River group, city meet to talk about access to the Black River
Jun. 19—WATERTOWN — A group of river activists and the city have started working out their longtime differences regarding the group's concerns about access to the Black River.
Members of New York Rivers United, a group of whitewater advocates and rafting enthusiasts, met with city officials last Friday to talk about a series of projects that they would like to see completed to give them more river access.
The hour-long Zoom meeting "was cordial and productive," said New York Rivers United member Alex Barham, adding that he was satisfied with its outcome.
City Manager Eric Wagenaar said he thought it "was a good meeting."
For more than a decade, the group and the city were at odds over what is known as the Route 3 Wave, once a popular whitewater kayaking course that was a site of a world championship that drew thousands of spectators. A large rock moved in its way and damaged the course.
But the city never corrected the issue. According to Rivers United, the repairs were required by a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission license for the city's Marble Street hydroelectric plant.
The city has now agreed to look at the Route 3 Wave. Rivers United members and city officials will go to the site in August when river levels are down to see what can be done to fix the problem, Barham said.
The city also has agreed to repair some stairs to the river and complete other repairs along the river near Newell Street, Wagenaar said.
"We have to work on some things with them," Wagenaar said.
In December, Rivers United, which advocates for accessibility to the river, filed a complaint with FERC about the city never correcting the Route 3 Wave problem.
The group also has claimed that the city violated the hydro plant's FERC license on a daily basis since it was renewed in 1995. The river group conducted an audit of the facility that found numerous alleged violations.
That prompted the state Department of Environmental Conservation to urge FERC to conduct a noncompliance investigation into the plant.
In May, a six-member team from the DEC completed an on-site inspection of the hydro plant. Wagenaar said Wednesday that the DEC will be back next week for a follow-up visit.
FERC also required the city to submit a report about the group's complaints about the hydro plant. The city submitted the report last Friday.
"They're looking at it," he said, adding that he doesn't know when FERC will complete its response.
Rivers United members Steve Massaro and Barham and Dick McDonald of the state Department of Environmental Conservation attended the meeting with the city.
City Engineer Tom Compo, hydro plant employee Jeffrey Hammond, Michael A. Lumbis, the city's planning and community development director, and Wagenaar were among the city officials at the meeting.
In 1995, the river group, the DEC and FERC negotiated the terms of the current license, designed to mitigate significant commercial, environmental and recreational impacts identified during the relicensing process.
Under the 1995 agreement, an account was set up to distribute funding for river accessibility projects. The city and Rivers United were at loggerheads over who decided how to spend that money.
The group claimed the city spent about $60,000 from that account, but the DEC and Rivers United never approved it. About $225,000 remains in the account.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Exclusive-Democrats want new leaders, focus on pocketbook issues, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds
By James Oliphant and Jason Lange WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Democrats want new leaders for their party, which many feel isn't focusing enough on economic issues and is over-emphasizing issues like transgender rights and electric vehicles, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found. The poll identified a deep disconnect between what Democrats say their priorities are and the issues they believe party leaders care about most ahead of next year's midterm elections, when they hope to crack Republican control of Congress. They see their elected officials as not focused on helping families make ends meet and reducing corporate influence. Democrat Kamala Harris' November loss to Republican Donald Trump has left the party rudderless and sparked a round of soul-searching about the path forward. The poll shows that party leaders have work to do in recruiting candidates for Congress in 2026 -- and for the White House in 2028. Some 62% of self-identified Democrats in the poll agreed with a statement that "the leadership of the Democratic Party should be replaced with new people." Only 24% disagreed and the rest said they weren't sure or didn't answer. Just 30% of Republicans polled said they thought their party leadership should be replaced. Democrats' dissatisfaction is also playing out in leadership changes, including this week's resignation of Randi Weingarten, the influential president of the American Federation of Teachers, from the Democratic National Committee -- which followed the ouster of progressive activist David Hogg. The Reuters/Ipsos poll surveyed 4,258 people nationwide and online June 11 through 16, including 1,293 Democrats. It had a margin of error of about 3 percentage points for Democrats. It found that Democrats want the party to focus on their day-to-day needs and want wealthier Americans to pay more in taxes. California Governor Gavin Newsom, who is viewed as a potential Democratic presidential candidate in 2028, agrees. "People don't trust us, they don't think we have their backs on issues that are core to them, which are these kitchen table issues," Newsom said on his podcast in April. DEMOCRATS 'IMPATIENT' Democratic strategists who reviewed the poll's findings said they send a clear message. "Voters are very impatient right now," said Mark Riddle, who heads Future Majority, a Democratic research firm. "They want elected officials at all levels to address the cost of living, kitchen-table issues and affordability." The poll found a gap between what voters say they care about and what they think the party's leaders prioritize. It was particularly wide on the issue of reducing corporate spending in political campaigns, where 73% of Democrats said they viewed putting limits on contributions to political groups like Super PACs a priority, but only 58% believed party leaders prioritize that. That issue matters to Sam Boland, 29, a Democrat in Minneapolis, who views Super PAC money as a way to 'legally bribe' candidates. 'Politicians want to keep their jobs and are afraid of the impact that publicly funded elections might have,' Boland said. Along that line, 86% of Democrats said changing the federal tax code so wealthy Americans and large corporations pay more in taxes should be a priority, more than the 72% of those surveyed think party leaders make it a top concern. The Republican-controlled Congress is currently pushing forward with Trump's sweeping tax-cut bill that would provide greater benefits to the wealthy than working-class Americans. Anthony Rentsch, 29, of Baltimore, said he believes Democratic leaders are afraid to embrace more progressive policies such as higher taxes on the wealthy. 'A lot of Trump's success has been with populist messages, and I think there's similar populist message Democrats can have,' Rentsch said. Democrats' own priorities appeared more in line with party leaders on abortion rights - which 77% cited as a priority. NEW BLOOD Dissatisfaction over the party's priorities on several economic policies was stronger among younger Democrats like Boland and Rentsch. For example, only 55% of Democrats aged 18-39 thought the party prioritized paid family leave that would allow workers to care for sick family members and bond with a new baby, but 73% said it was a priority for them. Among older Democrats, the same share - 68% - that said the issue was a priority for them said it was a priority for party leaders. Rentsch said that criticizing Trump over his conduct won't be enough to win over skeptical voters. 'That can't be it,' Rentsch said. 'It has to be owning those issues that have an impact on their economic well-being and their physical and mental well-being.' Democratic respondents said the party should be doing more to promote affordable childcare, reduce the price of prescription drugs, make health insurance more readily available and support mass transit. They view party leaders as less passionate about those issues than they are, the poll found. Even so, some Democrats argue the party also needs to stand toe-to-toe with Trump. 'They gotta get mean,' said Dave Silvester, 37, of Phoenix. Other Democrats said the party sometimes over-emphasizes issues that they view as less critical such as transgender rights. Just 17% of Democrats said allowing transgender people to compete in women and girls' sports should be a priority, but 28% of Democrats think party leaders see it as such. Benjamin Villagomez, 33, of Austin, Texas said that while trans rights are important, the issue too easily lends itself to Republican attacks. 'There are more important things to be moving the needle on,' said Villagomez, who is trans. 'There are more pressing issues, things that actually matter to people's livelihoods.' Democratic strategists say that if Trump's trade and tax policies lead to higher prices and an increased budget deficit, the party needs to be ready to take full advantage in next year's elections, which will decide control of Congress. 'This recent polling data indicates Democrats have room for improvement on criticizing Trump on the economy and making it clear to voters that Democrats are the ones standing up for working people,' said Ben Tulchin, who served as U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders' pollster for his two presidential campaigns. The party needs to get beyond portraying itself 'as the lesser of two evils," Boland, the Minneapolis Democrat, said. 'It needs to transform itself into a party that everyday people can get excited about,' he said. 'That requires a changing of the guard.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
James Carville Calls Out Fox News On Live TV For Playing Into This 'Giant Lie'
James Carville on Friday took on Fox News after host Martha MacCallum tried to push back at his criticism of President Donald Trump as he weighs U.S. military action against Iran amid Israel's war on the country. The longtime Democratic strategist, when asked about Trump's decision-making in a live Fox News appearance, reminded MacCallum of the network's history covering the lead-up to the U.S. invasion of Iraq (and the resulting war). 'I'm old enough to remember 2002 when this network and everybody else was beating war drums as loud as you could beat war drums, that there was every evidence of weapons of mass destruction. Of course, it turned out to be a giant lie,' he said of the Bush administration's pretext for the invasion. MacCallum interjected, 'You think this is like that?' Carville chimed back in, 'I don't know but I do know the government lied to me profoundly 22 years ago, that I do know, why would I trust this government more than I trust —.' MacCallum pointed to a clip she played earlier of David Albright, a nuclear weapons expert, who argued that there's not a sort of 'redux' of the Iraq War claims when it comes to the Iranian nuclear program. Carville jumped back in, 'Again, you are free to beat the war drums as loud as you want to —.' MacCallum replied, 'I'm not beating any war drums, I'm just reporting the facts.' Another panelist, OutKick founder Clay Travis, hopped into the crosstalk before Carville hit back. 'Excuse me for speaking while you're interrupting me,' Carville said. He later continued by noting that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified to the Senate in March that Iran wasn't building a nuclear weapon, a comment that Trump has since dismissed. 'I think that he needs to take his time, they need to assess it and they need to give us a very clear rationale for why this step is necessary to start a war with 92 million people, that's all I'm saying,' added Carville of Trump, who has stressed that Iran is a matter of weeks away from completing a nuclear weapon. 'And that country has 92 million people, half have a college degree, half of those are women and I just don't think it's a good idea to rush headlong into a war. I'm sorry. I was skeptical in 2002 and I'm skeptical in 2025.' Carville: I'm old enough to remember in 2002 when this network was beating war drums as loud as you could beat war drums about WMDs— of course, it turned out to be a giant We just heard from an expert who said there's so much You are free to… — Acyn (@Acyn) June 20, 2025 Trump's Plan To Stop Harvard From Hosting Foreign Students Blocked CNN Data Chief Exposes How Trump Totally Lost This 'Political Battle' Trump Shuts Down Tulsi Gabbard On Iran: 'She's Wrong'
Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Bloomberg
Ex-Columbia Grad Student Khalil Released From ICE Custody
A former Columbia University graduate student detained for more than three months over his role in pro-Palestinian protests was released Friday from immigration detention, allowing him to continue a legal fight to avoid deportation while out on bail. Mahmoud Khalil, 29, was set free from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Louisiana after a judge ordered his release, Khalil's lawyers said in a court filing. Khalil claimed he'd been unlawfully held in retaliation for his activities to oppose Israel's war in Gaza with Hamas.
