Mike,
Have to correct you sir, Cody is a "him", so the complaint was about "his" daughter's swing set. It's located about 8' away from the Canal Embankment.
Sadly the STCC has run pretty much the same since their inception... and when one person starts to flap their gums, more come out of the woodwork to complain as well. If it's not about the critters & trees, then it's about the trail condition or the length of time it takes to fix unsafe dams, just take a look... of course these folks seem to miss talking about the trail entrance signs that state the trail is under construction still out here in Brockport & to the west.
Stone dust is coming this week, along with a fresh grading of the ECT (Erie Canal Trail). I'm sure that the hikers & bikers will all have an easier ride soon... but sadly the STCC group will just start to complain about other aspects of the Canal Embankments & Trail that they don't like..because the trail or views are now different than before, when the embankments were considered unsafe by the property owners, and had to be rehabilitated.
Typical for a group that can't seem to fathom how "safety was put on the back burner" by the NYS Thruway when THEY owned the Canal Corporation for the past 30+ years. Ungrateful, can't even muster a "thank you" for what was a much needed public safety effort across NY.
And then there is the continued griping from the Stop the Canal Clearcut leadership, like Ms. Agte...who somehow want to convince the public there is only ONE bee left on the Erie Canal, and they will not come back unless we have invasive plants covering earthen dams along the Erie Canal.
Funny thing is... Ms Agte most likely took the picture in Fairport where NO embankments have been done yet. Those earthen dams are slated for 2019-20 off-season clearing. So what could be keeping the bees away from the Erie Canal in Fairport? Maybe their little bee ears hurt from all this incessant whining by humans about a project that will inevitably have to be done for the safety of the 80% of New York Residents who live within 25 miles of the Erie Canal still to this day.
http://www.canals.ny.gov/economic-benefit-report.pdfOf course some folks around Rochester & surrounding towns, can't seem to grasp that SIMPLE concept of SAFETY, choosing instead to fight against it and this entire Canal Corporation Embankment Safety Program.
And the STCC is fighting this work in the name of the "trees" that are causing the Canal Embankment safety issues in the first place... which is even more ironic... or perhaps moronic, depending on how you look at it, or what side of the fight you are on.