Amador County – Sacramento’s own Jackie Greene, dubbed by the New York Times as an Americana phenom, will return to Jackson Rancheria Casino & Hotel this summer.

Carol Cook of the Jackson Rancheria Marketing Department said Greene will play Saturday, July 23, in the event area next to the Hotel. Jackie Greene is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, keyboard player, acoustic solo artist, and “electrifying band leader who just doesn’t fit in any particular genre of music. His music is steeped in country, blues, jazz, rock and folk traditions, defying easy categorization.”

Greene has toured with Buddy Guy, Elvis Costello, Susan Tedeschi, Willie Nelson, B.B. King, and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott. He sometimes performs with Phil Lesh & Friends, Cook said, and “when the surviving members of the Grateful Dead reunited to play for then presidential candidate Barack Obama, Greene was playing with the band.”

His latest album, “Till the Light Comes,” is further proof of a talented young performer looking to move outward, to explore new textures and surprising chord changes.

Cook said “Greene is above all a working musician, who gives himself permission to do things musically that he hasn’t dared before.” Greene said: “Ultimately, my hope is that these songs will someday ignore their creator and tell their tales all by themselves.”

Cook said opening for Jackie Greene will be Honyock (pronounced hon-yock), “an exciting young rock, folk rock, new wave group” also from Sacramento. Members are Mason Hoffman, Spencer Hoffman, Tyler Wolter and George Rios.

The name Honyock, although a derogatory term for Polish people, was a word the Hoffman brothers’ Grandpa used to call them meaning “mischievous young one.”

The band played their first show on June 19 of last year (what would have been Grandpa Joe’s 78th birthday). Cook said their “goal is to produce well crafted, soul baring, honest music that comes from a pure place,” with “no ulterior motives.”

Tickets are only available at the Jackson Rancheria Box Office, at 12222 New York Ranch Road in Jackson, or by phone at 800-822-WINN, ext. 8731.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Big Trees Market in early May set about closing its 20 monitoring wells, and along with it the last chapter in handling a leaky underground fuel storage tank at the site.

Amador County Supervisors approved waiving permit fees for the well plugging work until the owner is reimbursed by the state for the work. Environmental Health Department Director Mike Israel said “Big Trees Market has undergone a lengthy groundwater investigation and cleanup process in connection with a release from an underground fuel tank.”

He said the consultant for the owner has requested a “no further action” letter from the Regional Water Quality Control Board. The Regional Board said “the last piece to be completed is destruction of monitoring wells installed as part of the investigation and cleanup.” The Regional Board approved the request, and asked for a verification of the wells’ abandonment by May 30.

Israel said the 20 groundwater monitoring wells typically cost about $120 per permit to destroy and plug, with the rate set by county code, and the inspection and destruction of the wells set by state water code Section 13801. He said the fee includes inspection costs by a state certified inspector, and up to a 20-foot concrete plug of each of the 20 wells.

Israel said “this office has in the past performed multiple monitoring well destruction inspections at a reduced rate,” that being one fee of $120, plus $96 per hour for time beyond the first 1-and-a-quarter hours. This assumes the work is all for the same permittee and performed on the same day.” Israel said the work would be completed “in a full day or less.” He said the inspection would be done all at once with the sealing and destruction of the wells.

Supervisor Brian Oneto said “the whole deal has been a very arduous process for the owner,” and the work on removing the tank and doing clean-up has used up most of a $1.5 million grant for the project, and “left just a little bit in the pot for the closure.” Big Trees Market owner, Aline Diamond, of Volcano, requested the fee waiver.

Supervisor Louis Boitano asked Israel the issue involved a “standard triple-walled tank.” Israel said at the time the tank was installed, “it was in compliance” with state law, making it eligible to get state underground gas tank remediation funds.

Oneto motioned and the board on a 5-0 vote approved the waiving of the fees until the owner is reimbursed by the state.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – A luncheon June 13 sponsored by Calaveras Grown will discuss “value added livestock production” and its potential to help the regional rural economy.

Featured speaker Nancyjo Riekse is project manager of the USDA Rural Business Enterprise Grant. In 2010 as Acting Coordinator of the High Sierra Resource Conservation & Development Council, she wrote more than 2 million dollars in grants for the five county areas the council serves, of Merced, Mariposa, Tuolumne, Calaveras and Amador Counties.

Riekse said: “One of the grants I wrote was for the Rural Business Opportunity Grant” for the “Next Step; Implementation of small and very small niche meat harvesting and cut and wrap facilities in California.”

Reikse also “provided technical assistance for many producers in areas of business planning, interpretation of state and federal regulations, grant writing, and other things to help our rural agricultural business and supporting businesses prosper.”

Calaveras Grown organizer Sean Kriletich said the meeting will be an opportunity for livestock producers and others to “see what work is currently being done toward value added livestock processing in our region and where we go from here.” There is no charge for the light lunch and meeting, and all interested parties are strongly encouraged to attend, especially livestock producers, processors and consumers.

Riekse said the meeting will discuss on-going and future projects “to keep the value of our region’s livestock production circulating within our region. This includes everything from a USDA approved Mobile Slaughter or Cut and Wrap Facilities to better utilizing existing facilities and resources.” The facilities and other options and opportunities will be discussed in detail “as we chart the course forward for increased economic and job opportunities in our region using our existing resources.”

Kriletich said “agriculture is an integral part of our rural community and by working together to create value added opportunities for livestock producers we can expand our markets, increase profits, eat better and develop a solid future for ranching in our region.”

Riekse will provide an overview of awarded Rural Business Enterprise Grants, and the next steps of “implementation of small and very small niche meat harvesting and cut and wrap facilities in California.”

Topics will include the Rural Business Opportunity Grant; Building Rural Prosperity from Regional Collaboration; Economic Gardening of Natural Resources; Community Networks; and Alternative Capital. An open discussion will follow the presentation.

The meeting is noon to 3 p.m. Monday, June 13 at the Calaveras County Library, 1299 Gold Hunter Road in San Andreas, off Mountain Ranch Road.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sonora – The Tuolumne County Economic Development Authority was honored recently by the state and federal development agencies for creating a model for rural economic development in California.

TCEDA Board Chair Hank Russell said a partnership was formed to create a model for economic development, under the leadership of Tuolumne CAO Craig Pedro and former Sonora City Manager Greg Applegate, with support from the Supervisors and the City Council.

“Unified with the same vision, the model of choice was a joint effort that established one entity under a Joint Powers Agreement,” Russell said. TCEDA is funded by both the County and the City, and current Sonora City Manager Timothy Miller has now joined the leadership team.

TCEDA is governed by its own board of seven members, including two Tuolumne Supervisors, Chairman John Gray and Vice Chairman Richard Pland; two City Council members are Mayor Bill Canning, and former Mayor Hank Russell; and three private sector members are attorney Jim Gianelli, broker Dennis Dahlin, and consultant Patricia Jones.

The first order of business for the new board was to select Executive Director Larry Cope, hired in March 2009 as Economic Development Director. Cope presented a 30-90-180-day plan to get the new agency up and running.

Russell said “Larry came in with a plan, and we told him to run with it.” Now “almost two years later, and with an extensive Work Plan as a guide,” Cope continues to accomplish the goals set for him by his Board.

Russell said Cope and staffer Beth Hartline were instrumental in forming the Business Alliance of Tuolumne County which provides free counseling and business classes, and a regional Central Sierra Economic Partnership, which includes Tuolumne, Calaveras, Amador and Mariposa counties.

TCEDA’s Strategic Work Plan 2009 was chosen to be highlighted in a new 100-page guide created by USDA Rural Development and the California Association of Local Economic Development. The publication, “Growing Thriving Rural Economic Development Corporations,” in part, said “Cope has created a five-year work plan that includes priorities for the first, third and fifth years. The priorities are categorized in the areas of business retention, expansion and attraction, infrastructure, administration and partnerships.”

“Each first year priority includes an action item, TCEDA role and measurable outcome. To encourage participation, (Cope) uses a retreat format to bring key stakeholders together for strategic work plan sessions. The planning session is used to create the action items and identify measurable outcomes…with accountability built into the corresponding actions. All priorities are subject to an annual review.”

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.