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Wednesday, 24 March 2010 18:00
Plymouth to Consider Fire JPA With AFPA
Amador County – The Plymouth City Council tonight will consider renewing its Joint Powers Agreement with the Amador Fire Protection Authority. City Manager Dixon Flynn will recommend approval of the agreement, in which Plymouth Volunteer Fire Department personnel operate out of the city fire department building and make up Battalion 20 of the AFPA. The council at its last meeting received a report from Mayor Patricia Fordyce on recent happenings with the AFPA. The AFPA board voted to recommend that it follow the suggestion of Amador County to hire California Department of Fire personnel to take over the county fire personnel, who would all be paid by Measure M funds, approved by a county vote. Fordyce said the CalFire “fire service manager” and “training captain” would train all the paid personnel, over 1 to 3 years, then after that period, the county would take over operation of the county-wide fire department. Vice Mayor Greg Baldwin said the biggest obstacle was between the volunteer fire departments and paid fire departments to find someone with experience. AFPA felt that CalFire had many years’ experience and would be able to come in immediately and get things going, then after a couple of years, relinquish control to the formation of a Joint Powers Agreement between the cities and the groups that actually want to continue the program. But the AFPA board earlier this month decided to not follow the county’s recommendation on hiring CalFire. With the agenda is a March 15th letter from Sutter Creek Creek Mayor Gary Wooten, to Supervisor Chairman Brian Oneto, also president of the Amador Fire Protection District. In the letter, Wooten said the Sutter Creek City Council wanted to “express its support for the efforts of Sutter Creek Fire Protection District to contract with the AFPD to provide and supervise paid firefighters.” Wooten said the council believes the “plan is the best method of providing paid firefighters for our community while continuing to augment the existing volunteer department.” The letter said Sutter Creek “further supports the funding and hiring plan developed by AFPD Chief Jim McCart,” and the council “believes this plan provides for better staffing, creates a clearer chain of command and is more economically sustainable.” Wooten urged Oneto’s support of the AFPD plan, as Sutter Creek FPD “has a vested stake in the outcome,” as it “provides for fire service within the city limits.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Wednesday, 24 March 2010 18:00
AWA to Consider CAWP Finances With or Without GSL
Amador County – The Amador Water Agency board of directors today will consider financial plans for the Central Amador Water Project, while looking at forecasts with and without a proposed Gravity Supply Line project. The board opens its meeting 9 a.m. today at the agency office, with the CAWP draft financial plans part of the early agenda. The board reconvenes after lunch at 2 p.m. today at Mace Meadow Country Club, to consider the Gravity Supply Line. The board may carry over discussion of CAWP finances to the later session. The board will look at a rate studies submitted last week. One that includes the GSL, and another excludes the GSL. Financial Services Manager Mike Lee in a report for today’s meeting said the “CAWP financial plan was last updated by The Reed Group in September 2004.” He said the “plan serves as a planning and management tool to ensure that the operations and capital improvement needs of CAWP can be met in a financially sound manner.” Lee said the plans look at the next 7 years. He said the “earliest an increase could go into effect would be June 2010, so the board may want to consider making increases effective July 1st” of this year, 2011 and 2012. Both plans would raise rates a total of 33 percent over the next 7 years, including by 6 percent the first 2 years. In the plan without the GSL, the agency’s “sunk (GSL) costs” of $930,000 would be paid by a 30-year, 1 percent loan from the Amador Water System to 4 separate water districts making up CAWP. With the GSL project, the agency would be financing an $8.3 million USDA loan, with “an annual debt service payment of $375,000.” The plan said an estimated interest payment of $126,000 is projected for next fiscal year. The $930,000 sunk costs “to date would be reimbursed through the USDA financing.” Silver and Tiger Creek pump stations would cost an estimated $20,000 a year to be kept as backups. In both plans, the typical residential user’s monthly bill would go from $54 now to $58, and rise by about $3 a year through 2012. The plans only include 3-year rate plans. The plan without the GSL also included a $1 million CAWP wholesale storage tank in fiscal year 2012-2014, which was also outside the 3-year rate plans. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Wednesday, 24 March 2010 02:08
Mobility Management Helps River Pines Man Save His Job
Amador County - Amador Transit’s Mobility Management program recently demonstrated just one of the ways its helping people with their transportation needs by helping a Round Table Pizza employee save his job. Bill Peck, considered a key employee at the popular restaurant, lost his daily bus ride to work when the River Pines Amador Transit route was cancelled. Mobility Manager Mel Welsh invited Peck to a meeting of the River Pines Revitalization Committee where Peck met a River Pines woman who has since driven him to work each day and has refused money for gas. “I don’t know what I would have done without the help of Mobility Management. I probably would have lost my job,” he said, adding: “This situation I have now is perfect.” Another person who is pleased with the arrangement set up by Mobility Management is Round Table Pizza Manager Chis Owens. “Bill is a very hard worker in a key position. He is our dough roller, and for a pizza restaurant, that’s a very important job,” said Owens. Peck has worked at Round Table for nearly two years. Mobility Management is funded by Federal Transit Administration money that is administered by Caltrans. The program is active through September 2011, and a grant is pending for an additional two years of funding. “We’re a one-stop shop for everyone’s transportation needs, especially for the elderly, low-income and handicapped people,” said Welsh. Mobility Management can be reached at 209-267-5027, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. A TSPN TV Report This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Wednesday, 24 March 2010 02:10
Plymouth Looks at Leasing Lodge Hill to ACRA
Amador County – The Plymouth City Council on Thursday will consider leasing Lodge Hill to the Amador County Recreation Agency, with the agency paying for nearly $100,000 worth of renovation to the facility over a 9-year lease term. The agreement would lease the Lodge Hill community center to ACRA through March 1st, 2019, at a cost “not to exceed $99,500.” That amount would be paid in lieu of rent, and it would fund “the construction and upgrades of Lodge Hill, which are to be paid for with per capita program grant funds.” In the agreement, the city would “perform the construction and upgrades at Lodge Hill in compliance with all applicable requirements of laws, codes, rules, regulations, ordinances and standards.” ACRA would then reimburse the city for up to $99,500. The Plymouth City Council on Thursday will also consider a code enforcement law that will give the city “teeth” in getting residents to follow city laws. The code enforcement law would repeal part of existing city code and to make it compatible with the new code. City Attorney Steven Rudolph in February introduced the draft code enforcement law that was used by his law firm in other cities. He said it was not a perfect fit for Plymouth, but once in place for a while, it could be fitted for the city. City Clerk Gloria Stoddard said the code establishes regulations and with the purpose of obtaining compliance with the provision of the city code, to protect the health and welfare of city. If any individual is unwilling to follow city law, the code will allow methods to enforce city law. The preferred method would depend on the severity of the infractions, and the first preference would be to go with the “least intrusive” method, or an “informal dispute remedy.” Remedies will include an “administrative citation,” nuisance abatement, civil action, and criminal enforcement. Stoddard said “it gives them some teeth to enforce our codes.” With a first reading, and following processed, the ordinance would take effect roughly in May. The council Thursday will also receive updates from engineering consultant Richard Prima on the status of the city water pipeline, and also the sewer system project. The council also could look at an employment position for a fulltime sewer department worker. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Wednesday, 24 March 2010 02:13
Rebuttals Filed for Gold Rush Measure N
Amador County – Sutter Creek received 2 rebuttals Monday regarding Measure N on the June 8th ballot. Passage could overturn city council approval of the Gold Rush Ranch & Golf Resort project. The filings are rebuttals to statements previously filed in support of, or against the ballot measure, and all statements will be printed on the ballots. Both of the filings were signed by city council members. Mayor Pro Tempore Tim Murphy signed a “rebuttal to Yes on Measure N,” with Planning Commissioner Cort Strandberg, and residents Nancy Nasiatka, Mike Sweeney and Elsie Casagrande. Councilwoman Sandra Anderson signed a “rebuttal to the argument against Measure N,” with Planning Commissioners Robin Peters and Frank Cunha, Fire Chief Butch Martin and resident Ed Swift. Gold Rush foes argued that the “city’s threat of 1,800 dwelling units is pure speculation” that is “technically possible,” but “is so unlikely that it has no credibility.” They say the “most likely and desirable outcome of a ‘no’ vote on Measure N would be that the citizens and officials” could “immediately begin work on a smaller, less invasive plan” for the site. The filing says a “smaller development could be required to provide significant community benefits with less traffic, noise and risk to the small town quality of life.” The filing says the city’s support statement “oversimplifies and therefore misrepresents the most likely outcome of a no vote;” and community benefits promised by Gold Rush are “required” to bring the project into compliance with the city General Plan, or to mitigate “significant negative impacts.” The pro-Gold Rush filing says a yes vote on Measure N will “preserve historic Sutter Creek.” It says the Planning Commission and City Council “completely rewrote the developer’s proposal,” and approved “a plan that represents managed and responsible growth.” It says that “because of the project’s unique location, traffic and other impacts will not affect the heart of the city” as other scenarios would. The filing said “the council determined that Gold Rush Ranch is a better plan for growth than what current zoning allows” on property “already zoned for high density development.” The filing says council approval “forces the developer” to build a new sewer treatment plant and community park, and pay for open space and historic preservation, amenities that would otherwise be financed by “increased sewer rates and higher taxes.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Wednesday, 24 March 2010 02:15
BOS Contracts Out For Representation in Labor Negotiations
Amador County – The Amador County Board of Supervisors announced Tuesday that they have entered into a contract with the Industrial Employers and Distributors Association (IEDA) to provide representation in upcoming labor negotiations. County Administrative Officer Terri Daly said the non-profit will assist the county in “several important situations,” including new contracts and consideration of extending the 36-hour work week. Currently, the County’s Human Resources Department is operating at about half the staff it did two years before. “We simply don’t have the internal resources to dedicate staff to negotiations; we evaluated the most cost-effective alternative to providing sufficient staffing to negotiations and determined that hiring IEDA as the County’s representative in the coming negotiations would be the most effective solution,” said Daly. She said the County will save about half of what it would have spent in hiring the staff full time. Daly noted that “the County has maintained positive relationships with the employee unions over the years and wants to keep the best interests of the employees in mind when entering negotiations and feels having a qualified negotiator with the time to the effort will be beneficial.” A TSPN TV Report This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Wednesday, 24 March 2010 02:16
Hwy. 88 collision Results in Fatality
Amador County – A head-on collision between two vehicles Tuesday left one person dead and sent three others to the hospital, according to a report from the California Highway Patrol. The collision took place just after 8 a.m. near Blue Sky Road on Highway 88 between Ione and Martell. The CHP report said a man driving a Honda CRV on westbound Highway 88 drifted into oncoming traffic and struck an truck. The report said the driver of the Honda was killed while the other driver, a 34-year-old woman, along with her two children, were taken to the hospital. The extent of their injuries has not been released. Traffic on Highway 88 was shut down for more than an hour. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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