Amador County - Tempers flared at Monday’s Jackson City Council meeting during a heated debate over the closure of Main Street for downtown events. Alyshia Miller, Co-owner of Theresa’s Restaurant, spoke on behalf of some Jackson Gate Road business owners who believe they are unfairly excluded when downtown events block off the entrance to their roadway. On the flip side of the debate was Toni Fancher, President of the Historic Jackson Business Association, which includes downtown businesses but does not include proprietors on Jackson Gate Road. Miller focused on this in her argument, saying “it is ironic that such an event would exclude our historic businesses.” Jackson Gate Road was the main artery into Jackson before Highway 88 was built. She pointed out that two of the three symbols on the Jackson Flag – the Kennedy Mine Tailing Wheels and St. Salva Church - are on Jackson Gate Road, yet they still weren’t taken into consideration when establishing the Business Association. “We’re not asking for fair and equal treatment, just validation,” said Miller.

Fancher pointed out that this was a matter of public safety, not inclusion or exclusion. She said they need the entire 3-way intersection at the north end of Main Street for wagons to turn around at events like the upcoming “Christmas Delights.” She said it was in the interest of public safety. “I think this has gotten so blown out of control, fighting about something like this. It floors me that it’s gotten this far without trying to have a meeting with the people involved,” said Fancher. This led to a broader debate over alterations to the closure that would still include passage to Jackson Gate Road. Neither side could present data on the fiscal impact or benefit of the intersection closure. However, Fancher yelled out “1,500 people each year!” from the audience as one man commented on the Christmas event.

Mayor Rosalie Pryor Escamilla questioned why Jackson Gate businesses couldn’t be more proactive and come downtown to sell goods during these events. The item was postponed for further discussion after the holidays. The council encouraged the HJBA and Jackson Gate Businesses to schedule a meeting to discuss the matter further. On Tuesday, Police Chief Scott Morrison took on the task of measuring the exact dimensions of the intersection in an effort to accommodate both parties. Story by Alex Lane (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).