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#Post#: 1986--------------------------------------------------
NYPA has spoken!
DIR By: Michael Caswell
Date: February 12, 2022, 5:19 am
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[center]www.change.org/ErieCanalDam[/center]
Today, the STCC leaders have released a rant that really signals
the end of their little fiasco.
The NYPA sent letters to officials and their main thrust was
they were concerned with TWO risk factors -
1. the hazard rating (an indication of the likelihood of loss of
life or significant economic impact in the event of a failure)
2. the condition rating (which implies the likelihood of a
failure). Where the risks are high, we have no choice but to
protect public safety.
They have NEVER wavered from this standpoint. How could they?
Wouldn't that be accepting the responsibility of the loss of
many lives? It is ridiculous in the extreme to think the NYPA
would take any other position.
And Ms Agte says, "Non-problematic trees & vegetation" Really?
After all this time these folks STILL don't see the problem?
This is what happens when you have people with no dam
engineering qualifications trying to look at a dam's problems.
Rose colored glasses? Squirrels and bees and butterflies - it's
all so lovely. (I jest!)
It's no wonder the NYPA have shunned Agte et al. It's long
overdue in my opinion.
[attachimg=1]
They are a 'little bit pissed off' eh! Haven't got their own
way eh! Ha!
[attachimg=2]
[attachimg=3]
Hopefully, the NYPA will carry out their obligation to the
people of Perinton etc. and bring these dangerous dams up to
code this year.
[center]www.change.org/ErieCanalDam[/center]
#Post#: 1987--------------------------------------------------
Re: NYPA has spoken! But will Ms. Agte &amp; her Facebook Group
Listen?
DIR By: Doug K
Date: February 12, 2022, 11:40 am
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Well well well, the moment of TRUTH has finally come, and Erie
Canal Neighbors couldn't be happier.
Finally they will have the unsafe canal embankments that
threaten their property repaired, and made safe again.
And of course, we also see the true nature of the social media
campaign against the clearing of earthen dams start to play out,
the meltdown of the Founder of the Stop the Canal Clear-cut
movement. It wasn't about public safety for sure, and not really
about saving trees or creating "SHADE" as the group avidly
pointed out.
No it's really about "inclusion" and the "importance" of the
Facebook Group's "leadership", who feels slighted and "are a
little pissed off" that finally the New York State Canal
Corporation has come to it's senses and dropped them entirely
from the conversation... read below and what has been
highlighted.
Elizabeth R. Agte - Posted to Facebook on February 11, 2022
On Monday, February 7th, Rebecca Hughes, Senior Director of
Public Engagement for CC/NYPA wrote an email alerting the Monroe
County Executive Bello, and the Town Supervisors, Hanna, Smith
and Moehle that a hard copy letter was on the way to them as a
response to their letter to Governor Hochul in December. The
letter was written by Brian Stratton and Justin Driscoll. As you
can see below that letter is just so much more blah, blah, blah.
We have heard that wordsmithing for four years. Not impressed. I
certainly don�t need to point out the lack of shift change here,
you all have been around this block as often as we have.
What has concerned us all week, is that there were not four
signatures on that letter, there were six. Virginia Borden Maier
and I also signed that letter, and did we get a reply, an
acknowledgment that we are the engines of this grassroots effort
to keep non-problematic vegetation and trees on the Historic
Erie Canal? Clearly no.

It was a calculated and strategic decision on the part of
CC/NYPA to exclude us from communications going forward. To the
extent that they intentionally dismissed a third of the
signatories, shows that even the largest state power authority
in the country is willing to stoop to bad business manners and
lack of professional protocol, because they don�t know what else
to do.

I don�t know Justin, but shame on Brian with whom I have had
polite conversations for four years now, have had pictures taken
with him, and we have asked about each other�s families. I know
we are on opposite sides of this debate but I always took Brian
for a gentleman if nothing else. My bad.

Rebecca came on board, in large part I suspect, to contain us.
Throughout the entire comment period last summer and into
September, she kept repeating that she was there to listen,
available for our concerns and questions. We want the
stakeholders to know we are listening. We hear you! But in her
email she clearly stated that any conversation going forward is
going to be exclusively with elected officials only. When they
trot out their �red-lined� draft, the only ones who will be in
the room to comment will be specifically NOT US, the
stakeholders. Hypocrisy at it�s finest.

My overarching concern is that NYPA has decided to entirely
redact us. As in, Rebecca tried for a few split seconds (in the
age of trees) to win us over, and it didn�t work, because we
could see that the program itself was not changing (we have been
at this rodeo for a long time) and we didn�t care if they send
out gold detailed letters announcing the removal of the trees
along the canal.
We still don�t want the trees removed for no good reason.
Period.

Stay tuned. We aren�t sitting still. Cause we are just a little
bit pissed off.
Wow...
"They signed the letter", they are the "engines of the
grassroots movement"... and the overarching concern for being
"redacted" from the conversation? Really?
Seems like this group doesn't want anything to do with grass, or
its roots. They are really a "tree roots movement" and sadly the
trees and their roots are the bad guy when it comes to
vegetation that is growing on "water impounding embankments" as
NYPA has finally defined them. Of course this group claims they
are all just hills or levees.
So this whole thing is not about shade now, it's really about
whether Elizabeth and her pal Ginny, get a seat at the
discussion table?
Just want to clarify for the audience reading...the group wasn't
redacted... they were ELIMINATED from the conversation...
period.
Here's what redacted means and how and why it's done...
How to Redact
If a record contains material that must be redacted, such as a
social security number or unlisted phone number, redaction may
be accomplished by using a visually obvious method that shows
the requester the specific location of any redacted material in
the record.
For example, if redacting a social security number or similar
type of small-scale redaction, custodian's should:
Make a paper copy of the original record and manually "black
out" the information on the copy with a dark colored marker;
Then provide a copy of the blacked-out record to the requester.
The blacked out area shows where information was redacted, while
the double copying ensures that the requester will not be able
to "see-through" to the original, non-accessible text. If
"white-out" correction fluid is used to redact material, some
visual symbol should be placed in the space formerly occupied by
the redacted material to show the location of redacted material.
If full pages are to be redacted, the custodian should give the
requester a visible indication that a particular page of that
record is being redacted, such as a blank sheet bearing the word
"Page redacted" or a written list of the specific page numbers
being withheld. The purpose is to provide formal communication
to the requester making it clear that material was not provided.
That is what REDACTION is... and this is what it would look
like:
[attachimg=3]
(NOTE: The redacted sections ADDED on this note are ONLY to
EMPHASIZE what a redaction WOULD LOOK LIKE.
The words shown & "black-out marking" are NOT part of the
original New York State Canal Corporation email or notices.)
Obviously this is not what happened. This facebook group, it's
leaders especially, have not ever considered the safety of the
public to be an issue, they labeled the Canal Corporation as
"fear-mongers". The group led by Ms Agte has added NO VALUE to
the solution for the problem of "unsafe earthen embankments", in
fact they have caused more harm than good for their own
community. They have cost the Canal Corporation hundreds of
thousands of extra dollars, spent on creating a State
Environmental Review and Embankment Clearing Manual that Towns
asked for in a lawsuit. That lawsuit spurred on by this group's
leaders.
And now the group, it's leaders, and the Three Towns have been
told the same thing... sorry "shade" is not as important as
public safety.
So, for the good of the Erie Canal, the good of all Canal
Communities, and for the SAFETY of the general public &
neighbors living below these dams...these two "crusaders" have
been ELIMINATED, from the conversation about Erie Canal
Embankments. That's right, eliminated from the discussion which
is a much better word for the circumstances
[attachimg=1]
On the bright side, the STCC group was instrumental in lowering
the cost of embankment work in Perinton & Pittsford, along with
all affected embankments that are part of the Earthen Embankment
Integrity Program. The Canal Corporation originally planned to
do a "restoration" of the embankments in these towns, but with
the lawsuit that stopped them in 2018 so too went that plan to
restore eastside canal dams, now the only allowed covering is
grass or pollinators. No woody vegetation will be planted.
That is a savings of about $1.2 Million Dollars on the EEIP work
there. That is what was paid for 1700 evergreens, dogwoods, and
junipers that now line the top of the Embankment Dams along the
Empire Trail in Brockport and most parts west.
And in gratitude, Mr. Stratton was seen showing Ms. Agte how to
generate her own "shade" using common household items
[attachimg=2]
#Post#: 1988--------------------------------------------------
Re: NYPA has spoken! The message is STILL safety of the public.
DIR By: Doug K
Date: February 12, 2022, 1:48 pm
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If you read that letter again, carefully, you will see terms
like "deferred maintenance" , flood risk, and canal community
used often.
But not as often as the two words: public & safety.
Because unsafe, 100 year old earthen water impounding
embankments are what is supposed to be the concern, the problem,
and the catalyst for all solutions that might be brought forward
by the public.
The Canal Corporation has "deferred" their embankment
maintenance for more than 25 years, according to NYS Rules &
Regulations, hidden behind the "definitions" used by those who
owned the NYS Canal System before the New York Power Authority
took it over. And NYPA understand the reality of owning and
using unsafe dams in NY State, it's not allowed...because they
are a Power & Utility Provider.
Here's the letter again: my redline highlights
[attachimg=1]
And now read what a local "grassroots" leader says about trees
on the same embankments...
Elizabeth R. Agte - Posted to Facebook on February 11, 2022
On Monday, February 7th, Rebecca Hughes, Senior Director of
Public Engagement for CC/NYPA wrote an email alerting the Monroe
County Executive Bello, and the Town Supervisors, Hanna, Smith
and Moehle that a hard copy letter was on the way to them as a
response to their letter to Governor Hochul in December. The
letter was written by Brian Stratton and Justin Driscoll. As you
can see below that letter is just so much more blah, blah, blah.
We have heard that wordsmithing for four years. Not impressed. I
certainly don�t need to point out the lack of shift change here,
you all have been around this block as often as we have.
What has concerned us all week, is that there were not four
signatures on that letter, there were six. Virginia Borden Maier
and I also signed that letter, and did we get a reply, an
acknowledgment that we are the engines of this grassroots effort
to keep non-problematic vegetation and trees on the Historic
Erie Canal? Clearly no.

Stay tuned. We aren�t sitting still. Cause we are just a little
bit pissed off.
The NYS Canal Corporation just said in the very same letter
referenced by Ms. Agte, that ALL trees on embankments are
"problematic" and that they have to come OFF for the SAFETY of
the public to prevent possible loss of life or property of
neighboring communities. And Ms. Agte's reply is "I don't think
so, that's not a good enough reason"
It's no wonder that the Canal Corporation "opted out" of
including the leader of a group that won't listen to reason, or
has any amount of common sense. I guess some people will never
understand "what they don't know", blame Dunning Kruger again
What the Canal Corporation has stated in this letter is EXACTLY
what they found in their SEQR Environmental study, and supported
by their NYS Canal Integrity Program.
HTML https://www.nyscanalintegrity.org/
[attachimg=2]
And the vegetation that was asked for by Ms. Agte and company
WAS included in the new Embankment Manual, when the NYC Canal
Corp. allowed the "pollinator planting" section to be added.
They state plainly that even these small plantings can become an
issue for leaks, seeps and burrows.
[attachimg=3]
And so the message has always been the same from the NYS Canal
Corporation and parent company, NYPA, from the very beginning,
about canal embankments...
That message is that PUBLIC SAFETY matters more than any other
reason that some might think to "keep trees" in place on 100
year old earth dams. Sadly it's not the message that some in our
community wanted to hear, but it's the truth, so we ALL have to
live with it...period.
And it's time to stop standing in the way of NYS public safety
work, before something tragic happens and we all say.. "told you
so"
Go read the NYS Canal Corporation Embankment Manual for
yourself... it's about FIXING DAMS, nothing else.
HTML https://www.canals.ny.gov/Earthen_Embankment/DGEIS/Attach1_Final_Draft_Embankment_Maintenance_Best_Practices_2021.03.10.pdf
#Post#: 1991--------------------------------------------------
Re: NYPA has spoken!
DIR By: Brockport Canal Neighbor
Date: February 13, 2022, 6:39 am
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Amazing! Never thought it was possible for anyone to be so blind
to obvious facts.
More amazing, it appears that this Agte person is running a
social media group but cant seem to read or understand simple
words or phrases.
#Post#: 1992--------------------------------------------------
Re: NYPA has spoken!
DIR By: Doug K
Date: February 13, 2022, 7:05 am
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A clear case of Selective Understanding
That's where someone might chose to ignore everything they hear
or read that doesn't jive with what they believe to be the
truth...or at least the truth according to their somewhat
limited experience or understanding.
Or perhaps its just someone who realizes they have been wrong
all this time, but has decided to ignore that truth, and insist
that everyone else is wrong.
But we all know that will only go so far before the "smarter"
people catch on.
The ECNA has come to realize one important truth about this
Facebook group, its members, and its leadership...
Reading Comprehension is not something that this group has
mastered yet, especially if what is written doesn't agree with
the dribble their "founders" are whining about on any given day.
#Post#: 1994--------------------------------------------------
Re: NYPA has spoken! And it's OFFICIAL in a recent email to 3
Monroe County Towns
DIR By: Doug K
Date: February 13, 2022, 9:09 am
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It doesn't get any more clear than this, does it?
[attachimg=1]
Rebecca Hughes of the NYS Canal Corporation sent this email out
to the three town supervisors who sued this NYS agency to STOP
the last Embankment Program in 2018. And those three towns asked
for a SEQR review that was delivered, along with an Embankment
Integrity Manual and Best Practices Guidebook, outlining all
reasons why this Canal Maintenance works has to proceed... for
the good of PUBLIC SAFETY!
Now lets see if anyone of those three Town Supervisors, or
members of a local Facebook group are willing to make this
statement:
"No one cares about Public Safety in Perinton, Pittsford or
Brighton, leave the dam trees on the Canal Embankments because
they are pretty and give us shade".
I would not believe that anyone would actually say those words,
but with this group involved, and these three Town Leaders, you
never know what might happen. After all, the STCC group and
several government officials have been fighting against canal
maintenance and public safety for 4 years now. why would they
stop, even if they have been told they were wrong.
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