Amador County- The Jackson City Council approved the recommendation of the Jackson Revitalization Committee to extend 3-hour free parking in the downtown area. The covered meter experiment is part of the continuing effort by the Committee to improve and encourage visitors to downtown. In an exclusive interview with TSPN, newly appointed Jackson Mayor Connie Gonsalves said the covered meters will continue through March 30th. She said the committee is waiting for reports from the Amador County Transportation Commission on the parking study, which is still in the first of four phases. The experiment was originally intended to end last Labor Day, but positive reviews encouraged an extension through Slovenian Christmas, and now the current extension through March. While the City is not charging for meters, they have raised parking tickets from $11 to $24. The Parking Committee is a subdivision of the original Economic Development Committee. Since it is no longer a true subcommittee, it will likely be absorbed by the Strategic Planning Committee, chaired by Gonsalvez and Supervisor John Plasse. In response to a question as to whether there has been too much focus on Main Street, Gonsalvez replied “absolutely not.” She said “a lot of folks think (economic development) applies only to downtown, but we have to look at it as a city-wide plan and take things region by region.” The Jackson Revitalization Committee meets the 2nd Thursday of each month at the Jackson Civic Center. The public is encouraged to attend. Story by Alex Lane