The City of Rochester recently put the finishing touches on some beautiful hardscaping and pathways connecting Mount Hope Avenue to the Genesee River Trail. Doesn’t a stroll along the river on a warm summer evening sound divine?
Umm, nah… I’ll take a rain check maybe. Have you seen our river lately?! LOOK at this…
Local photographer Clarke Conde has been snapping photos of the Genesee River all year. His photos
show this patch of trash growing steadily (like a big βole smelly tumor) for at least the past 12 MONTHS!
One of Clarke’s trashy photos was even printed in The Wedge last summer (here on page 2). So why is nothing being done to clean it up?
For one thing, no one seems to know who’s responsibility it is. After seeing this mess for myself, my first reaction was to contact the City. No answers there. After several emails and phone calls I learned this section of river is actually maintained by the New York State Canal Corporation (a subsidiary of the New York State Thruway Authority) in Albany! So I called one of the numbers on their web site. After bouncing around inside the automated phone system, and filling out the online form, a few days later Bill Sweitzer (from the Albany press office) gave me a call back.
Bill was very nice and he explained that the Canal Corporation is responsible for 524-mile inland waterways across the state. After many budget cuts, layoffs, and some problematic flooding across central New York, his organization is simply spread too thin. In addition, this section of the Genesee River is not considered a “navigation channel.” So as priorities go, the Genesee doesn’t rank highly.
After a lengthy phone conversation and a review of the photos, Bill said he would check in with his people “on the ground” here in Rochester. But so far, no promises.
As always, I’ll keep you updated on any progress. But in the meantime, if you’re hosting out-of-town guests DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT take them here to show off the Rochester skyline.
How You Can Help
The simplest thing you can do is to dispose of your trash properly. When you toss trash on the ground, it inevitably winds up in our waterways.
Call or write…
Brian U. Stratton
Director
NYS Canal Corporation
518-436-3055
[email protected]
or…
Governor Cuomo or
Leuitenant Governor Duffy
State Capitol
Albany, NY 12224
518-474-8390
Email Form
And ask these guys to please send a giant pool skimmer or something to clean up Rochester’s river.
Tags: City of Rochester, Clarke Conde, Clean Sweep, garbage, Genesee River, New York State Canal Corporation, pollution, rochester photos, trash, William Sweitzer
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on Wednesday, July 24th, 2013 at 7:52 am and is filed under Opinion, Rochester Images, Rochester News.
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I think writing to Duffy has the best chance to succeed. He has some authority and if he gets enough complaints he might be able to force an effort.
What is very wrong here, and it’s unsaid, is that CLEARLY, the City of Rochester should act to fix this. Passing it off is nonsense. If someone throws trash on your lawn do you just leave it?
The ugliness of the area effects the perceptions of the City. That should be motive enough.
BTW, didn’t the City just shut down the Main St. bridge for two Sundays to clean the river?
“Hey, while you’re there…”