How's That 2026 DPW Budget Looking? Will It Cover Everything?

The photo above was taken sometime in October, no more than a week after DPW painted a yellow median line and white stop line on Railroad Avenue where none ever existed.  That curious city street cannot be characterized as being busy with vehicle traffic by anyone's standards, even now that some Depot Loft tenants are driving on its end to and from the new 9-space parking area 100 feet from 7th Street.  (That new parking area of Galvan's forced DPW to paint the street and install a stop sign, all paid for by city taxpayers, no doubt.)  The yellow line was installed by DPW to let all drivers know that the street is (and always has been) 2-way, which it had never been thought of as (I know, it's damn confusing!).  It was installed to make the street safer, particularly for the morning crush of DSS employees entering Railroad Avenue from 7th to get to the DSS parking lot further north who had always considered the street to be one way even though there never had been any ONE WAY signs posted anywhere near the intersection.

This is what DPW's yellow line painted 3 months ago looks like now. The entire line is faded badly, with some of it completely gone and more of it to disappear very soon. It's almost as if DPW used the wrong paint for the job, wouldn't you agree?  Do you think Rob Perry will bother to have it repainted in the spring with the same paint and equipment?

For comparison, look closely at this picture which I took a few days ago. (Try to ignore the second picture!  I couldn't help meself!)

Behold them cracks, too!

It shows the double yellow lines on South Front Street that were painted by a professional pavement marking company using professional painting equipment and appropriate paint meant to adhere to asphalt for more than a few months.  A lot more than a few months! The lines -- on a busy street, mind you -- show no signs of fading, damage or disappearance.  They were painted on the street 4 or 5 months ago as part of this past summer and fall's DRI work, about one month before DPW painted their yellow line on Railroad Avenue.

The lines on the other side are just as bright as these.

At about the same time -- 4 or 5 months ago -- a different professional pavement marking company (I presume) painted lines on either side of the new Ferry Street bridge.  DPW did not paint those lines!  Can you still clearly see those yellow lines?  I sure can!

Shit work is expensive work!  We can't continue for much longer like this!

True story:  A few years ago, at the Spotty Dog bar, I met a Hudson resident who makes a living as a book editor.  It being the 18th of June, at one point I mentioned to him that it was Paul McCartney's birthday.  He was also aware that it was the musician's birthday -- both of us a bit impressed with each other.  He asked me how I knew (my birthday is on the 19th).  I asked him the same, and he told me that he had edited Paul McCartney's autobiography and knew the former Beatle quite well, having spent lots of time with him recently.  I told him I didn't believe him.  The chap got out his cell phone, tapped it a few times and showed me: there at the top among his phone's contact list was Paul McCartney's name.

I failed to get Paul's number.  Stupid me!