Sutter Creek – About 30 local and regional business leaders and politicians attended a public input session Tuesday at Days Inn in Sutter Creek with new Amador Regional Transit System manager, James Means, and got a local consensus: Local residents want to see the Kirkwood ski bus continue, and they want Saturday bus service. That came with a list of other ideas from the brainstorming groups, who were polled by Means as to their support of the 2 main ideas. Jackson City Manager Mike Daly added the proviso that he would support the Kirkwood bus, but “not at the expense of a weekday services compromise.” Means said “you can have it all, you don’t have to settle.” Amador County Transportation Commission Executive Director Charles Field said his board of directors talked about cutting the Kirkwood bus, and he said “it’s my job to remind you” that his “board gave him the directive to cut the Kirkwood service.” He said the meeting was a great first start for Means and ARTS, which is part of the ACTC. Means said he does intend to find funding for the Kirkwood service. Field said “just the price of gasoline could change everything you are talking about.” Amador County Recreation Agency Executive Director Tracey Towner-Yep, who founded and runs the Kirkwood ski buss program with ARTS, said the program is a “go,” it’s just a matter of getting funding. The program started 3 years ago and had its most popular year last year, when so many people took the $10 ride to Kirkwood that about 6 times last year, they had to send 2 busses. Also last year, Debbie Dunn set up “Sierra Tickets” to allow online ticket purchases. And the program received cost-sharing from Kirkwood. But bottom line, Towner-Yep said the program lost money. Chip Seamans, general manager and chief operating officer of Kirkwood Mountain Resort said he admired how ACRA and ARTS “stuck with it last year.” Seamans said Kirkwood is its “own separate entity up there,” part of Amador, Alpine and El Dorado Counties. Seamans said he would help “you figure out how to help us,” and “there’s a cost to both of us to make it happen.” He said it is important to Kirkwood to get kids involved in skiing and snowboarding at an early age. ACTC’s Mell Welsh said Kirkwood gave the program $150 for each 10 passengers it brought to the resort last year. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.