Tom
Monday, 28 June 2010 06:10
Board of Supervisors Pre-Agenda Report with Richard Forster 6-28-10
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Amador County Board of Supervisors Reports
Monday, 28 June 2010 06:08
Plymouth Could Assign Franchise to ACES Waste Service
Amador County – The Plymouth City Council on Tuesday will consider approving the sale of its city waste services franchise to ACES Waste Service of Pine Grove. The council earlier this month heard from ACES president and owner Paul Molinelli Senior about his company’s bid to take ownership of the franchise agreement from Waste Connections, which they are trying to close on Thursday, July 1st. City Manager Dixon Flynn told the council June 10th that he had reviewed all related documents and found everything in line, and he told the council that a resolution would be prepared and placed on the next agenda. City Attorney Laura Hollender in a report last week recommended approving the resolution to transfer the franchise to ACES. The exclusive franchise was awarded in July 2005 for solid waste and recycling services. On May 5th of this year, Waste Connections sent a letter “seeking approval to assign the Franchise Contract to ACES.” City staff members and Councilman Jon Colburn met with ACES on May 18th to discuss the company’s abilities to serve the city, Hollender said. Staff asked for and received more information about the company, and determined ACES “has the financial competency, equipment inventory, and performance and service record to provide” the city with services. The attorney said there was no fiscal impact as the “terms of the franchise contract are not being amended” in the reassignment process, and the existing contract will remain in place. The council Tuesday could also finalize its 2010-2011 budget, and will consider an ordinance that would amend the Transient Occupancy Tax code to keep recreation vehicle parks at a 6% TOT. Other lodging room rentals would be subject to a proposed increase of 4%, which will go to city voters in November. The council will also hear from Charles Field about Amador County Transportation Commission’s annual report on its Regional Traffic Mitigation Fee Program. The program’s oversight committee is calling for another $100,000 to be put toward the Plymouth intersection of Highway 49 and Main Street, although the solution there is yet to be decided. The council will also consider an amendment to the Lodge Hill lease agreement with the county and Amador County Recreation Agency; and Richard Prima will present a “Safe Routes To School” grant application. The council has a special meeting day this week because last week’s meeting was postponed, due to lack of a quorum. The council meets 6:30 p.m. Tuesday (June 29th). Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Local
Monday, 28 June 2010 06:06
Jackson Planning Tables Architectural Regulations Review
Amador County - The Jackson Planning Commission arrived last Monday ready to review draft architectural regulations, but tabled the item until committee members submit information that should have previously been incorporated into the document. The draft regulations were recommended by the nine-member Architectural Regulations Committee, established by the City Council on May 11, 2009. The committee was to consider whether design regulations should apply citywide, whether guidelines should be voluntary or mandatory, and who should be responsible for project reviews. According to City Planner Susan Peters, the proposed regulations “are essentially comprised of general standards which apply citywide, more stringent standards that apply to residential and commercial development in the historic areas of the City, and standards for new subdivisions.” An outline was recommended to the council last August and, said Peters, “the purpose of Monday’s meeting was to hold a workshop to begin review” of the regulations. But, she said, “There are, unfortunately, a few missing portions that staff has not had time to complete prior to this Planning Commission meeting.” City Clerk Gisele Cangelosi said “certain important documents were missing.” She said there is a meeting planned for July 8 in which she, Susan Peters and Commission Vice-Chair Kathryn Devlin will sit down to review and assemble a completed document. She said the guidelines will then be resubmitted to the council for review on July 19. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Local
Monday, 28 June 2010 06:05
Jackson Rancheria Sponsors ACRA Disc Golf Course at Mollie Joyce Park
Amador County – The Amador County Recreation Agency has received a sponsorship from Jackson Rancheria to build part of a 9-hole flying disc golf course at Mollie Joyce Park in Pioneer. The Jackson Rancheria Casino Hotel & Conference Center has sponsored part of the project with $2,800, said Matt Nestor, recreation specialist with ACRA. The fund will be enough to purchase 8 holes, and Play-It-Again Sports of Jackson will sponsor the 9th hole for $350. ACRA has a sponsorship of concrete from the Lowe’s home center, and Kam Merzlak of Merzlak Signs will donate course signage. Nestor planned to pick up the 9 baskets today (Friday, June 25th) from the Disc Golf Association. DGA is giving ACRA a 10% discount on the “Mach 5” baskets because ACRA is a public agency. The 76-acre park was deeded to ACRA by Fred Joyce on February 5th, 2008, on condition that the park be maintained for public recreation use. Agency Executive Director Tracey Towner-Yep and program specialist Matt Nestor approached local disc golfers about placing a disc golf course at the park. Volunteers helped design the course around Mollie Joyce Park’s hilly and wooded terrain, where Pete Staple of ACRA maintenance cut fire breaks in the scrub brush. Staple has also brought the two Little League Baseball fields at the park up to pristine condition, and ballgames have become a regular fixture at the park again, after years of non-use, when Sacramento School District discontinued its science camp there. Disc golf is played like golf, except a Frisbee or flying disc is used instead of a ball. The discs are thrown at wooden poles or at steel poles with baskets and steel chains hanging from them. Right now, Molly Joyce Park has 18 holes marked out with wooden posts, which must be struck by the disc to complete each hole. ACRA hopes to have the 9-hole basket course completed by July, and it is still seeking sponsors for the other 9 holes, to have a complete 18-hole course. Volunteers meet to discuss it’s the disc golf course layout 8 a.m. Wednesday, June 30th at Mollie Joyce Park. Mollie Joyce Park also hosted a “Music in the Park” series last week, featuring live music by Electra Road on Friday (June 25th) with beer, wine & refreshments. For info, call ACRA’s Matt Nestor at (209) 223-6373. Online see www.goacra.com. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Published in
Recreation
Monday, 28 June 2010 06:03
Shriners Hospital Holds Free Amadior Childrens Clinic
Amador County - For the first time in Amador County, Shriners Hospitals for Children held a well attended screening clinic in the Amador County Health and Human Services Building in Sutter Creek on Saturday June 12, 2010. During this no-cost clinic, 16 children were found eligible to receive care through the specialized services available at Shriners Hospital in Sacramento with no financial obligation to the parents or families. “We are extremely pleased with the outcome of this clinic and the benefit to children in our local community,” said Tom Thompson, President of local Mother Lode Shriners. “Without the use of the Health and Human Services Building in Sutter Creek and support of our Board of Supervisors, the huge success of this clinic would not have been possible. Living and working in a community where the health of our children is so highly valued truly deserves praise.” Mr. Thompson further commented on the local medical community who readily volunteered their time without hesitation to the children of Amador County. “Dr. Amy Appleton from Sutter Amador Pediatric Center, Dr. Bob Hartmann, and our nurses, Barbara Long, Mary Richards, and Carole Myers should also be commended for the seamless clinic operation.” Every year, Shriners Hospitals for Children provides care for thousands of kids, up to age 18, with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate, in a family-centered environment. A family's income or insurance status are not criteria for a child's acceptance as a patient. There is no charge for services provided within Shriners Hospitals for Children facilities. Transportation to Shiners Hospital is provided free of charge. “As a physician in our county, I see the substantial benefit of programs like this,” commented Dr. Bob Hartmann, Amador County Health Officer. “The lives of each of these children will be vastly affected by the care they receive and will be evident both physically and emotionally as their conditions are treated.” Shriners Hospitals for Children have been changing the lives of children since 1922. A TSPN TV Report This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Published in
Health
Monday, 28 June 2010 06:01
SAH Staff Honored at EMS Awards Dinner
Amador County – The Mountain Valley Emergency Medical Agency recently honored Sutter Amador Hospital emergency room staff and a physician at their annual EMS Awards Dinner at the American Legion. “It is an honor to receive these awards,” says Karen Woods, Director of Emergency Services at Sutter Amador Hospital. “Our employees and physician are very deserving.” Recipients at this year’s EMS Awards Dinner are Dr. Kurt Pope, who was honored as Best Hospital Physician of the Year; Registered Nurse Gerrie Winstead, who was honored as Mobile Intensive Care Nurse of the Year; Registered Nurse Monika Faeustle, honored as Emergency Department Staff Member of the Year; and Clerical Coordinator Vicki Haggart, honored as Unsung Hero. All recipients are dedicated emergency department staff and have been with Sutter Amador Hospital for 14 years or more. Dr. Popke has been an emergency room physician at Sutter Amador Hospital for almost 14 years; Winstead an employee there for 15 years - both are previous recipients of their awards. Faeustle has been an emergency department employee at Sutter Amador Hospital for 25 years and Haggart has been an employee there for 22 years. From everyone at Sutter Amador Hospital, congratulations and thank you for all of your hard work! A TSPN TV Report This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Published in
Health
Friday, 25 June 2010 06:49
AWA Declares Emergency, OKs $20K CAWP Pump Repair
Amador County – The Amador Water Agency board of directors approved an emergency repair of a failed pump on the Central Amador Water Project system Thursday, with approval to spend up to $20,000. The board declared an emergency that would not allow a bid process on the work, and staff began to look at the failure of the pump at Silver Lake Pines, which carries water to the Buckhorn Water Treatment Plant. Operations Manager Chris McKeage said water was coming out all over the concrete at one of 2 main pumps at the location. Director Don Cooper said the pump station no longer had a “backup” in place, but water still flowed because the backup pump was being used. The board discussed whether the public had been notified of the issue. Cooper said he would prefer to wait until they “get that pump out of the can” to see how long it will take to replace. He said that “if it definitely looks like it is going to be out of service for 2 or 3 weeks, then we can go to level 1 notification.” General Manager Gene Mancebo said if it was winter, he would not send a notice, but the level of concern and demand in summer might merit a conservation notice. He said if demand increases, they could urge a major conservation effort. McKeage estimated the costs could be $10,000 to $20,000, and President Bill Condrashoff asked if the CAWP finances were adequate to cover such a cost. Mancebo said CAWP has $25,000 in operating cash and $30,000 in reserves, so it could drop the level down pretty low. The board voted 4-0 to declare the emergency and 4-0 to approve the repairs, not to exceed $20,000. McKeage said he would come back with a report on repair costs “after the fact.” Cooper said there was “no component of notifying the public” in his motion to approve the repair work. Vice President Debbie Dunn agreed with Cooper that they should see how long the repairs would take before deciding to notify customers or the media. Director Gary Thomas said he would rather have notifications made, because a pump was down and they have “100-degree weather coming up.” The pump (number 2) that failed went out on Wednesday (June 23rd). Cooper said the pumps were working, but without the backup pump in place. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Published in
News Archive
Friday, 25 June 2010 06:45
Bridge To Kindergarten Preps Dozens Of Kids For 1st Day Of School
Amador County – The Amador First 5 Bridge to Kindergarten program entered its second week Monday, and wraps up next Thursday, having helped dozens of children prepare for their official first day of school in kindergarten classes across Amador County. Some of the children have come out of a year of preschool, while others did not get that opportunity. Cheri (Sha-Ree) Garamendi, First 5 School Readiness Coordinator, is director of the Bridge to Kindergarten. She said the program is designed to help children prepare for Kindergarten, and “a priority is given to kids with little or no preschool.” Garamendi said this year, the program was “able to accommodate all of the kids.” There are 111 students at all 6 elementary schools in the Amador County Unified School District. That includes 2 classes each at Ione, Plymouth and Jackson Elementary Schools, and 1 class each at Pine Grove and Pioneer Elementary Schools. The 3-week program sends home a weekly envelope to get families accustomed to the district’s Tuesday Envelope. There is also a survey each week, with one focused on literacy, another on dental health, and the third a program evaluation. The students get graduation backpacks with supplies to use at home throughout their kindergarten year, Garamendi said. The Bridge program tries to help with academic and social skills and observe what students’ families need to work on to help the child get ready to enter school. Classes are smaller in the program, with a smaller student-to-teacher ratio. That will change as they enter kindergarten, due to budget constraints, as the district is looking to go to either a 1-to-28 or 1-to-30 teacher-to-student ratio in its classrooms. First 5 has a number of programs that help with education, literacy and health for children age zero to 5. Garamendi said they also work with Dad & Me and Mother’s Club, and are “big on parent involvement.” Other programs include the Amador Cooperative Preschool, Imagination Library, and the Oral Task Force “Smile Keepers.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Published in
News Archive
Friday, 25 June 2010 06:46
Tobacco Survey Reveals Illegal Underage Sales Made Locally
Amador County – A recent survey conducted by Tobacco Reduction of Amador County reveals that 7 percent of local Amador County stores sold tobacco to underage teens. “Accompanied by undercover law enforcement, minors attempted to purchase tobacco products at all types of retail establishments, including convenience stores, gas stations, liquor stores, grocery stores and drugstores, to determine how easily minors can purchase cigarettes and chewing tobacco,” says a release from the Amador County Public Health Department. "Carelessness or complacency is not acceptable when it comes to the health of our youth," said Larry Fossen, Tobacco Reduction of Amador County Community Coalition chairman. "This highlights the importance of awareness and prevention efforts. Our local tobacco retailers need to ensure they are not selling any form of tobacco to youth under 18." Tobacco retailers have the responsibility to check identification, verify age and post state mandated age-of-sale warning signs. Another related law states that as of January 2005, the self-service display of tobacco products is against the law. This includes cigarettes, chewing tobacco, bidis, pipe tobacco, roll your own tobacco, and any other product containing tobacco. The self-service display of tobacco paraphernalia is also against the law. "This public health issue is extremely relevant to our community. Unfortunately, we see a higher smoking rate here in our county than compared to the rest of the state," stated Dr. Bob Hartmann, Amador County health officer. "Tobacco use causes future disease and seriously harms our kids while they are still young." In California, only 13 percent of the entire population currently smokes. While the rate reported in Amador County is nearly 19 percent. Tobacco use is the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the U.S. Each year, cigarette smoking results in about 443,000 premature deaths. Most smokers become addicted to tobacco before they are legally old enough to buy cigarettes, and most adolescents who become regular smokers continue to smoke into adulthood. Because the likelihood of developing smoking-related cancers, such as lung cancer, increases with the duration of smoking, those who start at younger ages and continue to smoke are at highest risk for cancer and other diseases. "I find it extremely distressing that tobacco companies blatantly target new young consumers with their development of new products," commented Gretchen Carlson, Amador County Unified School District nurse. "The sad reality is that curiosity becomes addiction." The TRAC program and its educational projects are funded by Proposition 99 taxes through the California Department of Public Health. For more information on underage tobacco sales or cessation resources, contact the TRAC office at 223-6638. A TSPN TV Report This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Published in
News Archive
