Amador County – A Jackson Planning Commission public hearing expected to be heavily attended Monday was postponed due to the expected lack of a quorum due to illness of one commissioner and conflicts of interest reported by two others.

City Manager Mike Daly said the public hearing to discuss an application to subdivide 4 parcels in the Rollingwood Estates mobile home park into 226 separate lots was tentatively rescheduled for April 4, as only two of the commissioners would be available to attend the hearing, and it would not give the commission a quorum, that is, a majority of the commissioners being present.

Daly said Vice Chair Kathlyn Devlin would recuse herself from the discussion because of a financial conflict of interest, due to her business interest in New York Fitness, and its proximity to Rollingwood. Commissioner Darek Selman also reported a conflict of interest because a member of his family owns a unit in Rollingwood. Daly said Selman’s conflict might be more of the “common law” type, in that it might financially benefit a relative.

He said the three remaining members, Chair Walt Hoesser, and commissioners Dave Butow and Joe Assereto, would be left without a quorum due to one of them being ill and unable to attend Monday. The meeting’s agenda included a closed session to discuss potential litigation over the Rollingwood issue. Its owner is seeking to split 4 lots of the park “into 219 mobile home lots and seven common area lots.”

According to the application, C&L Investment Company, represented by Joe Chirco “is proposing the subdivision of the parcels which comprise the Rollingwood Mobile Home Park located at 20 Rollingwood Drive.” The subdivision “would create separate legal lots to allow for individual ownership of the spaces which the mobile home owners currently rent.”

The report said the city “General Plan designation of the project site is Single Family Residential with a conditional use permit to allow for the mobile home park.”

Daly said the public hearing’s postponement date would be announced later. It was tentatively set for April 4.

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Amador County – Wet weather over the weekend is expected to continue this week.

Snowfall in the Amador County Upcountry led to chain control about 3 miles above Pine Grove on Highway 88 early Sunday. East Bay Municipal Utility District anticipated the heavy rain and made capacity available at two reservoirs in Amador County with water releases at Pardee Reservoir and at Lake Camanche. The release rate Friday afternoon at Camanche was reportedly up from 2,400 cubic feet per second to over 3,000 cubic feet per second.

The National Weather Service had predicted a flood watch – a high likelihood of flooding – due to expected heavy rain.

Clouds rolled in Monday over Jackson with pea-sized hail in the afternoon, and slick roads led to reports of at least two vehicles leaving the roadways in Amador County. One included a “vehicle over a cliff” reported at about 3:45 p.m. An east-bound vehicle left Highway 88, east of Climax Road, and a responder reported that he had “made it down to the driver,” who was “conscious and alert and claimed to be uninjured.”

The National Weather Service is predicting a stormy week ahead, with two storms possible, and moderate to heavy rain. The service said rapid rises will be possible on small rivers, creeks and streams across the area.

The service forecasts a 100 percent chance of rain Tuesday night through Thursday, with an 80 percent chance of rain Wednesday night. Rain is predicted to continue through the weekend ahead.

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Amador County – The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced March 9 that growers with crops affected by a freeze in Amador County and five other Northern California counties last November are now eligible for a limited time to apply for low-interest loans to replenish their losses.

Qualification include that farmers must “have suffered at least a 30 percent loss in crop production or a physical loss to livestock, livestock products, real estate or chattel property.”

Growers in Amador County who had their crops affected by freezing temperatures are now eligible to receive low interest emergency loans from the USDA, up to $500,000.

The USDA Secretary of Agriculture designated a disaster due to freezing temperatures on Nov. 25-26 of 2010. The designation was made primarily in San Joaquin County, and in contiguous counties, including Amador and Calaveras counties, and four others. The designations were announced March 9.

Growers in those counties are eligible for low-interest emergency loans from the USDA’s Farm Service Agency, and they have eight months, through Nov. 9, 2011, to apply for such loans to help cover part of their losses.

FSA documents list that USDA “emergency farm loans” help “producers recover from production and physical losses due to drought, flooding, other natural disasters, or quarantine.” The emergency loans can be used to “restore or replace essential property” or “pay all or part of production costs associated with the disaster year.”

The loans can also “pay essential family living expenses,” help to “reorganize the farming operation,” and “refinance certain debts.”

Collateral is required, and “producers can borrow up to 100 percent of actual production or physical losses, to a maximum amount of $500,000.” FSA documents said the “loans for crop, livestock and non-real estate losses are normally repaid within one to seven years,” but may be extended to 20-year loans. Also, “loans for physical losses to real estate are normally repaid within 30 years,” but may be extended to 40-year loans in “certain circumstances.”

The interest rate on the loans is currently 3.75 percent. Applications for emergency loans must be received within eight months of the county’s disaster designation.

Among requirements, the “borrowers must keep acceptable farm records.” They also “must operate in accordance with a farm plan they develop and agree to with local FSA staff.” The borrowers also “may be required to participate in a financial management training program and obtain crop insurance.”

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Amador County – The Amador Water Agency board of directors discussed its financial plan for the Gravity Supply Line at its last meeting, and talked about the bidding process, and a series of “coffee shop” meetings to discuss the elements involved.

The agency board discussed the Gravity Supply Line project with engineering and financial reports, during what was scheduled as a staff update of the progress, and talk of plans for a public education program.

AWA General Manager Gene Mancebo said staff is going through a prequalification for bid contractors, and once they are pre-qualified, then the agency will go out to bid on the project. Engineering Manager Erik Christeson said the agency has a projected May 24 bid opening target date, based on the progress of staff work, and easement acquisition.

Mancebo said the “financial plan is making assumptions on what the bid will be,” and it includes different bid levels, including low or high bids, in different plans.

He said the Public Relations Committee and staff have come up with ideas for a series of “coffee shop” meetings with small groups to talk about the GSL and the Central Amador Water Project, likely in April. He said they hope to discuss issues with the CAWP system, not just the GSL and answer questions such as: What is CAWP, how was it created, and what does it do? Mancebo said they want to find out how customers want the agency to spend their money, and they want to get feedback for the board on what the public would like to see. He said they have not yet set dates for the meetings.

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Calaveras County – The California Highway Patrol’s San Andreas unit is planning a series of free “Start Smart” teen driver training classes in April and May in Calaveras County.

Public Information Officer Rebecca Myers announced the series of four free teen driver classes, set for April 6 and 8 and May 3 and 9, with one class each in San Andreas, Murhphys, Jenny Lind and Copperopolis.

Myers said “RSVPs must be made by telephone or in person to the San Andreas CHP office. Space is limited and at least one parent or guardian is required to attend with their teen.”

CHP’s goal is to “reduce the death rate among teenagers” as the result of motor vehicle collisions, which the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said are the leading cause of death for Americans who are 15-20 years old.

Myers said “to address this alarming trend, the CHP developed a program called Start Smart.” It is “aimed at helping newly licensed and future licensed teenage drivers understand the critical responsibilities of driving and to understand that accidents do happen, but collisions are 100 percent preventable.”

The primary objective of Start Smart is to provide teens and their parent or guardians with an “interactive safe driving awareness class which will illustrate how poor choices behind the wheel of a car can affect the lives of numerous people.” ¶ Myers said the “San Andreas CHP cordially invites teenagers and parents and/or guardians to attend a Start Smart class.

The classes are all 6:30 to 9 p.m., with the first set for Wednesday, April 6 at Mark Twain Hospital in San Andreas. The second class is Friday, April 8 at Murphys Fire Department. The third class is Tuesday, May 3 at Jenny Lind Fire Department, and the fourth class is Monday, May 9 at Copperopolis Fire Department.

For more information or to make reservations, call (209) 754-3541.

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Amador County – Forest officials announced this week that fuel-wood cutting permits will now be available year-round in the El Dorado National Forest.

U.S. Forest Service Public Information Officer Frank Mosbacher announced the new policy in an e-mail Monday, saying that the public will be interested in learning the new policy, which will help people get heating wood during hard economic times, and will help clear dead trees from the forest.

Forest Supervisor Ramiro Villalvazo said the woodcutting season in the El Dorado National Forest will open early this year, beginning on March 16, rather than the usual April 1. The 2011 fuel-wood permits will expire on December 31.

Mosbacher said the “opening date change came about partly due to the economic times and the many people requesting woodcutting permits.” He said “woodcutting will now be allowed year-round in the El Dorado National Forest.”

He said all roads in the national forest are not currently open, and motorized vehicles are not allowed on dirt roads since the wet weather seasonal road closure remains in effect in the El Dorado National Forest. Parking is allowed one car length off the road. Dirt roads will be opened when they dry out and the seasonal closure is officially lifted.

Forest Supervisor Villalvazo said: “I have decided that we will issue fuel-wood permits year-round and forest-wide. I believe there are opportunities for the public to find downed wood off of roads that are open during our seasonal closure.”

He said: “Given the economic times, I want to allow folks to be able to collect wood if they can.” Fuel-wood permits can be purchased at any El Dorado National Forest Ranger Station.

Fuel-wood must be removed according to the terms of the permit. No standing dead trees larger than 10 inches in diameter can be cut. The permits are non-transferable, non-refundable and are sold for $15 per cord with a two-cord minimum purchase.

Open roads and those subject to seasonal closure are identified on a map that is free-of-charge and available at all El Dorado National Forest offices and on the El Dorado National Forest website.

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Amador County – The Sierra Nevada Conservancy at its March 3 meeting approved $10 million in Proposition 84 grants to 29 different projects, and the action left the Conservancy with $10 million more to give in grants.

Joan Keegan, Sierra Nevada Conservancy’s assistant executive officer, was in Jackson Wednesday for the March meeting of the Amador-Calaveras Consensus Group, and reported on the next grants. Keegan said “I’m excited to be here. This group is legendary.”

Keegan said Sierra Nevada Conservancy is looking at its grant program, which has $10 million left, and the Conservancy will be “looking at limiting the program,” to really focus the projects on two areas, those being “working landscapes” and “forest health.” She said they want to focus the funding awards because they “only have $10 million left.”

The grant funds were allocated in the amount of $54 million to the Sierra Nevada Conservancy by the Proposition 84 “Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Food Control River and Coast Protection Bond Act of 2006.” The funds were appropriated for the “protection and restoration of rivers, lakes and streams, their watersheds and associated land, water and other natural resources.”

She said the Conservancy will be working on its strategic planning process with public input, and has identified key areas including those two, and watershed protection and restoration, along with tourism and recreation, and the Conservancy’s own long-term effectiveness. The Conservancy is drafting a strategic plan to take to its board in June.

In other reports from member group representatives, Calaveras County Supervisor Steve Wilensky said Calaveras County had agreed to provide its green waste to the Buena Vista Biomass Power plant near Ione on Coal Mine Road. He said the green waste will be delivered to the plant to burn, and “in return we will get their ash to cover our landfill.” He said they had been using sludge, but that was not working as well as ash would.

Wilensky said a recent power outage led to a group of volunteers helping to deliver firewood to families that qualify for the Calaveras Food Bank. The wood was delivered to people for heating, during the power outages.

He said about 80 families were receiving the wood, and the volunteer crew did not know where they were going, and just got a list of delivery addresses. Wilensky said the crew arrived to a number of their own relatives’ houses, which led to impromptu and meaningful reunions. He said when the power was out, and people were snowed in and needing wood for heating, “it was a really big moment for the West Point area, giving people a real sense of mission, delivering heating wood.”

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Amador County – The Amador Water Agency board of directors deflected criticism from its immediate past board president about information requests related to the Gravity Supply Line, at its last meeting.

Former board President Bill Condrashoff, who lost re-election to his seat in District 1 in November, said he had made a request for information related to a staff meeting with Pacific Gas & Electric, including an agenda and a list of attendees. He said he felt mistreated as a former AWA board president, because he was made to wait 10 days for the information request, and then was notified on the 10th day that he would have to wait seven more days for the information. He said he made two information requests in one day, and one was answered quickly, while the other was delayed.

Condrashoff said he finally received the information in an e-mail from AWA General Manager Gene Mancebo, and Condrashoff said the e-mail contained “embarrassing information about the GSL.” He said it was a requirement for AWA to take over ownership and operation of a water treatment plant at Tiger Creek.

Mancebo said the board could not discuss the issue until it was agendized, and the board had not heard about the request until that meeting. He also said he thought the agency has a “decent track record in turning around information that is requested.”

Mancebo said last week that PG&E in the e-mail “indicated their desire for the agency to take over a small water treatment plant on Tiger Creek.” He said “AWA has been operating and maintaining that for a number of years.”

The water plant is located at the Tiger Creek facility, and AWA operates the plant for PG&E’s use at the facility. Mancebo said: “We charge them exactly what our costs are.”

Mancebo said the Amador Water Agency “has been under contract with PG&E for operation and maintenance of the Tiger Creek water treatment plant (owned by PG&E) since 1996.” He said the board still needs to meet and discuss the latest request, and “this is nothing new,” because probably a couple of years ago, PG&E brought up the issue that they would like the AWA to take over ownership as well as the operation of the water treatment plant there.

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