News Archive (6192)
Amador County Joint Panel returns to the preliminary draft General Plan next week
Written by Tom
Amador County – The Amador County Planning Department announced the next meeting of the county general plan update panel would be meeting next week.
As part of Amador County’s ongoing General Plan Update process, “preliminary drafts of the general plan, glossary, and implementation plan were prepared for review” before a “Joint Panel” comprised of the Amador County Board of Supervisors and the county Planning Commission. The review May 25-26, followed with a continuance to 1 p.m. Wednesday, June 29 in the supervisors chambers.
At the May meetings, the “Joint Panel reviewed and gave direction on several follow-up items presented by staff, received comments and input from the public, and reviewed and gave direction to staff on the Glossary.”
Next week, the Joint Panel will continue its “review of the remaining documents, specifically, the Goals, Policies and Implementation Plan, to ensure they contain the information and items on which direction was given at the previous Joint Meetings held in late 2008 through 2009.”
The planning department said “public comment will be taken, however, this review is not intended to reconsider items that have previously been discussed and on which direction has been given by the Joint Panel. Rather, the meeting is intended for the Joint Panel to confirm that the preliminary draft General Plan represents the proposed project to be analyzed in an Environmental Impact Report.
“Comments offered at this meeting should pertain to items that, if incorporated into the document later in the process, would be of such significance that they would change the project description, necessitating recirculation of the Draft EIR.
“Discussion on the merits of the proposed documents will be welcomed during the public hearing process which will occur once the final version of the Draft General Plan is released for public review along with the Draft EIR, expected to occur this fall.”
The planning department said that the preliminary draft documents are available online on the Amador General Plan Update page located at amadorgov.org. The documents are also available for viewing at the Jackson Branch of the County Library, as well as the Planning Department and the Board of Supervisors’ office.
“A limited number of printed copies will be available for purchase at the Planning Department while supplies last. If demand exceeds the number of available copies, additional copies can be printed, however there will be a few days’ delay before the documents would be available.”
Written information and maps that have been developed to this point in the General Plan Update process can be obtained on the county website. “The Update process is ongoing so please continue to monitor the website and watch for notices of future public hearings as changes to the proposed General Plan can, and will, be made up until the last meeting.”
For answers to questions or information, call the Planning Department at (209) 223-6380.
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Ione horse trainer repeates as the all-around stock horse champion
Written by Tom
Amador County – Ione horse trainer Ron Emmons repeated recently as champion of the Magnificent 7 All Around Stock Horse Championship at the Cal Expo, and now hopes to help the Amador County Fair.
Emmons said it was his second win in a row, third all-time for the National Reined Cow-Horse Association event, which annually features more than a dozen of the county’s top riders from all across America for a one-day riding competition, with one horse and one rider, in four events of herd work, rein work, steer stopping, and fence work.
Emmons said the field makes preliminary rides on Thursday, and the top seven ride in the finals, giving it the name, Magnificent 7. Emmons won his second consecutive championship riding Olena Oak, a 9-year-old quarterhorse stud stallion. He now has won $235,000 riding Olena Oak, whose nickname is Ernie.
He has trained Ernie since he was 3 years old, and specifically as a Reined Cow-Horse, since he was 4. Emmons has been one of the top money earners for the last several years in the Reined Cow-Horse Association, and has been in the top 20 since he has been a member. He strictly focused on Cow Horses in 2004.
He has an assistant, and keeps about 20 horses in training at his ranch on Highway 88 outside Ione. He said “20 is a good number for us to keep up with.” He also trains seven “non-professional” riders.
Stephanie McNair, a local developer, said Emmons’ training is what drew her to Amador County, and she has been put in charge of trying to get a stampede of steers to run through Plymouth, under the direction of the champion Cow-Horse rider and Ernie. Plymouth City Manager Jeff Gardner wanted to begin running steers down Main Street on the 4th of July, to promote the city of Plymouth, and the Amador County Fair, whose 2011 theme is Dancing With the Steers.
Emmons said he would let McNair handle the politics, and he “darn sure” would be able to supply some stock and handlers. The dates are not set, but Emmons suggested having it Sunday before the fair. McNair said it could also include fair entry livestock, and maybe even the Destruction Derby cars.
McNair said Plymouth embraced being a small town with its new General Plan, and she would “like to see more of that type of event there,” to “showcase ranching and farming,” to emulate successful county fairs in Santa Barbara and Paso Robles, sustained by year-round productions.
Emmons said it may be too late for a parade this year, but he will support it and the fair, and Plymouth. McNair said “we need to capture the larger group of people who appreciate the down-home smallness of this fair.” She said a “running of the steers” may be just the thing to help.
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Amador County – Amador County Supervisors heard a report of a survey of the homeless in the county, and discussed the issue last week.
Denise Cloward, coordinator of the Jackson Emergency Shelter told about some information she gleaned during the annual survey of the homeless conducted by the Amador-Tuolumne Community Action Agency, the Shelter, and volunteers.
Cloward said many say they have “never been in this position in my life,” and she can personally say that, as her husband, a general contractor is leaving soon for Colorado “because there is no work here.”
She shared a portrait of the Amador County homeless she saw in January helping with the survey. She heard from people “one paycheck away from losing their home,” people who have tried everything and leveraged everything, sold their grandmother’s ring, have lived on a dozen eggs for a week. She said Amador homeless are people with educations, medical technicians, families, people with addictions and mental illness.
Supervisor Richard Forster said: “Do they ask for help?” He saw a man at the DMV office, trying to get a driver’s license, shoeless and unkempt. Forster said “I’ve worn dirty pants before, but these were the dirtiest pants I’ve ever seen in my life.” He said: “Do they ask for help, to clean up for interviews?” He said he should give the man credit for trying to get his license.
Cloward said they will ask for help, but many are in the shelter for the first time. One recent visitor was a substitute teacher in the school district. Another was a trained medical technician. Some may be embarrassed, and it is hard to ask for help.
The shelter sleeps more than 30 people, but it is “always consistently 15 people,” half full. She said moms with children are nervous about Child Protective Services. Some cannot handle the rules they have to follow at the shelter, such as no alcohol or drugs. Some are ready to follow the rules, some are not.
Supervisor Ted Novelli said he heard on the radio recently that the United States has the highest number of homeless people it has ever had, in the hundreds of thousands. Then on the same station, they “say that the economy is turning around.” He asked where that turnaround is showing. Cloward said a lot of peoples’ unemployment is running out, leading to more loss of homes.
Novelli said “if anybody could get help, I think Amador County is up there” among those with a good chance. Supervisor Brian Oneto said he sees people come into the food bank, who were there donating two or three years ago, and now they are getting food.
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Amador County – Assistant Superintendent of Amador County Schools in early June told the Office of Education Board of Trustees that American River College is leaving Amador County, where it now has a handful of classes.
“They are not going to annex us because we are not big enough,” Chapin-Pinotti said, during a presentation to the Office of Education. She said the district gives them money and has what it considers significant numbers, but “we are very insignificant in their numbers,” and “it is not cost-effective for them to be here.”
Trustee Lynette Lipp said they are only willing to impart to us certain teachers, and “there is no succession of classes.” Chapin-Pinotti said the “classes are filling with students from the Valley because they can’t get the classes in the Valley.”
Amador Community College Foundation president, Supervisor Chairman John Plasse last week, discussing the idea of a college or training institute at Preston, said “for a community college to partner with us, we have to meet 500 full time students.” He said they could partner with northern Calaveras County, which is “paying $3 million to Delta Community College” with no benefits in return. Plasse said colleges “don’t want to take on anything that resembles a cost.”
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Amador County – A survey in January showed 218 homeless people living in Amador County, and nearly 800 in the three-county area of Amador, Tuolumne and Calaveras.
Representatives from Amador-Tuolumne Community Action Agency and Jackson Emergency Shelter reported that there are 104 single adults, 21 single parents with children, 5 couples with children, and one pregnant woman in Amador County. Among those, are 18 military veterans, including 9 who had seen active duty.
A-TCAA Housing Resources Director Margaret “Beetle” Barbour report to the Amador County Board of Supervisors last week that numbers showed a nearly 50-50 split among the gender of homeless in Amador County, rare because “generally speaking, there are usually more homeless men.” The survey also showed a growing number of children living independent of adults.
In Amador, 77 percent of those surveyed called Amador County home, up from 66 percent in 2009. 67 of the people were “couch surfing,” and didn’t expect to have their own home this year. 58 percent have some type of disability, be it physical, substance abuse, or other. Some are homeless because they can’t find a job, and 36 percent could not afford rent.
Barbour said supervisors set A-TCAA on the path of its homeless surveys by approving a 2007 planning grant. The grant established annual surveys of Amador, Tuolumne and Calaveras County homeless, with the goal to have a database of stats about the homeless, to show where people are living and to show if they are able to access services.
A-TCAA has received $460,000 in grants for housing projects, Barbour said. Of that, up to $140,000 will go toward an Amador County housing program.
The survey showed the three counties have a total of 780 people, including 282 children. Most notably, she said they “did the survey in January, in one of the worst winters that I’ve lived through.”
Supervisor Brian Oneto said: “I’m not shocked to see the numbers increasing. They’re going to keep growing because businesses are leaving the state in droves.”
Teams of volunteers hit the streets to help the survey. Denise Cloward, Emergency Shelter Coordinator of the Jackson shelter, told supervisors she surveyed the downtown Highway 49 corridor in Jackson, and found 15 people to interview.
As shelter coordinator, she knows the homeless, where they live, and has built trust. They confide in the volunteers, speak of their addictions. Some can’t find jobs, and many work but can’t afford rent.
Cloward said a man working in the National Hotel was also sleeping in the National, on the floor, without a mattress. She said one woman was a trained medical assistant, whose unemployment was running out. She said one of the most popular phrases she heard was: “I’ve never been in this position in my life.”
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Assistant Superintendent discusses starting Amador Community College
Written by Tom
Amador County – At its June 8 meeting, the Amador County Office of Education board of trustees heard a report on the county’s proposed “13th Year” program.
Assistant Superintendent Elizabeth Chapin-Pinotti introduced the concept, which is a “post-secondary educational opportunity for the students and citizens of Amador County.”
She said members of the Amador Community College Foundation have been brainstorming on the “13th and 14th year” being developed through the Office of Education, to see “what we can do for higher education opportunities, without the presence of a local community college in the county.
ACCF president, Supervisor Chairman John Plasse last week said that colleges have needed a demand of 500 students in the county, in order to create a presence in a satellite campus. He said they are in a money-losing situation in Amador.
Chapin-Pinotti said school trustees might consider: “What if the Office of Education had a community college for students to participate” in, which they could start in their senior year. She said a Chico State honors program was a model program, with two parts for students. One is for an academic group of students, and the other is for a vocational group. Such a vocational program was in the works a Prospect Motors, before its closure.
She said students cannot leave the county sometimes, due to high college costs, and then there is the issue of admissions. Federal grants can fund programs for master’s degrees, credentials, and agri-tourism, and the county narrowly missed a grant in the last cycle, and will soon reapply.
“We missed out last year by 2 points,” Chapin-Pinotti said. The science technology and math education grant period opened in early June and closes in July, and those programs “wouldn’t even be that hard to implement.” She said students are not limited by age, so it could be a good program to launch second careers.
She said “this is something that would be tiered,” and partnerships could be forged at U.C. Merced or Davis. They can “figure out how to educate our children,” and keep them in the county. She said a “banner welding program” could be popular and relevant, because “oilfields in Bakersfield, that’s who’s hiring in California right now.”
Trustee Pat Miller gave thanks to Chapin-Pinotti for her work, and said as a member of the Amador Community College Foundation board, he hopes the Foundation will support, and continue to support, the 13th and 14th Year efforts.
Board President Wally Upper said “basically you want to start our own college.” Chapin-Pinotti said yes, adding that they need to build on the programs they have, and youths “need as many local opportunities as you can get.”
She said she would like to send an invitation that “any college that wants to come, should come.”
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St. George Hotel, and Craig Hobson plan the “Father’s Day All Music Festival”
Written by Tom
Amador County – Craig Hobson and the St. George Hotel are promoting a Father’s Day All Music Festival and bash Sunday at the historic Volcano hotel, with Reggae, Blues and Classic Rock and Roll.
Hobson said “show your dad how much you love him by giving him a great day of music, food and drink.”
The all-ages, live music Father’s Day All Music Festival starts at noon Sunday at The St. George Hotel in Volcano, and features three kinds of music with three great bands, Hobson said. Hear classic rock music to be played by the band “It’s All Good.” The Blues music will come from the band, “Pinkie and Blind Resistance.” The Reggae and “Rasta American” music will be played by the band “Late for Dinner.”
The All Music Festival is kid friendly, with all kids age 12 and under admitted free. Ages 13 and older are all general admission price of $15 in advance per ticket, and $20 at the door. The St. George Hotel’s famous barbecue will be on sale, along with adult beverages. Water and soda are free.
Tickets are on sale at Hein and Company Books, at 206 North Main Street in Jackson, and at Clark’s Corner, at 12 West Main Street in Ione. Tickest can also be purchased online at Gold Country Music dot com.
See additional music at Hobson’s company’s Facebook page at Gold Country Music.
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Amador County – Jackson City Council received a budget report Monday that said the general fund is a little over $3 million, business licenses are up and other revenues have “held their own,” as the council prepares to work on the coming budget.
Councilman Wayne Garibaldi said he would like to take a “hard line” on balancing the budget to include some of the numbers last year where they “missed the target.” He said he would like to plug that into the budget this year and make adjustments accordingly, so they “avoid depleting the general fund.”
Vice Mayor Keith Sweet said he would like to see $25,000 borrowed from the “park in lieu fee” and get a fraternal club to build fencing around the Kennedy Mine tailing wheel.
Sweet said the Wheel Foundation met for the second time and is looking at constructing a cover building for the wheel, paving the parking lot and making it ADA compliant. He said cost estimates have been anywhere from $300,000 to $1.3 million.
Garibaldi said he would like to “find a way to legitimize using the park and recreation funds.” He said the city is “struggling to use that to restore one of our assets that we can’t reproduce.” He said they should use the funds on the wheels, and not consider it a loan, but rather a park & rec project. Councilman Pat Crew said: “I’m all for that project myself.”
City Manager Mike Daly gave a budget review Monday, saying “most revenues that come into the general fund are affected by the local economic conditions.” There has been a 60 percent sales tax drop in the five years since Prospect Motors left the city.
The general fund has “a little over $3 million,” he said, and “a big part of that is property tax. I think everybody has seen the impact of foreclosures on the housing market.” Home owners who bought their home for $300,000 in 2006 may see similar homes now sell for $150,000.
Daly said property taxes and franchise fees have “held their own,” and business licenses are up. There is also a $112,000 dent in the general fund from the loss of the gas tax swap. He said our state legislators are working with the city and Amador County to address that. The county’s loss is about $1.3 million.
Daly said redistricting has started, and the senate districting draft map “kind of cut off the Foothills from the valley,” and Assemblywoman Alyson Huber and Senator Ted Gaines “would stay with the valley district.” Daly said it’s just a draft, “but they have done a lot of work on it.”
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Amador County – Amador County Supervisors directed staff Tuesday to write a letter opposing an amendment that would de-fund California Fish & Game’s licensing of dredge mining until environmental studies are completed for each license.
County Administrative Officer Chuck Iley said he would have the letter completed Wednesday for Supervisor Chairman John Plasse’s signature. The amendment would “designate the issuance of permits to operate vacuum or suction dredge equipment to be a project” under the California Environmental Quality Act. It “would suspend the issuance of permits, and mining pursuant to a permit, until the department has completed an Environmental Impact Report for the project.”
Elton Rodman, owner of Roaring Camp Mining, asked for the support letter, and Supervisor Brian Oneto requested it. Plasse said the amendment “would extend the moratorium almost eternally,” due to probable lack of money for EIRs.
Plasse said the mining was “not deleterious to fish,” and the Legislature is trying to “use this legislation as a budget” because license processing in Fish & Game costs more than the department collects on fees.
Supervisor Richard Forster said he could name four or five examples where similar shortages are handled differently by the Legislature. Forster said “if they are going to play the game one way,” they “need to make it fair.” An example, industries subject to new rules for discharge on irrigated land are “doing an EIR now” but “they are still irrigating and there is no moratorium.” He said lawmakers “are isolating this case” and if they handled it like any other department, they would just increase fees.
Plasse said dredge licensing “is not an enterprise fund,” or “fully funded,” so they are working to eliminate it. He said “they could eliminate a whole host of state agencies.” The amendment’s backers point to an estimated cost of $1.8 million to issue licenses to 4,000 miners in the state. Plasse said: “Let’s see that fiscal analysis.” Oneto said he thought dredging takes out more mercury that it puts into the water. Industry backers, such as Senator Ted Gaines, say that mercury naturally clings to gold, so the industry removes it from the stream beds.
Oneto said America seems to be working to become a third world country with “harmful” regulations. He said the Lieutenant Governor recently visited Texas to see what they are doing for businesses. Oneto said: “I don’t need to take a trip.”
Plasse said the amendment would directly affect a local tourist destination with national recognition in Roaring Camp. He criticized local groups who have “feigned concern” for Amador County when it comes to “removing one stretch of river for kayaking” from the Mokelumne River, but “you don’t hear word one from them” when Roaring Camp is threatened. Plasse said “it’s a lot of selective outrage.”
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Amador County – The city of Sutter Creek submitted invoices in April seeking $433,000 for payments it said the Amador Water Agency owes for wastewater services, while the agency contested some, saying payments had been made.
Sutter Creek City Manager Sean Rabe provided related documents after a public document request by TSPN News. Rabe in an email Wednesday said he and Finance Director Joe Aguilar met May 18 with AWA General Manager Gene Mancebo to discuss the letter sent to AWA Finance Manager Mike Lee, with the three invoices for quarterly sewer billing and other costs, totaling $433,880.
Aquilar in the letter said the invoices included unpaid quarterly payments from 2008-09, “clean up expenses based on year-end accounting for fiscal year 2007-2008,” four installments for fiscal year 2009-2010, and four more for 2010-2011.
Rabe said he could not comment on potential litigation, which was discussed in closed session by the Sutter Creek City Council. Rabe said the “city is currently verifying the amount stated to be owed in the letter.” He said “it appears that the city did not invoice AWA correctly for the quarterly payments in 2009” and “that has been corrected.”
He said “the city also received additional information from the agency detailing some payments that were made between 2007 and 2010,” and the “city is currently analyzing that information for its applicability to the outstanding payments.”
The documents included a 2006 letter from former City Manager Rob Duke to then-General Manager Jim Abercrombie at the AWA requesting payment of $319,000 for the granting of a “will-serve commitment for 13,500 gallons of average dry weather flow of effluent” for the service of sewer in Community Service Area Number 4 in Martell, at $4,500 per 190 gallons per day. Rabe in a memo Wednesday said the “city has no record of AWA paying for the capacity sold under” the auspices of the letter. Rabe said: “While the letter acknowledging the capacity sale was sent, city staff cannot determine if an actual invoice was sent to AWA.”
Mancebo, addressing the issue in May said the agency has paid the invoices it has received, and took issue with some, which were being addressed and verified by city staff. AWA board members said they intended to pay the money they owed.
Rabe said the city will send AWA another invoice for $54,000 for the March sale of 10 single family residence equivalents in wastewater plant capacity.
Former Sutter Creek Finance Director Jeff Gardner said as far as he knew, all quarterly payments were made by the AWA up to second quarter of 2009, when his contract with the city was terminated. He said AWA “had paid some amounts through the second quarter of 2009.”
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