News Archive (6192)
Amador County – A new limited liability company has been looking lately at powering up the old Ione-area Cogen electric generating plant. Amador Air Pollution Control Officer James L. Harris said Tuesday that the new company, Buena Vista Biomass Power LLC, was looking at reopening the Cogen incendiary power generating plant on Coal Mine Road. Harris said if it opened, it would burn only bio-mass, that is, yard waste and natural trimmings. Harris said the emissions would be better than the Cogen’s initial incarnation, when it burned lignite, a low form of coal. Harris reported to the Amador County Air District Board of Directors on Tuesday that “all back fees due for the power plant on Coal Mine Road in Ione have been paid.” He said the “revenue was anticipated in the budget and the amount paid to the District puts us on track to meet our projected revenue of $406,411, with several thousand (dollars) for carryover into fiscal year 2009-2010. Harris said the new Buena Vista Biomass Power company paid the past due Air District fees. Amador District 3 Congressman Dan Lungren last August visited the Cogen power plant, with a company from Tempe, Arizona, that was interested in reopening the plant to generate electricity. The company called it a “green energy plant,” and hoped to open by May 1st of this year. The project was slated to bring as many as 20 jobs and about $1 Million in annual salary to Amador County. Lungren met with the Cogen plant’s owners, the Oneto Group principals, Rux and Eddie Oneto at the plant on Coal Mine Road, along with a representative of the Arizona company, and Harris. The company interested in the deal that fell through said the plant would burn 200,000 tons of biomass a year. The Air District board next meets April 28th. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Amador County – The California Alcoholic Beverage Control was set to post a 20-day-to-indefinite closure of the National Hotel bar late Wednesday night, as agreed upon by the owner. The bar was open earlier this week, with a worker installing locks on the front doors to close down the bar for the allotted time, 20 days or more, depending on the results of the owner applying for a new liquor sales license. Lori Ajax, ABC administrator for the Sacramento District, including Amador and 10 other counties, said the National Hotel bar last July faced 7 violations from an investigation that began last March, which culminated in the sale of alcohol to a female under age 21. Ajax said the “minor decoy operation” was conducted last May 8th after ABC learned that the National was operating under a restaurant and bar liquor license but had not operated a restaurant in 2 years. Undercover ABC officers visited the National to request food on four separate dates, March 22nd, April 4th, April 10th and May 8th of last year. That resulted in charges of four violations of state Business and Professions Code. Also May 8th last year, investigators found 6 tainted liquor bottles, which Ajax said likely had bugs crawl into improper pouring spigots. That resulted in a Penal Code violation of selling “an alcohol solution of a potable nature containing a … poisonous substance.” The state of those bottles also brought a count of violation of Health & Safety Code, “for the sale of alcoholic beverages” … “which were adulterated in whole or part in a diseased, contaminated, filthy, putrid or decomposed substance, or were otherwise unfit for food.” Ajax said the other charges were lesser to the accusation of sale of alcohol to a minor. She said the delay in closing the bar Wednesday, more than 9 months after the violation date last May, was because owner Bill Smith requested an administrative hearing, which was scheduled for last week. Just before the hearing, Smith settled the charges by agreeing to the 20-days-to-indefinite closure of the bar. It will be closed “until he gets the kitchen going,” Ajax said, or until he applies for and receives a bar license. She said Smith indicated “at the hearing that he was going to apply for a different license.” Ajax said Smith has held the liquor license at the National Hotel since November 13th, 1985, with no record of past disciplinary action. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
By Alex Lane -
Artistically inclined prisoners at Mule Creek State Prison near Ione are readying for an annual art show that showcases their talents and gives back to the community. Hosted by the Amador County Arts Council, the “Inside/Out” art show and sale is a 20 year tradition drawing art collectors from far and wide with a special interest in works done behind bars. “The art and woodwork are of exceptional quality and sell quickly on the first day,” said Jean Walker, Community Partnership Manager for Mule Creek State Prison. “This is one of the ways that the inmates’ give back to neighboring communities in the county of Amador. They participate with the knowledge that their artwork will be sold with the proceeds going to Operation Care which helps victims,” she said. Last year’s show profited more than 13,000 dollars, with 9,000 donated directly to Operation Care. The balance was used to cover the cost of putting the show on this year. According to Walker, there may be only 10 to 15 artists participating, but the show will feature over several hundred pieces, with the majority being ceramic items. “Due to quick sales on the first day, we are planning to balance the inventory evenly between both days of the show and sale,” she said. But this isn’t the only way Mule Creek is giving back to the community. Approximately 3,800 inmates housed there are involved in a variety of activities such as automotive repair, digital mapping and educational opportunities, as well as work with the California Highway Patrol and the Department of Forestry. Walker believes this is just one more way to partner with the community, saying, “the show is one of the many programs we provide to help our inmates work on the rehabilitation process.” The art show takes place Friday and Saturday, November 7th and 8th, beginning at 9am. For more information call Jean Walker at Mule Creek at 274-5019 or Lynn Shield at Operation Care at 223-2897.
By Jennifer Wilson -
The October 6th resignation of Andy Rodriguez has put the Jackson City Council in somewhat of a quandary. With just three weeks until the November 4th election, the open seat was the subject of a legal discussion at Monday evening’s council meeting. Per government code, the council has three options, including appointing a person to serve the remainder of Rodriguez’s term, which was to expire in November 2010, calling a special election to fill the spot, or leaving the spot vacant until the November 2010 election. According to City Manager Mike Daly, this year’s election would be too soon, as the code states that a special election to fill the spot must be held no less than 114 days after the vacancy was created. The three present council members, Vice Mayor Connie Gonsalves, Wayne Garibaldi, and Al Nunes, all agreed that filling the vacancy was the appropriate and necessary thing to do, and decided to appoint a new member. “City business must go on,” noted Gonsalves. Per the code, the council must do this within 30 days of the commencement of the vacancy, which created a deadline of November 5th, just one day after the election. Marilyn Lewis, who is running for the council, proposed continuing the decision until after the new council is sworn in, but since the council must act within 30 days, that option was not possible, a position that Lewis called, “awfully convenient.” Bill Condrashoff pointed out that it might be a conflict of interest if the current council members were to make the selection, as Garibaldi and Nunes are running for re-election, but the council went ahead with their decision to fill the spot and voted to accept applications for the vacant seat and set a deadline of October 30th at 5 PM. Current candidates will be able to submit letters of interest for the vacant spot as a backup in case they are not elected November 4th. City Attorney Andrew Morris informed those present that the application letters would be contingent on the applicant not winning a council seat.
By Jim Reece -
Ione elected officials and staff hosted a General Plan Workshop Sept. 8 with 45 people attending and nearly all contributing with the help of a digital instant polling mechanism and a slide show. Daniel Hamilton of Rancho Cordova hosted the meeting and called the General Plan a “blueprint for growth and planning now and in the future” and a reflection of community goals.” He said it was a framework for land use decisions, housing, economic development, cultural and natural resources and transportation. Of the 45 attending, 66 percent were residents of Ione for 10 years or less, including 34 percent less than 5 years. 24 percent were residents for 20 or more years.
84 percent said Ione was their primary resident and 95 percent owned their home rather than rented. 94 percent of the crowd thought Ione’s pedestrian system was inadequate. To improve circulation locally, 45 percent supported expansion of the city’s sidewalk system while 34 percent preferred building or designating bicycle lanes. Of the 45 in the crowd, three raised their hands to say that they had a walking destination in town that they could reach entirely on paved sidewalks. Others criticized the bicycle lane idea, said there were no shoulders on streets and no room for the lanes. 58 percent said it was very important for Ione to encourage more entertainment, festivals and nightlife, while another 37 percent said that was somewhat important. Hamilton said some aspects of festivals included large commercial spaces dedicated to such use, while nightlife events would include neighborhood communication about such events for noise and light impact. The crowd split exactly 50-50 on whether the city’s parks were adequate, which Hamilton said was a good place to finish and encourage conversation. One person said Ione needed more small neighborhood parks, while another said small parks were the problem because they were so small. For an overall poll of the biggest areas of concern, 58 percent said attracting new businesses and industry was the top priority. 45 percent chose improving downtown, 37 percent picked preserving open space, 34 percent said managing the pace of growth and a high number picked improving roads, traffic and transit.
By Jim Reece -
Ione City Manager Kim Kerr gave a presentation on the Measure M half-cent sales initiative last week, which would pay full-time firefighters in Amador County. “Whether this passes or not, the city of Ione will be looking at getting a paid fire department,” Kerr said. The department, she said, would consist of one full-time firefighter, on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Kerr last week said Ione has 60 calls a month, 720 calls a year, with 70 percent of those medical emergencies. Kerr said volunteer firefighters must be EMT certified and current, hence Ione’s 35 volunteers are employed at various fire departments. If they work outside the county, it is hard for them to respond on work days. The Amador Fire Protection Authority formed in 2003 to help create paid county firefighting. AFPA estimated county fire coverage would cost 2.4 million for personnel alone. That would give 50,000 dollars to each city and divide the rest based on call volume and population. Call history would give Ione 24,000 dollars for 10 percent of the county’s fire calls. But Kerr said that Ione actually should get 20 percent, as about half of Ione’s calls are routed through a Camino dispatcher. Local calls to the firehouse are not routed through Camino and not counted. Kerr said that would change, increasing Ione’s expected cut in the Measue M funding.
Part of the AFPA vision is the Tax Force Plan Implementation. Kerr said the “biggest thing we could do is to not have duplicate service.” She said one option for Ione would be a 24-7 firefighter, shared with the Jackson Valley Fire District. The on-duty firefighter could split time three days a week at Ione’s station, and four days a week at Jackson Valley’s station, then switch the following week. The on-duty person would do required maintenance and give 24-hour coverage. City Councilman Lee Ard said with full-time coverage, there was a good chance insurance rates would go down for Ione residents. “This is a use tax,” Ard said. “All visitors pay sales tax, so this is one way for us to bring those tax dollars back down to work for Ione.”
Amador County – The Amador County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to seek reauthorization of federal funding for work on the Highway 104, Prospect Drive and Bowers Drive intersection. The board voted 5-0 to work with the county’s federal government relations specialist, David French of ENS Resources, on efforts to secure federal funding for regional transportation projects in Amador County. ACTC Executive Director Charles Field said supervisors would join a Sutter Creek City Council resolution supporting the project on Sutter Hill. To qualify for funding, the “project must be funded itself 80 percent” and be ready to commence work. There is an 80 percent local match in funds required by “the new 5-year Federal transportation funding authorization package,” for which Congressman Dan Lungren is accepting nominations. Field said the Sutter Hill project is expected to complete its design, National EPA environmental clearance, and acquire all rights-of-way using Regional Traffic Mitigation Fees by June or July. It also has a $730,000 dollar commitment in additional (mitigation funding) that should become available for the project in the next 5 years.” He said the project is timely because with its completion, the county “will get access to that intersection, where Walgreens is about to start” work. Supervisors asked about right-of-way acquisition costs. Field said “we own it already, except for a sliver from Ed Swift on Bowers Drive.” Field said ACTC has spoken with Swift, “he is a willing seller, and it’s manageable. (Swift) has offered a dedication free to the city of Sutter Creek, but we are not counting on that.” Supervisor Louis Boitano said a discussed new intersection would help with “internal circulation” in the area, and Supervisor Brian Oneto said “it would probably be prettier than it is there now.” Boitano said it would also be “greener because you don’t have to go as far to get your commodities.” Field still must approach other councils in the county for approval on the project. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Amador County - 3rd District Congressman Dan Lungren took Amador County by storm last week, laying out his ideas and policy plans for improvements to the local economy. All this revolved around an awards ceremony at the Board Chambers last weekend honoring Lungren for “his dedication to local business.” Earlier that same day, in an exclusive interview on TSPN, Lungren emphasized the importance of small business in his political ideology. Lungren’s local tour continued as he addressed constituents in Martell in a session sponsored by the Amador County Republican Central Committee. While Lungren’s speech covered a wide range of topics, certain subjects – like proposed Indians Casinos – stood out as hot button issues. Lungren answered to the concerns of Plymouth residents and anti-casino activists like Butch Cranford by giving his rundown of the complicated history of tribal-federal government relationships. Lungren took a much harsher stance when it came to international affairs, and disapproved of President Barack Obama’s “soft” approach to diplomacy in Europe during the G20 Summit. He referred to Obama’s dealings with Turkey as “apologizing for America.” Answering one audience members query about the feasibility of a nuclear free word, Lungren said “I’m going to surprise you.” He outlined recent legislation he co-authored with Democrat Jim McGovern called the Global Security Priorities Resolution, with the intent to “reduce the number of and accessibility to nuclear weapons and preventing their proliferation.” The proposal would redirect funds currently used for nuclear proliferation to help educate children in Africa. Lungren called this method “soft diplomacy.” Lungren’s stumping culminated with visits to Amador and Calaveras County food banks. Lungren had previously expressed his support of the new San Andreas Food Bank facility. The 5000-square-foot facility, which opened earlier this year and was celebrated in a ceremony in late March, is only the latest improvement in operations for The Resource Connection. Lungren referred to the new operation as “a grand step in the right direction.” Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Amador County – The Plymouth City Council last week approved a resolution that will notify developers that the city is in the process of updating its General Plan, and once completed, their projects will have to adhere to the new version. Consultant Richard Prima presented the resolution, saying that the General Plan Update began several years ago and should be completed this year. He said: “During that time, some project applications have been submitted that rely on the current General Plan and Zoning and others are tied to the new General Plan.” He said once an application is “deemed complete,” it must be “processed under the then-current terms of the General Plan,” and city law. But Prima said a provision in California code “allows the city to utilize the standards set forth in the new General Plan.” He said passing the resolution “would implement that provision by providing formal notice that the General Plan Update process has begun.” The resolution was brought before the city council in its late March meeting and the council directed staff to revise the resolution “to make it clear” it was not a “preapproval of the General Plan.” The council voted 4-0 to approve the resolution. The Plymouth planning department and consultants have prepared the General Plan Draft Environmental Impact Report and have taken public comment letters and have also hosted a council workshop. The council will advertise a public meeting in a May 22nd publication and the Plymouth Planning Commission will meet June 4th to receive recommendations on the General Plan and Final EIR. In another noticed meeting: On June 25th, if the city and staff keep with the planning department’s timeline, the city council could consider adopting the Final EIR and the General Plan. Comment letters must be postmarked by March 22nd, per the California Environmental Quality Act. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Amador County - An entry deadline of May 1st has been announced for those wishing to participate in the popular Miss Amador scholarship competition. Hosted by the Amador County Fair board and held during there annual event, the “competition offers the opportunity to reach and grow as a young person of accomplishment and achievement. Participating in a pageant is an exciting and rewarding experience for young women who use the process to sharpen their talents, expand their leadership skills, and broaden their community service.” The competition and pageant will be held July 30th at the fair grounds on the Central House Stage. The event is tailored for ambitious young women between the ages of 16 and 23. Scholarships awards are $2000 for the grand prize of Miss Amador, $1000 to the First- Runner-Up, $750 to the Second Runner-Up, and $500 to the Third Runner-Up. Winners will also represent Amador County and the Fair as ambassadors throughout the year. According to Karen Spencer with the Amador County Fair, “women compete in the areas of community service and fair experience, a personal and fair industry interview focusing on the entrant’s sense of value, attitudes, goals and aspirations, communication skills before a live audience, and an on-stage presentation.” Entry forms for the pageants are available on-line at amadorcountyfair.com or from the Amador County Fair office at Sherwood and School Streets in Plymouth. They can also be found at local high schools. Completed entry forms are due in the Fair office by May 1, 2009 at 4:00 p.m. or more information call the Fair office at 209 245-6921. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
