Amador County – The Ione City Council heard an update of ongoing wastewater treatment plant issues in the city, including that the Regional Water Quality Control Board toured the site September 8th, and the city and the state will meet to discuss the issues in a couple of weeks.

City Manager Kim Kerr said design changes were required by the state on the city’s proposed new plant, which includes a proposed new storage pond, Pond Number 8. The state found its design could cause groundwater seepage.

One proposed change included capturing water in an underground French drain, to keep wastewater from percolating out though the ground. Kerr said the French drain would have a pump to recycle water through the system.

A request for proposals (RFP) and an amendment have gone out on the project, which seeks bids from one company to design, build, operate, and finance the project.

Last week, the city council learned two bidders pulled out, including Auburn Construction, and Teichert Construction. Kerr said one bidder is still there: PERC Water Corporation of Costa Mesa.

Councilman Jim Ulm criticized the bidding process at last week’s meeting, saying it seemed the city was “making it a design project for PERC.”

Councilman Lee Ard recommended Ulm go back and read the initial proposal. He said Teichert and Auburn propsals excluded some conditions the city specifically sought, so they did not entirely meet the requests entirely. PERC met all ot the requirements.

Proposals were due Tuesday, Sept. 28.

Kerr said the proposed new tertiary-level wastewater treatment plant is a solution to the cease and desist order that stems from a 2003 infraction. She said the error was the “daylighting”, or leakage, of wastewater stored in Pond Number 7. Since then, the city installed rip-rap, and the pond’s berm “now has vegetation growing on it.” An inspection showed no signs of seepage.

She said the city was told to do a water analysis, for its Report of Waste Discharge, and additional modeling. Kerr said: “We’re waiting for them to give approval to move forward with our design.”

Quality Control Board’s compliance and permitting officers toured the plant site Sept. 8, and the city and the board will meet in Sacramento for another discussion, October 12th. Kerr said one concern is that the cease and desist order is so old the regional board may have to update it.

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

Amador County – The Ione City Council heard an update of ongoing wastewater treatment plant issues in the city, including that the Regional Water Quality Control Board toured the site September 8th, and the city and the state will meet to discuss the issues in a couple of weeks.

City Manager Kim Kerr said design changes were required by the state on the city’s proposed new plant, which includes a proposed new storage pond, Pond Number 8. The state found its design could cause groundwater seepage.

One proposed change included capturing water in an underground French drain, to keep wastewater from percolating out though the ground. Kerr said the French drain would have a pump to recycle water through the system.

A request for proposals (RFP) and an amendment have gone out on the project, which seeks bids from one company to design, build, operate, and finance the project.

Last week, the city council learned two bidders pulled out, including Auburn Construction, and Teichert Construction. Kerr said one bidder is still there: PERC Water Corporation of Costa Mesa.

Councilman Jim Ulm criticized the bidding process at last week’s meeting, saying it seemed the city was “making it a design project for PERC.”

Councilman Lee Ard recommended Ulm go back and read the initial proposal. He said Teichert and Auburn propsals excluded some conditions the city specifically sought, so they did not entirely meet the requests entirely. PERC met all ot the requirements.

Proposals were due Tuesday, Sept. 28.

Kerr said the proposed new tertiary-level wastewater treatment plant is a solution to the cease and desist order that stems from a 2003 infraction. She said the error was the “daylighting”, or leakage, of wastewater stored in Pond Number 7. Since then, the city installed rip-rap, and the pond’s berm “now has vegetation growing on it.” An inspection showed no signs of seepage.

She said the city was told to do a water analysis, for its Report of Waste Discharge, and additional modeling. Kerr said: “We’re waiting for them to give approval to move forward with our design.”

Quality Control Board’s compliance and permitting officers toured the plant site Sept. 8, and the city and the board will meet in Sacramento for another discussion, October 12th. Kerr said one concern is that the cease and desist order is so old the regional board may have to update it.

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Amador County – The Amador County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday looked to squelch any controversy over pay increases for county government employees by deferring a raise in their own salary and benefits until 2012.

Supervisor Richard Forster told TSPN that Supervisors want to “set the record straight” after receiving complaints about recently approved pay raises for Health Director Kristen Bengyel and Social Services Director Matt Zanze. “We know the budget times are tough and it doesn’t look like they are going to get better any faster,” he said. “At some point you have to do that for positions where there is obviously a disparity.” He said no other county positions are being considered for raises.

Forster criticized the Amador Ledger Dispatch for publishing a story on county salaries that he called “misleading” by showing “a significantly different picture.”

Supervisors alluded to other complaints they have received.

“The accusation that somehow we’re feathering our nests when everybody else is being asked to take a cut is just blatantly untrue,” said Supervisor John Plasse. “We’ve postponed (increases) twice before, refused COLA (cost-of-living adjustment) funds, and took a ten percent pay cut.”

According to Amador County Code, Supervisor salaries would have been adjusted from 35 percent to 40 percent of the Amador County superior court judge’s salary. Last June, they deferred the adjustment to take place on July 1st, 2011. Supervisor gross base salaries are currently $4,733 a month after furlough days, not including benefits.

On Tuesday, they approved an additional deferment until July 1st, 2012. The motion passed unanimously.

“These are tough, tough times,” said Board Chairman Brian Oneto. “Right now something like this is just not necessary.”

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Washington, D.C. – President Barack Obama signed the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 into law on Monday, providing a $30 billion lending fund and $12 billion in tax breaks for small businesses. The bill contains a host of proposals aimed at giving the nation’s small businesses support and incentives to make new investments and expand.

The bill provides eight small business tax cuts. This includes the elimination of all capitol gains taxes on small business investments held for more than five years. It gives businesses the ability to write-off the first $500,000 of investments in new equipment purchases. It also allows those who are self-employed to deduct 100 percent of the cost of health insurance from their self-employment taxes.

The bill includes a change in rules so that cell phones can be deducted without burdensome extra documentation.

It will allow certain businesses to “carry back” their general business credits to offset five years of taxes, as well as give them a break on their taxes for this year.

A new $30 billion Small Business Lending Fund will also be established to provide capital to small banks with incentives to increase small business lending. A new State Small Business Credit Initiative will support at least $15 billion in new lending by strengthening state small business programs that leverage private-sector lenders to extend additional credit.

According to Larry Cope, Director of Economic Development for the Tuolumne County Economic Development Authority, “the bill will give our nation’s small businesses support and incentives to help them grow and hire…and small businesses will start benefiting from the bill on day one.”

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Amador County – A minor traffic enforcement stop led to a felony methamphetamine drug-related arrest Monday in Ione. Ione Police Chief Michael L. Johnson said a minor traffic infraction led to felony and other drug charges for two people.

Johnson said a Ford Ranger traveling through Ione on Main Street at about 2 a.m. Monday was stopped by an Ione Police Department officer for a minor license plate California vehicle code infraction. The male driver of the Rander, John Haynes, age 56, and a female passenger told the officer they were on their way to the Jackson Rancheria Casino.

Johnson said: “The officer, upon speaking with the occupants, detected the odor of marijuana emanating from the vehicle.”

A driver’s license check of Haynes returned showing he had a suspended driver’s license and an outstanding warrant for his arrest. Johnson said Haynes were placed in custody.

“A search of the vehicle produced an open alcoholic beverage, a glass pipe commonly used for ingesting illegal drugs, and a baggy of substance believed to be methamphetamine,” Johnson said. A small amount of marijuana was discovered in the possession of the female passenger.

The female was cited and released at the scene for possession of marijuana, and the vehicle was towed from the scene.

Haynes was arrested on the warrant, California Vehicle Code and Health and Safety Code violations, including Transportation of Methamphetamine.

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Amador County – Ione City Council last week received a report of a grant-funded workshop by a national group helping pool local efforts to preserve the city and county. The council heard about the “Your Town” workshop, one of a handful held across the country this year with grants through “Your Town: The Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design.”

Local consultant Renee Chapman helped get the grant for the “Amador Regional Design Workshop,” which in August drew an average of 52 participants.

Chapman in a report said the workshop goal was “to collaboratively explore and discuss ways to enhance Amador County’s economic and community development through design.”

Part of the workshop was the Ione Community Program. Ione City Manager Kim Kerr said 14 people from Ione attended.

Three separate projects related to design for downtown Ione were selected by the group, and “intended to educate and inform the public about Ione and attract visitors.”

One project is to install “specialty plaques on historic properties.” It would identify 14 historic landmarks in the city, and could be incorporated into a walking tour, with plaques or signs giving brief history and showing photos of original buildings.

Another project identified would create murals in the downtown district. Chapman said the group liked the project because it could “add more murals on sides of buildings” to “tell the story of the history of Ione.” The workshop identified some buildings that could be locations for new murals downtown.

A third project would build an “iconic sign” or arch for Ione, to identify and illustrate city history and “serve as a welcome to anyone coming into town.”

Projects identified work plans that included gathering community support, identifying funding and making decisions on themes and the like.

Kerr said the workshop also made clear the value of trees, and showed how fast food restaurants can gauge their design to match a city’s preferences and architecture.

The workshop drew planners, staff and interested people from cities, Amador County government, and the county at large. Chapman said the attendees were productive, and the format was creative. She said the workshop actually had attendees designing things on paper by drawing pictures, so they all saw the same thing.

Kerr said there will be more information coming back at that next workshop in February.

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Coloma – A 25-mile trail along the South Fork American River will open Friday (October 1), according to a regional organization. The American River Conservancy announced last week that the trail would be open.

Noël Robinson, of the ARC, said the trail has three access points, located in Magnolia Ranch in Coloma; Cronan Ranch at Pilot Hill; and Salmon Falls, a newly built bridge at Acorn Creek in El Dorado Hills.

 Robinson said the South Fork American River conservation initiative was launched in 1990 “to protect native fisheries, wildlife habitat and the high quality of water flowing to Sacramento and 22 million water consumers downstream.”

ARC and the Bureau of Land Management have worked together to protect the “river canyon from impacts of subdivision and development,” he said. South Fork American River is immediately above Folsom Lake and the greater Sacramento region and “is the most popular river for whitewater boating in the western United States.”

The river provides drinking water via the federal Central Valley and State Water projects. Robinson said the canyon hosts 117 bird species including bald eagle and osprey as well as black bear, bobcat, river otter, rainbow trout and kokanee salmon.

The trail will open October 1st and take hikers, fisherman, bird watchers, mountain bikers and equestrians through pine and oak landscapes to river side and scenic overlooks of the lower South Fork American River Gorge.

A ribbon cutting ceremony opens the trail on 10 am to noon Thursday, September 30th at Salmon Falls.

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Amador County - An estimated 4,500 volunteers collected approximately 151 tons of trash, appliances, car parts and other debris during the Second Annual Great Sierra River Cleanup last Saturday. The event, which is sponsored by the Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC), involves dozens of partner organizations throughout the Sierra Nevada.

“It was a huge success and we are thrilled at the turnout and the enthusiasm for this event,” said SNC Executive Office, Jim Branham. “65 percent of California’s water supply comes from the Sierra so it was great to see so many people coming out to be good stewards of their rivers, lakes and streams.”

Volunteers scoured beaches and riverbanks to collect paper trash, aluminum cans, plastic bags, cigarette butts, cardboard, glass bottles and more. Some of the more interesting items removed during this year’s cleanup include shopping carts, a bottle of moonshine and a boogie board.

The Great Sierra River Cleanup took place at more than 125 sites in the Sierra, virtually every watershed was included. Plans are already underway for next year. The Cleanup began last year and is conducted in conjunction with the annual California Coastal Cleanup event. Combined, the two events make up the single largest one-day volunteer event in California.

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