Noah Eckstein is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Hudson Common Council at a special meeting Jan. 27, unanimously approved a Tourism Board grant of $16,500 to support a monthly gallery crawl in the city. Ellen D’Arcy Simpson, Susan Eley, and Jeremy Bullis, all Hudson gallery owners, came up with an idea to have local businesses extend their hours on the second Saturday of each month as a way to stimulate the local economy. Some of the money will go toward minimizing the need for self-transportation for tourists who wish to stay in Hudson and ski at Windham Mountain. For the weekend of Feb. 12, the Wick Hotel in Hudson is offering a discounted stay rate to anyone interested in booking an integrated ski-and-stay package. The Common Council authorized Mayor Kamal Johnson to enter into a contract with Johnston Transportation to provide two school buses for tourists to visit Windham Mountain. It is hoped this initiative will drive added foot traffic to the Second Saturday Gallery Crawl, and to restaurants and shops throughout the city. “I don’t see any downside to this,” said 4th Ward Alderprson Theo Anthony. First Ward Alderperson Art Frick agreed the venture is important for the city, but he also said more could be done. “Moving forward with plans like this I would love to see us explore things that are more economically viable to a greater number of people,” Frick said. Simpson noted there are 25 art galleries in Hudson, giving the city the largest concentration of galleries on a single street in the Hudson Valley. “We’re pivoting and figuring things out as we go,” she said. Note: Johnson is a WGXC volunteer on-air programmer. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.