Amador County – ACES Waste Service on Wednesday announced it was working toward a purchase of 3 contracts from Waste Connections to operate the Buena Vista Landfill and serve Amador County Franchise Area 1 and the city of Plymouth. Paul Molinelli Junior, co-owner of the Pine Grove company, said ACES has “a handshake agreement to purchase” Waste Connections’ local contracts, and Waste Connections wants to exit the county. He said the handshake was made several weeks ago, but because the corporation had not informed its staff, ACES was not allowed to discuss the agreement. He said Waste Connections’ staff was notified of the potential sale Monday. Waste Connections cannot assign a contract that it owns without the agreement of the franchising entity, in this case Plymouth City Council and Amador County Supervisors. ACES now serves curbside in county Franchise Areas 2 and 3. Molinelli said the company has held a contract for 34 years to serve Franchise Area 3, serving all of the Upcountry, from Pine Grove to Kirkwood. ACES also holds franchises in Jackson and Sutter Creek. Molinelli said the handshake initiated “due diligence” to acquire information about their contracting, and work toward “final sale of their local assets” to ACES. Local staff was told by Waste Connections it would take 120 days or longer to complete any agreements. Waste Connections holds exclusive contracts in Plymouth and Franchise Area 1, and operates the transfer station and material recovery facility at the Buena Vista Landfill. Molinelli said Amador County and Plymouth would have to approve the transfer of those contracts to ACES, and Waste Connections would have to submit those inquiries. He said Amador County Chief Administrative Officer Terry Daly “lit up like a Christmas tree,” when he discussed the tentative agreement. ACES recently took over services in Ione, after Waste Connections pulled out. The Ione City Council Tuesday voted to direct staff to begin a transition from permitting waste services, to offering franchise contracts. Molinelli said Ione is only city in Amador County that does not have exclusive franchising, which ACES would prefer. He said just as ACES was awarded the Sutter Creek franchise last year, then soon after that had to plan for taking over in Ione, when Waste Connections pulled out. Molinelli said ACES “spent half a million dollars to lease equipment and trucks” to serve Ione, and an “exclusive franchise allows us to borrow money to buy equipment through capital leases.” Folsom-based Wastes Connections is publicly traded and serves more than a million customers in 23 states. Waste Connections reported $316 million in revenue in the third quarter of 2009. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - Local residents of Serbian descent gathered together on Thursday for a noisy and festive celebration of the first day of Serbian Christmas, a three day event. The Serbian Orthodox Church uses the traditional Julian Calendar to determine the date of Christmas, which this year fell on January 7th. Celebrators first gathered for a 10 a.m. service at St. Sava Church in Jackson, which, according to church officials, is considered to be the “Mother Church” of the Serbian denomination in North America and the traditional starting point for the Serbian Christmas procession. After the service, a procession led by Amador County residents Beau Gillman and Jess Votaw – both of Serbian descent – made its way down Jackson’s Main Street. A row of trucks honked and passengers shouted “Cestit Ti Bozic!” – which means “Merry Christmas” - before stopping in front of The National Hotel. At that point, at least ten Serbian men proceeded to get out of their vehicles, load single and double barrel shotguns and point them at the sky. “Folks were quite surprised because before they knew it, these men began firing off their weapons in order,” said Kam Merzlak, owner of Merzlak Signs. Kam contributed a video of the procession. Merzlak said the men fired off their weapons two or three different times. He said Jackson Police Chief Scott Morrison was on scene to ensure onlookers that this was an approved shooting event. “When I saw the shell casings on the ground, I was glad to see there were no spray painted circles around them,” joked Merzlak. After the raucous procession, the tradition continued as families joined together to spend quality time in different households. Christmas surpasses all other days celebrated by Serbs, with respect to the diversity of applied folk customs and rituals. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - Local residents of Serbian descent gathered together on Thursday for a noisy and festive celebration of the first day of Serbian Christmas, a three day event. The Serbian Orthodox Church uses the traditional Julian Calendar to determine the date of Christmas, which this year fell on January 7th. Celebrators first gathered for a 10 a.m. service at St. Sava Church in Jackson, which, according to church officials, is considered to be the “Mother Church” of the Serbian denomination in North America and the traditional starting point for the Serbian Christmas procession. After the service, a procession led by Amador County residents Beau Gillman and Jess Votaw – both of Serbian descent – made its way down Jackson’s Main Street. A row of trucks honked and passengers shouted “Cestit Ti Bozic!” – which means “Merry Christmas” - before stopping in front of The National Hotel. At that point, at least ten Serbian men proceeded to get out of their vehicles, load single and double barrel shotguns and point them at the sky. “Folks were quite surprised because before they knew it, these men began firing off their weapons in order,” said Kam Merzlak, owner of Merzlak Signs. Kam contributed a video of the procession. Merzlak said the men fired off their weapons two or three different times. He said Jackson Police Chief Scott Morrison was on scene to ensure onlookers that this was an approved shooting event. “When I saw the shell casings on the ground, I was glad to see there were no spray painted circles around them,” joked Merzlak. After the raucous procession, the tradition continued as families joined together to spend quality time in different households. Christmas surpasses all other days celebrated by Serbs, with respect to the diversity of applied folk customs and rituals. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – ACES Waste Service on Wednesday announced it was working toward a purchase of 3 contracts from Waste Connections to operate the Buena Vista Landfill and serve Amador County Franchise Area 1 and the city of Plymouth. Paul Molinelli Junior, co-owner of the Pine Grove company, said ACES has “a handshake agreement to purchase” Waste Connections’ local contracts, and Waste Connections wants to exit the county. He said the handshake was made several weeks ago, but because the corporation had not informed its staff, ACES was not allowed to discuss the agreement. He said Waste Connections’ staff was notified of the potential sale Monday. Waste Connections cannot assign a contract that it owns without the agreement of the franchising entity, in this case Plymouth City Council and Amador County Supervisors. ACES now serves curbside in county Franchise Areas 2 and 3. Molinelli said the company has held a contract for 34 years to serve Franchise Area 3, serving all of the Upcountry, from Pine Grove to Kirkwood. ACES also holds franchises in Jackson and Sutter Creek. Molinelli said the handshake initiated “due diligence” to acquire information about their contracting, and work toward “final sale of their local assets” to ACES. Local staff was told by Waste Connections it would take 120 days or longer to complete any agreements. Waste Connections holds exclusive contracts in Plymouth and Franchise Area 1, and operates the transfer station and material recovery facility at the Buena Vista Landfill. Molinelli said Amador County and Plymouth would have to approve the transfer of those contracts to ACES, and Waste Connections would have to submit those inquiries. He said Amador County Chief Administrative Officer Terry Daly “lit up like a Christmas tree,” when he discussed the tentative agreement. ACES recently took over services in Ione, after Waste Connections pulled out. The Ione City Council Tuesday voted to direct staff to begin a transition from permitting waste services, to offering franchise contracts. Molinelli said Ione is only city in Amador County that does not have exclusive franchising, which ACES would prefer. He said just as ACES was awarded the Sutter Creek franchise last year, then soon after that had to plan for taking over in Ione, when Waste Connections pulled out. Molinelli said ACES “spent half a million dollars to lease equipment and trucks” to serve Ione, and an “exclusive franchise allows us to borrow money to buy equipment through capital leases.” Folsom-based Wastes Connections is publicly traded and serves more than a million customers in 23 states. Waste Connections reported $316 million in revenue in the third quarter of 2009. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - The latest act of vandalism on Jackson’s Main Street came in the form of smashed flowerpots in front of Hein & Company bookstore, highlighting an ongoing problem in a struggling area. The flowerpots, as documented by Hein & Company co-owner Linda Hein, were discovered while she and her husband were taking their morning walk. “This is just an example of something that happens on an almost monthly basis,” said Hein. “My husband, Wolf, and I are daily walkers in the morning before opening up our business on Main Street, and we are regular viewers of the mess and breakage.” Hein said the damage usually occurs on a Friday or Saturday night. Hein said she calls the Sheriff whenever it seems “over the top.” Cindy Turner, owner of Detailed Events, said her son’s former business was vandalized three times. Past acts of vandalism include graffiti and broken windows. In one incident, vandals cut the internet cable and rigged it to provide service to their residence, located behind the business. Vandals kicked in the door to the business on different occasions. “I just see little business, no tourism and everyone downtown is really suffering,” said Turner. “None of that is good for the future,” she said. Eleanor Caputo, owner of the Studio 18 Gallery, said she has been the victim of numerous vandalisms, including a broken bench, ripped up flowers and broken bottles. She and Merzlak Signs owner Kam Merzlak were reluctant to hang a giant photo banner of Amador County on Main Street, but decided it was necessary in order to “make it all look better.” She said little things, like adding new coats of paint, cleaning up sidewalks and getting rid of “the urine smell on the street” were all good starts. Caputo believes this blight is created in part by individuals who loiter on the streets in front of downtown bars like the Main Event and the Fargo Club. “I’m a smoker myself, but I know it’s disrespectful to stand in front of the bar and smoke where people can smell it and spit on the sidewalk,” she said. The issue of downtown revitalization is an ongoing topic at Jackson City Council meetings. Last summer, the Jackson Revitalization Committee and the Jackson Rancheria created a “Shop Jackson” advertising partnership intended to stimulate downtown business by providing special offers and discounts to the casino’s Dreamcatchers Club members. Nevertheless, vandalism continues. Hein sent out an email seeking suggestions for how to deal with the issue. Caputo believes revitalization is a result of how much people put in. “Negative evokes negative but positive evokes positive,” said Caputo, adding: “If we all walk around with a positive attitude, it will spread and show in our downtown.” 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 in its last meeting of 2009 set a public hearing for a possible rate increase in Camanche Water District Number 7, looking to fix a “structural cash deficit.” AWA has been working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture on grant to add a water storage tank, at an estimated cost of $1.8 million. The USDA has said the California Rural Development grant depends on funding available from other partners. In a special meeting December 31st, the AWA board approved a revised financial plan for the Camanche project, and planned a February 22nd public hearing. The agency has already spent about $100,000 toward the project, and staff said those “sunk costs” likely could be reimbursed through the grant. Staff recommended rates based on revenue needs through 2012. Staff “determined that the water rates in Lake Camanche should generate about $340,000” this fiscal year “to meet financial obligations and objectives” in the “multi-year financial plan.” Staff recommended AWA adopt a 3-year plan, with 9 percent rate hikes each July 1st until 2011. The report said “in order to meet the full financial obligations of the water utility and close the operating deficit of about $618,000, it is recommended that we borrow $800,000 in fiscal year 2009-2010 and begin repayment” the following year, “which amounts to an annual payment of about $32,000.” Rate increases would repair a “structural cash deficit.” A typical residential user consuming 12 units would pay $3.40 more per month in the first year, and monthly rates would rise annually by 3-4 dollars. The last rate change in Camanche District 7 was in July 2006. Finance Manager Mike Lee said the board’s selected plan would be posted on the AWA website. Interim General Manager Gene Mancebo said AWA “will have to build a project” in Camanche District 7, because of “contact time” improvements needed in the system. Director Gary Thomas said the agency needs “to look at conservation plans in Camanche,” and he urged the board to not “lose sight of the fact that we need a conservation plan.” He said he hoped that would “get memorialized in these rates.” Director Terence Moore agreed, saying “it’s a small system, and it would be a good place to see if it would work.” Mancebo said any rate change would be subject to Proposition 218 guidelines. And he said once the agency approves a financial plan, staff would like to look back and see if it works, and if not, they can “rectify that” when they approve the project. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - As the November election day draws closer, two candidates for major political seats in our region have dropped out. SMUD Director Bill Slaton made it official in late December that he will no longer be running for the 3rd District Congressional seat currently held by Republican incumbent Dan Lungren. Lungren won the 3rd District by a narrow margin in 2008. Slaton said he will put his full support behind Dr. Ami Bera, a UC Davis physician, the only official Democratic candidate for the seat and the likely Democratic nominee. Slaton said, “Ami has demonstrated the kind of leadership we need in Congress to create good-paying green jobs here in our community.” On December 15, Bera also received the endorsement of Bill Durston, Lungren’s Democratic opponent in 2008. According to a report from the Center for Responsive Politics, Bera has so far raised $625,278 in campaign funding- $44,000 more than Lungren. Some reports say this does not include over $200,000 raised for Slaton’s campaign that may also be a contribution. On Tuesday, Republican Paul Hegyi announced that he is dropping his candidacy for Democratic Assemblymember Alyson Huber’s seat in the 10th Assembly District. Hegyi’s departure essentially clears the way for a rematch between Huber and former San Joaquin County Supervisor Jack Sieglock. Huber won her seat by less than 500 votes in 2008, and it is considered one of the most targeted legislative races of this election. Hegyi said his “single most important goal…is to ensure that Republicans take back the 10th Assembly District, and to prevent the Democrats from gaining a 2/3 majority in the State Assembly.” “I want to thank the hundreds of supporters who have helped me thus far. This was a hard decision, and not one that I took lightly, but at the end of the day everyone's first priority should be to help the GOP leadership win this seat,” he said. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.