Will Joe Ferris Be The Mayor Who Finally Brings Proper Enforcement of Code Violations To The Code Enforcement Office?

Let's hope that a change in the guard at the Hudson Code Enforcement Office and in the Mayor's Office will bring about a big change in the CEO's approach to code violations regarding snow and ice left on sidewalks for days or weeks.  Because, for the most part, whatever they are doing there isn't working.  What anyone walking after a snowfall can easily see are the consequences of repeat code violators -- a sure sign of zero code enforcement, or at least zero EFFECTIVE code enforcement.  This can't continue, and the city certainly can't say that it is serious about replacing all the dangerous sidewalks in the city to make life better and the city more walkable for everyone while at the same time continuing to allow property owners to not clear snow from their sidewalks for days or weeks, often allowing it to turn to ice.  One the one hand, City Hall says they care; on the other hand, they obviously do not.  

The city needs to get its act together.  It's the year 2026, not 1982.

Yesterday, 48 hours after the end of the 18 inches of snow fell on Sunday, the 70 feet of sidewalk in front of 735 Columbia Street was still covered in snow with only one set of footprints on it.  (That's the former car repair garage that Lil' Debs was planning on moving into.)  Everyone else, including myself, was forced to walk in the fucking street at the busy bend in the truck route near a confusing intersection.  One wonders how many times Code Enforcement has been notified of snow code violation in front of 735 in the past few years since it has been vacant, and how often Craig Haigh or one of his part-time enforcers has reached out to the owner of the property to remind them once again about their responsibilities with snow and ice on their sidewalk.  Does CEO even issue sidewalk snow violation tickets with a court date on them?  (According to tax records, the owner of 735 Columbia is Faster Stronger QOZB LLC out of Red Hook, NY.   Who the hell do you suppose that is?  Do you suppose that "person" lives in Hudson?)  

The vacant house at 538 State has been a repeat violator for the past 5 or 6 years.  CEO gets at least one call about 538 every winter from me.  Same thing every fucking winter after every snowfall!  In warmer months, the weeds and grass continually grow above code limits.  CEO gets a call.  Again and again and nothing changes.

Snow is regularly piled high surrounding the CSX rail crossings on Columbia and on State.  AFTER EVERY SNOWFALL!  The present situation on the north side of Columbia is obscene, with snow at least 4 feet high blocking the sidewalk! (See lead picture.)  Has anyone from Code Enforcement ever spoken with someone from CSX about removing snow from around their crossings here in Hudson?   Has CSX ever once been issued a code violation ticket regarding snow on the sidewalks surrounding their tracks?  Does anyone at Code Enforcement know or care to know exactly how much property CSX owns and is responsible for that abuts their tracks?

Yesterday afternoon, I tried my best not to fall over or to get my boots full of snow as I walked past the vacant house at 306 Columbia Street, the one with a small, red Dangerous & Unsafe sign stapled to it thanks to Code Enforcement.  The snow was untouched other than a few sets of footprints.  Another vacant house further east, adjacent to the park with the metal stairs, also still had 18 inches of snow on its 30 feet of sidewalk.  It was also full of footprints.  Certainly, though, it had forced some people to walk in the truck route where they felt safer and more stable.

7 years ago, the Hudson Islamic Center bought the vacant lot on the southwest corner of 3rd & Columbia.  Why?  I don't know, perhaps they had plans for a parking lot if and when they ever finish building their fucking mosque across the street.  They usually shovel the sidewalks surrounding their building in infinite progress, creating the narrowest path possible (as they had done by yesterday). 

But they almost never shovel the 200 feet of sidewalks surrounding their vacant lot across the street, especially when it's full of deep snow.  Do you think Craig Haigh cares?  Do you think anyone at Code Enforcement cares that the mosque owners are repeat violators when it comes to snow on the sidewalk?  What price have they paid for leaving their sidewalks untouched over and over and over again year after year?  Do you think Dewan Sarowar, Mohammed Rony or Abdus Miah give a crap if OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN EVERY WINTER people are forced to walk in the street IN THEIR WARD because for some reason the owners and members of the Islamic Center can't seem to find the time or a reason to clear those sidewalks to allow people to safely walk on them and not in the street?  What have any of those three worthless "officials" done to stop the Islamic Center (that they are likely members of!) from being so irresponsible and putting pedestrians of all stripes in harm's way?  

Who the heck would be responsible should a mother and daughter be forced to step into the street in the dark and be run over by a truck 4 days after 18 inches of snow fell because the sidewalk was left untouched and impassible?  Would it be the owners of the Islamic Center?  Would it be Code Enforcement/the City of Hudson for allowing the violations to persist after every snowfall?  How about Abdus, Dewan and Mohammed for doing nothing about the problem and never sitting down with Craig Haigh to figure out a solution to a persistent problem that they are comfortable ignoring?  I suppose a good lawyer might be able to sue the city for negligence, but I wouldn't count on it.  The mother and daughter would be dead, or nearly dead, and the driver of the truck did nothing wrong!  The mother and daughter had no choice but to step into the street to continue walking to the grocery store to get something to eat because 18 inches of snow was left on the sidewalk for days, if not weeks.  It was their fault!  And no one cared to do anything to prevent this, same as last winter and the previous winters.

Will it take a death or two for City Hall to wake the hell up?  It is long past time that necessary changes are made at Code Enforcement so that this nonsense ends!   We can't go on like this much longer if we want a viable and livable city! 

As I write this, DPW is spending oodles of money, time and manpower removing snow from the odd sides of streets so that cars and drivers can be safe and have a place to park.  Meanwhile, along our sidewalks there is the constant threat of being forced to walk in the street, often a street made very narrow by accumulated snow.  Is this really acceptable in the year 2026?  Is this acceptable to our new mayor?