On Monday afternoon, while standing near the intersection of 6th &
State, I heard and then watched a helmeted, heavy adult male on an industrial-sized black electric bike with enormous wide tires approach the intersection headed east. The "bike" had to be doing 30 mph, give or take a few, and I'm not kidding. The rider's speed was far in excess of what any pedal-powered bicycle could possibly achieve in either direction on State Street, and I knew right away that he couldn't possibly stop at the intersection (the rider was actually on a slight incline approaching the intersection). And, of course, he didn't stop. Right past the stop sign and through the intersection he went, never letting go of the throttle. He didn't even look left or right to see if he was in danger of hitting a car about to enter the intersection (or being hit by one) or running over a pedestrian or two trying to cross the street. Not one bit of pause or braking. Lately I've seen a lot of stupid shit on our streets, particularly with e-bike riders, but this was up there with the worst. It was frightening. Had a pedestrian stepped in front of the bike and rider, possibly the mayor on his way to or from work, I doubt they would have survived the impact, though the rider probably would have. There was a time late last year when HPD Captain David Miller told the council that they were cracking down on dangerous e-bike riders. That notion was as laughable then as it is now.
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| Today, over four months later. |
This mattress appeared behind 538 State -- a long vacant and badly neglected property -- in December or possibly in November. As of last year, the 500 block of State is now in the 4th ward, "governed" and patrolled by Rich Volo and Jen Belton. If I were ever to see one of my council representatives walking in the neighborhood, I just might fall over in disbelief. Mayor Ferris, of course, lives practically around the corner from the mattress, along the boundary of the 3rd and 4th ward, closer to the mattress than Volo and Belton live. Two plastic bags full of garbage appeared near the mattress about a month ago. The white bag was quickly chewed into. Shit attracts more shit, as we all know.
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This past Saturday, I aborted my planned hike around Oakdale Lake when I came upon an overflowing trash can at the head of the trail near the skatepark. Along with two others nearby that were full but not yet overflowing, this can was emptied on Monday or Tuesday.
A day or two after the three full and overflowing cans near the beach and parking lot were emptied, yesterday the overflowing trash can at the rear entrance was finally emptied, and the trash on the ground was removed as well. It was only emptied because I told the youth Department director about it.
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| Too many bags of dog shit to count! |
This time of year, it probably takes at least two to three weeks for any of the park's five garbage cans to fill up. Add another week for them to begin spilling trash -- including, of course, little bags of dog shit -- on the ground. THIS WAS ON A SATURDAY IN THE CITY'S LARGEST AND WILDEST PUBLIC PARK.
On Tuesday, I spoke with our latest Youth Department Director, Calvin Lewis, to let him know about a few issues in the city's only park that DPW does not maintain. Here are two things he responded with that I found interesting: "We've been short staffed," and "We don't have a maintenance guy." My in-person conversation with Calvin took place on south 3rd Street, several blocks from Oakdale Park, on the other side of town. Four weeks ago, of course, Rob Perry, our overly empathetic and pleasant $125,000 DPW Superintendent, told the so-called CODE & Infrastructure Committee that "the Youth Department has plenty of bodies to push a lawn mower and use a weed whacker." You can't make this shit up! Issues related to the lack of attention to the park's garbage cans has been going on for at least ten years. Gee, I wonder why! Ask Nick Zachos!
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| Lovely, isn't it? WELCOME TO HUDSON! ENJOY YOUR STAY AND STAY SAFE! |
On or about December 8th, when we had our first significant snow of the winter, a vehicle left Glenwood Boulevard/North 6th at the bottom of the hill and bend between the lakes. (Boy, would I love to have seen that one live!) Apparently, the vehicle did not run over any pedestrians in the shoulder before it hit the guardrail and slammed into the utility pole. (I'm thinking that the angled end of the guardrail forced the car up and over it!) National Grid soon (probably the next day) installed a new utility pole to replace the one that had been nearly snapped in two by the careening vehicle. The broken pole still has a working streetlight (and an extra-long arm on it, it seems) that needs to be transferred to the new pole by our DPW. The only utility that can remove that lovely broken pole held together with rope is Verizon, but they can't do anything until Rob Perry gets that arm and light transferred. In other words, if Verizon is aware of the situation, they are waiting for Rob Perry to act first.
According to Perry the other night at the Code & Infrastructure Committee meeting -- WHOSE MEETINGS NEVER INVOLVE ANYONE FROM THE CODE ENFORCEMENT DEPARTMENT AND NO MATTERS RELATED TO CODE ENFORCEMENT OR CODE VIOLATION ISSUES ARE EVER DISCUSSED! -- told the questionably useful committee that he was having trouble getting his hired outside electrician to get to transferring streetlights from old poles to new (NG owns the new wooden poles, we own the lights and arms). No mention was made of the light and long are waiting to be transferred (and the busted pole ultimately removed) on Glenwood.
And no mention was made of this light and arm on lower Union, which, according to committee member and 1st ward councilor, Henry Haddad, was put there by National Grid sometime last month.
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| Rob Perry is fine with National Grid's gravel getting into his sewer system and for us to pay for the damage it causes and the cost of having it carted away from the sewer treatment plant if it ever reaches there. |
On Monday, Jason Foster, chair of the so-called CODE & Infrastructure Committee, told everyone that FOPS wants to widen the sidewalks around the 7th street park. To do that, Foster has been told or has decided that Park Place and 7th Street need to become one-way streets. However, no mention was made that in the dark on December 18th, 4 months ago, a city resident was struck by a turning vehicle while she was in the crosswalk with the right of way crossing Park at Warren. Her leg was badly broken and she no doubt has PTSD. No mention has ever been made of this incident by anyone at a city meeting since it occurred. It is as if the city resident was never run over and sent to CMH and required two surgeries to her leg and ankle. Sometime late last week, a vehicle must have hopped the curb at Park & Warren, because the permanent stop sign was no longer there when I walked by last Thursday.
You've been aware of mayor Ferris' promise to improve 10 city intersections since before he took office, haven't you? Apparently, he has hired an engineering firm to tell him how to accomplish his goal.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, our mayor was in Albany doing photo ops and a presser with the governor. Thank goodness he got the governor's attention to little old Hudson! Front page!
Wait a minute! Was that HPD vehicle that I saw Monday speeding along on I-90 taking the mayor to Albany a day before Governor Hochul's presser on Tuesday? Was our mayor escorted to Albany by HPD a day early to spend the night in a hotel so he could prepare for his time with the governor, to practice his comments and questions to her? Did HPD then drive again to Albany on Tuesday or Wednesday, this time to pick up the mayor and return him to Hudson so he could continue to try to get the attention of those in the state capitol, a place he appears to have his eyes and mind set on for a future job?
Let's hope that was the case!
It appears to me that Hudson is falling apart at the seams. No one seems to be paying attention. There, I've said it. AGAIN!
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