HUDSON — Starting on March 6, all City Hall services will relocate to Central Fire Station at 77 N.7th Street due to renovations at the entrance to 520 Warren Street City Hall. The relocation process for City Hall offices to the Central Fire Station will take place primarily throughout March 2-3, and during this time City Hall will be closed except by appointment. Starting on March 6, the public will have access to all departments by visiting the Central Fire Station during standard business hours (8:30 am - 5:00 pm) or contacting specific departments by email.
The city executed an ADA settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice following a lawsuit filed by three unidentified Hudson residents in October 2019 alleging that there is no accessible entrance to City Hall at 520 Warren St., and other sites where the city provides programs, services and activities.
The federal government initiated an investigation and review and found the city out of compliance in a number of factors. Representatives from the U.S. Department of Justice recently toured public spaces and found City Hall, and other spaces, not ADA-compliant.
The renovation at 520 Warren Street will improve accessibility to the city’s core municipal services and public meeting spaces.
Construction includes renovation of the east entrance to accommodate an ADA( Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible lift to the first floor and reconfigure the stairs leading to the second floor, construction of an accessible parking space in front of City Hall, Construction of an accessible restroom on the first floor, Installation of an accessible service counter on the first floor, and Asbestos abatement, replacement of flooring, and improvements to other interior furnishings,the total cost for this project is $669,500, they received $350,000 from the sale of the former Hudson Police Statio, and the remaining funds will come from a bond resolution.
“The city has been saving for a while,” Mayoral Aide Michael Hofmann, the mayoral aide said. “Knowing the project was on the horizon, the initial chunk of money that was ear marked from this was the sale of the former Hudson Police Station on Warren Street for $350,000, the remainder of the funds came from a bond resoultion so we’re borrowing the remainder,the borrowed around is $331,567.”
The project is important to the city, Hofmann said.
“Citizens need access and these renovations will provide the needed access that people need for city hall,” Hofmann said. ”The benefit of us moving to the firehouse is that the firehouse is ADA accessible, and while it may be a bit out of the way for some folks, we do believe that it’s going to be very accessible and we’ll be able to do everything that we do at City Hall. The point of the renovation is about access. Currently, City Hall isn’t accessible to people with mobility impairments. The main issue that we’re trying to correct with this renovation is to allow folks who maybe use wheelchairs or have other mobility need to be able to access city services and public meetings.”
The developmental period for the project is estimated to be completed in July. In the meantime, 520 Warren St., and the adjacent area of sidewalk and street parking will be closed to the general public. City Hall relocation will affect the offices of the mayor, city clerk, city treasurer, city assessor and the Department of Public Works and Housing Justice, as well as the meetings of the Common Council and the majority of the city’s public boards and committees.
The relocation has caused the following public meetings to be held at Central Fire Station for the foreseeable future: Common Council and its ad hoc committees (Legal, Parking, Truck Route, Public Safety, etc.), Conservation Advisory Council, Hudson Community Development & Planning Agency, Planning Board, Historic Preservation Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals and the Housing Trust Fund Board.
Meetings indicated as hybrid on the city’s calendar will continue to be accessible via Zoom and YouTube Live.
“We will be holding meetings in the conference room at the firehouse, any meeting that is hybrid will continue to be hybrid so folks can join via zoom or watch on YouTube,” Hofmann said.
Due to the renovation, exterior amenities will be relocated. Overnight deposits of fee payments or other documents for City Hall offices should be deposited in a can located at the Hudson Police Department at 701A Union St. This will be for document drop-off only. In-person questions or assistance with City Hall must be made at The Central Fire station during business hours.
The vending machine for trash bags is relocated to the exterior of the Central Fire Station. City Hall officials said response times for requests may be delayed during the first few weeks of this relocation due to changes and updates to technological infrastructure at the Central Fire Station, including the City Hall phone system, and limited access to files that must continue to be stored at 520 Warren St. during construction.