Tom
Friday, 14 May 2010 06:22
Commissioner Says No On N Gold Rush Info Misleading
Amador County – The “No On Measure N” campaign against the Gold Rush Ranch & Golf Resort was criticized Thursday for giving incorrect information on its website. Sutter Creek Planning Commissioner Frank Cunha said the website refers to the original documents and Specific Plan that Gold Rush wrote. He said arguments on the website refer to a fiscal analysis done before Sutter Creek City Council and Planning Commission put in place their conditions that require developers to pay. The early analysis said Gold Rush would cost each house in Sutter Creek a $1,000 a year. Cunha said the “council made sure that would never happen.” He said “There’s going to be no cost to the city,” because developers must pay up-front deposits on impact costs. “Every quarter, they have to put up an estimated amount of what the city thinks the cost will be to serve the development.” When houses are sold, it’s paid as a tax on the homeowner. Cunha said “before the first building permit is issued, they will have to do another fiscal analysis, because the “city wanted to be able to change impact fees, to keep them current. He said a “project like this, like Greenhorn Creek, can go on for 15-20 years.” Cunha said Councilwomen Linda Rianda and Sandy Anderson in an opinion piece due to be published today refer readers to city-approved final documents. Cunha urged people to look at the final conditions of approval or the final development agreement, which address “all of the concerns that the city had with the project.” He said “basically” the Planning Commission and City Council rewrote the specific plan to suit Sutter Creek. The original Specific Plan would have taken out 13,000 oak trees, a figure referred to on the “No On N” webpage, but Cunha said it was “one of the first things we threw out.” Cunha said: “Me personally, I’m not a proponent of Gold Rush, but I am a proponent of the specific plan land use agreement.” He said the final specific plan protects the city against all costs for the development, even “if Gold Rush sells to a dozen different developers. He said: “If ‘Yes’ on Gold Rush passes, they will have to work with this document, and it is really specific.” He said the city council did an excellent job with it. Cunha said “if people don’t want Sutter Creek to grow, that’s fine, but if you put a moratorium on Sutter Creek, that’s pretty much a death sentence.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Friday, 14 May 2010 06:21
Agencies Comment on Details of Howard Business Park
Amador County – The Howard Business Park, discussed last week by Ione City Council, also had some comments from local agencies on areas of work to be mindful for the project. Vanessa Apodaca of city engineer Roark Weber’s office reviewed the 13 lots in the Howard Business Park’s Conceptual Master Plan and said the project would take access off State Route 124. Apodaca said “comprehensive review of the project cannot be completed due to lack of information,” but she listed items that needed consideration. Those included streets and storm drainage, along with meeting engineering standards, having adequate street lighting approved by the City Planner and avoiding “excess glare and lighting levels.” Apodaca said drainage and traffic studies should be required, and the grade of a road linking to UNIMIN “should not exceed 15 percent.” She also noted that any connections or improvements to Highway 124 would be subject to Caltrans review and approval. Amador County Transportation Commission also had recommended a traffic impact study. Ione Fire Chief Ken Mackey said: “We are very much in favor of the project and only have these limited comments.” He said street names that were not listed in the map should be “handled in the early stages so there are no long-term problems or similarities with other street names in our city, and the hundred blocks.” He also sought clarification of egresses out, or an indication of traffic flow, and he said the fire department would “require a fire hydrant system capable of supplying 2,500 gallons per minute fire flow on a looped water system with two supply sources,” or “an on site water storage tank will be required.” Amador Water Agency supervising engineer John E. Griffin commented that the county-wide agency “will require the applicant to prepare a water model for the Proposed Project and for the entire Policy Area.” He said AWA “will require the applicant to construct improvements identified by the water model,” and he noted that the “capacity of the existing lone Water Treatment Plant is insufficient to accommodate impacts.” AWA recommended “utilizing reclaimed water for irrigation and other non-domestic uses.” He said a “Water Supply Assessment will be required for this project,” and should the lone water treatment plant remain in operation, the existing 14-inch raw water main from the lone Reservoir to the lone plant will not be capable of handling demands from Howard Business Park. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Friday, 14 May 2010 06:20
School Board Hears Plea Against Destruction of Migratory Swallow Nests
Amador County – The Amador County Unified School District board on Wednesday heard a plea from Plymouth resident and Veterinarian Elida Malick to discontinue its alleged destruction of migrating swallow nests at Amador High School. Malick said she raised the issue during public comment because the board has “repeatedly refused” to add it as a regular agenda item. Malick said that for many years, a colony of native swallows have been completing their southern migration by returning to the eaves of the backside of the school’s gymnasium. “This year,” she said, “the district attempted to eradicate the colony…because one parent threatened to sue the district claiming their child might be sensitive to fungus carried by the birds, the fungus in question being Histoplasma.” Dr. Bob Hartmann, Amador County Public Health Officer, verified that there have been no cases of Histoplasma reported in Amador County. Malick said nest destruction has happened on “at least two occasions” and is a violation of the Migratory Bird Act of 1918, which makes it unlawful to kill, hunt or capture over 800 species of migrating birds. The law took effect soon after the extinction of the passenger pigeon. Malick said that as a result of the district’s action, birds have been driven deeper into the school grounds where they are attempting to nest in “less desirable locations.” Malick said the purpose of bringing this issue to the board’s attention was to “ensure that the practice of destroying nests that adult birds are occupying does not resume, ensure that the district obtains proper permits for nest removal if that is essential in the future, and discontinue the use of the Methyl Anthranilate bird repellent.” “Nature does not always work in a manner that is convenient to our schedules or our delicate sensitivities but that does not make us any less responsible to find ways to co-exist as we, man, continue to exert unyielding pressure on the natural environment,” said Malick. The board made no comments on the issue. No one was available for comment at the school district office at the time this story was written. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Friday, 14 May 2010 06:18
BLM Requests Comments On Rules Affecting 231,000 Acres of Public Recreation Land
Amador County - The Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Mother Lode Field Office is requesting public comments on new rules affecting 231,000 acres of public lands in 10 central California counties. Much of the land is located along rivers in the Sierra Nevada foothills in Yuba, Nevada, Placer, El Dorado, Amador, Calaveras, Tuolumne, and Mariposa counties. The interim final supplementary rules are in effect until publication of the final supplementary rules. The best-known management areas include the South Yuba state Wild and Scenic River, North Fork American Wild and Scenic River, Merced Wild and Scenic River, Pine Hill Preserve, Cosumnes River Preserve, Red Hills Area of Critical Environmental Concern and South Fork American River. The rules will affect camping, hunting, campfire use, and other types of recreation, mainly on the most popular heavily used public lands managed by the Mother Lode Field Office. The new rules will implement decisions made by BLM in the 2008 Sierra Resource Management Plan, 2004 South Fork American River Management Plan, 2005 South Yuba River Comprehensive Management Plan and other recent land-use plans. “Public lands along Sierra Nevada rivers such as the South Yuba, South Fork American, and Merced are very popular with hikers, hunters, gold hunters, and other recreationists. The new rules are necessary to help prevent conflicts between different user groups and protect the outstanding natural beauty of these lands,” said Bill Haigh, BLM Mother Lode Field Office manager. The rules are available online for public review at the Mother Lode Field Office webpage at www.ca.blm.gov/motherlode. Paper copies are available upon request through the Mother Lode Field Office, 5152 Hillsdale Circle, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762. The official notice was published in the Federal Register this week and starts the 60-day public review period. Public comments must be postmarked no later than July 12. Written public comments should be submitted to BLM Mother Lode Field Office, attention Supplementary Rules; or by e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; or by fax (916) 941-3199 attention Supplementary Rules. For more information, contact James Barnes at (916) 941-3140. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Thursday, 13 May 2010 05:58
Amador Sheriff Dispatcher Reports Suspicious Circumstances
Amador County – The Amador County Sheriff’s Office received a call of a possible animal cruelty case, and took reports of suspicious circumstances and trespassing at local businesses and homes. On April 29th, an extra patrol was requested on Sutter Creek Road, after suspicious circumstances were noticed by the reporting party, who was taking care of a home and business while the owners were out of town. The reporting party said “for the past several days, lights have been turned on and doors have been unlocked.” He also saw “dirt tracks inside.” A suspected case of cruelty to animals was reported April 29th. The caller said a known person on East Main Street was “playing with a dead cat on Facebook,” and “per rumors,” the “reporting party heard he shot the cat.” Trespassing was reported at about 7 p.m. Friday, April 30th at the Jackson Rancheria Casino. Security reported that a male subject had been asked to leave but was “out jumping in bushes and will not leave.” The casino dispatch said the “subject is known to carry knives.” The report noted that he is on probation for violence until 2015. On May 2nd, a caller reported a disturbance on Pioneer Creek Road. A male (who had been drinking) knocked on her door “and yelled at her.” The male left toward the corner, and was described as 5-foot-8, 150 pounds. He was accompanied by a dog. Also May 2nd, a contractor reportedly went to work at 9 a.m. at a cabin on High Trees Drive and “found the front door open. He did not see anyone around and did not go in,” but instead left to call the reporting party and advised her of his findings. At about 9:42 p.m. Monday, May 3rd, a disturbance was reported on Willow Creek Road, where loud party noise was coming from a foreclosed home. The caller said an abandoned winery was also at the location, near Highway 124. The caller said no lights were seen, due to trees, but the gate was open, when it had been closed earlier in the day. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Thursday, 13 May 2010 05:56
New Maps Will Increase Flood Insurance Rates
Amador County - On Thursday, May 20, new flood plain rate maps will go in to effect for residents of Amador County. That means there are only a few days left for homeowners and businesses affected by the new maps to purchase flood insurance at the best possible rates. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been at work for several years updating and digitalizing new maps in California. FEMA’s Map Modernization initiative has produced new tools to help protect lives and properties, and assist local officials to manage floodplain development. “Though it’s true that property owners with federally-backed mortgages who live in a flood hazard area are required to buy flood insurance, in this case Amador County homeowners and business owners who take out a policy before May 20 can take advantage of lower rates,” said Congressman Dan Lungren (R-CA.). “The savings could amount to hundreds of dollars for those who ‘grandfather in’ at the lower rates.” FEMA officials say policies purchased after May 20 could be subject to a higher rate if it is determined the insured property is in a high-risk flood zone. To learn more about the new digital maps and flood risks, contact your city or county planning department. The FEMA Web site www.floodsmart.gov. gives information about the impact of flooding and how to locate an agent who offers flood insurance. You can also access and learn to read flood plain maps – including the one for Amador County – while visiting the site. For more on FEMA visit www.fema.gov. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Thursday, 13 May 2010 06:00
Jackson Ok's $90K for Sutter Street, Begins Process to Disestablish Business Improvement District
Amador County – The Jackson City Council on Monday approved a motion to authorize $90,000 for specific environmental services necessary for the Sutter Street Extension project, as well as a motion to begin the process of disestablishing the Business Improvement Council. Jackson City Manager Mike Daly said in a memo that “the path of travel of (the Sutter Street Extension) connector route is across property previously used by the Argonaut Mining Company as a tailings storage area and previous studies have identified elevated levels of arsenic, an element commonly associated with mine waste deposits.” Jackson and the Amador County Transportation Commission have been working together to formulate a work authorization agreement with Carleton Engineering, with whom the City previously worked with in 2006 to assist with similar services related to the acquisition of the Oro De Amador property. The project was discussed last year in a series of public meetings. The council unanimously approved to move forward with environmental work. Also, the Council passed a motion that will disestablish the Business Improvement District (BID), created in 1995 to provide a funding source for the Historic Jackson Business Association (HJBA) for its share of participation in the Main Street program. Daly said: “Everyone was in general agreement that it was time for a change, especially with momentum building towards creating a citywide business association.” A public survey of business owners in Jackson conducted by the steering committee for the new association found that many felt a change toward a citywide association is necessary. As a result, Daly said the BID Advisory Board has recommended eliminating the BID to “provide new opportunities for businesses within the historical district and outlying areas to participate in a single, more encompassing and more effective organization.” A public hearing will be held on June 7th, at which time it is expected the council will officially adopt the ordinance. Any remaining assets of the association will returned to the businesses that paid those dues. Daly said the steering committee intends to fund the new citywide association with voluntary dues. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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