STIMULUS PACKAGE: HUDSON'S ANSWERS FROM ALBANY

Mike McCagg ccSCOOP News Waste water treatment plant? Perhaps, yes. New police and court facilities? No. Bridge, water main, and parking garage? Maybe. That’s the report from a Friday meeting between Hudson Mayor Rick Scalera and state officials charged with distributing New York’s portion of the federal stimulus package.   Just three days after President Barack Obama signed into law the $787 billion stimulus legislation, Scalera met with state officials charged with distributing New York’s multi-billion dollar share of the funds.

“It was a fast and furious meeting,” the mayor said, noting that officials with the State Economic Recovery Office had lined up numerous meetings for the same day.

The mayor proposed five projects for the City, totaling more than $16 million: $9 million project to replace the City's forty-year-old waste water treatment plant; $3.2 to $3.6 million to build a new police and court facility; $3.5 to $3.8 million for a parking garage; an unknown amount to replace the Ferry Street bridge; and $375,000 to replace a water main on Green Street.

Scalera reported that officials flat out refused to consider a new building for the police and city court, explaining that the stimulus package will not provide funding for new municipal buildings.

“To me, it doesn’t make a bit of sense. A $3 to $4 million construction project would create jobs,” said the mayor.

On the positive side, Scalera reported the replacement project for the waste water treatment plant is not only fundable but may be eligible for more than the standard 50 percent in aid granted to projects of this nature.

“The minimum amount of grants for these types of projects is 50 percent ... and he said we might be eligible for even more than 50 percent,” Scalera reported.

The Hudson's current facility does not adequately process the City's waste and storm water, particularly during a major rain event. As a consequence, the City is under an order of consent from the Department of Environmental Conservation to upgrade the system.

“The good news is I talked directly with the gentleman with the State Environmental Facilities Corps, and [the new facility] will be designed within the next 60 to 120 days, and we will be ready to go,” the mayor reported.

The fate of the other projects on the mayor's wish list is not as clear.

The parking garage may be eligible for federal stimulus funding if the city can make a sound case for the job creation that would result, Scalera said. The mayor is proposing a three-story, 200-car parking garage as part of “Plan B,” which he is promoting as an alternative to the Columbia County plan to create a county campus at the former Ockawamick School in the Town of Claverack. The facility, which Scalera envisions at the intersection of Columbia and Fourth streets, would serve two purposes. On weekdays, it would provide parking for county employees; nights and weekends, it would be used by visitors who come to enjoy Hudson’s many restaurants, galleries, and entertainment venues. Scalera is hoping the parking garage plan will entice the county to keep the Department of Social Services and other county service agencies in Hudson.

A better opportunity for federal stimulus funding, Scalera said, is the bridge replacement project on Ferry Street.

The 104-year-old bridge, which crosses the railroad tracks and provides access to the waterfront, is deteriorated and, many contend, needs to be replaced. “We know the bridge is 104 years old and has been limited in its weight-bearing tonnage [reduced from fifteen tons to a maximum of five tons], and we can make a real argument that it’s our bridge to economic development on the waterfront,” he said.

Scalera said it was unclear whether funding would be available to replace the water main on Green Street, which has ruptured six times recently within a 200-foot span and is in dire need of replacement.

The mayor said the process from this point forward is still unclear. He was told the eligible projects are being submitted to the State Economic Recovery Office for review and then will be distributed to the appropriate state agencies for further review. The City will be notified if more information is needed or if a project is approved.

Scalera said he was disappointed that the process may not take into account projects that are a priority for a municipality—such as the police station and court facility. “A lot of communities have jobs shovel-ready projects, but they are not priorities for the community,” he said. “I would think funding for projects that create jobs and address a priority would be a priority of the stimulus plan.”