... directly behind Hudson City Hall, no less! For the past 15 months, no less! In the year 2026, for Christ sakes!
The food that has been on top of the inoperable (junk) white van for the past several months is now beginning to thaw and rot. I could smell it this morning. (There may also be food "stored" underneath the van.) Is there any more apt representation of what goes on inside City Hall than the sight and smell of this vehicle that has been parked in the same space in the parking lot outside City Hall for at least the past14 months and has a permit allowing it to remain where it is for the next 9 months?
The owner of the lovely white van -- a recent failed (and laughable) mayoral candidate who, with the full cooperation, permission and blessing of HPD and City Hall, has made his inoperable van his home to sleep and eat in (rent: $250/year) -- has a second permitted vehicle in the so-called short term lot directly behind City Hall that has been unmoved in the same parking space for just the past 5 or 6 months that is also permitted to remain there for the remainder of the year. Two vehicles owned by the same person UNMOVED in the "short-term parking lot" directly behind City Hall!
About a week ago, I noticed that the lovely blue Ford Explorer (always with crap on top) had a tire that was completely flat. That tire (or the entire wheel) has since been replaced, though it's difficult to understand why the owner bothered. Like the white van, the lovely Explorer isn't going to be exploring anything anywhere anytime soon (it also may not be able to move without being towed or pushed). Hell, it's got a permit from the city to remain where it is for the next 9 months, why would it move?
I urge all readers in need of a good laugh and/or cry to go to the Parking Bureau page on the city's website and click the link to the Paid Parking Map which appears to have been made available one week ago. The link is not far from the top of the page. Try to wade through the mess on the "map" and find any indication or representation of a city-owned parking lot. Try to find just the term "parking lot" printed anywhere on the map! Who did we pay to get that so-called map created and put on the website, and how much were they paid? Was it Artificial Fucking Intelligence (AFI)? Or was it done by HPD Captain David Miller, who, at least by all appearances, seems to be in charge of all things parking these days?
The "Paid Parking Map" doesn't let anyone know where any of the city's six parking lots can be found -- or that any of them exist at all, for that matter -- but it does indicate where the six "Parking Rules and Regulations Signs" are located at the main vehicle entrances to the city, far from Warren Street and with one of them being at the North Bay! Of course, those signs -- which only spell out the details of our OVERNIGHT PARKING rules, not downtown daytime paid parking rules -- can only be fully read if you slam on your brakes and get immediately rear ended by another vehicle trying to enter the city (possibly a 40-ton tractor trailer full of gravel or gasoline) whose driver doesn't give a crap about the city's overnight parking rules and might be just trying to pass through Hudson. The "parking map" doesn't offer any idea what is written on those signs; it just shows you where they can be found. And read... only if you stop your vehicle. ("Here is where they are located. Now go drive to one and read it. Please pull off to the side of the road if you can so that you don't get killed or kill someone else!") Not that reading any of the signs would help anyone figure out how to find and pay for a parking space in downtown Hudson for a few hours so they can spend their money at a local business or five. No, just stick to the "parking map" if you want help with parking your vehicle downtown!
But, please, don't drive around looking for a parking lot when you arrive. Yes, we do have a few parking lots that we like to refer to as short term lots that were once meant for visitors like yourselves, but they look and smell awful, and they usually don't have many (or any) spaces available for visitors anyway. Stick to Warren Street where there are plenty of spaces available on both sides of the street, especially on the weekends. Try the first few blocks if you want to nab a space for the day or an hour or two. But don't forget to pay for your space! Questions about parking payment? We have a Paid Parking Map to help you that can be easily found on the city's website! Questions about -- or frustrations with -- the map? Call the Hudson Police, they took over parking last year. (The Parking Bureaus is only open on weekdays.) Ask for the Parking Captain, he might be available to assist you and make your visit pleasant and free of any $10 parking tickets. Good luck to you, and enjoy your stay here in Hudson.
I think it is certainly worth repeating. The HPD Parking Bureau's webpage has posted a so-called Paid Parking Map (with a legend) that makes clear the locations of six street signs far from downtown that have absolutely nothing to do with downtown paid parking.
Do you ever get the uneasy feeling that there are forces inside City Hall doing their best to intentionally sabotage Hudson?
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