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Plymouth Cuts Personnel from Top Down, Urges AWA to Do Same
Amador County – Plymouth in the last month has braced for a budget crunch with adjustments to personnel, according to staff comments last month during an Amador Water Agency meeting. City Manager Dixon Flynn took a pay cut to help avoid layoffs, but the city still had to lay off Community Development Director Barry Siebe, whose last meeting was last week. City Finance Director Jeff Gardner in late July said: “I took a salary hit, and the city manager took a 50 percent hit so we wouldn’t have to lay off employees.” Gardner said he is working half time at Plymouth.
He attended the Amador Water Agency (AWA) board meeting last month to hear how its board was preparing to handle its own budget shortfalls. Gardner urged the AWA to consider personnel pay and benefits cuts at all levels, from the general manager’s position on down. Gardner attended the meeting with Councilman Jon Colburn, to keep tabs on a proposed rate increase for the Amador Water System (AWS), which will affect Plymouth. The AWS rate was raised 4 percent by the AWA board. Gardner said he has requested employee pay and benefits information from the AWA, but has been denied. Gardner said he planned to make a “Freedom of Information Act” request for staff salary information. The former finance director for Sutter Creek also criticized his former employer’s sale of half the capacity of its water treatment plant upgrade in Sutter Creek, which the city sold to AWA for $750,000. Gardner said “it was a really stupid business decision.” AWA Vice President Debbie Dunn gave a mid-July update to the Sutter Creek City Council, saying the city was approaching its limits at the treatment plant. Dunn said “we’ve never seen that.” Sutter Creek Councilman Pat Crosby said: “Something’s fishy, because you gave an awful lot of water to Plymouth 2 years ago.” Dunn said they have to find ways to expand treatment plants of both Sutter Creek and AWA. The agency 2 years ago allotted 1.4 million acre-feet of potable water to Plymouth through the new pipeline built by the city and AWA. Dunn said the Amador Water System was also nearing capacity for raw water used in the Central Amador Water System service area. She said CAWP customers recently “stood up and said they will not give us any more money,” by rejecting a rate increase with a Proposition 218 protest. The protest was led by Sutter Creek resident David Evitt. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
John Vail- Animal Adoptions 8-11-10
Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 8-11-10 - Amador County Animal Control Director John Vail sits down with Alex Lane to discuss animal adoptions and related issues.
Amador County News TSPN TV with Alex Lane 8-11-10
Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 8-11-10
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Sutter
Gold Mining, Inc. moves closer to converting its Sutter Creek tourist facility
back into a working gold mine.
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The
Jackson Revitalization Committee discusses the Main Street Façade Program and new
gateway signs.
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Amador
Water Agency discusses options for taking water to
Amador County News TSPN TV with Alex Lane 8-11-10
Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 8-11-10
·
·
Sutter
Gold Mining, Inc. moves closer to converting its Sutter Creek tourist facility
back into a working gold mine.
·
The
Jackson Revitalization Committee discusses the Main Street Façade Program and new
gateway signs.
·
Amador
Water Agency discusses options for taking water to
John Vail- Animal Adoptions 8-11-10
Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 8-11-10 - Amador County Animal Control Director John Vail sits down with Alex Lane to discuss animal adoptions and related issues.
Plymouth Cuts Personnel from Top Down, Urges AWA to Do Same
Amador County – Plymouth in the last month has braced for a budget crunch with adjustments to personnel, according to staff comments last month during an Amador Water Agency meeting. City Manager Dixon Flynn took a pay cut to help avoid layoffs, but the city still had to lay off Community Development Director Barry Siebe, whose last meeting was last week. City Finance Director Jeff Gardner in late July said: “I took a salary hit, and the city manager took a 50 percent hit so we wouldn’t have to lay off employees.” Gardner said he is working half time at Plymouth.
He attended the Amador Water Agency (AWA) board meeting last month to hear how its board was preparing to handle its own budget shortfalls. Gardner urged the AWA to consider personnel pay and benefits cuts at all levels, from the general manager’s position on down. Gardner attended the meeting with Councilman Jon Colburn, to keep tabs on a proposed rate increase for the Amador Water System (AWS), which will affect Plymouth. The AWS rate was raised 4 percent by the AWA board. Gardner said he has requested employee pay and benefits information from the AWA, but has been denied. Gardner said he planned to make a “Freedom of Information Act” request for staff salary information. The former finance director for Sutter Creek also criticized his former employer’s sale of half the capacity of its water treatment plant upgrade in Sutter Creek, which the city sold to AWA for $750,000. Gardner said “it was a really stupid business decision.” AWA Vice President Debbie Dunn gave a mid-July update to the Sutter Creek City Council, saying the city was approaching its limits at the treatment plant. Dunn said “we’ve never seen that.” Sutter Creek Councilman Pat Crosby said: “Something’s fishy, because you gave an awful lot of water to Plymouth 2 years ago.” Dunn said they have to find ways to expand treatment plants of both Sutter Creek and AWA. The agency 2 years ago allotted 1.4 million acre-feet of potable water to Plymouth through the new pipeline built by the city and AWA. Dunn said the Amador Water System was also nearing capacity for raw water used in the Central Amador Water System service area. She said CAWP customers recently “stood up and said they will not give us any more money,” by rejecting a rate increase with a Proposition 218 protest. The protest was led by Sutter Creek resident David Evitt. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
SGM Moves Closer to Opening Working Gold Mine
Amador County – Sutter Gold Mining, Inc. (SGM) continues with the preliminary steps necessary to convert its Sutter Creek tourist facility back into a working gold mine known as the Lincoln Project. On Tuesday, the company announced it “is updating the resource estimate and project economics for the Lincoln-Comet deposit to support a production decision and raise financing for construction and development of the remaining facilities and improvements necessary to bring the project into production.” This current stage of development involves a preliminary economic assessment which includes a “3D geologic model” that will detail the methods in which the company plans to mine portions of the deposit. “The project benefits from the good metallurgy of the Mother Lode, including historic district gold recoveries of +95 percent,” said the company in a release. SGM said it is “utilizing engineering consultants to supplement its experienced management and staff to design the processing facilities, tailings handling and backfilling to create a state-of-the-art, environmentally sound mining project.” This area of development is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Other remaining preliminary steps include “planning a final round of materials testing of tailings products to determine material characteristics necessary for final construction engineering” and the development of various equipments used in the mining process. Project permitting is also necessary, and the company has obtained the five major and over 30 lesser or minor state and federal permits necessary for the project components constructed to date. SGM filed an updated Hazardous Materials Business Plan with Amador County in January 2010 and “completed construction-level designs for two critical mine waste disposal units,” and is currently completing biological and cultural studies “to obtain permits associated with potential impacts to less than one acre of wetlands.” The company estimates the permitting process will be completed no later than the beginning of next year. The release said the project “has a smaller and more environmentally favorable footprint than that already allowed under the project's existing Conditional Use Permit ("CUP") that includes a 1,000 ton per day mine and mill with cyanide circuit.” Among other activities, SGM opened an office in May in downtown Sutter Creek next to the Sutter Creek Palace to provide a working area for its expanding mine staff. SGM controls over three miles of Mother Lode property, 90 percent of which has yet to be explored. The current resource estimate for the Sutter Gold Project indicates that a collective 700,000 ounces of gold could possibly be extracted from this area. Most of the potential gold extraction exists along the Melones Fault in the eastern portion of SGM’s property and mineral holdings. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Jackson Revitalization Committee to Discuss Facade Program, Gateway Signs
Amador County - The Jackson Revitalization Committee will meet again this Thursday (August 12) to discuss a number of agenda items, including an update on the implementation of the Jackson Main Street Façade Improvement Program and a facelift for Jackson gateway signs. As explained in the program application, the Façade Improvement Program “offers up to $1,500 in matching City funds and, in certain cases, design assistance to businesses in the historic downtown Jackson area in order to improve the appearance of individual building facades, signs and awnings, as well as the overall look of the district.” It was approved by the Jackson City Council in July. It is funded with transient occupancy tax revenue generated by Measure E, approved by Jackson voters in 2002 for economic development purposes. The City will supply 1/3 of the cost through a matching grant, with the remaining costs to be divided at the discretion of the applicant. Depending on funding availability, grants larger than $1500 may be approved by the Jackson City Council. The application says initial “properties must be commercial or residential properties turning commercial located within the historic district of downtown Jackson.” Any building owner or tenant with a minimum of 1 year remaining on their lease or an option to renew would be allowed to apply. The council will also look at a graphic design concept for a new city gateway sign that “clearly lists upcoming events while maintaining space for sponsors,” according to City Manager Mike Daly. The proposed sign’s design and concept were created by Merzlak Signs owner Kam Merzlak. Also on the agenda, the committee will consider implementing parking modifications in Historic Downtown Jackson “to improve customer service, provide easier in/out access of parking spaces and reduce the current speed limit for safer pedestrian movement.” The Jackson Revitalization Committee meeting takes place this Thursday, August 12 at 6 p.m. in Jackson City Hall. In other Jackson news, the Jackson City Council on Monday set a special meeting to discuss the appointment of Mayor Connie Gonsalvez and Councilman Pat Crew, both of whom are running uncontested in the next election. Daly said the council “can either appoint those two seats or decide whether to go through with an election that will cost between $3000 and $3500, with the only advantage being to leave open the possibility that other candidates may enter.” He said the estimated cost of such an election is based on the cost of previous elections. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
AWA Discusses Claypit Road Water Options
Amador County – A resident requested options to getting water to his and other properties on Claypit Road last month, and the Amador Water Agency board sent the issue to its engineering committee to see if they could find a cheaper solution. Resident Ron Hess, representing 3 homeowners, asked the board for a different solution than extending a water main. It would serve about 6 of 13 homes in the area at a cost of “almost $500,000.” He asked the board to consider smaller, 4-inch diameter lines run individually to each resident, with meters for each home, and the possibility of owners laying their own lines. Hess said he is now trucking in water from Ione, and paying a monthly bill for a hydrant permit. He said “we need some water out there. This has been going on for 8 years.” The owners would agree to pay for the pump station, “if AWA takes ownership after 1 year,” Hess said. He said the area was up to fire flows with storage tanks. Hess said they might be able to get a low-interest loan, through the county water development fund, and the area is along the Sacramento County line, so they would not have to worry about expansion past their parcels. AWA engineer John Griffin said the $500,000 cost “was a very rough estimate made with very little detail.” President Bill Condrashoff said staff has “certain labor and installation requirements” for pipeline construction. Director Don Cooper said if the agency took over the pump station in a year, it must consider the cost of ownership (including electricity and maintenance) in perpetuity. Director Terence Moore said: “I think that’s the killer,” because “we wouldn’t take it over.” Cooper said the “costs to continue to study this is going to have to be borne by the applicant.” General Manager Gene Mancebo said staff has “never done that detailed analysis because we were told not to” by the board, due to an estimated study cost of $13,400. Moore said “it’s a step backward in allowing a 4-inch line,” and “they might have trouble running a private line 7,000 feet.” He said he would hate to see 13 different lines going up the road, and thought they should find another way to do it, including putting the meter half way to the parcels. Engineering Manager Erik Christeson worried about fire flows, and said they should also get the Amador Fire Protection District to sign off on having no hydrants and 4-inch lines in the area. Vice President Debbie Dunn said she would speak to AFPD about the issue. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
