Amador County – The California Vaccines for Children Program recently recognized Sutter Amador Hospital Pediatrics Center for outstanding achievement in immunizing children of Amador County and surrounding communities it serves.

Dr. David Stone, director of the Sutter Amador Pediatric Center said “in order to be able to continue to offer this program to our patients, we have to be able to pass with 80 percent. We have received 100 percent the past two years – this is an extremely rare achievement.”

Stone said: “This is a tremendous achievement for our office and a testament to the hard work and commitment shown by our staff and care providers toward maintaining this program.”

Hospital information officer Jody Boetzer said Wednesday that the VFC Program is managed by the California Department of Public Health’s Immunization Branch and is administered at the national level by the U.S. Center for Disease control and Prevention. Enrolled VFC providers, such as Sutter Amador Pediatrics Center, are able to provide routine immunizations to eligible children without high out-of-pocket costs.

“We voluntarily enroll in this program to ensure that all children without insurance receive the vaccinations they need,” Dr. Stone said.

Program requirements include that all VFC providers comply with CDC’s Standards for Pediatric Immunization Practices, including periodical program audits. During Sutter Amador Pediatrics Center’s most recent audit, the state evaluator reviewed 30 patient charts for accuracy of vaccine administration and documentation. They were also reviewed for compliance in areas such as ordering procedures, vaccine storage and handling, program eligibility screening and record keeping.

Boetzer said “Sutter Amador Pediatrics Center did not receive any deficiencies and were commended in several areas including immunizing children on time and according to State law requirements.”

Sutter Amador Pediatrics Center has three board-certified pediatricians and a nurse practitioner who provide comprehensive medical care for children ranging in age from newborns to 18 years of age. The Pediatrics Center is located on the second floor of the Sutter Amador Outpatient Services Center, Suite 2600. For information, call (209) 257-1722.

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

Amador County – The Amador Water Agency Board of Directors has set a public workshop Thursday afternoon to look at financial plans for the Central Amador Water Project and Camanche Water District 7.

The board last week looked toward the workshop after discussing staff work as a “drop dead” date neared for a $5.1 million USDA grant for a proposed “Gravity Supply Line,” in the CAWP water project. The date was July 22 to have the financial plan in place, which includes rate increases, if needed.

Engineering Manager Erik Christesen said with efforts well under way on the project, it was likely USDA would extend that time period on the GSL grant, as it had similarly done for a $2 million grant for the Plymouth pipeline.

AWA General Manager Gene Mancebo said Tuesday the financial plans for CAWP and Camanche will be discussed by the board, the public and staff at the workshop, and public hearings would follow as determined necessary. Mancebo said the CAWP service area plan includes a “worst case scenario” for costs of the GSL, other estimates, and the cost of not building the GSL pipeline and instead upgrading CAWP’s pump stations.

The pump station upgrade would cost an estimated $4.7 million and need a 9 percent rate increase the first year, 5 percent the second, and 4 percent the third. The worst case estimated a GSL at $13.9 million with a 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 is 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17 at the AWA office on Ridge Road.

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

Amador County – Jackson City Councilman Pat Crew was voted last week to be president of the Jackson Business and Community Association.

The vote came during the JBCA’s general membership meeting Wednesday, Feb. 9 at Thomi’s Banquet Room in Jackson. Crew announced his selection Monday night during the Jackson City Council meeting, at the behest of City Manager Mike Daly, after the councilman announced the other elected officers.

Daly said it was an “easy slate” as Crew was the only nominee for the president’s positions, but he was a good president and would give the association stability. He said Crew would surely step aside if another candidate wanted to lead the group.

Kellee Davenport was elected Vice President of the JBCA, and Carol Harper was voted to be Secretary. The group’s Treasurer is Kim Schmultzer-Agee. Harper had been acting as interim secretary.

Crew said the executive board decided to meet the first Monday of every month. The JBCA office is at 583 South Highway 49 in Jackson, behind Jose’s Mexican Restaurant. JacksonBCA.org.

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

Amador County – The Amador County Historical Society’s dinner to raise funds to reopen the Amador County Museum is a sellout, almost two weeks before the actual event at Thomi’s Banquet Room in Jackson on Saturday, Feb. 26.

Amador Historical Society President Gary Reinoehl said Monday that the “176 available tickets have been taken and the Society is elated at the strong demand to support the Society” in its “Let’s Open Our Museum” campaign.

Reinoehl also announced that several large contributions had been received and those donations will be announced during the event. The event starts at 5:30 p.m. with a social hour and silent auction. He said “local merchants and individuals have donated many wonderful items to the auction.” As new Society president, Reinoehl will welcome attendees.

Larry Cenotto in a release said the program will be emceed by Frank Halvorson, former owner of Prospect Motors in Jackson. Keynote speaker will be Rich Hoffman, Chief Executive Officer of the Jackson Rancheria Casino & Hotel. Other speakers will include Jackson City Councilman Pat Crew, the newly elected president of the Jackson Business & Community Association; and District 1 Supervisor John Plasse, chairman of the Amador County Board of Supervisors. Other speakers include Stan Lukowicz, local businessman and Amador Community Foundation director; Maureen Funk, executive manager of the Amador Tourism Council; Mike Daly, city manager of Jackson; and Larry Cenotto, past president of the Society.

Reinoehl said all money raised from the fundraiser dinner will be used exclusively to pay for disability access changes at the museum’s mine model exhibit and for preliminary work at the museum to assess American’s with Disabilities Act requirements and structural deficiencies to eventually reopen the museum.

A Society committee and county officials will be meeting soon to discuss a plan to reopen the county museum facilities.

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

Amador County – The Valentines Day fundraiser, “Take a Chance on Love” started kind of slow, but ended up raising $16,420 for Hospice of Amador and Calaveras Counties.

The grand prize was won by Linda Poulos, a Pine Grove resident, who is also a volunteer at the Hospice Thrift Store in Jackson. Poulos won an all-expense paid trip for four people to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, valued at more than $10,000.

Linda Matulich of Ione won the second prize, the “Love Knot” diamond pendant with a 14-karat white gold chain, valued at $2,000.

Karen Mason, Hospice executive assistant, said Mayra Lawrence, 99, of Jackson won the third place prize of a golf package, including 16 rounds of golf, complete with golf carts at Mace Meadow, Castle Oaks, La Contenta and Greenhorn Creek, valued at approximately $1,100.

Mason said they found out Tuesday that Lawrence “does not golf, so she has donated the golf package back to Hospice to raise money again.” She said it was for a good cause. Mason said they might include the golf package in the Hospice Art Auction later in the year, which is scheduled to be held in Calaveras County this year.

Nancy Martinelli, a past Hospice volunteer, who lives in Sutter Creek, won the fourth prize in the raffle, a two-night stay for two people in an ocean-side condominium on the Monterey Bay, with a $100 restaurant certificate, and a total value of $900.

Hospice Volunteer Coordinator Ann Metherd said early Tuesday she knew the third annual Valentine’s Day Raffle had raised over $14,000 but they were not sure how much more. She said “it was a slower sales year but we are grateful for everyone pitching in and helping out.”

Metherd said: “The need for our services has grown tremendously over the past few years and we are encouraged by all the support of the general public.” The Valentine Raffle is the organization’s biggest fundraiser of the year.

Mason said late Tuesday that ticket sales had totaled $16,420. She said a lot volunteers helped sell tickets, some for the first time, and Hospice really appreciated “all the wonderful people who stepped up.” Volunteers sold tickets at storefronts on Super Bowl Sunday, helping the raffle to a strong finish.

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

Amador County – The Jackson City Council on Monday approved seeking Requests For Qualifications for environmental work on three possible solutions to the city’s wastewater non-compliance issue.

A city Sewer Rate Committee met eight times, more than 16 hours total looking at various solutions, many brought forth by the public, said City Manager Mike Daly, as he endorsed the committee’s recommendation.

Daly recommended the “committee focus its efforts on the rate impact evaluation relative to the implementation of the land disposal option,” that is, spraying irrigation water on land. He also recommended the council initiate the state and federal environmental process “which should include the No Project, and a reservoir proposal from Ken Berry as alternative options.”

That process would look at the options under state law and determine the most viable option. The council approved the recommendations, which included “authorizing staff to begin preparation of the California Environmental Quality Act review of the projects by issuing a Request For Qualifications (RFQ) to select the firm best suited to complete the Environmental Impact Report.”

Daly said he would likely have the RFQ out by week’s end, and he hoped the council could choose a firm at its March 28 meeting. He recommended an RFQ to get a potential third-party analysis of work already done by city wastewater consultant, Stantec, formerly the company ECO:LOGIC.

Regional Board regulator Kenneth D. Landau attended the meeting and also sent a letter early Monday to the city. Councilman Keith Sweet said the letter “was pretty ominous in terms of penalties the city would incur” for not meeting national discharge requirements in its effluent released into Jackson Creek.

Landau said: “It was intended to be ominous,” and said fines could be $10 a gallon, or $10,000 a day, or even connection bans. He said connection bans are on the Regional Board’s next agenda concerning wastewater system seepage issues in Ione’s municipal system.

Sweet asked for clarification on penalties and when they were due, and Landau said that was complicated by enforcement law, but there were mandatory minimum penalties that could occur. He said an “enforcement project” would be needed.

Landau said the state allows for a “mandatory minimum penalty” to pay for the compliance project, because levying a big fine on a small city would not help the city pay for a high-priced project.

Sweet asked if an EIR would be required, and Landau said “as the lead agency, you would have to make that decision.” Landau did not think a “negative declaration” would suffice because the project will have impacts, but he said “that does not mean you need a 20-pound EIR document.”

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