How Many Decades Will It Take To Make Our Sidewalks Safe?

According to the announcements section of the city's website, a contractor based in Rhinebeck by the name of Frank Vosburgh & Sons will be installing 36 new curb ramps at several intersections -- along 5th, 6th, 7th and Warren Streets -- over the next 6 weeks as part of the "Department of Justice consent order" to get our sidewalks ADA-compliant.  The Hudson-based Engineering and Land Surveying company, Crawford & Associates, is managing this project and reporting to the city's Public Works Board.

Vosburgh & Sons is primarily an excavation contractor (the website also prominently features the title Frank Vosburgh Excavating).  Here are the other services they provide, according to their website.

Building Foundations

Land Clearing

Road Installation (with a picture of a winding dirt road or driveway)

Demolition 

Drainage

Septic Systems

Underground Utilities

Ponds

There is no mention of services regarding paving, concrete or sidewalk installation.  

I don't know how the Public Works Committee chose Vosburgh, and I'm pretty sure that this will be their first time here in Hudson to improve our sidewalks.  Let's hope they know what they are doing.

Directly behind City Hall and owned by the city, 
 one of the worst sections of sidewalk in the entire city!

What Vosburgh won't be improving (or touching) is the sidewalk in front of the city-owned vacant lot at 516 Columbia Street.   They -- or someone -- should be.  Why on earth does the city still own that lot and why do they continue to act as if the sidewalk is fit for humans?  BECAUSE NO ONE IS PAYING ATTENTION, that's why!  We need to hire consultants to accomplish that task!