Tom

Friday, 12 February 2010 01:12

Oliveto to Take Over Stevenot Wine Operations

Amador County – The Oliveto Distributing Company based in Sutter Creek announced on Thursday that it will be taking over ownership of all Stevenot (STEVE-NO) wine operations in Amador and Calaveras counties. Stevenot operations include the Stevenot Main Street Tasting Room, 458 Main Street in Murphys, as well as the Stevenot Wine Club. The long-standing distribution company, co-owned by brothers David and Jon Oliveto, has distributed Stevenot wines since the early 1980s. Stevenot wines were the vision of Barden Stevenot. “We are very honored and excited to have this opportunity,” says David Oliveto. “Stevenot has always been a quality brand, well known in the community and has always sold very well.” Some of the Oliveto brothers many plans for their newly acquired operation include a remodel of the tasting room, which will also transform into a wine bar on select Friday nights featuring award-winning Stevenot wines by the glass including its signature Tempranillo, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. They will also bring back Chuck Hovey as the official Stevenot winemaker after his departure in 2007 to start Hovey Wine Consulting. “It’s all about quality,” said Jon, adding: “We have been in the distribution business all of our lives, and now we want to also have a new focus on wine production.” Stevenot is considered one of Calaveras County’s premiere wineries since the first vineyard planted in 1974 and the first vintage released in 1978. Oliveto Distributing Company began as a milk distribution business in the late 1960s in Sutter Creek and opened up a wine division in the early 1980s.The company was honored with the Miller Masters award in the early ‘90s, placing them in the top seven distributors in the United States. “It surprises us how excited people are about our new venture,” Jon said. “We are receiving overwhelming support.” A TSPN TV Report This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published in Local

Friday, 12 February 2010 01:11

AWA Hears Support for Ione Water Capacity Study

Amador County – The Amador Water Agency received countywide support for a study it approved Thursday to look expanding water capacity in Ione. Rob Aragon of Ione Villages LLC said since Castle Oaks received its “original entitlement (in 1989), we’ve been having this same discussion.” He said the last “Conditional Will-Serves” condition was “improvements to the Ione system.” He asked the AWA board if they could explain it. Cottage Knoll developer Stefanie McNair said Plymouth has paid $1.34 million in participation fees, and she asked whether that paid for AWA’s share of the Plymouth Pipeline. AWA Interim General Manger Gene Mancebo said that was not true, but the pipeline allows for new hook-ups and the city will be metered. Mancebo said Plymouth’s “permit is in place and the water is flowing.” McNair said the pipeline lifts Plymouth out of violation, and brings a broader customer base. Before the Canal was replaced by the Amador Transmission Pipeline, Mancebo said the agency did not have capacity for new development and hookups. The pipeline changed that. Mancebo said a study like this can help expand capacity further. He said: “We’ve taken some of the bottlenecks out, but we need to analyze more.” McNair asked the AWA board “loosen up the language in its conditional will serves” for Cottage Knoll. McNair said her will-serve says she must “participate in a Community Facilities District for a $26 million improvement to Tanner.” She said her “up-front costs are enormous.” Bob Reeder, developer of 2 projects in Plymouth, said a study in Ione could help the agency increase it customer base, and he wanted to see how Plymouth’s participation fees were allocated. Reeder said he is not sure the 1.3 million gallons a day allocated to Plymouth could be met, and AWA needed the studies to see determine that. Ione City Planner Christopher Jordan said Ione has been in the same boat as AWA, only Ione has limited wastewater capacity. Jordan urged the board to take action “today.” He said new development is coming to Ione, the biggest of which is in the city business park, including “several million square feet” and Ione City Hall has “a specific plan for that today.” Jordan said the study of Ione water capacity is “very important and if it doesn’t move forward, it hamstrings us.” Director Debbie Dunn asked Aragon and Jordan if a 4- to 6-month delay in a decision would kill the projects. Aragon said it was a deal-breaker, and Jordan said he must rely on what he hears from the development community, and it would also cause problems in Ione. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published in Water

Friday, 12 February 2010 00:58

Amador County News TSPN TV with Alan Sprenkel 2-12-10

Published in Video

Friday, 12 February 2010 00:48

Thompsons Auto & Truck Centers Local Salesman, Bill

Published in Spot Commercials

Wednesday, 10 February 2010 17:00

The Amador Trolley Debuts in Jackson-Sutter Creek Route

Amador County – A contingent of media from the Mother Lode, including crews from TSPN, rode the new Amador Trolley around Jackson Tuesday to mark the new dedicated bus line that will link the county seat to the business leading Sutter Creek. Amador Regional Transportation System kicked off its 2 new natural gas-powered trolley bus lines earlier this year, and with a media day and open house hosted local news organizations on parts of its loop, that will link various routes between Jackson and Sutter Creek. ARTS Director James Means sent system publicist Terry Grillo and ARTS board of directors member David Plank on part of the new trolley-style bus, with local newspaper and radio reporters, and TSPN News Director and Anchor Alex Lane took the route, with cameraman Tommy Fox documenting part of the trip with an interview with Grillo, and Means, for a special Out And About segment on the new trolley route. The new trolley routes are dedicated express routes between Jackson and Sutter Creek. The trolleys launched February 1st, operating 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. weekdays, with each trolley running on about a 70-minute round-trip loop. Means helped acquire the 2 custom-built trolley bus coaches in December from, Riverbank Oakdale Transit Authority, a small public transit district. The busses came at no cost to ARTS, through a federal program and the California Department of Transportation. The trolley interiors are wood and polished brass, and each trolley carries 27 passengers. The trolleys will run between Jackson and Sutter Creek 9 times a day. The trolleys run on Compressed Natural Gas (or CNG), and diesel fuel. Means in December said the trolleys were originally purchased by Riverbank for $506,000. Before the Amador County Transportation Commission approved transfer of ownership, Means already had arranged with the nearest CNG facility, to take the vehicles there for regular refueling. The Rancho Cordova facility is 32 miles away. Grillo said ARTS has a long-term goal of placing a CNG station in Amador County. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published in News Archive

Wednesday, 10 February 2010 17:00

Rancheria Releases 25th Anniversary Commemorative Chips

Amador County – The Jackson Rancheria Casino released the first of five 25th anniversary commemorative chips on the casino’s Founder’s Day, February 9th. The first of the five $5 chips features Margaret Dalton, who was the first Tribal Chairperson of the Jackson Rancheria Band of Miwuk Indians. She served for 30 years until her death last year. The Tribe has declared her birthday, February 9th, to be Founder’s Day. Each month for the next four months a new chip will be released, each featuring one of the logos used at Jackson Rancheria over the past 25 years. The chips are available at face value at the tables and the Main Street Cage. An exclusive case for the commemorative chips will be available as a gift to Dreamcatcher’s Club members on Monday, March 29th. Club members just have to earn 1,000 points that day to get the case. For more information, call 800-822-WINN or visit www.JacksonCasino.com. A TSPN TV Report This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published in News Archive

Wednesday, 10 February 2010 17:00

Ione Hires Coastland as City Engineer

Amador County – The Ione City Council last week hired a Santa Rosa firm to serve as the city engineer. City Manager Kim Kerr recommended Coastland Civil Engineering in a memo to the city council and Mayor Skip Schaufel. Ione Councilman David Plank said Wednesday that new City Engineer John Wanger was already working on some projects, including a redesign for the city police department. The project will redesign the existing Ione Police Department space inside City Hall, and create a new interrogation and holding area, and a safer intake area, Plank said. The council last week authorized Kerr to finalize a contract with Coastland and return to the City Council for final approval. The city released a request for proposals for city engineering services last October, and Kerr said the city received 7 responses. A review panel helped identify 3 firms for interview. The panel included James Pollack of Lee & Ro; City Planner Christopher Jordan; Kerr; and Gene Mancebo, interim general manager of the Amador Water Agency. Kerr said the search focused on city engineer experience and any city public works department supervision. Last month, city staff interviewed Coastland, Bennett Engineering, and Interwest Consulting Group. Kerr said: “All three firms were highly qualified and could provide the necessary services to the city.” Based on the interviews, staff recommended John Wanger, president and chief executive officer of Coastland. Kerr said the contract with Coastland includes a rate not to exceed $145 per hour for city engineering services and project, and a higher rate, not to exceed $175 per hour for non-city projects, with “no charge for mileage from travel to and from the city of Ione.” Kerr requested authorization to finalize and sign the contract with Coastland, upon approval by City Attorney Kristen Castanos. Wanger has operated as a principal engineer since Coastland’s inception in 1991, and oversees all company operations and long term planning. He has more than 26 years of private and public works experience including overseeing city engineering services for six municipalities. Coastland has offices in Santa Rosa and Auburn, and currently provides city engineering services to the cities of Willows and Piedmont. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published in News Archive

Wednesday, 10 February 2010 17:00

Upcountry Community Council Takes “Very Informal” Look at Special Districting

Amador County – The Upcountry Community Council has been “very informally” looking at the possibility of creating a special district in the Upcountry. The group’s new co-chair, Lynn Morgan said the largely unstructured Upcountry Community Council members must still study how that process works. But Morgan said this week that with the economy as it is, she “didn’t want to make it seem that the UCC would be charging dues for anyone who lives in the Upcountry.” They will look at having a workshop in the summer to educate its attendees on having special districts. Morgan said the group would like to contact the head of the Amador County Local Agency Formation Commission about hosting a presentation for UCC this year. Morgan said forming a special district is a long process and “as far as I know doesn’t take any less than a couple of years.” Morgan was selected co-chair about 6 months ago for the Upcountry Community Council, which has restructured its makeup. She said the UCC began as a collection of housing areas, with elected and selected representatives. That was set aside in August 2009 when Morgan and UCC incumbent Co-Chair Bob Currall took lead of the group, and founding member and past co-chair Debbie Dunn stepped aside. Dunn at the time said her duties on the Amador Water Agency board were too much work, and she also told council members that she supported turnover in the UCC’s leadership. Morgan said the group at the beginning identified certain housing tracts, and members were elected to be on the council. But they are less formal now, and “sort of invite anybody who comes” to be a part of the council. She said if people live in the Upcountry or are concerned, they can attend. There are “no council members on the council itself.” Morgan said the group “plans to have interesting presentations at meetings this year,” and want to have a presentation on preventing elder fraud. They also have been watching the Gravity Supply Line issue, as “most of us up here are on wells,” and the fire suppression is a major issue. Some neighborhoods have 25,000-gallon tanks, she said, but most, like Morgan’s neighborhood in very eastern Pioneer, only have wells. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published in News Archive

Wednesday, 10 February 2010 17:00

Supes Support Regional Efforts to Expand Broadband

Amador County - The Amador County Board of Supervisors granted approval this week to draft a letter of support for regional efforts to bring full broadband internet access to rural areas in the foothills region. Howard Stohlman, Chief Information Officer for Calaveras County, asked Supervisors to support a plan he is helping to coordinate called the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Round II Middle Mile Broadband Project. The lengthy title refers to efforts by the Central Sierra Economic Development District, which represents Amador, Alpine, Calaveras and Tuolumne counties, to seek ARRA funding to expand regional broadband connectivity. Once received, the money would be distributed by the District to private companies to fund the extension of fiber-optic infrastructure up from the Stockton area so that broadband service can eventually be distributed among foothill counties via microwave transmission in Phase III. Stohlman asked the Supervisors to join in issuing a resolution of support and/or becoming anchor tenants, which would list them as participants in the grant application. Anchor tenants can also include organizations like schools, hospitals or the Amador-Tuolumne Community Action Agency, which at the same meeting presented an 18-month, $250,000 study to gather information on how rural counties can gain 100 percent coverage for high speed internet. Stohlman said “the idea is that those anchor tenants would be allowed bandwidth access at a considerably lower price.” District 2 Supervisor Richard Forster said he is concerned about “jumping over midrange or smaller providers that are competitive in the market.” Stohlman said the end result of all this will be a robust 3G broadband network that can be used by the private sector, not a publicly run network. Eric Shippam, a representative of Mother Lode Internet in Sonora, said that once infrastructure is in place, interested parties have discussed a “stipulation that participating companies’ reach an agreement for operations that…keeps competitive pricing low.” He said the concept of having counties participate as anchor tenants “ensures viability.” He said the economic impact of such a project will be good for the region and will add “over 100 new construction jobs at union wages.” Shippam said there is still much to be worked out between private service providers “as far as everyone working together.” Forster made a motion seconded by Supervisor John Plasse to become anchor tenants as well as draft a “letter of support for a local network that is sustainable to all internet service providers.” The motion passed unanimously. Stohlman said the approval was needed as soon as possible because the ARRA application must be submitted online by March 15th. He said funding could be as much as $30 million, but depends on how many counties participate. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published in News Archive

Thursday, 11 February 2010 04:51