DPWWTF?

Longtime HUDseen readers may recall an article from 2023 focusing on an issue at the southeast corner of 3rd & State well after DPW moved the trash can there across the street soon after it had been knocked to the ground one too many times by an errant turning tractor trailer.  Basically, DPW left a hole in the sidewalk where the metal base to the trash can had been imbedded.  They extracted the base (if it didn't tear out on its own), installed base and can across the street but decided to leave the mess they had created on a sidewalk that the property owner of the building at the corner is expected to maintain. Typical DPW sloppiness and disrespect from a department "supervised" by a consummate slob.

HUDseen focused on a (seemingly) small issues like this because, as any adult knows, there are often consequences to sloppy work and/or failure to clean up after oneself -- sometimes it's sooner, sometimes it's later, but you should expect trouble when you ask for it.  

It may not have been the exact lesson we were all taught in kindergarten, but it's pretty close:  If you leave a mess, you or someone else will regret it soon enough.  Be responsible!  Act like you want others to act!  Don't leave messes for others to deal with or trip over.  Plus, messes are ugly, and this world -- yes, including Hudson -- needs less ugly, not more ugly.  And messes on sidewalks -- particularly when they involve holes or loose items -- are inexcusable.  Well, you might excuse an 8-year-old for leaving a dangerous and ugly mess on a sidewalk, but a supposed adult making over $123,000 to supervise a Department of Public Works that is expected to keep Hudson safe and looking decent?   No, not in my book.  Sorry, he gets no pass.  No adult does.

It took about three years, but someone finally put that hole in the sidewalk that DPW left behind to use.  Maybe that was Rob Perry's plan all along.  And Craig Haigh's.  And Kamal Johnson's.  And the two council members representing that intersection.  Now, some might say, "Hey, what's the big deal?  It's a sign for a business, and Hudson businesses need all the help they can get, especially those off of Warren Street.  Leave it alone.  You must have bigger fish to fry."  

To which I would reply:  First of all, this would not be tolerated on Warren Street for a minute, so why should it be tolerated on any other street in Hudson?  Would you tolerate it anywhere near your home?  Should anyone tolerate it near their home?  How many fluttering signs stuck in holes in the sidewalk would you find acceptable in your neighborhood, or any neighborhood?  Should all businesses be allowed to jam a fluttering sign in the sidewalk and leave it there 24/7/365? And what if they all did?  

Second, if DPW had filled their hole and mess in the sidewalk that they created, the sign would never have appeared.  DPW gave that sign a home.  They left a hole and loose concrete in the sidewalk for anyone to step on and everyone to see.  Would you rather DPW not fill holes and not repair other sidewalk hazards and ugliness they create?  If DPW had instead left behind a hole and missing sidewalk three times as large as they had, would that be acceptable to you as well?  Should it be acceptable to Rob Perry or anyone else at City Hall to allow this and find it acceptable?  

Given enough time, Rob Perry (or his successor) could easily 
deny that the hole and the cracks have anything to do with DPW.
"Why do you think it's our problem?"

If Rob Perry, Craig Haigh and the mayor (including his ADA compliance officer) are okay with DPW creating and then ignoring holes on city sidewalks for years, what kind of civil society can we expect?  What kind of sidewalks can we expect from a City Hall that is so lazy, sloppy, inattentive and disrespectful?  Isn't the city supposed to be making our sidewalks better, not worse?  Don't you see that if someone like Rob Perry has no accountability in regard to, among many other things, keeping our sidewalks safe, looking decent and lasting a long time, that there is no end in sight to the other problems he might be creating by allowing his department to be so sloppy and negligent?  If he doesn't care about safe and decent sidewalks (yes, even leaving one hole behind for years!), what makes you think he cares about safe and decent streets, sewer systems or trash cans?  And if a such a clear code violation (it had better be one!) as a fluttering sign implanted in a hole in the sidewalk that remains up 24/7 in downtown Hudson in a residential neighborhood is not seen as a problem -- let alone even noticed by DPW, CEO, the Mayor's office or ward representatives -- then what hope do we have for Hudson getting its act together and making life better for everyone?  You can't say that any of this is acceptable in the year 2025, can you?  Who wants to live in a city where no one at City Hall seems to be paying attention to anything and where leaving dangerous and ugly messes on sidewalks is considered acceptable and "no big deal" from a department or three?

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's how I would respond.

The lovely sign showed up at least three months ago
when the bodega reopened.  It's been there 24/7.  A taste of Fairview Avenue.

At a council meeting late last year, Rob Perry denied knowing 
anything about this tub.  He repeated his denial nine fucking times
over the course of one minute when asked by a council member
 why it was there!  And there it still sits at the side of the street
as if it doesn't matter.