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HHA discusses keeping up the old building while planning for new ones

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By JEANETTE WOLFBERG

HUDSON–At the Hudson Housing Authority (HHA) Board of Commissioners meeting February 12, residents of HHA buildings called for improving and maintaining their current apartments, and HHA’s redevelopment partner announced moving forward with plans to erect new buildings, while keeping HHA’s current buildings standing until the new ones are ready for habitation.

The HHA runs the 135-unit income-restricted Bliss Tower and Columbia Apartments. Last spring the board selected Mountco Construction & Development Corporation of Scarsdale as its partner in the redevelopment, and last fall the HHA and Mountco settled on a project that would eventually replace the existing buildings with new ones for more households.

But “this is where we live now,” said a resident. “People are rah-rahing the [planned] new buildings, but we should be rah-rahing this building! What do you do for us now?”

HHA Executive Director Jeffrey Dodson said he was trying to get more money to fix things in existing buildings and has been talking with HUD (the US Department of Housing and Urban Development). “We want to do as much as we can for the residents without wasting money,” he said. But, he continued, “there are several stakeholders.” And it does not help that some residents “are not paying rent.”

Residents expressed concern about asbestos, stairway smoking, and insects. The board approved a new contract with exterminators.

One resident said that the apartment next to hers is unrentable because of asbestos and wondered whether it endangers her apartment. Mr. Dodson assured her that the asbestos will stay behind the infected apartment’s closed door. As long as there are no holes in her apartment, she need not worry. If she wonders whether an accidental nick in the wall could release asbestos, she should get the HHA office to send someone to look at it.

Commissioner Mary Decker, one of the two HHA tenants on the currently six member board, reported that “kids” still smoke in a Bliss stairwell. They “were approached many times and keep doing it.” Previous Tenant Commissioners have also reported this problem over the past years. This time Ms. Decker wondered whether stairway smoking was the cause of some false fire alarms. And another tenant reported that people take her welcome mat from in front of her apartment door and use it to prop open stairway doors so they will not lock.

Mr. Dodson asked them to report the time of day they notice stairway smoking, to see if it happens when the security guard was not on duty.

The board approved a contract with Pest Master Services for two years at up to $30,000 a year. “We weren’t getting results” with the previous exterminator company, so in December the HHA called for bids from new companies, three responded, and the HHA picked Pest Master, Mr. Dodson reported.

Commissioner Rebecca Wolff suggested pellets that had cleared up insects in two weeks for her, but a HHA resident pointed out that children and pets could get into them. Someone asked whether they were planning to “bomb” the apartments. Mr. Dodson said that some residents block their doors to keep out exterminators.

He also blamed the spread of some insects on people from infected apartments who go into other apartments and the community room. However, these people can schedule a time to wash all their clothes for free in the laundry room, when it will be locked to everybody else.

Mr. Dodson noted that exterminators hold meetings with tenants. A tenant suggested printing out a transcript of such meetings for people who could not come. Mr. Dodson said that the transcripts are online. Ms. Decker said that not providing printed copies was unfair to people who do not have internet.

Mr. Dodson also observed that meetings between HHA officers and tenants are not well attended, and the same people tend to come each time.

Commissioner Nick Zachos asked if the HHA had an official policy about security cameras and who has access to them. Mr. Dodson said not that he is aware of.

Meanwhile, “I’ve been asked when the developers are coming,” said Ms. Decker.

“We’ve done site, environmental, and suitability studies,” and hope to get plans finalized in 2025, Mountco’s Executive Vice President John Madeo reported by Zoom. However, though the redevelopment project envisions demolishing Bliss Tower and Columbia Apartments, it has now been divided into phases, and Phase 1 touches only land with no current residential buildings.

Hudson’s State Street divides HHA’s current land. Bliss Tower and Columbia Apartments stand south of State Street. North of that street lie a basketball court and other recreational and parking facilities. Phase 1 includes erecting a 138-unit building north of State Street. The building would range from five to seven stories. Phase 1 also includes building townhouses on parcels of land that the City of Hudson has offered to sell to the HHA at half price. These townhouses combined would contain 10 to 12 units.

Recently Mr. Madeo, Mr. Dodson, and Board Chair Revonda Smith met a New York State official and walked him through the current buildings and proposed construction site. The state advised them to send it a Technical Assistance Submission (TAS), and they hoped to do so the following week, Mr. Madeo said. State feedback to the documents like the TAS will suggest whether and how to modify the plan.

When completed, Phase 1 buildings would provide enough space to rehouse all HHA’s current tenants. At that point, the demolition of the Bliss Tower and Columbia Apartments could proceed. In their place, the adopted plan calls for erecting three apartment buildings ranging from four to seven stories. These buildings and the Phase 1 buildings combined would hold about 300 households.

Ms. Decker reminded everybody that over the years, there have been a succession of plans for new residential construction on HHA land, and each plan “shut down.” (For an example, see article February 28, 2019.) “Why will this be different?” she asked.

“I’m not surprised about the other plans that did not make it,” said Mr. Madeo. “Your skepticism is warranted. We’ve had residents of other places say, ‘We’ll believe it when we see it.’”

“This is a great plan, but it will stay a plan until it gets money,” noted Mr. Madeo. Most financing, he expects, will come from the Finance Agency of NY State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (HCR), though HHA and Mountco are also looking at additional sources, including Columbia County. Within the state, the HHA will be competing with developers over state funds. But, Mr. Madeo said, the HCR has a preference for housing authorities, Mountco has a track record of 19 developments, it has gotten funding from all previous applications it has submitted to the state, and if the state had not liked what it has seen so far, it would not have advised HHA and Mountco to move forward with the application. Mountco has leverage, said Mr. Dodson.

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