SamPratt.com

Record sale at Hudson auction

Photo by Walter Hill for Stair Galleries

Hudson art dealer and musician Peter Jung reports that the Fabergé figurine of a Russian bodyguard commissioned by Tsar Nicholas II brought an auction price of $5.2 million this afternoon at Stair Galleries. Found in a Rhinebeck attic, the piece was described earlier this month in a New York Times article. Even without doing a thorough search, it seems safe to say that represents the largest price paid for anything in the City of Hudson ever, including real estate.

David Hockney slept here

Painted fireplace in abandoned apartment, Hudson (NY).

Caveat emptor

Two longtime residents say they believe it likely that buried gas or oil tanks may be found on the triangular piece of property at the gateway of Hudson and Greenport, whose sale was reported here yesterday. The property sold sold for $5,000 last week as part of Columbia County’s foreclosure auction.

Hudson gateway property sells at auction

An unknown buyer has purchased the triangle of land and abandoned building in Greenport which serves as the unofficial entrance to Hudson, at the dangerous intersection of Route 23B and Columbia Turnpike.

The price, according to Lisa Brightly of the County Attorney’s office, was the minimum bid set for last week’s auction of foreclosed properties: $5,000.

The goofy rendering above (created by Morris Associates) was circulated in April 2011 by a group of Hudson and Greenport politicos and developers, who proposed demolishing the dilapated building creating an “entry park.”

One Greenport insider speculated that the likely buyer might be accountant and County GOP ringleader Richard Koskey, who was listed as one of the proponents of the plan in this Register-Star article from the time. The other proponents were then-Mayor Richard Scalera, then-Mayor’s assistant Carmine Pierro and County engineer David Robinson,  gravel king Paul Colarusso, then-Greenport Supervisor Ed Nabozny, along with Guy Apicella, Mary Mazzacano, Daniel Kennealley, and Cathy Bucholsky of the Greenport Garden Club.

New Hudson Building Inspector

According to the outgoing Hudson building inspector Peter Wurster, his replacement is Fire Chief Craig Haigh. Haigh, who is also a real estate agent, supposedly has been sworn in already.

Wurster claimed that his retirement was speeded by a sense that he was “tired of being bullied.”

Sard’oh!

The Facebook postings of Ghent Town Board member (and Thruway toll-taker) Richard Sardo are becoming a campaign issue for some local voters.

Most recently, Sardo compared FOX News anchor Megyn Kelly with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, misogynistically referring to the latter as “Madcow” and likening her to “an ugly man.” A screenshot is above.

A day earlier, Sardo decided it was important to post a Yearbook photo of Jeh Johnson, Obama’s Homeland Security nominee, seeming to to imply that there is something inherently dubious about Johnson having once been a young African-American male. UPDATE: An email from Sardo’s son, Alexander, offers the contrary explanation that Johnson attended the same high school as his father, claiming that his father was “proudly” posting about the appointment of a “fellow alumni”:

Sardo, a Tea Partier who has also stated that “man-made global warming/climate change is a fraud,” is campaigning against Mike Benvenuto for Larry Andrews’ former Town Supervisor seat. Benvenuto has both the Republican and Democratic nominations, while Sardo is running on the Conservative and Independence Party lines.

Valley Alliance vindicated

The Valley Alliance argument that the City, not Holcim, owns 4.4 acres smack in the middle of the Hudson Waterfront, has been vindicated. A new title search grudgingly undertaken by the City has validated the Alliance’s arguments, brought forth last June with the assistance of a professional surveyor and attorney Ken Dow.

As Carole Osterink wrote today,

Of the 9.97 acres that Holcim was offering to the City, with conditions that would be in place for fifty years, 4.4 acres had been illegally sold by the City to Holcim (then St. Lawrence Cement) in 1981. Since the sale was illegal, the 4.4 acres still belong to the City of Hudson. 

Those attending the meeting report that not a single Alderman had anything to say about this news of the City now having 4.4 more prime Waterfront acres to work with. What will the City do with it? When will the people get access to these lands—on Holcim has been squatting illegally for over 30 years?

Columbia County’s long-term airport plan exposed by sewer grant application

With no apparent public disclosure or debate, a $2.5 million grant proposal to help convert the Columbia County Airport into “the Upper Hudson Valley Regional Airport” was made to New York State in July 2012, this site has learned.

The application for Empire State Development funding, signed under penalty of perjury by County Commissioner of Planning & Economic Development Kenneth J. Flood, suggests that the taxpayer-supported airport in Ghent could expand to soak up “more intense” traffic from other “congested” airports in the area.

County officials have been denying any intent to expand, in the face of speculation prompted by recent moves to use eminent domain to acquire more land adjoining the airport, supposedly only to satisfy safety concerns.

But their own 2012 application discloses very different long-term airport goals. Flood writes to the State:

[T]he required infrastructure needs to be extended and capacity increased for more intense airport operations and development of nearly 70 county owned acres of land for aviation and non-aviation companies.

Flood then parenthetically drops a bombshell: The reënvisioning of the County Airport as the “Upper Hudson Valley Regional Airport,” which would attract “substantial” added air traffic now handled by other area facilities:

The future development at the Columbia County Airport (proposed AKA Upper Hudson Valley Regional Airport) that will occur as a result of the improved infrastructure will allow this facilty to absorb a substantial amount of corporate and smaller freight aircraft operations that are causing congestion at other airports in the region.

The funding, Flood continues, would “substantially increase the total land area within the airport perimeter that would be shovel ready for aviation related businesses,” and

would allow for the development of approximately 70 acres of county owned land within the airport perimeter with a prioritization for the attraction of corporate aviation businesses... in order to service Richmor’s Corporate HQ, expand airport operations (construction of new hangars, new terminal, pilot lounge), develop 70 acres of county owned land for high tech aviation businesses and develop the area as a cornerstone of the southern Capital Region...

At the time the grant proposal was submitted, it was described publicly as an attempt to upgrade failing water and sewer services shared by the Commerce Park and Airport. The minutes of the County Economic Development Committee similarly described the application as just a “Water and Sewer Extension to County Airport.”

Likewise, the very end of a July 2012 article in the Register-Star said blandly that “Flood has applied for $2.5 million in funding to upgrade the sewage treatment plan[t] and connect it to the county airport as part of a $3.5 million project.”

In a strained attempt to tie this new “Regional Airport” into existing billion-dollar State investments in nanotech in Malta and the general Albany area, Flood argues:

The County as a whole, but more specifically this Commerce Center location is in a unique position to attract and capture key suppliers that would support the growing nanoscience center located less than 30 miles away in the Capital District.

That such business travelers would land an extra 30 miles south to Columbia County, rather than using the much closer, more convenient and advanced Albany, Schenectady or Saratoga Springs airports, seems specious. Those airports don’t appear to be maxed out as far as their capacity to serve demand.) The notion seems as farfetched as the County’s hopes of someday attracting a major package distribution hub for a company like DHL—an idea reported by Meadowgreens owner Carmen Nero during his speech at the Supervisors’ recent non-information session.

Flood soldiers on, promising the State “the construction of at least one 8-Bay T-Hangar and one corporate hangar in the immediate five year period,” plus “the identification of non-aviation development areas that can be used by the County to generate revenues for the Airport.”

Touting “the success” of the Commerce Park—the source of intense controversy over the seizing of farmland at its inception, and which few local residents seem to view as successful—Flood again attempts to make the case that this

the 70+ acres of land within the perimeter of the adjacent County Airport offered a unique opportunity to attract aviation related businesses that were not able to access the larger airports within the region.

Flood briefly alludes to an unnamed neighboring property owner who could benefit from the funding:

[T]he service area will be expanded to include additional adjacent county and privately owned lands that are presently zoned commercial/industrial. In fact one nearby property owner needs to connect to the existing facilities in order to progress a planned commercial/light industrial development project.

(Who that neighbor might be is unspecified. Again in the Reg-Star in 2012, Flood alluded to the possible siting of a slaughterhouse at the Commerce Park, though this hasn’t come to pass. Another theory floated by a Ghent resident is that Ginsberg’s Foods has been contemplating the construction of a vast new facility on the north side of Route 66 near Whittier, adjoining the Commerce Park and airport. Another source described the project as “the size of Shea Stadium.” Yet another source indicates that David Ginsberg headed up the search committee which originally hired Flood as economic development czar.)

In response to an application question about whether “the proposed project [will] involve participation in community based planning and collaboration?,” Flood responded:

The project involves participation from public and private entities, some of whom work directly with traditionally underserved populations.

No comment.

[NOTE: A copy of the NYS Consolidated Funding Application #17918, orginally obtained by Ghent resident Patti Matheney, can be downloaded here as a PDF.]

Sgt. Flood: “I know nothing”

At last night’s anti-informational meeting in Hudson, County development czar Ken Flood did his very best Sgt. Schultz impression. Over and over, when asked substantive (and at times pointed) questions, Flood’s answer was “I don’t know.” Even though the County has supposedly been studying the topic at hand—the County airport—for over a decade.

Though billed as informational, Flood seemed to arrive totally unprepared. He delivered no presentation about the County’s push to spend over $600,000 (plus legal fees) to seize developer Carmen Nero’s Meadowgreens propety. Nor did he bother to make more than the most cursory introductory remarks, nor bother to call on Lt. Tom Lanphear, who was on hand to address the claimed safety issues behind that push.

Instead, the man often referred to as the County’s highest-paid employee turned the meeting over immediately to questions.

That move might have been viewed as an admirable step toward engaging the public, except for what came before and after, which made it just look like a lazy lack of preparation.

For nine months previous, Flood and his County cohorts such as Treasurer P.J. Keeler and attorney Brent Stack have been ignoring, deflecting and/or stonewalling Freedom of Information Law requests filed by Ghent residents about the airport. Detailed lists of official questions, such as those from Ancram Supervisor Art Bassin, have been similarly brushed aside. 

Now, at last, Flood was opening the floor to the audience. But few answers were forthcoming. Roughly a dozen times, the large crowd in attendance heard him say, unconcernedly, “I don’t know.” Alternatively, Flood waved around one of two reports (one of them a whole decade old) full of consultantese, puffed-up numbers readily deflated by better-informed members of the audience.

(For example, the 2003 report hailed by Flood projected that the airport as of today would be serving over 40,000 takeoffs and landings annually. That would imply that something like an average of 110 takeoffs or landings occur every day of the 365-day year, which any neighbor or even casual visitor to the 9H corridor knows simply isn't happening.)

Flood’s one attempt to convince the audience of the importance of this costly eminent domain idea? To scare people that executives from companies like Flanders or Whittier nursing home would no longer be able to fly in to the County if the runway were shortened to satisfy FAA safety demands.

But Flood could not point to any proof that the FAA actually is making such a demand. Nor did he admit to knowing what type of planes those executives use, or how much runway their planes require.

Airport neighbor Michael Schrom, who has had a dialogue with Richmor Aviation going back to the 1970s, identified specific plane used by one such company, by name and model. He then cited for Flood the exact minimum number of feet such a plane needs—more than enough even if the runway were shortened.

The citation of detailed counter-evidence that blew his case out of the water did not seem to make any difference to Flood—nor to a majority of the Supervisors, who voted down Bassin’s motion to table any eminent domain proceedings until the County had better information.

Ghent resident Mark Johnson made the case against eminent domain from the other side of the political spectrum, arguing its use against a businessman like Carmen Nero was anti-American and dangerous to development.

The meeting was capped by a pleading of his case from an animated Nero, who speech (which involved a perambulation of the Board’s chambers) sadly was not captured on videotape. Suffice to say that one need not own a TV, if one has the schedule of local government meetings. Now that’s entertainment.

As Bassin wrote in an open letter circulated the morning after:

Unfortunately, the nine Supervisors who voted to continue with eminent domain have agreed to support that decision based on incomplete and possibly inaccurate information.  This is not really about the Airport safety zone or eminent domain any more, but about the integrity and credibility of the County's decision making process, and the Supervisors and managers who guide that process.

Does the County offer any other high-paid jobs which require no preparation, no need to have answers, and no need to consider inconvenient facts? Seems like very nice work, if you have the political connections to get it.

(Note: If anyone from Richmor Aviation was present, they did not identify themselves, and did not speak up about whether or why they need this costly expansion.)

Bassin previews airport resolution

Below is the draft resolution which Ancram Superviosr Art Basin intends to present to the County Board tomorrow (Wednessday) night at 401 State Street, following an informational meeting hurriedly arranged by Chairman Pat Grattan. An article in today’s Register-Star announcing the meeting neglected to give the time that it starts; the clerk of the Board tells me it is scheduled for 5 pm, but is not sure if it will be on the 3rd Floor or in the ground floor chambers.

Resolution to Temporarily Table Actions to Expand the Airport Safety Zone Until Certain Additional Information Is made Available to the Public and to Members of the Board of Supervisors 

1. Whereas, the Columbia County Board of Supervisors has, by resolution,  previously endorsed the 2003 Airport Master Plan, The 2011 Airport Business Plan, and approved purchasing from Carmen Nero and his partners, certain land to expand the Columbia County airport safety zone, and
2. Whereas, Mr. Nero has declined the County’s offer to purchase such land, and
3. Whereas, the County has authorized seeking proposals for attorney’s to represent the County in a possible eminent domain process, and
4. Whereas, it is not clear that the County is required by the FAA to either expand the airport safety zone or shorten the runway if we decide not to expand the airport safety zone, and
5. Whereas it is not clear that, if the County is required to shorten the runway, the resulting consequences on the County or Richmor would be material, and 
6. Whereas, it is not clear that the $8 million to $13 million of Airport investments proposed in the 2011 County Airport Business Plan are necessary, desirable  prudent or economically justifiable, and
7. Whereas, the future economic development benefits of expanding the airport safety zone or making between $8 million and $13 million in investments at the Airport have not been defined, and  
8. Whereas, the County has received a series of FOIL requests and questions from residents and Supervisors regarding the Airport Business Plan in general and the need to expand the Airport safety zone in particular, which have not yet been responded to, 

THEREFORE, IT IS RESOLVED THAT: 

1. All resolutions previously approved by the Columbia County Board of Supervisors authorizing the negotiated purchase of land from Carmen Nero and partners, or the use of eminent domain to take land from Mr. Nero to expand the Airport safety zone are hereby rescinded, and all previous authorizations to purchase or take of land from Mr. Nero are withdrawn, and
2. All efforts to initiate an eminent domain process, including the hiring of attorney’s to advise on or participate in an eminent domain process shall immediately cease, and
3. The County Attorney and the Commissioner of Economic Development, working with and seeking information from other County Managers, Richmor, the authors of the 2003 Airport Master Plan and the 2011 Airport Business Plan,  and the FAA, will respond to all outstanding FOIL requests and questions from Supervisors and others in writing, and
4. The County Board of Supervisors will be presented with formal, written responses to the questions recently raised about expanding the Airport safety zone, and
5. The County FOIL officer will notify the Board of Supervisors when all FOIL requests have been responded to, and will make available to members of the Board of Supervisors all FOIL requests related to the Airport and the County’s responses to them, and

 IT IS FURTHER RESOLVED THAT THE 

1. The County BOS will review and decide on the matter of expanding the airport safety zone either by negotiated purchase or eminent domain based on more complete information based on the responses to the Airport FOIL requests that are outstanding, and based on answers to the questions raised by Supervisors and others.

County airport secrecy forces lawsuit

Ken Dow, the attorney for Ghent residents Michael Schrom and Kevin Delahanty, provided details this afternoon of a lawsuit filed against Columbia County for failing to respond to requests for public records about the airport. Dow’s press release appears below; the full petition and affidavits can be downloaded here and here.

Ghent, October 7, 2013

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

GHENT RESIDENTS FILE ARTICLE 78 FOIL LAWSUIT AGAINST COLUMBIA COUNTY

Two Ghent residents commenced on Friday an Article 78 lawsuit against Columbia County, in connection with the County’s failure to disclose public records related to the County Airport and proposed plans to acquire, by purchase or eminent domain, lands abutting the Airport.

Michael Schrom and Kevin Delahanty, both of Ghent, filed a Freedom of Information (FOIL) request on August 21. Now, well into October, the County has not produced a single record or document in response. Their attorney, Ken Dow, said “the public has a clear legal right to know the information in the requested documents. This FOIL request was filed forty-seven days ago, and the County has produced no documents in response.”

Dow continued, saying “The failure to produce records for this FOIL request is just the tip of the iceberg. The County has been receiving other FOIL requests for very similar Airport- related information since at least February. The County has been under a state-mandated legal obligation to identify and produce Airport records since that time, and has disclosed almost nothing. For well over half a year, the County has blatantly and brazenly ignored clear state law in keeping this important information out of the hands of the public.”

Recently, elected officials have publicly complained that the people controlling these important records won’t even provide them to elected County supervisors. Many of the records sought in this Article 78 lawsuit are publicly referred to by County Commissioner of Economic Development Ken Flood and other officers or employees. Dow points out that “the County acknowledges that eminent domain proceedings are in the works. Yet when citizens ask, the County cannot seem to find any records that document any basis for taking such an action. We believe that can only be the result of willful evasion or stonewalling.”

The highest Court in New York, the Court of Appeals, says the FOIL law exists “to promote the people's right to know the process of governmental decision-making and to review the documents and statistics leading to determinations.” The County’s unlawful conduct has stood in direct opposition to this fundamental right of its residents.

Dow said “it is regrettable when citizens must commence proceedings in the Courts to extract lawful conduct from their governmental officials, but the long and troubling history of the County’s failure to produce and provide information has brought this on.”

Contact: Ken Dow
Attorney for Michael Schrom and Kevin Delahanty, Petitioners
[email protected]

Hudson gets Byrned

David Byrne writes in today’s Guardian about his growing disaffection with New York City and its income inequality:

If young, emerging talent of all types can't find a foothold in this city, then it will be a city closer to Hong Kong or Abu Dhabi than to the rich fertile place it has historically been. Those places might have museums, but they don't have culture. Ugh. If New York goes there – more than it already has – I'm leaving. But where will I go? Join the expat hipsters upstate in Hudson?

That would represent the first time ever that Byrne has been behind the cultural curve: His former bandmates in the Tom Tom Club played a benefit at the Basilica Industria in Hudson to assist the cement plant fight—way back in 2004.

[h/t: Chris Bishop]

[n.b: Hudson is also featured, somewhat more flatteringly, in the November issue of Architectural Digest. The feature is not yet online.]