Friday, 14 September 2007 02:02

County Planning Commission Hears Controversy Over Local Church Project

Many Amador County Residents turned out in droves at the Amador County Planning Commission Meeting Tuesday, hot to debate the issue of whether the Pioneer Baptist church should be able to expand its facilities to include a 250 person capacity open-air pavilion. On January 9th, the Planning Commission voted to amend the church’s Master Plan-Use Permit to allow the addition of the pavilion, which will be used mainly for classrooms and administrative offices, but will also facilitate potluck dinners and occasional concerts and picnics.
Residents of Homestead Road primarily expressed a concern that they had not been properly notified of the church’s request to expand its facilities. Other points of community concern included the removal of two 100-year old oak trees on the church property which occurred several months ago, the placement of new sewer lines for the new facility, dangerous road conditions at the intersection with Highway 88, and the possibility of future noise issues associated with an open-air pavilion. Tom Cadell, a deacon for the church, met the residents’ apprehension with open-ears and stressed his desire to work with the community. He stated that the removal of the oak trees was at the recommendation of a county consultant who had noted their deteriorating condition. He also assured residents that the church was negotiating with Cal-Trans regarding the traffic concerns. He emphasized the church’s open-door policy and willingness to comply with any future complaints regarding noise from the pavilion. Other items of interest at the meeting were two separate proposals for new wineries/tasting rooms in Shenandoah Valley, one near the intersection of Shenandoah and Bell Rd, and the other on the south side of Shenandoah Rd. approximately 3,000 feet east of Ostrom Rd. Both requests were approved.