The Last Post

I finally discovered on the Board of Elections website--they've probably been up there for a long time, but I just discovered them--the write-in results from the November election.

In the First Ward, one person wrote in Ralph Nader for mayor, and 33 people wrote in me for alderman--either in Column 8 (Sterling) or Column 9 (Cheddie). (The BOE did not specify how many votes in each column.)

In the Third Ward, 10 people wrote me in for mayor.

In the Fifth Ward, one person wrote me in for mayor and one person wrote me in for alderman in Column 8--Doc Donahue's slot!

I thank you--all 45 of you--for going to the polls with your writing implements in hand and making the extra (albeit symbolic) effort to vote for me. I love you all!

After the first of the year, I'll be reporting on the goings on at City Hall, and elsewhere in the county as it affects Hudson, on my new blog, The Gossips of Rivertown. At the moment, it's still under construction, but I'll let you know when the first post appears.

Meanwhile, I extend my very best wishes for a rich and happy--and perhaps even prosperous--new year to you all.

Charles Williams Has a Buyer

Since the City of Hudson acquired it back in 2003, in exchange for the lot on Columbia Street where county health department building now stands, the Charles Williams School has stood vacant but not for want of plans to reuse it. First it was going to house the police department and city court. Then it was going to be an intergenerational center. Then a plan was floated to make it the location of HCSD's Alternative Learning Program combined with a C-GCC satellite site and a business incubator. Most recently it was going to be the county's emergency shelter for women and children. The good news is that it's not going to be any of those things.

The City intended to sell the building at a public auction on October 17. No one showed up for the auction, but bidding for the building happened anyway. Last night at the Common Council Finance Committee meeting, Treasurer Eileen Halloran announced the winning bidders: Steve Johnson and Walter Sudol, who offered $275,000. Other bidders were Colin Stair, the Islamic Community Center, and a fourth party.

Johnson and Sudol, who have a house in Ancram, plan to use the prewar school building for artists' studio space and to exhibit their own art collection. They have expressed their intention of restoring its original interior configuration.

Guide to Living in a Historic House

I just learned that the Landmark Society of Western New York in Rochester has posted their comprehensive guide to living in a historic house on their website. Since virtually everyone in Hudson lives in an old house, it might be a useful document to be aware of. For anyone reading this blog who is on the Hudson Historic Preservation Commission, it may be something you would want to bring to the attention of those who come before you and the community in general.