Columbia County news

This excerpted story is provided courtesy of the latest issue of The Columbia Paper, which can be seen online at www.columbiapaper.com.

Hudson’s train station to get major makeover

HUDSON — The Americans with Disabilities Act became law in 1990.

Twenty-eight years later, the Hudson Amtrak station is being renovated to make it compliant with ADA law. The work began on June 25, but the safety fences went up before that, and parking in the “day” lot has been a mess ever since.

Outside and inside, the station is a work in progress. Enfield Enterprises, based in Springfield, Mass., is doing the construction. Two of their staff described the renovations last week:

■ Indoors, the restrooms are being remodeled to have flat entries with wider doors and inside, wider stalls, to accommodate wheelchairs. Sinks, paper towel dispensers, everything will be made accessible.

■ In the main room, one of the ticket windows will be lowered, so a person in a wheelchair can easily buy a train ticket.

■ Outdoors, the accessible parking spaces are being moved closer to the station and a dedicated walkway, striped yellow, with perforated edges for safety, train station.

■ The wrought-iron fence will be moved toward the station, away from the tracks.

■ A new “sign package” will give visitors the information they need to negotiate the station.

Once the construction is completed, the parking lots on either side of the station will be repaved, dead trees replaced and plantings spruced up, Hudson Mayor Rick Rector said Tuesday.

Amtrak officials were unable to provide a cost for the station upgrade project.

The work is scheduled to be finished by Thanksgiving. Hudson is the third-busiest station in New York state, after Penn Station and Albanyrensselaer.

— Debby Mayer