4 Months Late, Work On Washington Street Has Begun. But Is There A Contingency Plan?

Our friends at Colarusso just began their first portion of last year's biannual NY State DOT CHIPs-funded street repaving project.  I say last year because the repaving is typically done every odd-numbered year in the fall, and Robert Perry told the council early last fall that over $600,000 in CHIPs funds had been secured, Colarusso was the only bidder for the project and that they would begin work in November.  Well, better late than never, I guess.

A Committee and A "Bureau" Barely Treading Water

According to a discussion at the Parking Committee meeting a few nights ago, the Amtrak parking lot is presenting some issues that are flummoxing the city.  The lot appears to be more popular than ever, resulting in the single person Parking Bureau having issued more parking permits for the lot than the limited number of reserved spaces in the lot can accommodate.  Apparently, this is forcing permit holders to park in numbered (non-reserved) spaces and eventually being ticketed for doing so.  The city charges $1,000 for a one-year permit.

Our DPW, Leading By Example and Showing Every Truck Driver The Way To The Bottom

Installed by DPW, ignored by DPW and 
unenforced by HPD.

Here are two series of pictures showing our DPW garbage truck and a private hauler truck doing something that the city supposedly does not want any trucks doing.  

Welcome To The "I HAVE NO IDEA" City

A few weeks ago, in front of the municipal parking lot on Warren Street that is closest to 4th Street, I came across one of the two longtime HPD Parking Enforcers.  We were talking in front of the lot with the very old MUNICIPAL PARKING sign along the sidewalk that has been increasingly leaning to the west for several years.  You know that sign, don't you?  It's the one that looks like it was installed in the late 1970s and has never been touched since by DPW.  

"Relative" To What, Mr. Perry? Molasses?

Last September during his monthly report, DPW Superintendent Robert Perry made his only mention of National Grid's gas line replacement project, 2 months after the work had begun.  He referred to the upcoming work on 3rd Street and on 3 blocks of Warren Street.  He concluded with this:  "They (NG's contractor Mullen) have some pretty heavy equipment that comes through and makes relatively quick work of it.  When I have a schedule, I will let everyone know."  Perry has not mentioned anything about National Grid's major project since then, let alone offering "a schedule" to "everyone."  Apparently our DPW Superintendent doesn't care how long the project takes, nor does he think the council and Hudson resident need to know.  "Whatever!"

Hudson Needs More Properties Owned by Limited Liability Corporations (LLC's)!

Not slush!  Ice!

Late this afternoon, nearly 48 hours after the snow stopped falling on Saturday night, there were 2 long sections of icy sidewalk along the south side of the 700 block of Columbia Street. The inch or two of snow that had fallen there, shaded from the sun enough to not completely melt, had obviously been untouched by the property owners. Of course, the hundreds of pedestrians walking there yesterday and today had no choice but to walk on it. So, who are the lazy, disrespectful, code violating bums who didn't shovel their sidewalks themselves or pay someone do it for them?

It Never F'n Ends!

As they do every winter, DPW has recently been removing some of our public trash can receptacles to the DPW garage on Dock Street to give them the attention they deserve.  The wooden slats are revarnished, as are the few wooden lids that remain.  The more common and ugly black metal lids (how about pink, purple or red?!) are repainted to create a blank canvas for the local graffiti artists and sticker-crazed lunatics, some of whom still rail against Covid masks and the World Health Organization.  Ho-hum.