SamPratt.com

Modwood: Matlock (Vol. 1)

(Modwood is a new, occasional series on this site about modern houses in the woods. Get it? Modwood?)

One of my favorite design sites, Minimalissimo, recently featured a modern house design byAudrey Matlock, which she calls the Catskill Mountain House. (Not that Catskill Mountain House.) The home is a 3,700-square foot terraced, minimalist glass affair, “cut into a rocky slope” in West Shokan. At , Matlock writes that:

The images are by photographer and shipping container afficianado Peter Aaron of Architectural Digest, New York Magazine, et al., who has a pretty swell (though not modern) house of his own here in Columbia County.

NYAir: So far, so good

 

I had NYAir out this morning to see if they could solve my longstanding internet headaches. I found out about them at random, via a billboard on Route 9H, en route to getting my car serviced at Kinderhook Toyota. Normally I pay no attention to such roadside blandishments, but being starved for web access here at the last stop on the covered wagon trail to Taghaknic, I’m ready to explore just about any option.

Over the past few years I’ve looked into almost every conceivable internet service possibility—from MHcable, which wanted nearly $2,000 for the privilege of being hooked up, after they returned a huge rural broadband grant—to wireless hotspots to satellite. During that process I’ve dealt with all kinds of horribly unhelpful and ill-informed customer disservice reps at HughesNet and elsewhere, so I was delighted to get someone on the phone right away at NYAir, and an appointment within 48 hours.

“If our guy verifies that you have a line-of-sight to our tower,” I was told, “he can install it on the spot.”

NYAir is a WISP, which stands for Wireless Internet Service Provider. That means they connect a broadcaster on a tower to a high-speed connection, which can be picked up by people with antennas who have a line-of-sight to the tower. After testing the signal out extensively, it was determined that I do have a workable north-westward sightline toward one of their towers. After much debate (by me) about where to mount the antenna, I decided to give it a whirl.

The key advantage here, in comparison with satellite internet providers like HughesNet and WildBlue, or Mi-Fi hotspots such as those offered by Verizon and AT&T, is the absence of any usage limitations. For me, that’s huge. Satellite services limit your daily bandwidth, and 3G networks limit your monthly capacity, both cutting you off entirely or slowing your connection to a crawl once you hit the limit. With NYAir, I now should be able to download large files, buy or stream movies online, and so forth, without that ever-present concern about running up against “Fair Access Policy” limits. That was basically impossible for me with Hughes, whose service made it basically impossible to watch even half of an HD movie online without paying for $10 “restore” tokens.

The setup was extremely easy once their patient technician found the optimal height and direction to aim the antenna. It’s about 4 feet long but narrow, with flanges protruding about 6 inches, available in silver or black—less obtrusive than my existing Hughes dish. It mounts on a simple post attached to a wall or roof, and then an ethernet line is run into the house.

I chose their Premium plan at $55 per month. That may sound like a lot to some, but it’s far less than the whopping fees I’ve been paying to HughesNet for much worse alleged “business” class service. I’ll recoup the installation cost of $300 with no commitment or $200 for a one-year commitment within just a couple of months after I cancel my month-to-month satellite plan. (I’ll give it a few weeks, to make sure NYAir is really all it’s cracked up to be.)

The Premium plan offers speeds up to 2 Mbps download and 768 kbps upload, which is comparable to or even better than what I’ve obtained from Hughes, and that only with extreme haggling and frequent tech nightmares. (People who have DSL or cable modems will scoff at such speeds, but again I’m stuck in the boonies here, with limited options.) I was able to verify those speed via various online resources on the first try. They also have cheaper plans, but it’s certainly worth an extra $10 per month for double the speed. I can’t see any reason not to go with their Premium option, which is identical to their Business plan.

My technician said that their towers can in theory broadcast to antennas as much as 20 miles away. The issue is rarely whether one is close enough to one of their broadcasters, but whether one can get a line of sight to it. Terrain is the key factor, along with trees. (I may have to do some pruning once the leaves come on.)

It’s only been an hour since I got this, but so far I’m delighted. I will save a ton of money, and not be limited in my usage. It’s possible I’ll discover some major downside to the service, but from what I’ve researched about it, the ease of setup, and the speeds I’m getting out of the box, I’m thrilled thus far.

 

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A couple of tech notes for those who care:

1. With NYAir you can also, for an extra $10 per month, get a Static IP address.


2. Their current system operates over 900 Mhz. If they eventually upgrade to WiMax, speeds and coverage should increase. They already offer VOIP, but that is probably not a reliable option until/unless they upgrade to WiMax, from what I’ve gathered.


3. In theory, service from a WISP should be less susceptible to weather than satellite internet, but fog and rain can have some impact on speeds. I don’t expect, however, to ever completely lose connection with their tower as one sometimes does with satellite.   


4. NYAir has a simple service area map on their site, which shows locations where they have customers already. But it will definitely require a (free) visit to find out for sure whether you can connect with them.


5. NYAir is a subsidiary or affiliate of Surferz.net, which for many years provided dial-up to local residents. From what I can tell, they are “backhauling” their signal from MHcable’s internet backbone, i.e. paying MHcable for bandwidth which NYAir then broadcasts to their own customers, much as WildBlue buys time on satellites from Hughes.

In your Facebook

Quintin Cross, the former alderman named week in a Hudson Police Department wanted persons bulletin [PDF here] in connection with an apparent break-in at City Hall, appears to have reactivated his Facebook account—and he (or someone with his login info) is posting again.

Here’s the link to his wall, now featuring a quote from Great Barrington native son W.E.B. Dubois, on the topics of racisim, crime and justice.

Roger that

Stuyvesant sculptor Roger Phillips has this large new piece (and several more) in Outside Inside, a group show running through April 29th at Thompson Giroux Gallery in Chatham.

The show at 57 Main Street also includes paintings by Catskill's Sasha Chermayeff and Gabrielle Senza, whose Housatonic gallery from the 1980s remains fresh in memory.

I.R.S. has yet to approve Galvan

The Internal Revenue Service has “no record of tax-exempt recognition by virtue of an approved application” for the Galvan Initiatives Foundation, according to an I.R.S. rep with whom I spoke directly this afternoon.

A search of the I.R.S. website similarly turns up no indication of any such approval for Galvan, which applied for Federal tax-exempt status in late December of last year.

Generally, New York State groups seeking charitable status go through a two-stage process. The first is incorporation at the State level, which typically is pro forma and automatic if you file all the necessary paperwork and fees. The second is getting approval from the I.R.S.—which can be arduous and lengthy, often taking at least 6-9 months, even if one pays for an expedited review.

Groups which have applied for 501(c)3 status but have not been approved can, in many instances, begin operating right away as a nonprofit while waiting for word from the I.R.S. But they do so at their own peril; contributions and exemptions taken would be jeopardized if the Federal approval is later denied. Many funders will not approve grants to groups who are in this waiting period.

What is not clear is whether grant applications to State or Federal agencies, such as the one to be considered tonight on Galvan and Lantern's behalf by the Hudson Common Council, can even be considered if a group has not yet received its Federal approval.

According to copies of documents available from the State, Galvan Initiatives Foundation has an Employer Identification Number of 45-4110216. Again, the I.R.S. says it has no record of Federal approval of a group with that EIN.

As a final note, citizens who have information pertaining to any pending application (or existing charity) have the opportunity to bring information to the I.R.S.'s attention. The agency has an Exempt Organization Exam Unit to handle concerns and complaints about charities. Their contact information is as follows: 

Fax: (214) 413-5415 

Email: [email protected]

Address:

I.R.S. E.O. Classification
MC 4910 DAL
1100 Commerce Street
Dallas TX 75242 

Information can be supplied in letter for, or one can use Form #13909, downloadable via IRS.gov as a PDF via this link.Information about filing complaints is here.

Coming up Aces?

Image source: Architizer.com

Nearly five years ago, I sent out an email to friends who were lamented the lack of a proper hotel (as opposed to the many excellent local B&Bs) in Hudson:

> From: Sam Pratt <[email protected]>
> Date: October 1, 2008 6:20:33 PM EDT
> 
>
> This hotel chain in Seattle/Portland is
> the kind of thing I could see [here
> in Hudson] -- clean, stylish, not too
> expensive. Their website indicates that
> they are looking to expand their brand
> to other parts of the country... wish
> we had development agencies picking up
> the phone to call them:
>
> http://www.acehotel.com/seattle
>
> (I notice that since my last visit to
> their site, they've planning new branches
> in NYC and Palm Springs.)
>
> I know that there are other hotel proj-
> ects in the works around town, but I'll
> believe 'em when I see 'em.
>
> --S.
>

It was actually the second time I’d made that suggestion. Now via Scott Baldinger’s Word on the Street blog comes a strong rumor that the Pocketbook Factory—stabilized but then mothballed a dozen years ago by Eleanor Ambos—may be acquired by... none other than the folks from Ace Hotel. (Own back, accept pat.)

Naturally at this point it’s just a rumor. But that would be stupendous news not just for Hudson's visitors, and all the people who would help build and work in the place, but also for other businesses which would thrive off the foot traffic and spin-off spending it would bring... For the moment, keep that ace up your sleeve, because as noted above: In Hudson, monster hotel rumors do have a tendency to get cracked.

For a better sense of the growing Ace empire's style, hitch seems a perfect fit for Hudson, click this link to a Google Images search.

 

Divisive math

In a letter this morning to The Register-Star brimming with resentment, Marcel Boisvert blames the lack of motocross racing in the Town of Ghent on “an influx of folks from 212 area code” who came to the area “15, maybe 20 years ago.”

There’s an obvious factual problem with Boisvert’s argument, beyond its inflammatory and divisive tone: The local zoning code which prevents motocross tracks and events in Ghent was enacted some 40 years ago, in the early 1970s.

So by the author’s own claim, the newer Ghent taxpayers—derisively described by Boisvert as “guests”—arrived 20, maybe 25 years too late to play any role in passing the laws to which he objects.

In short, that zoning code was enacted four decades ago by longtime residents, not newcomers (if one must discuss issues in these simplistic demographic terms). Still, Boisvert claims that “motocross has long been something the hardworking people of this town have enjoyed for decades,” ignoring that it has been illegal in Ghent for his whole lifetime.

Moreover, a majority of the current Town board (none of whom, to my knowledge, are newcomers possessed of the “ugly” sense of “entitlement” alleged in the letter) recently reaffirmed that they aren’t going to change the code.

Not that anyone’s length of residency should matter. The law is the law, to be fairly and evenly applied to all. Every Ghent resident has the same rights and obligations under it. The amount of taxes you owe (or the number of votes you cast) is the same whether your family has lived in a place for 2 or 200 years. (This same point was raised by commenters on newly-minted Town Board member Richard Sardo’s Facebook page, though he appears to have deleted much of that dialogue. Sardo was in the minority not agreeing to drop efforts to change the 40-year-old code to suit a single property owner.)

UPDATE #1: Mr. Boisvert does not appear in the voter rolls anywhere in Columbia County, at least as of last month—despite his strongly-worded opinions on citizenship and community. (His letter to the local papers ends with a call for people to “get involved with town meetings and business... before it’s too late.” Registering to vote would be a start.)

UPDATE #2: The Town of Ghent completed its extensive Comprehensive Plan revisions in 2009. Motocross and other motorized racing were not part of it. The committee in charge consisted of Jim Galvin, Jim Beal (chair), Janice Fingar, John Fishman, J. Aaron Groom. Frank Mendelson. Peter Nelson, Sr., Gilbert Raab, Nicolas Tipple, Phil Trowbridge, Lawrence VanBrunt, Jonathan Walters, Kyle Wilber and property rights activist Albert Wassenhove. This was not a group that can be accused collectively of being dominated by “citiots” or “newcomers.”

 

Blotter papers

In the past week, much public curiosity and press attention has focused on a search for former Alderman Quintin Cross “in connection with” a break-in at City Hall. But what of the other 20something man sought by the Hudson Police Department, Jamont M. McClendon?

McClendon’s name, it turns out, has appeared regularly in the police blotters published over the past two years by the Hudson Valley Newspaper chain. A search of online archives indicates that he was arrested at least nine times during that period, for a variety of (mostly) minor offenses.

Below is a summary of this string of arrests and charges lodged against McClendon, whose place of residence alternates shifts during this brief period between Hudson, Catskill, Stuyvesant and Kinderhook:

• McClendon (then “of Hudson”) was arrested in August 2010 by Officers Pierro and Newkirk upon a bench warrant issued the previous month, when McClendon was alleged to have fled from officers. On the 11th, he allegedly fled again “near Fifth and State streets after being told he was under arrest.” Pursued on foot, he “allegedly jumped fences and ran through yards in the 400 block of Long Alley. Patrols responded and were able to flush him out.” He then was charged with both failing to appear and two counts of resisting arrest.

• State Police arrested McClendon (for the moment still “of Hudson”) on Nov. 21st for “false personation” after “allegedly giving police a fake name while being interviewed for a a criminal mischief complaint on Healy Boulevard in the town of Greenport.”

• In the New Year, McClendon (now said to be “of Catskill”) was arrested again, this time on January 5th by HPD Officer Keyser on a charge of “third-degree criminal trespass for allegedly going onto High Rise property when there was a Hudson Housing Authority notice of trespass” dating back to December 2010.

• State police charged McClendon (still “of Catskill”) on February 17th with another count of resisting arrest plus one of “criminal mischief: intent to damage property.” Arraigned in Catskill Town Court, he was “remanded to Greene County Jail in lieu of $1,500 bail.”

• On March 25th, McClendon (“of Catskill”) was arrested yet again, this time by HPD Officer Rowe on a charge of “petit larceny for allegedly stealing $150” from an unidentified person.

• Just six days later, on March 31st, McClendon (now said to be living in Stuyvesant) was arrested by County Sheriff Hofstetter and turned over to the State Police on a warrant “charging him with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle from the Stuyvesant Town Court as he was being released from the County Jail on unrelated charges.”

• McClendon does not appear again in the blotter until the Fall (now identified as living on “Sunnyside Road in Kinderhook”). On October 7th, he was issued an appearance ticket in Hudson by Officer Hodges “for disorderly conduct of fighting with violent behavior… at the intersection of Second and State streets.”

• 10 days later, McClendon (evidently back living in Hudson) was arrested on October 17th by Officer Sweet. He was issued a new appearance ticket on charges of “disorderly conduct of unreasonable noise, disorderly conduct of refusing to move on, and open container.”

• The following month, McClendon (again identified as resident of State Street in Hudson) on the 13th by the HPD's Officer Nero on a charge of “resisting arrest, disorderly conduct of fighting with violent behavior and two active warrants for disorderly conduct on Oct. 21 and resisting arrest on Oct. 25.” The HPD indicated that they were called to Wunderbar on a tip that McClendon was there, “at which time he actively resisted patrol. He was arraigned by Judge Portin and remanded to county jail in lieu of $5,000 cash bail or $5,000 bail bond.”

Note that the police blotters published online in the Catskill Daily Mail, unlike those of its sister publication The Register-Star, carefully and appropriately state that “a charge is not a conviction,” that “all persons listed are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law,” and that charges lodged “can be amended or dismissed.”

Another City Hall event

 

Quintin Cross, Claudia Bruce, Linda Mussmann, et al. blew kazoos recently on the steps of Hudson City Hall, in celebration of International Women’s Day—officially March 8th, 2012. Source: Facebook photoset

Alderman Haddad, v2.0

I’m told by attendees that Nick Haddad, whose wife Carrie previously served in the same role, was appointed to fill Larissa Parks' 1st Ward Alderman seat tonight by the Common Council, without opposition.

Cross examination

UPDATE: Quintin Cross’s Facebook page, referenced in the post below earlier today, disappeared this afternoon.

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Some further notes on yesterday’s astonishing news:

(1) A bulletin issued yesterday by the Hudson Police Department stated that former Alderman Quintin Cross and a friend, Jamont McClendon, are “wanted persons” sought “by the City of Hudson Police for Burglary in the 3rd degree in connection with the March 19th Burglary at City Hall, 520 Warren Street.”

According to New York State Penal Law, third degree burglary is a “D” felony offense which may carry up to a seven year sentence. A legal explanation of the offense can be found here.

(2) Alexandra Field of CBS6 in Albany interviewed HPD Chief Ellis Richardson in his office on Tuesday. Of particular interest is the news (also reported by the Register-Star) that the Hudson Police had interviewed Cross before his disappearance.

Richardson: “These two individuals are... you know, the ones we want to talk to.”

Field: “Police spoke to Cross after the City Hall burglary, but they don't know where he is anymore.”

Richardson: “Early indications are... uh, in the interview process... was that, uh, he was not responsible for this. Um... Of which, you know, we, um... let him go.”

Field: “And now you can't find him.”

Richardson: “We’re looking for him, yes.”

This raises the obvious (if uncomfortable) question of why Cross was “let go” initially, only to have police issue a bulletin shortly thereafter seeking him and McClendon.

Various reports have indicated that Cross may have been spotted on surveillance video cameras (which, ironically enough, were installed in City Hall in the wake of the credit card scam which ultimately led to his imprisonment several years ago). Inquiring minds then can’t help but ask: Had this videotape been reviewed when the police interviewed Cross? If so, why was he let go? And if not, what other evidence prompted them to interview him at all?

WTEN ran its own piece on the story which includes this statement from the HPD chief:

Richardson: “These two particular individuals, uh, if they aren’t directly involved, certainly could provide some information leading to those persons that are.”

(3) A source who has been reliable in the past tells this site that some computer equipment may have been found on the rear roof of City Hall after the break-in, but it should be emphasized that this cannot be confirmed. If true, that could indicate that someone had hoped to steal the equipment, but decided it was either too difficult or too risky to carry it off.

(4) There are also several indications that the Columbia County District Attorney’s office may have already prepared or even filed an indictment of Cross, but again at this point that is likewise unconfirmed.

(5) Cross (or someone using his account) continues to be active on Facebook while being sought by the police. As noted previously, a birthday message was sent to the proprietor of a local business Tuesday around 1 pm. Today, Cross’s timeline also showed he’d added two new friends—though those could be responses to old requests—and also was listening to music on the online site Spotify:

 

On Facebook, Cross lists Albany, not Hudson, as his place of residence.

(6) The photo of Cross issued by the HPD does not appear to be terribly current, as its subject looks considerably more haggard than in recent months.

Bear in mind that this is a developing story, with many rumors flying around, and many sources eager to provide details but few willing to go on record. And of course, in our country everyone is innocent unless proven guilty.

Germinating

Some tidbits gleaned during a recent visit to Germantown:

• Otto’s Market is hiring for two positions beginning in April;


• Stewart’s also has a position open;


• Coming soon across the street from Otto’s: Germantown Variety, which sounds like it’ll be a Columbia County version of A.L. Stickle’s in Rhinebeck. The store is aiming to “be a revival of the variety store of mid-century America” where “you'll be able to get just about everything you need without stepping a foot into a big box store”—from housewares and hardware to cards and candy.