Amador County – The Amador County Unified School District board of trustees on Wednesday discussed their response to a letter received by Superintendent Dick Glock from Jewish community members urging a more broad approach to combat intolerance. The Foothill Jewish Community, Congregation Bnai Israel, said it appreciates the board’s “generic efforts at recognizing ‘intolerance’” but urged a “more comprehensive program be adopted and broadly implemented for students, faculty, as well as administrative and support staff.” The congregation recognized that “at least one organization from outside the community has interjected its perceptions,” referring to Barry Broad of the Jewish Community Relations Council, who lambasted the Board at a meeting last November for allegedly failing to investigate hate crimes and the harassment of Justin Zysman, a Jewish student at Amador High School. Following a suggestion from Board president Karl Knobeluch, Glock raised the topic of his response and gave board members an opportunity to view and approve the draft. Glock’s response questioned the use of the word “generic” and said the district “has been very direct in addressing specific acts of intolerance.” He also summarized a number of current or upcoming programs introduced by Assistant Superintendent Elizabeth Chapin-Pinotti designed to address a host of issues, including violence prevention, tolerance, stereotyping, bullying, prejudices, sexual harassment and empowering leaders. Chapin-Pinotti spoke enthusiastically of seminars that have taken place so far with teachers and administrators. Lynnette Lipp, a member of the Bnai Israel congregation, clarified that the word generic was not meant to be derogatory and only described “the general efforts” of the school district. She said Barry Broad spoke before the board “without our knowledge” and her congregation supports the programs presented by Chapin-Pinotti. Knobeluch said he would be welcome to having Broad back to speak further, but next time would “like a more civil level of discourse.” The congregation’s letter said it “believes that local direction is essential considering our rural and close knit environment.” Board member Terry Porray said she felt insulted when she first read the letter from the congregation but thanked Lipp for her clarification. Porray said now is “a great opportunity to show the outside world that we’re not…a pocket of racism.” The board voted unanimously to have Knobeluch sign his approval to the letter on their behalf. The letter will be sent back to the Foothill Jewish Community. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Amador Water Agency board of directors on Thursday heard an update on grant applications for the agency, which total $141 million in requests made or supplemented in the last 2 years. AWA Finance Manager Mike Lee told the board that $885,000 is the good news, or the amount awarded, in 3 grants. That includes $367,000 for Gayla Manor leach fields, and $270,000 in Prop 84 funding for regional approaches to water reuse. Lee said the Department of Water Resources told him the AWA should see a third grant award of $247,000 “come through in the next couple of days,” for the Lake Camanche Groundwater Supply and Study Management Plan. The list included 41 active, awarded or pending grants, of which 4 were worked on in 2008, the rest in 2009. Director Debbie Dunn asked to agendize the Prop 84 grant, saying she has been approached about projects to use the funds. Interim General Manager Gene Mancebo said the intent is to look at a kickoff date for the project, which “already has a scope of work,” and money usage cannot “veer from that scope.” Lee said the bulk of the 41 grants (about 25) were rejected by the state, although 4 were being reviewed by the California Department of Public Health. Those include disinfection projects at Camanche and Buckhorn, and 2 different grant sequences for conversion of the “Bosse-Previtali raw water ditch conveyance” to a treated water conveyance. Lee said Integrated Regional Water Management Plan funding was coming open soon and considered a “cash cow,” and the state was close to opening its “water use efficiency” grant program. He said the state is “just barely starting to look at” some of its grants. Director Gary Thomas asked Lee to “tell me about this (Gravity Supply Line) here pending,” saying he thought they needed alternatives and studies of pump replacements, and they have “a lot of balls up in the air.” Board President Bill Condrashoff said he would like to see an application for a grant for pump replacements in the Central Amador Water Project system, which the GSL would replace. Lee said staff decided not to apply for grants to replace those pumps “because it was too expensive.” Thomas asked about missing the grant cycle, and Lee said the GSL grant (submitted for the cost of the entire project, at $13.4 million) would be reserved for between 18 months and 3 years, once awarded. Dunn asked: “We did apply for $13 million?” and thanked Lee for doing so. The agency expects to get $5 million from USDA for the GSL project. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Italian Benevolent Society holds its first sold out event of the year as a self fund-raiser that also marks the first calendar date for the society since the finish of a nearly half a million dollar remodel. Italian Benevolent Society board trustee John Kirkpartrick said the newly repainted, rebuilt and refurbish hall will host the sold out shrimp feed to start paying back the IBS’s 2 year project to remodel the main dining hall. That includes repaying a $330,000 loan from 11 members, each loaning $30,000 to the cause. Other members donated $10,000 toward the remodel costing nearly $500,000. Members also helped with the project, which began in 2008 with demolishing some of the walls and old roof, and putting down a slab. They resumed work last July and finalized work in mid-December 2009. They raised the walls and roof by 2 feet, and replaced hanging joists with higher ones for vaulted ceilings. They added six heating and air conditioning systems, all remotely operated, ceiling fans, new paint and a 3,000 square foot bar. There is a new sound system, and the building is wired for televisions, with a wish list topped with 4 new TVs, and a big bar refrigerator. They also added ADA handicapped accessibility, with paved parking spaces in the main lot. And with hand sinks and overhead sprinkler systems throughout, Kirkpatrick said the Italian Benevolent Society hall is now Health Department compliant. Kirkpatrick and other members helped with the remodel. He cut and hung trim, built the bar and helped hang washable fiberglass wallboards in the newly expanded kitchen. It also has new tile floors, a large donated walk-in refrigerator, and new stainless steel rolling tables, replacing wooden tables. They kept the old fry hood, and supplemented it with a stainless steel hood above. The kitchen is 6 feet longer than it was originally, and the new bar adds a higher capacity. Kirkpatrick said they can seat up to 470 people in the main hall, and another 100 in the bar. Saturday’s sold out shrimp feed Grand Opening will help “start paying stuff back” for the remodel, which landscaped the back side of the outside of the building, raising it 6 feet from the original ground level. Kirkpatrick said they plan to build a large deck there. The hall’s events calendar is already filling, including the Italian Picnic, June 4th, 5th and 6th, and a crab feed February 13th. They also rent the hall for weddings and other events. Trustees of the Italian Benevolent Society, established in 1881, are John Kirkpatrick, Steve Pinotti, Bill Boro, Craig Battaglia, Craig Bonnell and President Pepper Conzatti. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – A panel of current and past land managers and a national sportsman's organization will make a presentation at the next Amador-El Dorado Forest Forum. The meeting is Wednesday, January 20th at The Twisted Fork Restaurant, located at 53 Main Street in Sutter Creek. A panel of current and past US Forest Service land managers and a representative from Trout Unlimited will discuss future land management designations. Under discussion is the Caples Creek Roadless Area, home to robust populations of wild trout and big game species and the primary source of drinking water for most of the Highway 50 corridor. The Amador-El Dorado Forest Forum is a group of forestry professionals, forest educators, and others interested in forestry practices and issues in the two-county area. The Forum meets once a month in fall, winter, and spring months at various locations in the two-county area. The Forum awards scholarships to local college students majoring in forestry and sponsors the California Forestry Challenge. Social Hour begins at 6:00 p.m., and dinner starts at 6:30 p.m. An RSVP is required for dinner. To reserve a space for dinner contact Diane Dealey Neill at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (530) 417-1960 by Monday, January 18th. Raffle tickets to support the Forest Forum may be purchased at the door. Donations help support scholarships and forestry education efforts. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - Statistics released by the California Child Care Resource & Referral Network show the supply of child care services falls far short of demand, as detailed in the 2009 California Child Care Portfolio. Based on data collected from all 58 counties over the course of 2008, the report reveals that licensed child care is available for only 27 percent of children with parents in the work force; 88 percent of child care requests to child care resource and referral programs (R&Rs) for children birth to five years are for full time care; 75 percent of parents are requesting care because they are working; and parents lack care options during non-traditional hours. It says that statewide, the number of children living in poverty has increased 5 percent between 2006 and 2008. In Amador County, only 31 percent of children ages 0-13 had parents in the labor force for whom a licensed child care slot was available. There are a total of 709 licensed child care slots in the county. The major reasons Amador parents seek child care are because of employment (77 percent), the parent is seeking employment (23 percent), or the parent is in school or training (6 percent). The network cites the “continuing downward spiral of California’s economy” as a major factor in the divide between supply and demand. “At a time when working families are struggling harder than ever to find and keep their jobs, everyone concerned about economic recovery should be paying close attention to what is happening to our licensed child care supply in California,” said Patty Siegel, Executive Director of the Network. The report says over half of R&Rs reported significant changes triggered primarily by foreclosure and unemployment. Donna Sneeringer, Public Affairs Manager at Sacramento-based Child Action Inc., says Sacramento County has seen “over a 20 percent drop in the supply of licensed child care since 2006.” She said this is most apparent in communities hard hit by home foreclosures. “However, as people return to employment, families will have fewer child care options which will complicate their return to the workforce. It is clear in our community that restoring the supply of child care must be included in steps to our economic recovery,” she said. The 2009 Portfolio is the 7th in a biennial series based on “tens of thousands of calls made to R&Rs throughout the state, as families attempt to locate specific child care.” Information about the supply of child care is based on R&R databases of active, licensed providers. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Plymouth City Council at its meeting today is scheduled to get a report from council members and staff on an early December trip to the city of Yountville in Napa, where the small town thrives with tourism. City Manager Dixon Flynn planned the trip to show the council how the town, with a population of 3,600, has embraced and thrived what he calls agricultural tourism. Flynn said Yountville has “Transient Occupancy Tax” receipts of $3.6 million annually, compared to Plymouth, which Finance Director Jeff Gardner said earns a TOT tax income of $150,000 annually. The Plymouth contingent went to hear about Yountville’s programs and their successes. Making the trip with Flynn were Mayor Patricia Fordyce, Councilman Jon Colburn, City Clerk Gloria Stoddard and Community Development Director Barry Siebe. Flynn talked about the trip after their return in December. He said the trip was “really enlightening.” Yountville has “generated quite a few jobs throughout their community with good salaries,” and have “actually built their reputation for being a culinary destination,” with “5 world-class restaurants.” Flynn said the city has a 65-room hotel, built at a cost of $65 million, or a million dollars a room. He said: “Where are we going to find those kinds of investors?” He said Yountville is “built for rich tourists,” and local residents have to go to Napa to get to a drug store. Yountville officials lived by the credo that “urban growth occurs in urban areas,” and its planning does “not allow restaurants at wineries,” and retail in rural areas. He said Plymouth and the Shenandoah Valley wine country could benefit from that practice, and invite people to come spend money, then go home to Sacramento. He said ag tourism would help create jobs and keep young people from deserting Plymouth and Amador County. Stoddard said it was a worthwhile trip, and the council likely will get a full report, as scheduled on today’s agenda. Stoddard said in a way, Plymouth was better off than Yountville because they are in the middle of wine country, while Plymouth is “the gateway to the wine country.” Yountville is about 9 miles from Napa itself. Flynn is scheduled to give a verbal report of the trip today. The council will also hear a report form consultant Richard Prima on the status of the city water pipeline, attaching Plymouth to the Amador Water Agency plant on Ridge Road in Sutter Creek. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – A Sutter Creek citizens’ group announced Monday it had “officially launched a referendum campaign” aimed at stopping the Gold Rush Ranch & Golf Resort. The group wants to overturn related Sutter Creek City Council actions passed last week in conjunction with approval of the project. Sutter Creek resident and Gold Rush opponent Bart Weatherly in a release Monday said his group, Preserve Historic Sutter Creek “launched a referendum campaign to reverse legislative actions taken by” the city council. He said “reversing these actions will make null and void the approval of Gold Rush Ranch housing development.” The 1,334-unit project, including a golf course, resort, hotel and housing, was approved January 4th. Weatherly said opponents need 160 signatures to get a referendum on the ballot, and the simple majority vote would target not approval of Gold Rush, but rather amendments to a zoning ordinance and the General Plan. Weatherly said door-to-door signature gathering would start Saturday, January 16th, after the city provides updated amendments. Weatherly said: “We cannot do a referendum on the approval of Gold Rush because that is not a legislative act. We are doing referenda on the ordinances.” He said Preserve Historic Sutter Creek is made up of 20-30 members that meet regularly. Weatherly said: “Our goal is to stop Gold Rush as it is now presented.” He said repealing the ordinances would effectively stop Gold Rush and “force a 1-year time out,” meaning developers “have to go away for a year” and come back to the city with “a whole different project.” The group opposes the size and impacts of Gold Rush, but likes the project, Weatherly said, adding that it was originally proposed at 1/5th the size it is now, with a golf course, clubhouse, restaurant, 60-room hotel, 300 timeshares, and more than 600 acres of open space. Weatherly said he was “very optimistic about our chance.” He said 300 people signed the Vote “No on gold rush petitions, of which 200 were actual Sutter Creek residents.” Only registered Sutter Creek voters can sign the referendum petitions. Weatherly said his core group is not “no-growth” and “ultra-left”, but conservative supporters of “slow growth” and “controlled growth.” Weatherly said: “If we don’t prevail, our only thing we can do is make sure the developer is held to his promises.” Amador County Elections said the referendum needs 10 percent of the last registration total to make a ballot. Sutter Creek had 1,584 registered voters January 5th, meaning petitioners need 159 valid signatures to place a referendum on the ballot. 2010 regular elections include a June 8th primary and a November 2nd general election. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.