Author Topic: An admission of defeat! (Read 188 times)

Michael Caswell · « **on:** January 28, 2022, 08:05:57 pm »

Here's what Ms Maier posted today on the STCC Facebook page.

Virginia Borden Maier

I wish I could share more of an update with viewers of this page. What I can show you is this portion of an email I sent to Elizabeth Morabito, Governor Hochul’s Finger Lakes regional representative, 10 days ago. I have received no response to these simple, straightforward questions.

"All of this seemingly continues to go forward despite the clear
objections of local residents"

Really? There are now well over 500 people who do not agree with your policies, they signed our petition and more people are added every day. www.change.org/ErieCanalDam

"directing NYPA to go back to the drawing board to create a more
sensitive and sensible plan for the Erie Canal Embankments?"

But wait! Didn't you ask the NYPA to do a SEQR report? Actually you sued them for it. Well, you got what you asked for in the form of the EEIP. And now you don't like what it says, so you start whining?

"despite the clear objections of local residents"
But only a few people, none that have enough conviction to sign a petition.

"create a more sensitive and sensible plan for the Erie Canal Embankments?

How can you come up with a more sensitive and sensible plan when all the experts like FEMA, ASDSO, NYDEC, USACE and more are telling you, NO TREES ON A DAM!

WHAT SHE MEANS IS THAT THEY (STCC) DON'T LIKE WHAT THEY ASKED FOR, AND WANT TO FIND A WAY OF CIRCUMVENTING THE TRUTH.

More Dunning Kruger effect?

Michael Caswell · « **Reply #1 on:** January 29, 2022, 06:42:38 am »

Ms Eerie Agte pipes in --

"Our Local Elected Officials"

That wouldn't be our Three Not So Wise Men would it?

https://ecna.createaforum.com/perinton-canal-embankment-discussion/the-three-not-so-wise-men!/msg1910/#msg1910

Brockport Canal Neighbor · « **Reply #2 on:** January 29, 2022, 04:03:54 pm »

Perhaps all these people in Albany do not reply to the groups letters because they agree with the assessment made by the New York Power & Canal Authority ->

Erie Canal embankments are unsafe and need to be cleared, in the manner described by the Embankment Maintenance manual the Canal Corporation just spent 2 years creating.

https://www.canals.ny.gov/Earthen_Embankment/DGEIS/2021-03-09_DRAFT_FINAL_Embankment_Maintenance_Guidebook.pdf

Sometimes you have to read the silence, which normally is not a sign of agreement.

Doug K · « **Reply #3 on:** January 31, 2022, 05:19:35 pm »

Have to agree with BCN about understanding the "silence" sometimes. And want to take that one step further. I believe the phrase used today is "read the room" And in the verb use, which is most appropriate here.

Here's what Urban Dictionary Says about "read the room":

Verb: Base what you say on the conversation. Make educated guesses as to what people mean.

Used in a sentence:
"Eli and Ginny, read the room. We don't want to talk to you."

The Free Dictionary has pretty much the same meaning, maybe a bit more descriptive:

Read the Room:
To use one's intuition to analyze the general mood of the people in a particular setting and act accordingly. Often used as an imperative.

Used in a sentence:
"I'll read the room and see if it's the right time to have the conversation. If people already seem on edge, I'll probably wait to bring it up."

"Read the room, Bill. No one here is interested in talking politics right now."

So who's in the room?

There is the New York Power Authority, the New York State Canal Corporation & Brian Stratton, as well as Rebecca Hughes the new Integrity Program Communication Manager. The Canalway Recreational Committee is being kept abreast of the conversations regarding Canal Maintenance and Integrity work.

There is the NYS Governor, several State, District & County Legislators, Adam Bello, Samra Brouk, Jen Lunsford, Rich Funke (who left office), Town Supervisors from Three Monroe County Towns (Pittsford/Brighton/Perinton), Alexandra Winner (Perinton Town Council), Lorraine Parr (radio host). Several others in the wings who are there more for "votes" than to actually offer anything of value.

In the room are several Canal Town Mayors, including a Fairport Mayor who opposes Canal Work and a Brockport Mayor who supported it...albeit reluctantly.

Oh yes, there's a Facebook Group opposing the Canal Embankment Integrity work that's being led by two citizens who understand nothing about earthen dam safety.

And FINALLY, all the Erie Canal Neighbors who are on the frontline of the work to clear Canal Embankments that have become a safety issue, they are also in the "Room".

The topic in the "Room" is insuring the Integrity of the Erie Canal System and keeping all those living near it SAFE.

https://www.nyscanalintegrity.org/

And that Facebook group, led by well-meaning people with plenty of "humble opinions", is opposing the Erie Canal Earthen Embankment work being talked about in that ROOM. That group's leadership is complaining that no one is talking to them or hearing their cries to "save the trees"... "help global warming". All issue that this group" made up" to deal with the group's decision to "simply deny any safety issues exist" along the Erie Canal. Their "denial plan" had a tragic setback when the State Required Environmental Review confirmed all the canal safety issues and deteriorating condition

And the entire ROOM has that State Funded SEQR Report that supports the NYS Canal Corporation, and what the OWNERS have said about the Erie Canal...

Canal System Earthen Embankments are unsafe, and not in compliance with the Laws regarding water impoundments for the State of NY.

Now...you would think that when there is any issue with public safety, one that would involve a possible catastrophic flood and the State of NY had a plan of preventing it and improving the overall state of the Canal System, anyone trying to stand in the way would realize they shouldn't fight to keep people unsafe, or not try to prevent a disaster.

These things are all CLEARLY signs of something that is OBVIOUSLY in the BEST interest of the public and Erie Canal communities & neighbors.

And so the phrase is "read the room".

Ms. Maier, Ms. Agte, that "silence" you hear, the lack of these people in agreement with you and speechless, unable to reply.... here's some answers:

1) Maybe it's because you have said something that is "astonishing" and in a "bad way"... like "how could anyone say that after reading that SEQR report?"

2) Or maybe it's sheer astonishment by all those New York State EMPLOYEES that a pair of local citizens could be so blind AND callous about their neighbors?

3) Maybe people are dumbfounded that anyone could be so... well I'll stop there.

Not to worry though, I understand that this Stop Canal Work Facebook group does have some people in the room saying "go get 'em girls".

Of the THREE TOWN SUPERVISORS (Pittsford, Perinton and Brighton) who originally SUED the State of NY to STOP Canal Integrity work in 2018, two of them are still on the Facebook Group's Bandwagon. I understand the third one, who left under mysterious circumstances, was replaced in the Town of Perinton, by Cirran Hanna. And Mr. Hanna is still trying to ride the slippery fence of pleasing Facebook Pressure and keeping his Town RESIDENTS safe.

But the ECNA does know that Mr. Hanna understands Earthen Dam Safety and what UNSAFE Embankments look like, he has rather large unsafe Earthen Dam in his own backyard, at the Oxbow Lake in Perinton, and it had EMERGENCY repairs in 2018...and is STILL an active leaking, unsafe, high hazard classified DAM.

Eventually the "truth" will prevail, and the truth has been on the side of the Canal Corporation and all of those people that signed the petition below...

Unsafe Canal Dams NEED to be REPAIRED, regardless of what some people say on Facebook.

Please...Sign the Petition to make NYS Canal Communities Safe once again:

https://www.change.org/p/join-your-neighbors-support-vegetation-removal-from-erie-canal-for-safety

REFERENCES:
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Read%20the%20room

https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/read+the+room

https://www.nyscanalintegrity.org/

Doug K · « **Reply #4 on:** February 11, 2022, 07:04:09 am »

And once again this particular group member, Ms Jennifer Goheen, has something to say about the Governor of NY and Erie Canal embankment work. Of course it is all negative in nature, hints of this group's "conspiracy" theories, and still shows the Facebook Group's "ignorance" towards Earthen Dam Safety

Jennifer Goheen - February 10, 2022
I wish we could find someone in that office who could tell us what is really going on.

Is the governor uniformly unresponsive to citizen concerns from whatever quarter?

Is she singling this particular matter out for special (non) treatment?

Does she drink?

Is a member of the NYPA Board her best friend, son-in-law, fairy godmother, or blackmailer?

Is it somehow strategic for her to ignore opposition to the NYPA's plan for the Canal banks?

And even worse, Ms Goheen lives NOWHERE near the Erie Canal, but STILL believes that her "two-cents", about canal conspiracies, should matter to all the Canal Neighbors who are still living below these unsafe water impoundments in danger of breach-based floods.

Have you heard of anything more warped from this group? Now they have to actually "import" their opposition to public safety, from the opposite side of the Country... California.

And once more, Ms. Goheen is not an Engineer, has zero education or experience in anything remotely related to Earthen Embankment Dam Safety, and seems to be employed as a Technical Writer for a Company called World Tariff Ltd..

And it gets even better, the company appears to have ONE employee, with only 3 others associated remotely with this company, according to Dun & Bradstreet

Can anyone explain why Jennifer Goheen is in this conversation or considered a source of credible canal information?

Michael Caswell · « **Reply #5 on:** April 11, 2022, 02:37:42 pm »

Sure sounds like it to me!

Doug K · « **Reply #6 on:** April 11, 2022, 04:49:45 pm »

A group like this isn't smart enough to figure out they are "defeated".

Ms. Maier started that Facebook post with a pretty canal picture and a warning, just to initiate yet another bit of disinformation to the group. She is ever hopeful that someone in the group will "bite" at her ridiculous claims. And today is was Mr. Don Muench, who is now repeating the words of the group leaders... like a good parrot.

Canal Embankment work is a plot by New York Power Authority & Canal Corporation, to cause a failure of an embankment, and a flood on a community, just so they can shut the NYS Canal System down, to save money... in the end.

That is according to Don Muench.

What a crock of.... hmmm, I'll let it go...have to consider the source.

Like it wasn't bad enough that Ms. Maier is saying that all embankment dam issues are caused by "engineers messing about". And she somehow believes that the 2017 plan for the Earthen Embankment Restoration Project in Brockport, is what will be used to clear embankments in 2022. She is wrong of course, on all counts.

It's a known fact that the Canal Corporation scrapped that original plan and has developed their new Earthen Embankment Integrity Program, which will use the new Earthen Embankment Guidebook for ALL canal integrity work moving forward. That is the plan that this groups asked for but now doesn't like or accept.

https://www.nyscanalintegrity.org/

But as you see, Ms. Maier's comments fall right in line with Ms. Agte's bogus claims about Canal Embankment work. She has been saying that driving "heavy equipment" on the Erie Trail is causing the embankment failures, "because the Barge Canal Embankments were built for "donkeys".

https://ecna.createaforum.com/the-stop-the-clearcut-argument/can-using-a-social-media-website-make-you-stupid-the-data-says-yes!/msg2115/?topicseen#msg2115

And Ms. Agte has also insinuated the same thing, in a past question, similar to what Mr. Muench just said... NYPA is "intentionally" trying to undermine the Erie Canal System. Are these people serious?

Is this what Facebook calls "clamping down" on disinformation?

Do Ms. Agte & Mr. Muench REALLY think that a NYS Government Agency, is trying to cause a canal flood, that would be a disaster of epic proportion, killing many and wreaking havoc on the environment? Is Ms. Maier complicit in that "big lie" that she seems to be promoting here?

That is EXACTLY what NYPA said would happen if Canal Embankments are NOT REPAIRED, according to the latest Canal Corporation documents regarding Earthen Embankment Safety along the Erie Canal. An epic flood, environmental upheaval, and probable loss of life & property.

It's in their SEQR Statement

https://www.canals.ny.gov/Earthen_Embankment/DGEIS/NYSCC_EEIP_Draft_GEIS_3-12-2021_Combined.pdf

Is anyone in Perinton or Pittsford listening to what this Facebook group is saying?

Does anyone care how dangerous "loose talk" like can be on a community?

Doesn't anyone in Perinton or Fairport, besides Mike Caswell, feel just a little bit worried that they have a local Facebook group spreading misinformation about their canal community and it's safety?

Don't any taxpayers or voters on Rochester's Eastside care, that the leaders of this Facebook group are threatening local politicians with "votes", if they don't get "what they ask for"?

I guess not... so much for "community spirit" (or public safety) in the Canal Towns of Perinton, Pittsford, & Brighton.

Just let the deception of the community continue... what a great plan Mr. Hanna, Mr. Smith, and Mr. Mohle!

Michael Caswell · « **Reply #7 on:** April 11, 2022, 06:34:58 pm »

https://ecna.createaforum.com/perinton-canal-embankment-discussion/the-three-not-so-wise-men!/msg1910/#msg1910

THREE NOT SO WISE MEN!

Doug K · « **Reply #8 on:** April 14, 2022, 02:36:38 pm »

A member of this social media group shared his Waterloo story, to win praise of a group that is fighting against public safety, by saying HE won the battle to shutdown Oak Island Canal Glamping.

For him it was that his favorite fishing trail was blocked by the Tentr Sites on Oak Island.

You can read the story here:

https://www.fingerlakesdailynews.com/2022/04/12/no-more-glamping-on-oak-island-in-waterloo/

So the NYS Canal Corporation wanted to provide someplace for Trail Users and Locals to camp along the Erie Canal. They chose Oak Island near Waterloo, and used an outside contractor to run that idea through to completion. It wasn't the success that they hoped for but it was doomed from the start as two things were missed that mattered to the intended customer.

The REAL ISSUES with Oak Island camping are below... if you read.

And NONE of this has anything to do with Erie Canal Public Safety.

ISSUE #1 - Campsites were Too Expensive

The COST of "Erie Canal Glamping" was quite high, actually MORE than a "Junior Suite" at most local hotels which gives you TWO rooms, 420 square foot of living space, and HBO besides.

ISSUE #2 - Location Location Location...
Probably not a good idea to put this campsite plan into a location that is used by the homeless population of that area. That was one of the complaints. The other... well the "glampers" must have thought that their $200 campsite would have "cleaner" view of nature"... falling worms were a complaint at the campsite.

But what's REALLY amazing is that this Stop the Canal Clear-cut group somehow wants to say that the work that the Canal Corporation did, trying to provide camping spaces, is somehow the same type of work as what they are doing to REPAIR UNSAFE CANAL EMBANKMENTS.

One of these Canal plans is about Erie Canal Recreation, the other is about Erie Canal Safety.. and this STCC group wants to make it seems like those are somehow "equal" in the eyes of those who would protest against either... somehow trying to justify her own group who has been opposing canal safety work for 4+ years

Does Ms. Maier really think that because people didn't like camping where "homeless people" live, that anything the Canal Corporation does for the public is wrong, and "trees were lost" to an unsuccessful "solution".

Losing trees to make a few campsites is NOT the same as removing trees to make the Erie Canal SAFER is it? Does she really believe they are one in the same?

I don't believe she does think that... but it sure sounds good to a social media group who has lost the battle, lost the war, and has lost the respect of many of the people in her own community.

If she REALLY does believe that bogus claim, then I guess she is with the right group of people...after all "the blind have to have someone lead them", why not a Biologist who like to deny the inherent issues with unsafe trees, making Erie canal embankment unsafe, that threaten all canal communities.

So if you believe that building 5 campsites in Waterloo is on par with fixing 100 miles of overgrown, high-hazard, earthen dams follow Ms. Maier down yet another rabbit hole...

You are hopelessly LOST and will NEVER understand that unsafe canal embankments place canal communities in danger from a potential dam collapse & flood.

And Canal Neighbors living below those embankments get hit first, if the breach is near their home... but none of that matters to you... just listen to Ms. Virginia Maier, the leader of the blind, deaf and dumb.

I have never seen anything this far from REALITY come out of this Facebook Group before...

I guess desperate times call for even more desperate measures.. like increasing dis-information to the maximum level.

News:

Author Topic: An admission of defeat! (Read 188 times)

Michael Caswell

An admission of defeat!

Michael Caswell

Re: Is this an admission of defeat by Ms Maier?

Brockport Canal Neighbor

Re: Is this an admission of defeat by Ms Maier?

Doug K

Is this an admission of defeat by Ms Maier or a Failure to Read the Room?

Doug K

Re: Is this an admission of defeat by Ms Maier?

Michael Caswell

An admission of defeat!

Doug K

Re: An admission of defeat? Not really, just a chance to continue their "big lie"

Michael Caswell

Re: An admission of defeat!

Doug K

Re: An admission of defeat for a Facebook Group out of touch with Reality