News Archive (6192)
Amador Fire Protection District statistics for the month of February continue to indicate a county wide need for fire department services. In February, AFPD responded to 115 incidents. Only three of the incidents related to fires: 1 structure fire, 1 chimney fire and 1 vehicle fire. They attended to 66 medical emergencies and 27 vehicle accidents. Over the years, there has been an increase in incidents requiring the assistance of the AFPD. Total incidents in 2003 were 1418. By 2005 that number had climbed to 1510, and 2007 responses were 1600; an increase of nearly 200 incidents over 4 year period.
Last Friday marked the deadline to file for the
Supervisor’s race in
Amador County. The candidates come from a wide range of backgrounds. Three
candidates filed to run for the District 1 seat, which is being vacated
by Richard Escamilla. Jackson Mayor Rosalie Pryor
Escamilla, the sister-in-law of Supervisor Escamilla, has served on the Jackson
City Council for over seven years, twice as mayor. Also running for
District 1 is John
Gonsalves, a fulltime Amador County resident for the past 23 years as well as
the Foreman of the 2000 - 2001 Amador County Civil Grand Jury. The third
candidate for District 1 is John
Plasse, a fourth-generation Amador County resident. Plasse is currently
involved in evaluating the land use, open space, and economic
development elements being drafted in the Amador County General Plan Update.
Finally, Richard Forster, the District 2 incumbent, has been an Amador County resident since 1975, and served two terms on the Board of Supervisors. Additionally, he served on the Amador Water Agency Board of Directors, the Ione Planning Commission, as well as various other organizations. Mr. Forster is running uncontested. Louis Boitano, the District 4 incumbent, is a life-long and fourth-generation resident of Amador County. Boitano served on the Sutter Creek City Council and the Sutter Creek Fire Protection District, each for three years, and is currently serving as chairman of the Amador County Transportation Commission. David Pincus, a local Certified Mortgage Planner, is the only challenger to the District 4 seat. Pincus’ background is in law enforcement in the Bay Area, where he served as President of the International Police Association, San Francisco Region, and was a career police officer. We’ll have more on the candidates in future news broadcasts.
What started as a
reunion-style picnic on a hill in the outskirts of Ione on May 3, 1857, has now grown into four days of special
events. Now known as the Annual Ione Homecoming, the event will be celebrating
its 132nd year this May.
On May 3, 1876, as part of the nation’s centennial celebration, the
event was moved from that famed hill to the present-day Howard Park, where a
then state-of-the-art racetrack and grandstand had just been constructed. Each
year, the non-profit Ione Picnic Association, or IPA, which is the organizer of the entire
homecoming, holds a fundraiser to help support the historic event.
This year’s was a showing of The Story of
Seabiscuit, which brought to light the fact that the famous
racehorse was owned by Charles Stewart Howard for whom Howard Park is named. In
1942, Howard bought 32,000 acres of land that is now Rancho Arroyo Seco, and
included in the sale was the 89-acre parcel that is now Howard Park. Howard died in 1950, and the park land was
sold to the City of Ione in 1995. The homecoming entertains with a different
theme each year, with this year’s theme of “Mardi Gras Magic” paralleling that
of the Amador County Fair.
According to the IPA website, the annual homecoming is “a bridge connecting our rich past and exciting future!” Another longstanding tradition is the homecoming’s mascot, “Benny Bedbug,” a cartoon bug invented in the early 1970’s by G. Lambert. Each year, Benny characterizes the theme of the event, which in past years has included 2001’s “Benny Goes Around the World,” 1980’s “Gold Fever,” and 1978’s “Fantasy World.” The 2008 Ione Homecoming runs May 9th through the 11th, in Howard Park and Downtown Ione, with the Miss Ione Scholarship Pageant this Saturday, May 3rd at Ione Elementary School. Tickets are available at Ione Auto, Coldwell Banker in Ione, the Rancho Arroyo Seco office, from Ione Picnic Association members, or by calling 209-274-2777. You can obtain more information about homecoming events on the IPA website at www.IonePicnic.com.
The Board of Supervisors has discussed their 2007 Legislative
Strategies. David French, the county’s federal Lobbyist appeared before the
board with a presentation that included a list of the county’s priorities.
Currently, that includes library services. This request was submitted by the
lobbyists and 150,000 dollars were received, however the appropriations are
incomplete for the fiscal year at this time. The money will receive it when
available. The next priority is the distance learning facility for the Consumes Community College partnership for opportunities in the county. Senator Barbara Boxer continues to be helpful in this
endeavor. Indian Gaming also tops the list as the lobbyists keep watch
on Congress looking to make sure no back doors open for either of the proposed
casinos in Ione and Plymouth. Currently, Indian Gaming issues are moving very slowly through
Congress.
On November 18, 2006, the Rotary Club of Jackson teamed up with the River Pines Revitalization Association, Inc. for a Fall Clean-Up of River Pines. Jackson Rotary provided a 35 yard dumpster, free of charge, for local residents to dispose of trash from around the community. Rotarians and residents of River Pines worked side by side to load the dumpster to maximum capacity and had it filled by noon! RPRA provided refreshments for the volunteers and a wonderful lunch following completion of the project.
An Amador County Resident has created a new, more efficient breed of wind-energy turbine now being considered by the California Legislature. Stanley Marquiss, owner of Folsom-based Marquiss Wind Power, has been marketing an original invention - a 19-foot-tall turbine intended for mounting atop industrial and commercial buildings. Lodi Republican Assemblyman Alan Nakanishi had is co-sponsoring a bill promoting the turbines with Republican Sam Blakeslee of San Luis Obispo; who passed a similar measure with San Luis Obispo’s Local Government Committee on Wednesday.
The new smaller turbines are so celebrated because they avoid a major pitfall associated with much larger turbines like the ones in the Altamont Hills near Livermore. The Altamont turbines are notorious for chopping up birds, a problem that has resulted in millions of dollars worth of damage each year. Marquiss’ invention is expected to avoid that problem completely and still generate a significant amount of energy. Two companies already have the turbines installed. A Marquiss company representative said they plan on installing several in Stockton soon. Nakanishi is in negotiations with the California League of Cities, whose main concern is that the new turbines could signify an erosion of municipal power, and the development of ordinances to ensure proper instillation of the devices.
The Plymouth Planning Commission met Thursday
evening for a public hearing
on the City of Plymouth Design Guidelines. The Guidelines are specific to the
downtown area, and were presented by Paula Daneluk, the City’s Community
Development Director. Staff have been working on drafting the Design Guidelines
for the past few months, as well as bringing each section of the draft Design
Guidelines to the planning commission for review and comment upon completion. Proposed amendments to the
guidelines include: a map outlining the Downtown Area, which will be affected
by the adoption of the Design guidelines; no longer processing building and
demolition permits through the
Site Plan Review process; and portions specific to signage, landscape, site
planning, and architectural character.
The Commission recommended the adoption of the Downtown Design Guidelines to the Plymouth City Council. Also on the agenda was the General Plan Update, which focused on Safety, Transportation, and Public Facilities. Staff has been working on drafting the Public Safety Element of the City’s General Plan for months, and has composed a list consisting of goals, policies, and recommended actions for the City. The sections presented under the Public Facilities element Thursday evening included: General Safety, Emergency Preparedness, Geological/Seismic Hazards, Flood Hazards, Fire Hazards, Air Quality, and Hazardous Materials. The stated goals of the Safety Element Update included providing a safe and hazard free environment for the citizens of the City, and the prevention of loss of life, injury, and property damage due to natural and man made hazards.
Tensions
mounted at Thursday night’s Plymouth City Council Meeting, and not just between
the council and the public. According to Maria Nunez-Simon, Mayor
Jon Colburn made a disconcerting statement at Tuesday’s Supervisor’s Meeting in
Jackson, where
the mayor stated that he was there “representing the Plymouth City
Council.” Several other citizens came
forward to state they had heard the same statement. The mayor disagreed with Mrs. Nunez-Simon by
stating that he had said he was there representing the “citizens of Plymouth.” Mrs.
Nunez-Simon’s concern was whether or not the Mayor had the right to speak for
all members of the council. Additionally,
there were brief moments of disagreement about items on the agenda and what
would be tabled for the next meeting.
At one point, the Mayor reminded the council members that all calls to the city attorney should first be approved by the Mayor or the City Administrator. It was implied that this statement was in response to Vice Mayor Fordyce’s recent call to the city attorney due to the fact that the Mayor had accused the Vice Mayor and one other person of violating the Brown Act. The Vice Mayor indicated that she would call the city attorney any time that anyone was making “false accusations” about her or another member of the council. Vice Mayor Fordyce went on to say that her purpose in serving on the city council was to protect the interests of the people of Plymouth. Perhaps one of the most dramatic comments came from Gary Colburn, a citizen of Plymouth and the brother of the mayor. Mr. Colburn stated that the hiring of the new City Administrator, H. Dixon Flynn was a “ray of sunshine” to the city of Plymouth, and indicated that the citizens of Plymouth had been “made to suffer” over the last four years, citing significant “evidence of dysfunction” with the prior members of the city council. Conversely, another citizen had only criticism for the new city administrator.
As part of the County’s General Plan Update
process, three land use
alternatives have been developed for review and discussion. The next GPAC meeting on April 3rd will focus
on reviewing the various components contained in these alternatives. To
consolidate the public’s thoughts on the concepts proposed in these
alternatives a survey was created
and has been placed on the County’s website at www.co.amador.ca.us/depts./planning
and is available at the Planning Department. Members of the public are encouraged to
complete the survey and submit their answers to the Planning Department. The Planning Department plans and
oversees new development and redevelopment plans; creates policy for land use;
and regulates, monitors and enforces County Zoning Ordinance,
Subdivision, Surface Mining, Neighborhood Preservation, and other ordinances.
