Amador County – Amador County Transportation Commission next week will consider 13 alternatives for the Highway 88 Pine Grove Improvement Project.

Project planner Neil Peacock said Monday he would recommend 10 for elimination for various reasons, including, having too high a cost (up to $100 million) or too big an impact on Pine Grove. The remaining three alternatives would be recommended for further study.

An evaluation matrix, based on public input and stakeholder concerns, was used to develop screening criteria, which guides all evaluation of alternatives. Of the 10, Peacock said they cannot afford five, while four do well and four did not do well with evaluation and had unacceptable impacts. All proposals would need final approval by Caltrans.

The three Peacock would recommend for further study include a “Northern Bypass” option passing partly through the Caltrans maintenance yard, through ACES transfer station, and part of Crestview. It would cross Volcano Road and come out near Mount Zion Road.

A “One-Way Couplet” proposal would tie in with existing or new roads on south side, starting just south of Pine Grove, and running roughly along the foot of the slope.

A “Through-Town” expansion would widen the road to 4 traffic lanes and a center turn lane, and require an 80-foot right-of-way, measured 40 feet from the center line to either side of the road.

Peacock said the Through-Town alternative “would not necessarily require full-takes, of a large number of businesses,” a “full-take” being removal of entire buildings. “However, it may result in individual full-take parcels.”

The main impact in the Through-Town route “is going to be on parking and access, due to the right of way width itself, and any safety requirements that Caltrans has us integrate into the designs,” Peacock said. That could mean creating some “no-left turn” areas, so vehicles do not turn across two lanes of traffic.

After identifying the top alternatives, they can “delve into the nitty gritty.” Part of the meeting next week will be, taking input on how they want to involve the public in the second phase process.

A 14th alternative in November from the Pine Grove Community Council proposes two one-way couplets as separate roads bypassing Pine Grove on northern and southern routes, leaving Highway 88 as a local Main Street.

Peacock said the route hasn’t been evaluated, but would get the same scrutiny as other alternatives. Its cost was estimated at $62 million, while the project has a cost limit of $40 million.

The meeting is 6 p.m. Jan. 19 at the county admin building.

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Amador County – The Amador County Sheriff’s Department announced the late December arrest of an Amador City man after he allegedly pointed a shotgun in the face of a Jackson man. He was later charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, and also possessing a stolen gun.

Sheriff Martin Ryan’s office issued a release Wednesday saying Michael Shawn Smith, 35, of Jackson, reported going to the house of his ex-wife to check on her welfare because she had been ill. He visited the residence at about 11:30 p.m. on Dec. 30 on Highway 49 in Amador City.

“Smith reported that he was greeted by a Hispanic male,” who “pointed a shotgun at his face.”

Amador County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the home in Amador City, and deputies contacted Smith’s ex-wife, as well as Umberto Valencia, 28, of Amador City. The report said “Valencia denied brandishing a firearm at Smith, but admitted to possessing a shotgun, which was subsequently found hidden in his bedroom closet. The shotgun, a Mossberg pump action .12 gauge, was loaded with four rounds.”

The Sheriff’s Department said a “search of the Automated Firearm System showed the Mossberg shotgun was reported stolen from Modesto,” and “upon further investigation it was determined that Valencia is a convicted felon and as such precluded from possessing firearms.”

“Valencia was arrested and charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a stolen firearm,” the Sheriff’s office said. “Additional investigation is being conducted by sheriff’s detectives “in relation to the allegations that Valencia brandished a firearm at Smith.”

Valencia was booked into the Amador County Jail, where bail was set at $45,000.

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

Amador County – Amador County Transportation Commission next week will consider 13 alternatives for the Highway 88 Pine Grove Improvement Project.

Project planner Neil Peacock said Monday he would recommend 10 for elimination for various reasons, including, having too high a cost (up to $100 million) or too big an impact on Pine Grove. The remaining three alternatives would be recommended for further study.

An evaluation matrix, based on public input and stakeholder concerns, was used to develop screening criteria, which guides all evaluation of alternatives. Of the 10, Peacock said they cannot afford five, while four do well and four did not do well with evaluation and had unacceptable impacts. All proposals would need final approval by Caltrans.

The three Peacock would recommend for further study include a “Northern Bypass” option passing partly through the Caltrans maintenance yard, through ACES transfer station, and part of Crestview. It would cross Volcano Road and come out near Mount Zion Road.

A “One-Way Couplet” proposal would tie in with existing or new roads on south side, starting just south of Pine Grove, and running roughly along the foot of the slope.

A “Through-Town” expansion would widen the road to 4 traffic lanes and a center turn lane, and require an 80-foot right-of-way, measured 40 feet from the center line to either side of the road.

Peacock said the Through-Town alternative “would not necessarily require full-takes, of a large number of businesses,” a “full-take” being removal of entire buildings. “However, it may result in individual full-take parcels.”

The main impact in the Through-Town route “is going to be on parking and access, due to the right of way width itself, and any safety requirements that Caltrans has us integrate into the designs,” Peacock said. That could mean creating some “no-left turn” areas, so vehicles do not turn across two lanes of traffic.

After identifying the top alternatives, they can “delve into the nitty gritty.” Part of the meeting next week will be, taking input on how they want to involve the public in the second phase process.

A 14th alternative in November from the Pine Grove Community Council proposes two one-way couplets as separate roads bypassing Pine Grove on northern and southern routes, leaving Highway 88 as a local Main Street.

Peacock said the route hasn’t been evaluated, but would get the same scrutiny as other alternatives. Its cost was estimated at $62 million, while the project has a cost limit of $40 million.

The meeting is 6 p.m. Jan. 19 at the county admin building.

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Amador County – The Amador County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 last week to join the Sustainable Forest Action Coalition, with Supervisors Brian Oneto and Ted Novelli to represent the board and the county.

Recent past Chair Oneto said he brought the issue to the board to ask if it wanted to join, saying it was “a group advocating better use of the forest.”

Supervisor Richard Forster said if they joined and had Oneto or someone else represent the county, they “need to be careful about language they use,” such as using the term “thinning” for management of “forest health to avoid catastrophic wildfires,” instead of “cutting down a bunch of trees.” Oneto said if they don’t reduce fuels, they “will see catastrophic burns, like we have seen time and again.”

Forster said they would get a lot more “buy in” if they frame language a certain way, and he noted a webinar on which Jim Branham wanted and had some “well-connected” environmental groups. Forster said: “I don’t want to be part of a group that is going to inflame the situation.”

Oneto said “it’s a bigger voice,” and he thought it noteworthy that he was supporting joining a group with the word “sustainable” in its title, a word he fought against in past board discussions. He said the coalition has a goal in making prospective members of Senators Boxer and Feinstein.

Plasse asked county consultant John Hofmann to comment on the county’s proposed membership to the coalition. Hofmann said if it was the business side trying to team with legislators, to “see what they can do to manage forests and help rural areas,” then it was a good coalition and worth a look.

Hofmann said if it was trying to “rebuild infrastructure,” to “build another sawmill that cuts 30- or 40- or 50-inch trees,” it was probably not a good coalition to join.

California Forestry Association lobbyist Steve Brink said “we are a member,” and SFAC was formed after the Wally Herger and Tom McClintock wildfire forums, which started with the wildfires of 2008.

Brink said the quarterly SFAC meetings have a lot to do with “active management on forests that are not reserved,” and they are “trying to get Feinstein engaged as well, since she holds the purse stings.” Forster asked about the cost, and Brink said it had no cost and was an all-volunteer organization.

One man in public comment said the best “way to see how a coalition speaks is to be a member of the coalition.” Forster asked for reports from the meetings, and wanted to see some information the coalition sends out.

The coalition next meets Feb. 23 in Sacramento.

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Amador County – The Amador County Unified School District board of trustees will be discussing its makeup Jan. 26, with the idea of moving to a five-member board, from the current seven members.

Superintendent Dick Glock said the board will be taking that up the 26th, and some interesting events have led the board to already have five members, while in the process of applying to make the board smaller.

Glock said Trustee Janelle Redkey resigned to relocate out of Amador County, and then in the previous election, only one person applied for candidacy in Ione, that being Trustee Rose Oneto, for the November election.

Glock said “through strange set of events,” the school board has moved toward “what our waiver request was for this summer,” to drop to a five-member board, with members representing Supervisorial Districts.

Since 2001, the Amador County trustee areas have been along the former school districts in the county, but the district allows everybody in the county to vote on all of the trustees. With the formal change by the state, that will change, so that only people in trustee areas can vote for their trustees. Those will be along the five supervisorial districts.

The current Amador County Unified School District board of Trustees is also the county Office of Education Board of Directors. They are President Wally Upper, and Trustees Mary Walser, Pat Miller, Rose Oneto, and Lynette Lipp.

Lipp was appointed when only one candidate filed for November, leaving a vacancy.

Walser and Upper both are in terms that expire next November, and Miller, Lipp and Oneto all are in terms of office that run through November 2014.

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Amador County – The Sutter Creek Planning Commission on Monday selected its chairman for 2011 as Mike Kirkley, and also selected its Vice Chairman to be Frank Cunha.

Kirkely is the appointee of Mayor Tim Murphy, and Cunha is the appointee of Vice Mayor Linda Rianda. The commission includes Ed Arata (appointed by Jim Swift), Robin Peters (appointed by Sandy Anderson), and Bob Olsen appointed by Gary Wooten.

The commission on Monday discussed and made a preliminary recommendation for a bridge design on the Main Street Bridge that crosses over Sutter Creek near City Hall.

City Manager Sean Rabe said the commission liked the slab bridge idea with a simulated truss on the sides to match the new walking bridge, but with a painted finish, rather than a rust look. Dokken Engineering gave a presentation on the bridge and took direction from the commission, for presentation to the council. Rabe said at least one more public meeting will be held on the issue.

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