Amador County – The Amador County Firesafe Council this week spoke with the Upcountry Community Council Fire Protection Committee about its “Firewise Program.”

Jim Simmons, retired CDF unit chief for Amador-El Dorado Unit, a consultant for Fire Safe Council, was planning to present the Firewise Program this week, entitled “Wildland/Urban Interface Fire Hazards – A Community Solution to a National Problem.”

Simmons and Cathy Koos-Breazeal of Amador Fire Safe Council talked about the program in late January. Simmons said forests in California are “man-made,” and do not resemble early 19th century forests, when European settlers first arrived. He said back then, wagons could drive through the forest floor. But forests have grown dense with brush, and led to the Pioneer and Volcalno area having high concentrations of fuels, and a need to manage the overgrowth.

Koos-Breazeal said probably the biggest issue of the “Firewise Program” was defensible space. The program aims to educate the public, to get them to take responsibility to address fire issues.

She said forests are not naturally thinned, and there have been a growing number of catastrophic fires in the last 8-15 years. She said the vast majority of forests have not had a fire in over 100 years. As a result, fire is much more likely to get into the tops of trees. Koos-Breazeal said brush is a fire ladder to get flames up into tree tops, then it “becomes catastrophic” and you “can’t stop it unless nature does it.”

Simmons said there is public resistance to the 100-foot clearance law for “defensible space,” but education will help that. He said other issues can be addressed to help with fire risk. One is inadequate road signs. Fire and emergency vehicles have gotten lost “because road signs are substandard or tacked on trees.” And on private roads, home owner associations say they don’t like or want signs. Changes in signage would help decrease risk.

Also, there are an “awful lot of single-lane roads,” and dead-end roads in the Pioneer to Upcountry area, which make it difficult to get engines in as people evacuate.

Koos-Breazeal said since community meetings have begun about a year ago, residents of Silver Lake Pines have worked to address issues raised. She was aware of the work, but surprised at the extent to which problems were addressed.

UCC’s Rich Farrington said Silver Lake Pines “took the information to heart.” The residents cleared brush from around fire hydrants, and “they are anxious to have them tested.”

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Amador County – The California Department of Transportation announced Thursday that applications are being accepted for $25 million in federal transit grant funds aimed at providing transportation services to people with special needs.

Matt Rocco, public information officer for the Caltrans headquarters in Sacramento announced the availability of the funds in a release Thursday, saying the funds could help the elderly and people with disabilities.

Caltrans is accepting applications through the Federal Transit Administration Section 5310 Elderly and Disabled Specialized Transit Program, which “was established to meet the transportation needs of elderly people and people with disabilities in areas where public transportation services are insufficient.”

Caltrans Director Cindy McKim said the funds will help improve mobility for all Californians, including those with special needs. She thanked “FTA Administrator Rogoff and all our federal partners for this assistance.”

The program allows private nonprofits, and public agencies to apply for funding to purchase accessible vans or buses, or other transportation equipment to serve individuals with special needs.

All interested parties are encouraged to apply. The deadline is 5 p.m. Friday, March 4. For more information and instructions on how to apply, see the Division of Mass Transportation website.

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Amador County – The Amador Water Agency board of directors last week held a workshop on financial plans for two service areas, and saw through actual revenues at mid-year that water sales are at a decline.

General Manager Gene Mancebo said it was pointed out that water sales revenue was down as people used less water, for whatever reasons, and the board asked staff to look at reflecting the decline in the financial plan for the Central Amador Water Project service area. The plan would be needed to prove financial stability in seeking a federal grant and loan for a Gravity Supply Line, an untreated, pipeline that has been sought by the AWA with more than $1 million spent on the project in recent years.

The agency seeks a $5.1 million USDA loan for the project, which would replace the current electrically pumped pipeline as the primary water pipeline to the Buckhorn Water Treatment Plant, which serves CAWP customers.

The worst case estimated a GSL costing $13.9 million with three years of rate increases of 9, 5 and 3 percent. A best scenario used a GSL estimated cost of $11.9 million, with rate increases of 6, 3, and 3 percent.

The workshop also discussed a financial plan for Camanche Water District 7, and suggestions were made that the system, with four wells, could operate without repairing its Well Number 14, which has had contamination issues.

Mancebo said not fixing Well 14 would save about $30,000, but it was not exactly how he wanted to do business. Number 14 is the best-producing well, and operating without it might put stress on the other wells, he said.

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Amador County – California winemakers helped set a record in exports of wine last year, with Golden State wine exports totaling more than $1 billion.

According to the California wine industry’s leading organization, the Wine Institute, California wines accounted for 90 percent of the $1.14 billion in exports of United States wines last year, or $1.02 billion worth.

Wine Institute President Robert P. Koch in the release said: “California is the fourth largest wine producer in the world. Our continued work advocating for a level playing field in trade matters and the creative, long-term marketing investments by our wineries will enable us to reach our goal.”

U.S. wine exports, 90 percent from California, rebounded to a new record of $1.14 billion in winery revenues in 2010, an increase of 25.6 percent over 2009 wine exports. Volume shipments rose 1.9 percent to 425.5 million liters.

Koch said it “indicates that our goal of $2 billion in wine export revenues by 2020 is achievable.”

Linsey Gallagher, Wine Institute's International Marketing Director, said “consumers worldwide are attracted to the state’s renowned cuisine, natural beauty and relaxed lifestyle, and these features go hand in hand with California wine.”

The Wine Institute recently launched a “global Discover California Wines branding campaign” to “emphasize the California lifestyle.”

Wine Institute’s International Trade Policy Director Tom LaFaille said “close to 20 percent of California’s wine production” is being sold in other countries, and makes exports “an important part of our industry’s success.”

LaFaille said: “To help drive further growth, we continue to work closely with the U.S. government and the international wine community to remove trade barriers and open new markets.”

Since 1985, Wine Institute has served as the administrator of the Market Access Program, an export promotion program managed by the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service.

The institute said 38% of U.S. wine exports by value were shipped to the 27 countries of the European Union, accounting for $435 million in revenues, up 14% from 2009. Volume shipped was 27.6 million cases in 2010. Changes in the dollar exchange rate, a gradually recovering economy and California’s effective marketing and high wine quality have helped exports rebound.

Other top markets were: Canada, $308 million; Hong Kong, $116 million; Japan, $76 million; and China, $45 million.

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Amador County – The Amador County Treasurer and Tax Collector Michael E. Ryan announced the sale of five tax-defaulted properties will be held March 9 in the Supervisors Chambers in Jackson.

Ryan announced that his office will “hold a public auction of tax-defaulted property,” and the “parcels become subject to sale by the Tax Collector at the end of 5 years from the date of tax default.”

Ryan in a release Wednesday said the “available parcels will be offered for sale on an oral bid basis for at least the established minimum bid. The parcels will be sold to the highest bidder.”

The primary purposes of the public auction are to first “collect the unpaid delinquent property taxes that are owed to the county,” and secondly, “to return the property to a tax-paying status.

Ryan said he “would like to remind interested parties that these parcels must be withdrawn from the sale in the event that the tax amounts due are paid by the day prior to the auction.”

The list on the county tax collector’s website included five properties to be auctioned for taxes, and showed one that was redeemed and one that was withdrawn. Two of the properties are in Camanche Village and also “are, or may, be subject to delinquent bonds, assessments and/or special district liens under the improvement bond act” or a “Mello-Roos community facilities act” bond.

Ryan said parcels may also be withdrawn in the event that certain conditions exist that affect the sale parcels. Information regarding the auction rules, the terms and conditions of the sale, and a list of the parcels being offered for sale, are available on the County’s web-site.

The tax default auction is set for 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 9 in the Board of Supervisors’ Chambers, in the Amador County Administration Center, at 810 Court Street in Jackson. For more information before the sale, contact The Amador County Treasurer and Tax Collector Michael E. Ryan.

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Amador County – The Amador Water Agency board of directors last week held a workshop on financial plans for two service areas, and saw through actual revenues at mid-year that water sales are at a decline.

General Manager Gene Mancebo said it was pointed out that water sales revenue was down as people used less water, for whatever reasons, and the board asked staff to look at reflecting the decline in the financial plan for the Central Amador Water Project service area. The plan would be needed to prove financial stability in seeking a federal grant and loan for a Gravity Supply Line, an untreated, pipeline that has been sought by the AWA with more than $1 million spent on the project in recent years.

The agency seeks a $5.1 million USDA loan for the project, which would replace the current electrically pumped pipeline as the primary water pipeline to the Buckhorn Water Treatment Plant, which serves CAWP customers.

The worst case estimated a GSL costing $13.9 million with three years of rate increases of 9, 5 and 3 percent. A best scenario used a GSL estimated cost of $11.9 million, with rate increases of 6, 3, and 3 percent.

The workshop also discussed a financial plan for Camanche Water District 7, and suggestions were made that the system, with four wells, could operate without repairing its Well Number 14, which has had contamination issues.

Mancebo said not fixing Well 14 would save about $30,000, but it was not exactly how he wanted to do business. Number 14 is the best-producing well, and operating without it might put stress on the other wells, he said.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.