MS AGTE posts---

Elizabeth R. Agte
Jan Bares
NYPA (New York Power Authority) took over custodianship of the Canal Corporation January 2017, with no prior knowledge of how to manage an historical man made waterway. Their only water connection with man made dams. NYPA is not strictly speaking a governmental body, and is not as such state regulated in lots of ways. Since they generate their own income by charging us for electricity, they felt like they were beholding to no one.
So. They barked ahead with a plan to so excessive “maintenance “ so they would have to be bothered for another decade or so. They jumped ahead of regulations, and did not do the proper environmental review, which is why we, the three towns of Pittsford, Brighton and Perinton took them to court, and they lost.

NOT TRUE. They were advised by the NYDEC that a SEQR review was not required. That advice was overturned in court at Lyons. Judge Daniel Barrett's ruling was only that an environmental review was required. The STCC 'won' nothing.  He was fed incorrect information regarding dams submitted by Prof. Donald Gray which he subsequently recanted. The review has now been completed, however, instead of the section involving the three towns, and on embankment dams, the ENTIRE Erie Canal has been included, ON BOTH SIDES!  Be careful what you wish for Lizzy!!!!

Thanks to a number of variables including COVID, they have been hamstrung with going forward. In the meantime.... THREE YEARS LATER.....the poor citizens on the west side are still waiting for their promised privacy landscaping. That clock is still ticking, we have not forgotten.

THREE YEARS LATER the poor citizens of Pittsford, Brighton and Perinton are still living under the REAL THREAT OF THESE DAMS BREECHING AND FLOODING ENTIRE AREAS.

My reply to Mr. Caswell's enlightening post is titled 'Does a Rochester Facebook Group Understand the Risk of Minimizing Public Safety?' for a reason.

It's a question that many should be asking themselves, especially if you are a homeowner living adjacent or near the canal in line of sight.

The short answer is NO, and it appears those who are fighting against the NY Canal Corporation, who's simply trying to make a safer Erie Canal, never will understand what harm they are doing...sad as that may be.

Once again this Facebook group and it's leader, one Elizabeth Agte, continue to demonstrate exactly why it's so important to check your source of FACTUAL information when discussing public safety, the Erie Canal, unsafe embankments, and the safety work of the owners of the NY Canal System, the New York Power Authority (NYPA from here on).

Again all NYPA is doing is attempting to correct long standing safety issues along the Erie Canal.

FACT: There are approximately 125 miles of it's raised earthen embankments that hold back water on a 25% of the entire canal system, and most of these have had zero maintenance in the past 100 years.

An earlier canal embankment restoration project cleared about 27 miles of these medium to high hazard embankments already. That initial stretch of repair extends from Middleport to Brockport, but did not address all the earthen dams, there is more to come, and another 100 miles of unsafe earthen dams to fix.

And this Facebook group wants to stand in the way of that repair work... because they STILL refuse to believe simple TRUTH and FACTS. This Stop the Canal Clear-cut group want to make up their own set of 'facts & truth' instead.

And even more unbelievable is that all their facts and "data" are based on the OPINIONS and BELIEFS of the Facebook group's leadership... again one Ms. Agte and Ms. Borden-Maier



First let's start with the Facebook Post that prompted my friend Mike Caswell to speak up once again against this dangerous group of "environ-maniacs" who still can't accept that the Erie Canal and the TREES along it's dams are a DANGER to those living below the embankments as well as those navigating the trail or waterway.

Here's their actual posts:






Now as you can see by the highlights... it's all about the intelligence of the leaders here, they believe something, it is true. They think their way is the right way, and it becomes fact. And sadly very few people in this group speak up to ask why. Look at the red underlined statements... hmm.


It's not like there aren't pages and pages of information about NYPA all over the Internet. Wiki has a nice write-up and I have emphasized the important point about TAXPAYER support.




FACT: Taxpayers like Ms. Agte & Borden-Maier DO NOT own the canal as they state, they don't even contribute to cleaning up trails along it. NYPA pays the ENTIRE bill for the Canal System now. Because for the first time, in a long time, someone sees the way to make a profit from the Erie... it's new owners.


Now you could also look at the Hydro Review website, after all the owners of the Erie Canal are well known in the arena of providing Hydro Power in this Country and particularly in New York State. They are certainly NOT the bumbling fools that this Stop the Canal Clear-cut Facebook group and it's leadership make them out to be.

Here's a nice illustration or two of what NYPA does for NY power and shows that this company does indeed know and understand all about dams, dam safety and how to make money using water power.





NYPA also has many videos that show what they are doing for the advancement of SAFE, clean energy in NYS.

https://youtu.be/13K_6oOcZXo



Are you starting to get the picture?


It's not hard to understand who is making up a load of crap here, is it? I'll post another set of webpage links, for anyone who might want to learn a little bit about NYPA at the end of this post. I will post one here for you NOW to look at, maybe it's the most important.



https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-brey-9336b1190/



This is the Linkedin member page for the Alex Brey of the New York Power Authority...who also happens to be the Manager of Dam Safety for this company. He is the authority on NYS Canal System safety when it comes to Dams, of all kinds.

If you are really interested in knowing WHY these earthen embankments along the Erie canal have to be cleared of all trees, brush and overgrown vegetation, I would suggest that you contact him directly. He will give you the real story, and direct you to where you can see the real facts.

He will have the answers and also explain why it's so dangerous for people to get pulled into Facebook Groups with Leaders that spread a false narrative about public safety projects & programs. I am also sure that his experience and knowledge on embankment dams at NYPA will be based in facts, education and science... not just his own beliefs and opinions.



Because at the end of the day you can EITHER get your Embankment Dam Safety Information from a Dam Engineer & Hydrologist...

Or you can get it from a Facebook group of Dam Idiots... right?



And by the way, about Ms. Agte's statement regarding those of us with cleared Erie Canal embankments which I've shown below:

In the meantime.... THREE YEARS LATER.....the poor citizens on the west side are still waiting for their promised privacy landscaping. That clock is still ticking, we have not forgotten.

This poor citizen and westside Canal Neighbor is still waiting for one thing... For Ms.Agte and her group to STOP spreading misinformation about canal safety and STOP saying they are trying to help us.

Because none of what this Facebook group says or does has shown they have figured anything out, remotely related to the truth, in the past three years, regarding Erie Canal Public Safety!

And that is also a Fact



Here's your links for today, enjoy:

https://www.nypa.gov/news/press-releases/2019/20190912-hinckley-reservoir

https://www.hydroreview.com/tag/nypa-new-york-power-authority/

https://www.uticaod.com/news/20200121/officials-no-imminent-danger-at-madison-reservoir

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Power_Authority

https://www.hydroreview.com/world-regions/ny-governor-announces-1-1-billion-project-to-extend-life-of-niagara-power-project/#gref

https://www.nypa.gov/power/generation/all-generating-facilities

Posted on the STCC Facebook page 


It needs to be made abundantly clear that we do not trust NYPA. That being said, we have tried for four years to create a pathway for communication and dialog. NYPA has been arrogant in its disregard, has acted illegally, has backed out of promises, has still not made restitution with citizens on the west side, and has tried to avoid its responsibility to our beloved Erie Canal and to the people who care about it, with legalese and slight of hand. We have watched as NYPA has systematically dismantled the Canal Corporation and replaced employees with their own, thereby effectively dissolving the dissent among the custodians of the canal and the Power Authority.
We do not want NYPA to listen to the citizens of New York and act accordingly. We want them to leave the Erie Canal  alone. They are not fit guardians for this valuable historic landmark. We want the governor of this state, to stop wasting our bandwidth with his ridiculous, Idiotist, juvenile behavior, and do his job. And part of that job is to understand that what ever pipe dream was hatched about NYPA taking charge of the Erie Canal, it has not worked. Give control of the Erie Canal to Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. But he needs to do something while there is still something to preserve. NYPA wants to pave paradise.
Clearly in my rear view mirror is the NYPA extravaganza “The Beer Regatta” that my husband and I went to a couple summers back, which clearly demonstrated that NYPA was in deep water, (HA!) as they attempted to “Reimagine the Canal”.  Harvey and I were among the ten or twelve people who showed up. (Five of those were members of our bike group.) the event cost thousands of dollars... to say nothing of the huge gala they hosted to announce winners at the Memorial Art Gallery, complete with goodie bags and a huge breakfast.
This waste of money is a shame, but it’s nothing compared to cutting down hundred year old trees, with never a thought to the citizens who live along the canal, those who use the canal, work along the canal, and their quality of life. They have had a go of it, and they have stumbled and elbowed their way through along the entire four years. It’s time for them to go. NYPA needs to go. NOW.

Here's the actual Stop the Canal Clear-Cut  (STCC) Facebook Post that Mike Caswell is posting about and the text as well.

I've done a little editing work to add paragraph spacing to try and connect the dots on this continued "rant" by the Leader of this group, Elizbeth Agte. Pay close attention to the text below the posting, and see what you think about what is being said, and more importantly why. Maybe after you read it you too will  agree with Mike... this group's message borders on a kind of "madness".



Ms Agte starts right out to set the tone, and that in itself is enough to end any future conversations between the Stop the Canal Clear-Cut group and NYPA. But somehow that fact hasn't made it's way into Ms. Agte's head yet, and that is part of the "madness" that seems to rule this Facebook group.

How would ANYONE believe they would be "heard" if all they have done for the past 4 years is to criticize public safety work they just don't like, ridicule what they don't fully understand and to this day are still unwilling to discuss the facts & science that support the case being made by the OWNERS of the Canal who are trying to fix it?

THESE ARE THE RANTINGS OF THE STOP THE CANAL CLEAR-CUT GROUP ON FACEBOOK FROM IT'S LEADER

It needs to be made abundantly clear that we do not trust NYPA. That being said, we have tried for four years to create a pathway for communication and dialog.

NYPA has been arrogant in its disregard, has acted illegally, has backed out of promises, has still not made restitution with citizens on the west side, and has tried to avoid its responsibility to our beloved Erie Canal and to the people who care about it, with legalese and slight of hand.

We have watched as NYPA has systematically dismantled the Canal Corporation and replaced employees with their own, thereby effectively dissolving the dissent among the custodians of the Canal and the Power Authority.
 
We do not want NYPA to listen to the citizens of New York and act accordingly.

We want them to leave the Erie Canal alone. They are not fit guardians for this valuable historic landmark.

We want the governor of this state, to stop wasting our bandwidth with his ridiculous, Idiotist, juvenile behavior, and do his job. And part of that job is to understand that whatever pipe dream was hatched about NYPA taking charge of the Erie Canal, it has not worked. Give control of the Erie Canal to Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. But he needs to do something while there is still something to preserve. NYPA wants to pave paradise.
 
Clearly in my rear view mirror is the NYPA extravaganza “The Beer Regatta” that my husband and I went to a couple summers back, which clearly demonstrated that NYPA was in deep water, (HA!) as they attempted to “Reimagine the Canal”. Harvey and I were among the ten or twelve people who showed up. (Five of those were members of our bike group.) The event cost thousands of dollars... to say nothing of the huge gala they hosted to announce winners at the Memorial Art Gallery, complete with goodie bags and a huge breakfast.
 
This waste of money is a shame, but it’s nothing compared to cutting down hundred year old trees, with never a thought to the citizens who live along the canal, those who use the canal, work along the canal, and their quality of life.

They have had a go of it, and they have stumbled and elbowed their way through along the entire four years. It’s time for them to go.

NYPA needs to go. NOW.


So, did you see this statement by Ms. Agte?

We do not want NYPA to listen to the citizens of New York and act accordingly. We want them to leave the Erie Canal alone. They are not fit guardians for this valuable historic landmark.

If that's the case then why does she keep talking?  And even more of a mystery, why does she start rambling on about her thoughts on the Governor? If Ms. Agte didn't want NYPA to listen to the "citizens" of New York she had the opportunity to STOP talking right then. But as usual, she didn't.

But she just goes on and on about what she doesn't like with all of these "changes along the canal".

Her Facebook group has STILL not offered ANY solutions on how to fix the unsafe earthen embankments that NYPA has identified along the canal. Ms. Agte will not even admit there is a safety issue on the Erie canal at all. "If it isn't broke don't fix" it is her marching cry, to a group of misguided sheep who follow her stupidly...lock, stock & barrel. Those in her Facebook group who do NOT agree with their Leaders are quickly denounced and expelled from the group as troublemakers.

Sadly it has always been Ms. Agte's own voice that seems to drown out the statements from both the Canal Corporation & NYPA that have been saying all along... "Yes, The Canal IS broken, and we WILL fix it".

While it may be stylish for Ms Agte and her Facebook members to simply ignore the safety of the Erie Canal and the Public using it, that is not a luxury the owners of the NYS Canal System have and also not one that the many Erie Canal neighbors living below these aging earthen dams can ignore. 

You see the real mystery here is just who is the "WE" that Ms. Agte thinks she is representing here?

It certainly is NOT the residents of New York State.  Her little Facebook group has about 600 members total, (and only a few active members, the rest just can't be bothered to sign off), and New York State is the fourth largest in our Country with 19 million people. I do not think her small group fighting against public safety, accurately represents those who have the best interest of the state in mind, for those 19 million people.

It certainly is NOT the many of the hundreds of Erie Canal Neighbors who are living below these unsafe embankments along the Erie Canal that have to be repaired or homeowners might have to start paying for mandatory flood insurance.

Ms. Agte is NOT one of those neighbors, and has voiced in the past that she cares more for the "squirrels & trees" living on embankments than she does for the HUMANS who might be flooded if of of those embankments broke. That last statement is a FACT, from a Public Meeting in her Community in December 2017, when the STCC was formed, and when Elizabeth Agte & Ginny Maier "stood up" against the safety of humans living near the canal.

Does anyone believe Ms. Agte's Facebook Group represents the hundreds of thousands of Erie Canal Corridor guest that use the Canal System or Trails each year? Certainly the "voice of the customer" surveys & studies done by NYPA and the Canal Corporation would have shown support for this STCC group's rant. Just to be clear, it does not. In fact most people who use the canal have stated it was just a view of "trees & water" and they had hoped for more scenic & panoramic views, that is what the VOC surveys have said.

So I'll ask the question again, Who is the "we" that Ms. Agte believe she is speaking for?

If it's you, then maybe you should rethink your choice of a leader, because the one you have, just might have a little "madness" directing her actions.

Harv? Did you do it?

Posted today on the STCC Facebook page

From the pen of one Elizabeth R. Agte aka: "Eerie Agte"


I am confused today. This morning we asked the NYPA Public Engagement Director if they had received the comments (over 800 just from the QR code alone) from Bergmann and Associates and if those comments had been evaluated in regards to the EEIP guidebook and now current website representing the EEIP?

We were told :“They (Bergmann) are still working on compiling everything and, over the next month or so, we will be going through them together. Then we move on to Guidebook revisions to reflect the comments. All of that will be released most likely in January but, in the meantime, please let me know what we can share via the website.”

My concern and confusion is that they have already launched a website that looks entirely like they are not acting or reacting to any of the hundreds of comments. So why create the website at this juncture anyway, if they haven’t even seen or evaluated the comments? Why present this website as a done deal?
 
Why post statements like this one that suggests they have already made up their mind, unless of course, they already have. Note that this picture is not even an embankment, and they cleared the vegetation anyway, because who doesn’t want all those trail users to be practically in your back yard? Recreation area, my foot. And excuse me, but what freaking part of their clear cutting plan factors in carbon sequestration?? I am just beyond right now.

Confusion seems to be a condition very familiar to Eerie A.  She rambles on in a totally illogical way, as usual. Why does anyone continue to follow her and her nonsense? It's obvious from this rant, that the Canal Corp is not taking ANY notice of her, and her antics with postcards. 

Actually, to be totally honest, she's just wasting time and trees -  trees that were cut down to make stamps and postcards that have been put in the Governor's recycling bin!

Eerie Agte is at it again!

She says  "We have a guardian Angel…maybe? More on that at a later date. I have been on the canal for dog walks five times in the last week, from Lyndon Bridge to the Grand Embankment. By far the best locations are those with wind barriers…also known as trees.

A Guardian Angel?    I wonder who the latest dipshit is she has conned into joining her cult??

Maybe?
More on that at a later date?

WOW!  Talk about building suspense!

Listen Eerie A!   If you are so worried about the wind on the canal embankments, the answer is simple. Find somewhere else to walk your dog. I'm sure Reggie  won't give a DAM.

The Canal Corp isn't concerned about your wind threshold problems. They are concerned about the welfare of the folks living under their dams!

The Canal Corp isn't concerned about your wind threshold problems. They are concerned about the welfare of the folks living under their dams!

I was going to say, " there's a lot of hot air coming out of Eerie's mouth" but it's actually pretty cold. But then maybe 'cold air' is appropriate for a witch! :-)