Amador County – The Ione City Council accepted the key to a brand new snack shack and restrooms Tuesday in its regular meeting. The gift was valued at $60,419 with construction carried out and donations raised by the Ione Rotary Club International. The snack shack was built by Rotarians in between the Little League baseball fields at Howard Park. Rotary President Mitzi Windley and members Rick Kreth and Jake Herfel presented the snack shack and restrooms during the regular meeting Tuesday, handing over the key to City Manager Kim Kerr. Windley said donors to the project included the Ione City Council, which gave $15,000 and District 2 Supervisor and Chairman Richard Forster, who gave $10,000 of his discretionary recreation funds to the project. All told, the project and donors put in $60,419 in funding and Rotarians built the project. Ione Rotary started the project in 2006. The city will take ownership of the Snack Shack and restroom facilities and maintain the buildings at the baseball fields. Windley said Ione Rotary will be coordinating a Grand Opening of the Snack Shack in conjunction with the 2009 Little League Baseball Opening Day. Also Tuesday, the council held a public hearing on a Community Development Block Grant application, which will seek $500,000 in funding to provide low interest loans for first-time home buyers that are low-income families. Finance Director Mark Smith said the second public hearing had to be held before the application was submitted next month. Kerr said the money, if awarded would probably not be available until June, after screening of applicants. Kerr said the grants would be competitive as many organizations would be seeking grants to purchase foreclosed houses to give to low-income families. She said the city’s history and accountability in previous CDBG grants would determine its standing in receiving funding. Smith said the program still has about $300,000 in its home-buyer account. Story by Jim Reece (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).