The Affair to shoot in Cold Spring again
By Michael Turton
The Cold Spring Village Board may have set a record for brevity, convening for less than 25 minutes in dealing with a very light agenda at its Monday, July 7, meeting.
Trustees authorized Mayor Dave Merandy to send correspondence to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, urging him to support a bill passed by both the state Senate and Assembly that will enable the Village of Cold Spring to expand its residential parking program. Currently, only residents below the Metro-North tracks are issued the special permits, which allow them to park for longer periods than the normal four- or five-hour maximum.
The letter to the governor asserts that the expanded permit system would also “encourage visitors to seek parking away from residential areas but still within close proximity to Main Street.” Merandy said the bill “is on the governor’s desk” awaiting his signature.
The Affair is returning to Cold Spring. The Showtime TV series shot several scenes in the village on June 8, and trustees approved a request from its producers to film additional scenes on Wednesday, July 22. Shooting will take place at Hudson Hil’s restaurant, Cold Spring Antique Center and on Main Street between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Merandy said Showtime will pay the village a fee of $1,100 to $1,200 and also cover the cost of any additional policing required on the day of the shoot.
The Village Board accepted Ruth Elwell’s resignation from the Code Update Committee. She was only recently appointed to serve on the committee. Her letter indicated she resigned for health reasons.
John Furst, an associate with the Newburgh- and Fishkill-based firm of Catania, Mahon, Milligram and Rider PLLC, will attend next week’s Village Board meeting, his first as the new village legal counsel.
I find it inconceivable that the Mayor and Board are not asking for more money from Showtime for filming here. How is it that a multi-million dollar company gets away with paying a measly $1,200 to basically take over Cold Spring for a day while they want to charge admission to the Sea Streak tourists who stop here for a few hours to patronize our businesses? I just don’t get it, especially since these same public officials are always crying poverty when it comes to financial matters like repairing our vital infrastructure. If anyone on the Board reads this and has a good answer, I’d love to hear it.
I am embarrassed to say I have watched the Showtime production of “The Affair,” a rather dark and sinister show, getting darker with each episode, and without, in my opinion, a great deal of merit. Unbeknownst to me I found myself in town during the June filming of this show and was unaware of what was in progress. As I came down Main Street I saw a number of vacant parking places, no cones, no signs, etc. and pulled into what appeared to be a very large vacant space.
An officer came up to the car and very brusquely informed me I could not park there but provided no explanation as to why. I asked where I might go to park to quickly pick up a cup of coffee at Cup O Chino and was told to go to the train station parking lot. I am well into my senior years, have had two recent surgeries and was not able to walk back and forth to the train station. Merchants seemed to be doing little or no business. I am appalled that the town is interested in being “Montauk or Hamptons on the Hudson” and for such a ridiculously small fee and at such inconvenience to local residents and merchants. Why?