Amador County - The Amador County Board of Supervisors expressed frustration Tuesday over the arduous process of obtaining federal grants for local energy efficiency projects, but ultimately approved the grant when considering the necessity of the upgrades.

 The Department of Energy allocated approximately $49.6 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding to the California Energy Commission (CEC), which in turn allocated $132,564 to Amador County. That amount was reduced to $122,922 after the cost of hard estimates for local implementation were developed.

 Jon Hopkins, General Services Director, expressed frustration over the many “hoops” his department had to jump through over the course of a year to acquire the grants, including numerous online workshops, face-to-face meetings with state officials, mountains of paperwork and a consultant who lives in Florida.

 To complicate matters further, he said the CEC now has further requirements before Amador County can start spending the grant funds. These are a waste management plan and a supporting wage rate determination assuring compliance with federal law.

 Hopkins said “timing is critical” because the board authorized in December 2009 to take money out of the general fund to cover the project cost. The funds were taken out of the budget by the Auditor’s office. Therefore, re-budgeting these funds is necessary to carry the project forward. 

 “If we had known in 2009 that it would have taken all this work, we would have never taken this path,” said Supervisor Ted Novelli.

 Hopkins said there are a number of “necessary upgrades,” specifically the 30-year-old air-conditioning units at the Sheriff’s office. He estimates an annual costs savings of $23,152 once the funds are reimbursed and upgrades are made. “Overall operating costs will be significantly reduced, which saves the taxpayers a lot of money,” he said.

 Hopkins said grant acquisition is much easier for larger counties and population centers, which also receive the majority of the funding. He said he does not know why small counties were targeted for a different, more complicated process. “Whatever the case…we could use the $122,000,” he said.

 “We would waste a lot of staff time that has already been expended if we didn’t move forward,” said Supervisor Richard Forster.

 The board approved 5-0 a motion to have Jon Hopkins and staff move forward with the project and solicit bids. Hopkins said the solicitation process usually takes three to four months.

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Amador County – The Upcountry Community Council heard a report on two major transportation projects at their meeting Tuesday, including the announcement of an upcoming meeting on the Pine Grove/Highway 88 Improvement Project.

 The report was presented by Pine Grove resident Gary Reinoehl, who serves as the council liaison for regional transportation issues, which includes serving on the Pine Grove/Highway 88 stakeholders group.

 Reinoehl said the criteria for rating the route alternatives of the Highway 88 project has been completed. “All projects that were of very high cost (over 50 million) were removed from consideration as the excessively high price was considered a fatal flaw by (Amador County Transportation Commission) and agreed to by the Stakeholders,” said Reinoehl in his report.

 The project originally included 12 different alternatives for route modifications at a price tag not to exceed $40 million. The ultimate project goal is to reduce congestion, improve operations and enhance safety between the intersections at Climax Road and Tabeau Road.

 Reinoehl said that of the eight remaining alternatives, four were rated low and four were rated high. He said he also introduced an alternative as approved by the Pine Grove Council “that will also be rated using the criteria and performance measures as well as cost.” 

 He also discussed a November 3rd public workshop on the Highway 49 Transportation Concept Report. The meeting was hosted by Caltrans with the goal of gathering local input on a long range plan it is developing for Highway 49.

 Reinoehl said the agency is looking at “future needs of the highway in 20 years and beyond.” He said “Caltrans received numerous community comments as they discussed the separate segments of Highway 49 and the projected needs.”

 The most important announcement of the night was a reminder about the upcoming public meeting to discuss progress on the Pine Grove/Highway 88 Corridor Project. The meeting will take place Tuesday, November 16th at Pine Grove Elementary in Pine Grove. The open house begins at 5:30 pm. A formal presentation and public comment period will begin at 6 pm. ACTC will then facilitate a workshop with individuals to discuss the project alternatives and gather ideas and feedback on potential project solutions.

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Amador County – Supporters of the Preston Castle are rallying community support for a grant opportunity that would provide much needed funding to restore the historic institution.

The Pepsi Foundation is offering grant awards to good causes throughout the country as part of its “Pepsi Refresh Project.” In this case, the Preston Castle Foundation is requesting $25,000 to “restore and refresh the century-old facility.”

In an overview provided on the Pepsi website, the foundation says “rehabilitating…the Preston Castle preserves this magnificent Greek Romanesque structure, celebrates nationally significant history, and strengthens our community.” Preserving this structure,” it says, “provides for potential venues including a community health center, community service offices, child care center, community college or vocational classes (there is no college in the county), community forums, museum and library, and more.”

The foundation says rain water is seeping inside many of the castle’s interior and exterior walls, and the grant would be used to purchase new rain gutters to weatherize the structure.

The “Pepsi Refresh Project” will award those competitors with the most online votes. In order to show your support and put your vote behind the Preston Castle, go to http://www.refresheverything.com and type in Preston Castle in the search box in the upper right-hand corner.

Says the Preston Castle Foundation: “The Preston Castle needs to be rehabilitated so this magnificent building, built in 1898, can once again serve as an institution of learning, community service, and a solid reminder of the merits of education, hard work, and the American spirit of determination and fortitude.”

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Amador County – A required organizational meeting was held Saturday to discuss the management of the new Amador Central Railroad, purchased by two local conservation groups last month for the unprecedented sum of $1.

The historic line was obtained from Sierra Pacific Industries through a joint venture agreement between the Amador County Historical Society (ACHS) and the Recreational Railroad Coalition Historical Society (RRCHS). Thirty three parcels across 11.8 miles of land were included in the deal. The line stretches from Highway 88 in Martell to Ione.

RRCHS President Larry Bowler said that as far as he knows, “this is the first time ever in the history of recreational railroading that a railroad has basically been given to a nonprofit.” He said the meeting had to be held within two weeks as required by the JVA, and was mainly to determine the specifics of the agreement and how the railroad will be operationally managed. He said the groups are working together in what “seems to be a pretty good marriage.”

Bowler said the agreement makes both organizations co-owners. Each group named three persons to a new six-member managing committee which will run operations subject to both boards approval. ACHS President Larry Cenotto will serve as the first committee president, with Bowler expected to take over after Cenotto steps down next year. The president will vote only in the case of a tie.

The meeting was held at Ione City Hall on Saturday.

The new management committee is in the process of electing a Roadmaster and deputy who will supervise operations on the railroad and be responsible for its maintenance, as well as a treasurer to handle all funds, separate from each organization.

Bowler said they are still discussing whether it is necessary or beneficial to create a specific 501(c)(3) for the railroad, or to simply manage the line through the existing status of both organizations.

Bowler said Ione City Manager Kim Kerr expressed a strong interest and “talked with us for over an hour” about what the acquisition of the rail line will mean to her city and the county as a whole. Together, he said, they decided jointly to put on the Ione Rail Fair in May, 2011, although details on that are still being discussed.

Beginning in 1904 and operating for a century, the Amador Central Railroad was the main connection with the Southern Pacific Company at Ione and Martell.

“Overall,” said Bowler, “I’m excited that SPI gave us the historic opportunity to utilize the railroad for local purposes rather than let it rust away into oblivion.” He said he hopes the railroad “will also become used by the general public in terms of rides and educational seminars.”

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Amador County – The Amador Water Agency board of directors scheduled a special meeting today to discuss quarterly finances, and could also act on hiring a consultant to look at the agency’s internal operations, toward reorganization.

Human Resources Coordinators Karen Gish in a report dated today (November 9th) recommended a company at a cost of $18,300 to make a management and efficiency study of the agency.

Gish said the company BHI Management Consulting of Tracy includes a staff with the best work experience. She said the company has experience in the operation of water and wastewater agencies, as elected officials, as managers, and working for cities and special districts.

BHI principal “Brent Ives serves as a faculty member of the Special Districts Governance Academy for special Agency Board members,” Gish said.

She said “staff believes that this direct water/wastewater experience coupled with broad based organizational optimization background, make BHI Management Consulting better qualified to analyze the water agency organizational structure.”

The board directed staff to make “preliminary work plans for conducting an organizational assessment of the agency,” she said, and “received three proposals,” ranging from $16,800 to $19,925. “The study itself will take approximately 12-16 weeks.”

The AWA board looked at the September quarterlies on October 28th and heard from Finance Manager Mike Lee that the numbers did not “include the concessions that the employee groups agreed to.” He said those savings would show in the next eight months.

The board asked staff to look at consultants to make a reorganization study. During public comment, agency information technology specialist Mitch Netto said it is “admirable trying to reorganize,” and he thought they should consider trying to “take an outside view.” He recommended a “quick, brief study for a few thousand dollars,” instead of “arguing against your selves” and having “employees against each other.”

Netto said “as a property owner,” he has seen that “rates have not gone up when they should have” for agency customers. In his job with the AWA he said, budget cuts have caused him to cut back on hardware improvements that “you would never, ever not replace” and it was “setting ourselves up for future failure.”

President Bill Condrashoff agreed, saying they should not have friends deciding friends’ jobs at the agency. Director Terence Moore said General Manager Gene Mancebo’s preliminary look into costs found estimates of $20,000 to $30,000, taking 12 weeks. Moore said Mancebo could do the study faster.

Director Gary Thomas said Macebo could do the study “internally” in 10 weeks, but fall behind in other work.

The board will also consider proposals from Bryce Consulting of Sacramento and Koff & Associates of Emeryville.

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Amador County – Plymouth voters narrowly rejected a city-wide Transient Occupancy Tax increase during the general election November 2nd, but did approve an accompanying, non-binding advisory that would have suggested how the city would have used the funding.

City Manager Dixon Flynn said he would try to take the issue back to the council, to attempt the initiative again, but he would first try to get information out about the tax, and who pays it.

He said he thought the initiative, Measure O, failed because people thought it was a tax they would have to pay. He said they did not realize that it was a “tourist tax.”

With 528 eligible voters for the vote, Plymouth needed 265 votes to clinch a decision on each of its two measures. Instead, Measure O lost by a 32-vote margin, 169-137, while Measure P passed on a 158-139 vote.

Plymouth’s Measure O would have enacted an ordinance “increasing the transient occupancy tax to 10 percent of the rent charged by hotel operators within the city limits, with tax revenue to be used for general municipal purposes.” Its passage would have enacted a 4 percent increase in the city’s Transient Occupancy Tax, raising it from 6 percent to 10 percent.

Measure P asked Plymouth voters to decide if 2 percent of the revenue from the TOT increase should “be used for streets, parking and landscaping, and the remaining two percent for tourism including promotions, events, signage, advertising and other related expenses.”

Former City Attorney Steven Rudolph said the “transient occupancy tax is a type of tax that a city may levy on the privilege of occupying a room in a hotel or a similar place of lodging within a city.”

A simple majority – 50 percent plus one vote – of registered Plymouth voters would have allowed the measures to pass.

The six percent Transient Occupancy Tax in Plymouth has remained the same since the tax went into effect in 1980. Plymouth’s six percent TOT tax raised $75,000 last year, and the four percent increase would have added approximately $50,000 to that total.

The election office said it had not yet counted all ballots, but hoped to do so this week. There remained an estimated 1,700 to 1,800 absentee and mail ballots from all points in the county that could still be counted if they qualify.

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