Wednesday, 28 January 2009 01:37
ACTC Picks Chair, Vice Chair, Discusses Indian Grinding Rock
Amador County – The Amador County Transportation Commission board of directors kept its chairman and selected a new vice chairman last week in its first meeting of 2009. District 4 Supervisor Louis Boitano was selected to remain as chairman of the ACTC board for the year. Plymouth City Councilman Greg Baldwin was picked as vice chairman for the year. Both Baldwin and Boitano were reelected to their respective positions last year. Among discussions at the meeting was the status of removing a historic grinding rock from a Caltrans right-of-ways near Ione. Supervisor Richard Forster said the project was stalled because of the state of the rock, used by Indians for grinding. He said an attempt to move the rock was made, and when it was lifted, it began to crumble. Kathleen McClaflin, Rural Planning and Administrator for Caltrans District 10 suggested that local Indian tribes be contacted about the bedrock mortars. Forster said that had been done and the moving of the rock had become a political issue as much as it had become a historical issue. Forster said he is “not in favor of that rock going to Plymouth,” where the Ione Band of Miwok Indians has had hopes to take the rock. Ione City Councilman and ACTC board member David Plank said Amador County “tried to pawn this off on the city,” adding that “it’s not a complicated issue,” it’s just a matter of “who breaks the rock?” McClaflin said ACTC might want to contact “all of the tribes in the area,” who all might want to come together to talk about the rock, possibly in a teleconference. Story by Jim Reece (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).