News Archive (6192)
Amador-Calaveras Consensus Group receives Forest Service’s Forester’s Award
Written by Tom
Calaveras County – The U.S. Forest Service recently announced that the Amador-Calaveras Consensus Group (ACCG) received the agency’s Pacific Southwest Regional Forester’s Award for “All Land Ecological Restoration.”
ACCG is a community-based organization that works to create fire safe communities, healthy forests and sustainable local economies. Their efforts have focused on reducing hazardous fuels in the Mokelumne River watershed, a common boundary shared between the Stanislaus and El Dorado National Forests.
The award, presented by Regional Forester Randy Moore, recognizes the group’s success in securing grants through National Forest Foundation to formally organize under a memorandum of agreement, and to facilitate support for on-the-ground projects that reduce hazardous fuel conditions and put local residents back to work in the woods. Other organizations that have contributed funds for this work include private landowners, Fire Safe Council, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Forest Service (FS), Calaveras Healthy Impacts Product Solutions, and the Calaveras-Mariposa Community Action Agency.
ACCG has facilitated the hiring and training of a hand crew made up of Me-Wuk tribal members as well as a non-native crew. Both crews have been working on implementing a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) for Glencoe, doing fuel reduction projects on BLM and private lands. In addition, the all-native crew has successfully completed fuel reduction work on several cultural resource sites on the Calaveras Ranger District, in a way that brings indigenous stewardship practices back to these ancestral lands.
Much of the woody material generated by these projects will be processed to make animal bedding, fence posts, firewood, or to generate electric power. These small efforts have given a much needed boost to the spirits and economic welfare of local residents and small businesses. In fact, the unemployment rate in the West Point/Glencoe area of Calaveras County recently dropped as a result of this program.
The effort began nearly two years ago, when Calaveras County Supervisor Steve Wilensky gathered a group of public agencies, private landowners, Me-Wuk tribal representatives, environmental groups, small business owners, and interested citizens together. The idea was to try to develop mutually beneficial solutions to problems of extreme fire danger, overgrown forests, threatened water quality, and persistent unemployment in the small communities of the eastern portion of the Mokelumne River watershed.
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New AWA board OKs $70K in work to go to bid on Gravity Supply Line ASAP
Written by Tom
Amador County – In the first meeting of its new makeup, the Amador Water Agency board of directors voted unanimously Thursday, December 9th, to spend close to $70,000 to proceed to bid as soon as possible on the Gravity Supply Line project.
AWA General Manager Gene Mancebo said bidding could start in April 2011, and if approved, construction of the GSL could begin late next summer or early fall.
Mancebo said: “Once construction bids are opened, the agency will have a firm cost to share with customers prior to considering a potential rate increase and weighing the cost versus benefits of the project.”
Three Central Amador Water Project districts must also approve financing for the final project, which the AWA board approved in March. The GSL is a gravity-fed raw water pipeline to CAWP’s water treatment system in Buckhorn.
Mancebo said the GSL is “designed to greatly reduce the impacts of rising electricity costs on CAWP’s budget.” The AWA board’s March approval allowed the agency to apply to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a $5.1 million grant and a low interest, 40-year loan for $8.3 million to pay for the GSL. The loan payment would be offset by a reduction in energy costs.
Mancebo said he was hopeful that actual construction costs will be lower than initial estimates, citing other recent public works project bids that have come in as much as 50 percent below original engineering estimates.
He said AWA staff will begin a series of Upcountry meetings to share information with CAWP ratepayers in January.
In a report to the board, Mancebo said the AWA board halted work on USDA conditions for the grant and loan for the project, due to concerns over the cost. Staff brought back a timeline and list of the conditions, and reported that for less than $70,000, consisting of “existing staff time,” the AWA “could bid the project and meet all conditions necessary prior to the start of construction.”
He said staff “will continue to refine financial plans with the budget and finance committee,” made up of President Don Cooper and District 4 Director Robert Manassero. Staff also plans “a future workshop on the financial plans with the entire board.”
Mancebo said on November 17th that AWA staff held a quarterly meeting with the CAWP wholesale districts, well represented by its board members. They unanimously said “they wish to proceed with spending $69,630 to get the GSL out to bid,” so a firm construction bid cost could be determined.
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Amador County - 10th District Assemblymember Alyson Huber is seeking support for a bill she introduced last week that would halt the planned closure of Preston Youth Correctional Facility.
Assembly Bill 8 was the first piece of legislation Huber introduced after taking the oath of office for her second term. Shortly after its introduction, Huber said the bill “would prohibit the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Division of Juvenile Facilities from closing any youth correctional facility during the six-month period following the effective date of the legislation.” It also directs that activities levels at any facility will remain at effectively the same levels as when the closure of Preston was first announced.
The closure will affect over 400 staff and at least 200 juvenile wards. Most of the wards would be transferred to nearby facilities in Stockton. The closure will also impact city and county revenues, businesses, school revenue, and potentially reduce the value of area homes.
At a special meeting called by Huber and the Amador County Board of Supervisors last week, Huber urged the capacity crowd in attendance to “write letters, make calls” and “do what it takes” to urge the legislature to approve the bill. She said the bill includes findings she feels are “incontrovertible.” Word spread Monday among concerned citizens that Huber seeks at least 2000 letters in her office to protest the bill. She plans on taking these letters into committee when she presents her bill in the coming weeks, a tactic she has used when introducing several past bills.
Said Huber last week: “This bill will put a temporary halt to the process that CDCR seems intent on barreling forward without clear regard of the impact of the decision. It will give the Legislature and Governor the time necessary to look deeper into how CDCR is making decisions about how to meet the needs of a dwindling youth offender population and a shrinking budget.”
Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Amador County – The Amador County Recreation Agency plans its Blue Moon Bash on New Year’s Eve, calling it the “celebration of the decade.”
The non-profit Joint Power Authority, ACRA will celebrate the New Year with its annual Blue Moon Bash, and it invites people to come and “usher in a new year of hope and possibility with an evening of celebration, great food, fine refreshments, and live music.”
The gates to the Amador County Fairgrounds open at 7 pm Friday, December 31st in Plymouth, with dinner served until 9:30 pm. Live musical performances will be done by the Speak Easy Jazz Orchestra, the Funky Blue Devils, Late for Dinner, D.J. Gavin, and the winner of ACRA’s Battle of the Bands contest, Meghan O’Keefe.
ACRA’s Tracey Towner-Yep, in a release announcing the event, said the Blue Moon Bash “is a terrific opportunity to have a fabulous evening while supporting parks and recreation and local community groups.” She said: “This event will be the place to be to celebrate the New Year.”
There are a limited number of tickets available. The ticket price includes entertainment, dinner and shuttles to and from the event. Tickets are $50 per person, which includes: dinner, all entertainment, goody bags, and shuttles to and from the event. The evening activities will take place rain or shine.
Tickets are on sale now locally at all branches of Bank of Amador, Play it Again Sports, Clark’s Corner, Curves, Amador Visitors Center, Amador County Fairgrounds, Plymouth City Hall, Munnerlyn’s Ice Creamery, and the Sutter Creek Ice Cream Emporium. Tickets may also be purchase online at www.highsierratickets.com.
Shuttle pick-ups will start at 6 p.m. The schedule and pick up spots are available on the ACRA website. The Bash includes special discounts for groups of 10 or more, and reserved seating is available.
Organizers suggest securing lodging early for the sell-out event, and RV accommodations are available on the fairgrounds.
The event will not have fireworks this year, due to insurance costs.
For more information, see ACRA’s website, www.GoACRA.org. You can also e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call (209) 223-6349.
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Amador County – The Amador County Chamber of Commerce hosted dozens of local business people at its monthly mixer dinner party last week in the conference room of Thomi’s Café & Eatery in Jackson.
Chamber of Commerce Executive Board President Mark Borchin said the Chamber is growing and changing, including making new programs and revamping its website.
Executive Vice President Tom Blackman said the Chamber is adding new members daily, with new members and former members joining daily.
Blackman said the new website is about 45 days out and it will be “super useful.” Blackman said the new look of the website will be at the same web address of AmadorCountyChamber.com.
Borchin introduced Chamber member Ray Perry, who told the group that he is working on a new Amador Chamber Ambassador Program. He said it will be a good way to network with other businesses in the county, while also helping to recruit new Chamber members.
Perry said ambassadors will receive training and “will have a whole month to make these calls.” He said he “did this about 30 years ago in Modesto.”
Borchin said “there are so many folks that want to host a chamber mixer,” they may have to set up a lottery or some selection method. He said they want to take the Chamber Mixer all over the county, to the upcountry and the cities, so that all members can see all aspects of the county, and get out and support each other.
He said they will make some “e-mail blasts” when the mixer locations are determined.
Borchin announced during the meeting that Wednesday’s host, Thomi’s owner Frank Manzano, was giving attendees half off the cost of meals that evening.
Blackman said Amador Chamber of Commerce has 400 members right now, which makes it an influential group when it makes requests of the Board of Supervisors. He said the Chamber once had 700 members, and it is growing again.
“The Chamber is still the first portal to Amador County,” Blackman said, as people call the office daily. Members in good standing can benefit from business references from the Chamber office, which is staffed five days a week by volunteer Diane Lundgren.
Membership is open to businesses and individuals, with different levels of dues.
Visit the Amador County Chamber of Commerce at 571 S. Highway 49, behind Jose’s, or call (209) 223-0350.
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Amador County – The Plymouth City Council welcomed one new elected official and appointed another, along with an interim city manager Thursday, and bid farewell to Councilman Mike O’Meara, Mayor Patricia Fordyce and City Manager Dixon Flynn.
The council seated new Councilman Peter Amoruso, then appointed Sandy Kyles, third place finisher to fill a vacancy left when Sean McGinness resigned due to ineligibility.
City Clerk Gloria Stoddard led Amoruso in his oath of office early in the meeting, and then he took the dais with the new council, which was faced with a vacancy despite two election winners on November 2nd.
McGinness led the vote count and Amoruso was second, but McGinness had moved out of town before the election, and was ineligible to run for office, and it was too late to reprint the ballots. After winning, he resigned.
Mayor Fordyce said she did not like the state law, which deemed the seat a vacancy, instead of allowing Kyles to take the position.
Fordyce and O’Meara left the dais, Amoruso took office, and Vice Mayor Greg Baldwin opened discussion on how to fill the vacancy. City Attorney Laura Hollender said they could appoint someone to fill the post, or call a special election. She said a preliminary cost of having a special election would be $4,224, not including the cost of mail-in ballots. Stoddard said the cost estimated by the Amador County election department also did not include legal costs.
Councilwoman Pat Shackleton said she was surprised Kyles did not win the election, and thought people may have confused her with someone else. She said Kyles was a former city employee and current planning commissioner and did a “wonderful job” at both positions.
Shackleton motioned to appoint Kyles, and the council voted 4-0 to do so. Kyles was then led in the oath of office by Stoddard and took her seat. In public comment, after the vote, Gary Colburn then told the council they should have called an election. Baldwin apologized for not allowing public comment first.
The council selected Councilman Greg Baldwin as mayor and Councilman Jon Colburn was named vice mayor.
The council after closed session also announced the appointment of Jeff Gardner to be interim city manager, with further details not available before airtime.
The council plans to have resolutions honoring Flynn, O’Meara and Fordyce at their January 13th meeting. Flynn finished his third year as city manager. O’Meara served eight years and Fordyce served seven years on the council.
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Amador County – The Amador County Board of Supervisors approved last Tuesday the allocation of $15,000 to the Amador Economic Development Corporation for fiscal year 2010-2011.
AEDC Executive Director Ron Mittelbrunn gave an extensive overview of what his organization has accomplished and changes he plans on implementing in the coming year to increase business growth and attraction. He also spoke of his business philosophies. “The process of economic development should be (thought) of as an investment and not an expense,” he said.
According to Mittelbrunn, AEDC has funded or assisted in funding 45 projects in Amador County, including notable businesses like Jeff Holman Auto Sales and the Feed Barn in Martell, Taste Restaurant in Plymouth, and the Imperial Hotel in Amador City.
He said he plans on adding a “business attraction section” to the website and “creating and maintaining a listing of vacant and industrial business sites,” complete with pictures. “These incentives have no real cost to the county and are vital,” he said.
He said he recently partnered with consultant Renee Chapman to pursue “sources of funding from (organizations) geared toward the funding of business development in rural areas.”
AEDC is also an active partner in the Central Sierra Economic Partnership, where Mittelbrunn said he and other economic developers “share ideas and resources.”
Mittelbrunn referenced the 2009 “Small Business Survival Index” put out by the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council, which lists California as the 49th “least friendly policy environment for entrepreneurship,” the 48th in rankings of top personal income tax rates, and 43rd in top corporate capitol gains tax rates. “It’s not my objective to stand here and whine about California’s woes,” said Mittelbrunn. “(We) have a high quality of life but…that does not transfer to the bottom line.”
Supervisor Richard Forster said that Mittelbrunn had noted in his report the “successful sitting of a community college in Amador County…in two years.” Forster said that should be changed because it is “not necessarily an achievable outcome” in that time frame. Mittelbrunn agreed it should be reworded with no set time frame.
Supervisor Ted Novelli questioned why Mittelbrunn had not been providing quarterly reports, as specified previously by the board. He said: “whatever happened to coming back and giving us updates?” Mittelbrunn said he gave a report “last April,” but would be happy to come in quarterly as well.
The board voted 5-0 to approve the allocation of funding out of the county’s contingency fund to the AEDC for the next fiscal year.
Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Amador Planning Commission plans hearing on Jackson Valley Quarry expansion
Written by Tom
Amador County – The Amador County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing Tuesday, December 14th, to discuss a proposal to double the size of the Jackson Valley Quarry, south of Highway 88 in Supervisor District 2.
One of three public hearings Tuesday is to allow a “public review and comment” on a Draft Subsequent Environmental Impact Report “prepared for the proposed expansion of the Jackson Valley Quarry mining operation onto an adjacent 86-acre parcel.” The agenda states that a “use permit amendment would provide for the expansion of the existing 74-acre quarry to a total of 159 acres.”
The proposed expansion would “allow for mining of more than 50 million tons of rock “over an anticipated minimum 25 years of operation.” The “reclamation plan consists of reclaiming the project site to open space consisting of a large pond surrounded by enhanced oak and pine woodlands.”
Applicant for the quarry expansion is George Reed Incorporated. The quarry is located immediately south of Highway 88, about a half-mile east of the junction of Jackson Valley Road and 88.
The Commission Tuesday will also have a public hearing on a request for a use permit to exceed the 30-foot county height limit in rural zoning on the south side of Rainbow Mine Road in Pine Grove, District 5.
Applicant Howard Edson seeks to install two amateur radio towers of 47 feet and 65 feet in height. He seeks to locate them about 2,000 feet east of Lupe Road, and Ponderosa Way, on Rainbow Mine Road.
The third hearing is an environmental document determination and possible project decision for a proposed division of 240 acres into six parcels of about 40 acres each. Peppermint Enterprises Incorporated seeks the split, and a “Mitigated Negative Declaration,” on property in District 2, north of Highway 88, and about 800 feet west of Blue Sky Drive in the Sunnybrook area of Ione.
The applicant seeks from county code on easements following lot lines. The property is accessed by Blue Sky Drive.
The meeting starts at 7 pm Tuesday, in the supervisors’ chamber at 810 Court Street in Jackson.
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
New AWA board selects Cooper president, Thomas vice president
Written by Tom
Amador County – The Amador Water Agency’s new board of directors selected its officers Thursday, and saluted outgoing President Bill Condrashoff and Vice President Debbie Dunn with resolutions.
The board selected its new leaders on recommendation of staff, naming District 3 Director Don Cooper as president and District 2 Director Gary Thomas as vice president.
The board also heard a brief update on its finances, which Finance Manager Mike Lee said is ahead of forecasts, of $730,000 to end October.
They voted 4-1 to not hire an outside consultant for an efficiency and agency organizational study, instead opting to have General Manager Gene Mancebo continue an internal study he had started. Mancebo said he was about one third of the way through interviewing employees about their tasks and time spent on work.
Several people spoke in support of keeping the reorganization and efficiency study in-house, including former Director Paul Scott, who said the board has expertise and a legal counsel, so “why send it out to sugar coat it?”
The board agreed to form an ad hoc committee, with new Directors Paul Molinelli Senior and Robert Manassero to work with Mancebo on revamping the internal organization agency. Thomas said he wanted to emphasize that the work was a high priority, noting that consultants had agreed to finish by February 1st.
Mancebo told the board they could reorganize the agency without a study, and enact layoffs, negotiate with workers, and make structural changes. He said that was not staff’s recommendation. His first recommendation was the external study, and his second recommendation was to do the study internally.
The external study was estimated to cost $18,300, with about 200 hours of work in a “transparent, open evaluation of the agency management,” Mancebo said, and it “shows the willingness of the agency to be reviewed.”
Manassero said he had an outside efficiency expert look at his company and it didn’t tell him anything he didn’t already know. Scott said he had seen 100 efficiency studies and never agreed with any of them.
Manassero said the agency by June 2011 expects to have a $387,000 cash problem, and spending $18,000 on a study kind of bothered him since they don’t have the money. He said with Mancebo’s 20 years’ experience at the AWA, the management knows best, and “each agency is its own animal.” He said the ad hoc committee also might be able to help with the efficiency study.
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Amador County – An Amador City man was arrested Saturday, December 4th in Plymouth on six charges, including grand theft of a pistol and possession of stolen property.
Amador County Sheriff Martin Ryan announced the arrest in a release Thursday. At about 1 pm last Saturday, a Sheriff’s deputy patrolling Plymouth stopped at the Shenandoah Village Mini Mart in the 17000 block of Village Drive.
The release said: “While pulling into the parking area, the deputy observed a person known to him as Trevor William Popovich, 38, of Amador City entering the business.” The deputy knew Popovich as a convicted felon currently on probation and subject to search and seizure by authorities.
The deputy entered the store and contacted Popovich, and a search of Popovich revealed that he had .22 caliber bullets in his front pocket.
As deputies began searching Popovich’s vehicle, they were contacted by a citizen. The citizen said that Popovich “observed the arrival of the patrol unit to the business and immediately went into the restroom.” The citizen said he “suspected Popovich may have attempted to conceal drugs in the restroom, so he checked the restroom after Popovich exited the business. The citizen reported finding a firearm concealed in the garbage can.
Upon checking the restroom, a .22 caliber revolver was located and recovered. The search of Popovich’s vehicle revealed a methamphetamine smoking pipe and marijuana.
Upon further investigation it was determined that Popovich had stolen the firearm from a family member. Popovich was arrested and charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, felon in possession of ammunition, grand theft of a firearm, possession of stolen property, possession of drug paraphernalia and violation of probation.
Via news release This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
