“There is a lot that they (FEMA and OES) are not covering, so instead of using the maintenance money (for routine deferred maintenance projects) we’re now using those monies in repairs of roads that are damaged by winter weather.” Deferred maintenance projects are routine projects planned for over the lifetime of a road required for the continued stability of the road surface. Such projects include overlaying, fixing potholes, grinding and shoulder work. Peterson said these monies are crucial because, “the further the road dilapidates the more easily it is damaged.” He also said that choosing the road for repairs is not always easy however, because there are several considerations. “Do you do the worst first even though the worst one may not be the road that is the most heavily traveled or do you do the heavily traveled road that is not (in) the worst (shape)?” For example Peterson explained that Ridge Road can receive up to 10,000 car trips per day, therefore the Public Works Department puts money into preventative repairs because the road is considered high traffic. An added consideration for the department is the history of the roads, believe it or not. Peterson pointed out that most of Amador County’s roads were wagon trails, mining roads and other trails that were not intended for a considerable amount of vehicle traffic. He also points out that many current county roads were paved with out the required foundation. Peterson said that while a good foundation consists of at least 6 inches of base rock, in some cases roads may have as little as two, creating an unsteady foundation therefore increasing the possibility of further erosion and the need for a lot more preventative maintenance. Over the last couple of years the Public Works Department has had an average of 300-400 thousand dollars available in their budget for preventative maintenance. Peterson indicated that this year the Department is not expecting any carryover funds to be available after the Public Works Department is finished repairing or completing projects that must be done in order to make it through the upcoming winter. Shoft said that a small section repair on Ridge Road, from Hwy. 88 to Toma Lane, could take anywhere from 250-280 thousand dollars. So what happens if we have another winter and spring like last year and those preventative maintenance funds are needed? “What we do is we borrow from other line items in the road budget,” said Peterson. “…If we run out of line items we’ll have to do a mid year budget adjustment and we’ll make transfers.” However he said if the situation takes even a further turn for the worse and “we run completely out of money, We have to go back to the Board of Supervisors and say we’re broke.” Although Amador County Public Works Department has never before reached that point of budget crisis, Peterson said other counties have encountered that dilemma. He pointed out that the Department keeps a fair mount of money in reserves as well if there are emergency needs. Peterson said that since the preventative maintenance funds are being used to make roads suitable for winter, this means that the roads that need the monies to keep them from falling apart further are going to dilapidate even more and require twice as much work when the funds are available again.

Peterson pointed out that there is an extensive list of roads that have not yet been repaired from the storms Amador County experienced in December and January and then again in March and April of 2005 & 2006. At Tuesday’s Board of Supervisor’s meeting the board officially closed Pioneer Creek Road. Peterson said, “An entire lane was demolished and we are trying to stabilize the hillside. The actual restoration of the lane will take place next year.” He proceeded to name road, after road, after road that is need of repairs in the county. Peterson said there is hope for Amador County Roads and a sufficient budget if Measure K is passed, the upcoming measure on the November ballot that consists of a ½ cent sales tax increase for public roads. “Measure K would provide a little over half a million a year straight to our road department and as tax revenue increased our share would grow.” In the meantime, however, Peterson wanted to remind Amador County Drivers of the importance of our roadways. “The county roads are a public facility that everybody uses pretty much everyday to travel to their jobs, their medical care, their kid’s school. No matter where you’re going to and from in this county your using a county road. You are (traveling) on the most expensive piece of infrastructure that the public can be provided with, and yet roads are not an infrastructure we think of the same way we think of pipelines and sewer lines and other types of public services. We have to take care of and invest the money in it’s care and maintenance…(it is) an investment that needs protection to keep it safe. That’s how the ambulance and fire trucks get to your house. If you need to the hospital you use a county road. We need to keep them safe and usable and that’s my mission,” said Peterson.