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News Archive (6192)
Sutter Creek – Amador Water Agency attorney Steve Kronick and Interim General Manger Gene Mancebo gave information on the history of the Amador Regional Sanitation Authority last week as the board considers whether to join that group. Kronick began a series of 3 meetings delineating ARSA, with the goal to fully inform the board about ARSA so it has the information needed to decide whether to move in the direction of a regional approach to wastewater service, or whether it would wants to join ARSA. Director Debbie Dunn asked if the briefing had the “ultimate” goal of making the board “able to make a request to be on the ARSA board.” Kronick said the goal instead was to have information sufficient to decide whether or not to join ARSA. Kronick said ARSA’s agreements in its system include a state diversion right allowing diversion of Sutter Creek water to dilute its discharge. He said it requires minimum and maximum diversions. Mancebo said in winter, water is stored and law prohibits disposal at the system’s spray fields in Castle Oaks, which use Mule Creek Prison wastewater. He said the tertiary plant, at the golf course, is only used during irrigation season. Director Gary Thomas, District 2, said Ione owns the golf course and leases it to Castle Oaks. Thomas said the Mule Creek supply also includes wastewater from the Calfire training facility, and Preston School, “so they have an abundant supply of waste.” Mancebo said ARSA accepts wastewater from Sutter Creek, and its primary storage lake, Henderson Reservoir “is in need of additional capacity,” and it needs “improvements for long-term viability.” Thomas said: “That whole system needs improvement.” Mancebo said a study of replacing all pipes and conveyances in the ARSA system found it could cost $30 million to $50 million to make those upgrades. Kronick said the status of the system and its conditions are “not addressed by (his) presentation” and the AWA board “may want a separate study and presentation” on the condition of the ARSA system. He said the state of repair of the system “does play a significant role in how to proceed.” Thomas said AWA needs to develop a wastewater master plan, with involvement of local cities and the county. Ione is one of the ARSA members, along with Amador City, Sutter Creek, and Amador County. AWA District 1 Director Bill Condrashoff said the AWA board should probably first decide on whether it wanted to participate in ARSA. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Sacramento – Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger encouraged voters Monday to approve the $11 billion bond referendum he signed last week that will dramatically shape the future of the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta. The measure will be included on next November’s ballot. The package of five bills was passed by lawmakers earlier this month to modernize and expand California’s water system by saving up water in dry years. It will finance $40 billion of projects such as new dam construction and below-ground water storage and a new canal to circumvent the Delta, which supplies water to an estimated 36.7 million Californians. The water plan includes creation of a seven-member governing council to oversee the construction of a peripheral canal from Northern to Southern California, where most of the state's population lives. The package was pushed through the legislature with the support of Democrat and Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, who claims the legislation will “ensure the restoration of the Delta’s fragile ecosystem while enhancing water reliability for all Californians.” In a press conference in front of a shrinking Fresno County dam, Schwarzenegger credited bond supporters with “setting forth a bold vision of the future.” “For decades, Californians have been fighting about water,” Schwarzenegger said. “I've heard the pleas of the people here from this valley, I have heard the pleas of the people of the state of California, and I think the legislators have heard those pleas as well. So I am here to tell all of you help is on the way.” Despite the inclusion of funds to promote and restore fragile Delta regions and monitor groundwater, some environmentalists remain critical of an additional $3 million set aside for the possible construction of new dams and underground water storage in the future. Assemblywoman Alyson Huber, whose district includes Amador County and portions of the Delta, said the package “creates a new layer of bureaucrats who will make decisions on water that will impact the communities I represent,” referring to the 7-member governing council. Fiscal conservatives are critical of nearly $2 billion in earmarks which lawmakers admit were added in order to gain votes in the Legislature. These earmarks include $250 million for dam removal on the Klamath River to help restore salmon runs, $100 million for the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program for watershed restoration, bike trails and recreation projects, and $75 million for the Sierra Nevada Conservancy to fund education and “community stability” projects. The governor predicted that neither the earmarks nor the price tag will discourage voters from supporting the bond, “because the people of California have a high interest in rebuilding our infrastructure.” “I hope the people are going to be with us in passing these bonds,” he said. Locally, the Amador Water Agency will address the issue today in a special meeting at 1:00 pm in the Amador Water Agency office regarding the Association of California Water Agencies' support for the Delta Legislation. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Sutter Creek – The Sutter Creek City Council passed a resolution Monday honoring longtime Amador County journalist Marcia Young Oxford, 73, who passed away October 11th in Drytown. The resolution recognized and appreciated “all the contributions Marcia Oxford gave to Amador County and the city of Sutter Creek.” The Sutter Creek resolution noted “that the city recognizes all Marcia’s accomplishments over her lifetime and years she spent in the county of Amador.” Oxford was a volunteer and director of the Sutter Visitors Center, and worked at the Amador Ledger Dispatch newspaper as a business columnist. She also was a long-time reporter for the River Valley Times. The resolution noted that Oxford was the great-granddaughter of the Mormon pioneer, Brigham Young. Oxford grew up in Chico, and lived throughout the world, including Baghdad, Iraq, and Beirut, Lebanon, “before graduating from an extension of the California education system in Baghdad.” Oxford “attended U.C. Bekeley and received a degree in journalism, where she also worked on the Daily Cal Newspaper.” After graduating, Oxford worked in radio, newspaper and advertising; in the San Francisco Bay Area, Chicago, Hawaii” and elsewhere. She met her late husband, George Oxford, in 1968 and they were married, and they moved to Amador County in 1976. Oxford worked for the Amador County Chamber of Commerce, Fun Times magazine, Sunset magazine, and the Sutter Creek Visitors Center. Oxford’s Celebration of Life was held last Saturday at the St. Sava Mission in Jackson. Oxford was predeceased by her husband of 25 years, George Oxford, is survived by her goddaughter Claire Murphy, Paul Gunselman, the Murphy family of Sutter Creek, and countless friends. Oxford’s obituary said that “When George and Marcia moved to Amador in 1976, her first job was selling rocks and minerals in a Volcano shop. A $70 shortfall in the till, on a day when one buyer stopped by the shop, validated her decision to continue with writing.” Hospice of Amador has been a tremendous part of her peaceful passing from this life and APAL has always been a cause near and dear to her. Cards can be sent to Claire Murphy at 282 Foothill Drive, Sutter Creek, CA, 95685. In lieu of flowers, gifts can be made to A-PAL of Jackson or Hospice of Amador and Calaveras Counties. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Sutter Creek – The Sutter Creek City Council came to a 4-1 consensus Monday to allow 1,334 units in the Gold Rush Ranch & Golf Resort. The council also discussed and accepted fiscal committee phasing recommendations and moved closer to a final decision on the project, expected at its next regular meeting December 7th. The council and consultants discussed the number of housing units for Gold Rush, and reached a 4-1 consensus, with Mayor Pro Tem Tim Murphy against. Murphy in the past has recommended the number of units be cut in half. Mayor Gary Wooten and Councilwomen Linda Rianda and Sandy Anderson were joined by Councilman Pat Crosby in the majority of the consensus. Crosby was against that number in the last council meeting, but after fiscal and traffic impact studies, he changed his vote. Charles Field, Amador County Transportation Commission executive director, highlighted traffic mitigation fee recommendations from the ad hoc traffic committee, of which Crosby was a member. Field said he would like to take the mitigation package for approval by the ACTC board and “on to Caltrans” for state approval. Field said a Martell area improvement plan will have computer aided designs over high resolution aerial photos, to show various roads projects proposed as mitigations. Field said recommendations included having Gold Rush pay both local and regional traffic fees. It also included “Day 1 requirements,” to be built prior to issuing the first building permit. That included constructing an improved intersection at Highway 104 and Ampine/Allen Ranch Roads. Another would be extending Allen Ranch Road to Valley View Way, and a third would be construction to align Bowers and Prospect Roads and make an intersection with Highway 104. Consultant Anders Hauge said the council – if it so chooses – will have the ability to approve the Gold Rush specific plan, Environmental Impact Report and related resolutions and documents at its December 7th meeting. Those would include city council amendments to the specific plan and large lot tentative maps, and the Planning Commission’s recommended changes to those, and General Plan and zoning amendments. Hauge said the council must certify the EIR and it would approve the development agreement and a set of conditions of approval that is built into the specific plan. Also included is a “mitigation monitoring program,” with a $15,000 annual budget, through which developers pay city hall staff to monitor the implementation of mitigation measures. Huage recommended that the council get quarterly reports on mitigation measures from developers, but it could be annual reports. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Sacramento - Assemblywoman Alyson Huber delivered an estimated 2,000 postcards to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s office last week in order to highlight opposition to a peripheral canal from the San Joaquin Delta to serve Southern California. The postcards were originally attached to a district-wide mailer in which she urged her constituents to oppose the governor’s plan to build a “peripheral canal” around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta without a full fiscal analysis and a vote of the state legislature. Huber, whose district includes Amador County and portions of the Delta, joined State Senator Lois Wolk in co-authoring legislation to put any new canal construction up to a statewide vote. Lawmakers passed legislation earlier this month that delegates the canal decision to a new 17 member council, including four members appointed by the governor. Huber has said she is “very concerned that the current water policy bill provides a clear path to building a canal and this (bill) ensures we get answers to some very important questions, and give the Delta a voice in the process.” Huber said California needs more storage, and the state has “8 times more water rights holders than we actually have water.” She said the water bill talks “about exporting water when we don’t have enough to meet needs here.” The bill defines the peripheral canal as one “that conveys water from a diversion point in the Sacramento River to a location south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.” Several heavy boxes of postcards were accepted on the governor’s behalf by Aaron McLear, his press secretary. McLear said the “governor is very proud of our historic accomplishment last week.” Soon after Huber’s special delivery, Schwarzenegger signed a five-bill, $11 billion water package that would pay for new dams, restoration and groundwater banking if approved by voters next year. Schwarzenegger described the bills as “an historic legislative package to reform and rebuild California’s water system.” The bill was pushed through the legislature with the support of Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, who claims the legislation will “ensure the restoration of the Delta’s fragile ecosystem while enhancing water reliability for all Californians.” Huber said she will continue to oppose the water package because it “creates a new layer of bureaucrats who will make decisions on water that will impact the communities I represent, without allowing us to have a voice.” Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Jackson – A woman was apparently thrown from a vehicle after another car crashed into it Monday afternoon on Highway 49 and 88, in front of True Value Hardware in Jackson. Firefighters working with Hurst rescue tools and an axe removed the windshield of a vehicle in which the woman was riding and removed a man who had a bloody wound on his head. The woman’s body lay near the middle of the highway as responders directed traffic and dozens of people watched from the other side of the highway, in front of the hardware store and the Post Office. Responders were called to the scene, at Highway 49 near Rex Avenue at about 3:22 p.m. Monday after the report of a vehicle accident with a possible ejection. Jackson Police personnel and firefighters from different stations helped direct traffic. Firefighters extricated the man from an automobile in which the deceased woman reportedly was riding. The vehicle lay on its side, on the driver’s side of the vehicle, as firefighters worked to remove the vehicle’s windshield and free the man, who was placed on a gurney and taken away by ambulance. A juvenile witness reported seeing the collision, in which a van – travelling at a high rate of speed – crashed into the automobile, which rolled over. As it rolled over, the juvenile said he saw the woman ejected from the vehicle. Jackson Police Chief Scott Morrison was taking measurements at the scene with a measuring wheel. A parent said she was worried about the involvement of children in the mid-afternoon crash near the crosswalks leading between the Jackson Junior High School campus and the Amador County Library. Bystanders included many children. Vehicle traffic was reduced to one north-bound lane on the 4-lane Highway 49 & 88, with south-bound traffic diverted to Old Main Street into Jackson. Jackson Police dispatch confirmed that the incident involved a 2-vehical collision, with one fatality. No other information about the crash was available at airtime. JPD Officer Mike Collins said the incident involved a broadside collision, and one vehicle rolled. He said it also appears that a person was ejected. He said the incident resulted in a fatality, and coroner notification of next of kin was still pending. The incident is still under investigation. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Amador County - The first annual American Legion Veterans Day Parade took place on Jackson’s Main Street last weekend, brining together a cross section of community members to honor military veterans. Floyd Martin, County Services Officer for American Legion Post 108, said the parade was formed by the Legion Riders, a newly-formed motorcycle group recently recognized by the American Legion. “It’s been over 20 years since we’ve had (a Veterans Day parade) here in Amador County, and I’m so proud of them putting this together for us,” he said. The parade began at the Northern end of Main Street next to the former home of the Biggest Little Kitchen Store. The American Legion Honor Guard, another newly-formed group that has existed about a month and a half, led off the procession carrying rifles and a flag which was later folded to honor fallen soldiers. Following them were the American Legion riders on motorcycles, the American Legion Ambulance Service, firefighters and engines representing each firefighting entity in our region, the Jackson branch of the Native Sons of the Golden West carrying a giant California flag, the Civil Air Patrol (Westover Squadron 119), Kit Carson Mountain Men and Boy Scout Troop 63, among others. Residents from throughout the county lined the street to cheer the procession on. Martin credits the success of the event to the tremendous membership of Post 108- the third largest post in California. “The reason for (our size) is what we do for Amador County and what we do for the community,” said Martin. Post 109 continually gives to the community through scholarships, fundraisers and the American Legion Ambulance Service. The parade was a fitting return to Jackson, where Post 108 originally held its meetings and where Martin became a member. “What we’re doing here now is making sure what all our vets have done is (honored) and keeping their memory alive,” he said. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Sutter Creek – The Sutter Creek City Council last night returned to discussions of the Gold Rush Ranch & Golf Resort, and were scheduled to hear about traffic and fiscal impacts. Mayor Gary Wooten appeared on TSPN’s noon news broadcast and talked about the meeting. Wooten said before the broadcast that the many meetings on Gold Rush were important and he had attended them while missing out on family time. He said he has grandchildren he has not seen in 5 months because of the importance of the meeting. He also gave up a part-time job with the District Attorney’s Office, to have more time to work on the Gold Rush issue. Wooten’s third term in office will be his last. He said he does not plan to seek reelection after his current term expires in 2012. But wants to see Gold Rush resolved, “either way.” The council last night was to discuss a fiscal impact report on Gold Rush, and a copy of the latest draft of that report was released by city staff last Friday. Wooten said the new report would increase the cost of a Community Facilities District that is recommended by Consultants in the study. Dianne Kindermann Henderson, of Sacramento consulting firm Abbott & Kindermann wrote in the report that “after buildout, the completed (Gold Rush) project is expected to generate approximately $1.9 million in fiscal revenues and $3.3 million in fiscal expenses annually, creating an almost $1.4 million deficit per year in the city’s General Fund.” Henderson said the study indicates that after buildout, the project “will not generate sufficient revenues, without some sort of fiscal mitigation measure, for the city to provide the appropriate services to new development in the project area. The study said “each year, a net fiscal deficit is generated by” Gold Rush, with the deficit cost “per residential dwelling unit” peaking “in the third year of development at $1,756, mainly due to the addition of new employees.” That cost levels off to $1,097 per unit. Henderson recommended “implementation of a Community Facilities District to finance public services. She said a “tax structure resulting in an average special tax of $854” per dwelling unit “would likely ensure that the project has no ongoing adverse impact on the city’s General Fund.” Amador County Transportation Commission Executive Director Charles Field was scheduled to comment on traffic mitigations related to Gold Rush last night. Field and staff assisted the Sutter Creek City Council’s Gold Rush Ad Hoc Traffic Committee in making recommendations to the council. The committee discussed regional and local mitigation fees. They also addressed 5 roads including Academy Drive, Allen Ranch Road, Valley View Way, Bowers Drive and Highway 104, and looked at a pathway to Bowers Drive. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Amador County - The annual Sutter Creek Parade of Lights will take place this year on Main Street in Sutter Creek on December 12 at 6:30 pm. Staging will be in the Sutter Creek Post Office parking lot and continuing on Broad Street in front of the Sutter Creek Elementary School. Event organizer Toni Linde said all entries must be made by Saturday, November 28. “If you have a long entry, please call me to find out where you need to go before you come to the staging area to make sure there won’t be a problem with your entry turning around,” said Linde. All entries must be at the staging area by 5:30 pm and the main rods will close to traffic about the same time. Linde said all entries must have lights on them, including people that are walking in the parade. For more information, contact Toni Linde at 256-1750. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Amador County – The Amador Water Agency board of directors last week received an award from the California Association of Local Agency Formation Commissions for funding a county-wide Municipal Services Review in 2008. Amador County LAFCO Executive Director Roseanne Chamberlain made an unexpected presentation of the award last Thursday during a public comment period, saying that AWA’s actions in joining the study as an “imaginative way” to get things done. Chamberlain said state LAFCO presented its Government Leadership Award to several Amador County area government agencies at its recent annual meeting in October. The award winners are the cities of Amador City, Ione, Jackson, Plymouth, and Sutter Creek; Amador County, Amador County Transportation Commission, Amador Water Agency, and Pine Grove Community Services District. Chamberlain said Amador LAFCO, a participating member of the state association, submitted the nomination. Chamberlain told the AWA board that Amador LAFCO was facing a $125,000 Municipal Services Review, required by a new law, and the agency did not have the funds to pay for it, when the Amador entities stepped in and funded the study. She said state LAFCO was impressed by the move, and selected Amador County entities over other nominees from large counties and cities, including San Diego, Orange County, and Los Angeles. Chamberlain said the award was given for the cooperative, joint funding of a county-wide Municipal Services Review. She said the “effort is remarkable because it equitably distributed the $125,000 cost of the MSR among those government agencies who will benefit from its completion, and allowed an essential report to be completed.” In addition, a comprehensive county-wide report was prepared because there was sufficient funding to do so. Undertaking the project on a county-wide basis generated cost savings of at least $25,000, she said. Every participating agency provided a proportionate share of funding, and Amador LAFCO put in funding. Chamberlain said the “MSR is comprehensive report with information about every local government agency within Amador County, including all special districts, county service areas and cities.” The study included descriptions of related non-governmental service providers, and has been called the “Encyclopedia of Amador County Government.” Chamberlain said LAFCOs review and make decisions on annexations, and Amador LAFCO would have been prohibited from doing so until the MSR was completed. She said the report is used by LAFCO staff and others involved in the governmental decision making process, and serves as a useful source of information for the public. The complete report is available online at www.co.amador.ca.us. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
