over Upper State Street On Saturday

There will be an event this Saturday hosted by the Upper Depot Brewery that will close State Street from Green Street to 7th Street between the hours of noon and 7 pm. The event is being billed as a "CAR SHOW WITH TWO CRAFT BEVERAGE PRODUCERS, FOOD VENDORS, LIVE MUSIC."  Literally on State Street! DPW Superintendent Robert Perry and Chief of Police Mishanda Franklin reviewed and accepted the application for the event, and Mayor Kamal Johnson approved it.

Introducing The Real Mayor of Hudson!

There's so much to say about this issue, so I will try my best to keep it short.  It's difficult to think this is happening in the year 2024, but it is, and the story needs to be told.

Our mayor's personal vehicle was issued seven parking tickets last year, 4 for parking on the wrong side of Union Street overnight and 3 for meter violations on Warren Street during the week.  He didn't pay for a single one of those 7 tickets. 

Introducing Our Rude, Snotty So-Called Adult Who Runs DPW!

While at Stewart's yesterday morning, I noticed our DPW Superintendent pull his city-issued Durango SUV into a parking space.  Considering that Mr. Perry is impossible to find in person (he does not work out of the DPW offices in City Hall) and that he appeared to be on the clock, I waited for him to exit before trying to let him know about a few unattended DPW issues I have been wanting to inform him of in person for several months.  This was my rare opportunity.

Why Are We Paying To Repair The Outsized Damage That Trucks Cause?

"An oft-quoted federal study once found that road damage from one 18-wheeler is equivalent to the impact of 9,600 cars." (Found from a search of trucks damage road.)  

While the weight supported by a truck axle may be 10 times that of a car axle, the damage caused to pavement is exponentially higher.  Like ten to the fourth power higher!  This comes from a scientific study in the late 1950s that came to be known as the fourth power rule.  Additionally, trucks cause further damage by stopping, starting and driving slowly.  And, as is obviously the case at the southern end of Park Place, the tires of turning trucks tend to shear the pavement, grinding away at it more so than when not turning.

Work Has Finally Begun!

National Grid's paving contractor finally began work yesterday to smooth out all the rough and ugly patches of pavement on several streets which were a result of NG's other contractor, Mullen, who ripped up our streets, replaced gas pipes, then installed temporary pavement several months ago.  There is a lot of work to be done by Bob Talham, Inc. of Troy -- I would say they will be busy downtown for at least two weeks, pick axes and all!

Shershah Mizan, The Phony "Greater Public Safety" and "Better Infrastructure" Council Member!

On June 19th of this year, HUDseen published an article critical of the condition and sight of third ward council member Shershah Mizan's house and property at the corner of Fairview and Green Streets.  Soon after the article appeared, and likely soon after Shershah read it, a few of the issues were attended to, those being the least offending of the several issues.

Say What?

26 inches!

Welcome to the neighborhood!

A City That Is Not Able To Boot Vehicles is Failing Its Residents!

The vehicle shown in the picture above is a perfect representation of a mostly unmentioned problem at City Hall that affects us all.

According to the city's online parking ticket portal, the most recent unpaid parking ticket this white pickup with Massachusetts plates received was in March of this year, a meter violation of $10 that has been $45 since early April. The oldest unpaid ticket which HPD issued the pickup is from mid-December, a $25 NO PARKING ZONE ticket which has been $75 for over 7 months. In between those two tickets, the vehicle has 4 other unpaid tickets, each of them with a price tag of $125 (for parking in a FIRE ZONE, originally $50). The total which the owner owes the city is $620. It just as easily could be $3,620.

Friday's Features - Its Two Month Anniversary!

This is FF's two-month anniversary (I'm pretty sure it is), so it is appropriate to revisit the issue that began things for this feature.  Early this week, someone, probably DPW, put a cone over the damaged and missing asphalt surrounding the storm drain on Carroll Street.  And that's all you need to be aware of on that issue.

Do You Think...?

What do you suppose will happen when the gangsters, the "artists," the gum chewers, the sticker-crazed conspiracy theorists and the vandals strike the city's new million-dollar parking kiosks soon to be installed on lower Warren and in our four downtown parking lots?

Can There Be Any Doubt That Our DPW Superintendent Is A Pathological Liar?

You may be convinced that he is after reading this article.

During July's informal Common Council meeting, 4th ward council member Vicky Daskaloudi, who was the sole council member behind the effort to make the long and winding (with intersection) Paddock Place safer for children getting to and from the M.C. Smith Elementary School, asked DPW Superintendent Robert Perry the following question (text is taken straight from the archived video of the meeting):

45 Seconds, 54 Wheels

 

Robert Perry, Working His Magic!

According to my notes, in mid-November of last year a new utility pole was installed on North Sixth Street at Prospect Street on the northwest corner of the intersection.  The NO PARKING ANY TIME sign located several feet from the old pole was removed and, within weeks, it was reinstalled by taping it to the new pole. (I'm pretty sure DPW had no hand in the matter, but I could be wrong.  At the very least, they allowed it to happen).  Anyway, the sign was now no longer lined up with the end of the yellow curb as it had once been.  Last week, DPW repainted that curb, leaving the sign taped to the pole at least ten feet from the end of the yellow curb.  So, apparently, DPW is perfectly fine with confusing residents and visitors about where they can and can't park.

We Should All Be Concerned. Very, Very Concerned!

 

The door to the so-called Assessor's Office
in City Hall today.  I believe that is the hand truck
and bucket that a city employee uses to collect 
quarters from parking meters.

How Many NO PARKING ZONE Tickets Is HPD Not Issuing?

Today, for the 2nd consecutive day, I called HPD to let them know that there was an illegally parked vehicle on Front Street along the yellow-curbed NO PARKING zone at the southeast corner of the intersection with Warren Street.

Yesterday, within ten minutes of my call, a HPD cop issued a $25 NO PARKING ZONE ticket to the RAV 4 with Massachusetts plates. Today's illegally parked vehicle, a pickup owned by a contractor working inside a nearby house, had not been issued a ticket after one hour. Within 5 minutes of today's call, the new white HPD SUV drove slowly through the intersection headed south on Front Street in no apparent rush to get anywhere.

Our Bumbling City Hall, Unable To Pay Attention To The Important Details

We are paying Colarusso nearly one million dollars to replace a problematic Civil War-era stone sewer that, until last year, our $117,000 DPW Superintendent claimed to not be aware of.  It took at least one homeowner on Union Street with a regularly flooding basement to get Mr. Perry to discover the ancient sewer right under his feet.  There is at least one manhole cover, and possibly a few, leading to the ancient sewer that should have been replaced decades ago.  One of those covers is on the sidewalk of Union Street.  For Mr. Perry to claim that he was completely unaware of the sewer is a bit hard to swallow and more than a bit concerning.

Meanwhile, across the city in Oakdale Park, our largest and wildest public park, similar nonsense has been right under City Hall's nose for decades.  It took the erosion of a popular walking trail (and shortcut to and from the city) to shine a light on a City Hall that is, once again, unable or unwilling to pay attention to the important details.  Funny how water has the ability to get the attention of people in charge.