News Archive (6192)
Amador County – The Plymouth City Council this week will consider its upcoming budget, while also considering joining a legal fight to stop the state government from raiding city street maintenance coffers. The council on Thursday will consider a resolution authorizing the city attorney to cooperate with the League of California Cities, and other cities and counties in “litigation challenging the constitutionality of any seizure by state government of the city’s street maintenance funds. Staff will recommend approval of the resolution. The council will also consider a resolution establishing an appropriations limit for the coming fiscal year, under Article 8-B of the California Constitution. The council will host a public hearing for “the purpose of soliciting citizens’ views to set priorities for the potential submission of a Community Development Block Grant application.” The council will hear a presentation by grant consultant Terry Cox, on the potential application to the California Department of Housing and Community Development. Staff said: “The maximum award limits for each grant category vary from year to year and are listed in the State Notice of Funding Availability.” The major activity categories are General and Economic Development Planning and Technical Assistance; Housing-Acquisition; Housing-New Construction; Housing-Rehabilitation; Community Facilities and/or Public Services; Public Works; and Economic Development. Projects funded with CDBG funds must meet at least one “national objective”: to either benefit “targeted income group” people; eliminate “slums and blight;” or meet an “emergency and urgent need.” The council will hear citizen’s views on the annual reports for two current grants, totaling $1.5 million dollars, which are being used in the Plymouth Pipeline Project. An annual report has also been prepared for the city’s CDBG Housing Rehabilitation Revolving Loan Fund, Cox said. The council could also approve the fiscal year budget for 2009-2010, by Finance Director Jeff Gardner. City Manager Dixon Flynn will recommend the council authorize him to advertise and seek proposals for Planning & Community Development Services for the city. The council will also discuss offering a reward for information and a conviction regarding vandalism of the city water tank. The council meets at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at city hall. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Amador County – A 49-year-old transient man was found dead early Saturday, after an acquaintance checked on his welfare. Authorities were trying to determine the cause of death through an autopsy in the Amador County Coroner’s Office. His name was not yet released. Jackson Police Sergeant Christy DeStidger said the body was found Saturday, July 11th, in a shed in which he lived between Broadway Street and South Street, in downtown Jackson. It started as a welfare check, when the reporting party called the Jackson Police Department, after seeing the man apparently passed out on the bed. A JPD officer was dispatched at 7:30 a.m. Saturday and attempted to rouse the man, but there was no response, DeStidger said, so they forced entry and checked for signs of life. He was deceased, and Destidger said things were checked to see if there was foul play and it appears that the cause of death was natural. An autopsy is being conducted by the Amador County Coroner’s Office. She was not sure if the next of kin have been notified. The man was 49 years old. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Amador County – The Ione Planning Commission will take public comment today on the city’s draft General Plan and its Environmental Impact Report. The comment period on the draft EIR closes on July 27th, and the public has until then to comment on the documents. The meeting at 6 p.m. today gives a chance for the public to comment in person before the Ione Planning Commission. The Ione Planning Department announced the meeting Monday. On June 10th, the Ione City Council and staff released the draft Environmental Impact Report for the city’s draft General Plan. The public can comment on the DEIR by attending the Planning Commission meeting beginning at 6 p.m. today, that is Tuesday, July 14th, in the council chambers at City Hall. Material for the meeting is available at Ione City Hall and on the General Plan Web site, at www.ionegeneralplan. com. The draft EIR is required by state law and analyzes the potential environmental impacts of the General Plan. Once the document is certified, it will become the primary environmental document to evaluate planning and permitting actions associated with projects in the city. The public comment period closes 5 p.m. Monday, July 27th. Planning staff, Pacific Municipal Consulting, said this was “an important opportunity for residents to share their views and give insight on how to maintain Ione’s quality of life while planning for a thriving and enriching future.” There are additional ways for the public to provide the city with comments on the draft EIR. They can e-mail comments to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or post comments by U.S. mail to the City Planning Department, Ione City Hall, P.O. Box 398, Ione, CA 95640. The announcement reminded the public to include their name and contact information on any comments they provide, so that city staff may respond. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Amador County – What began 14 years ago as a custom lampshade business for Plymouth resident Pat Park is wrapping up July 31st on Main Street in Downtown Jackson. Park is retiring from her shop, Shady Lady Lamps, Gifts & Collectibles, after a 14-year run in Amador County, including 12 years on Main Street in Jackson. Park said last week that she “enjoyed being in business in Jackson. It’s just time to retire.” Park said she enjoyed coming in to work every day, and meeting people, but she said it is time for a change, time “to quit working and enjoy life.” She started in business making custom lampshades, hence the name, “Shady Lady.” She said her lampshades were unique, and specific to the person for whom she made them. In 1995, she opened Shady Lady Lamps, Gifts & Collectibles at the Amador Hotel in Amador City. It was a small operation with not that many customers, until local business journalist Marcia Oxford wrote a story about her shop. Park said the next day, after the story came out, there was a line of people waiting at her shop’s door – little old ladies with lampshades that had been in their closets for years and needed repair. In 1996, Park moved Shady Lady to 126 Main Street in Jackson, current home of Heaven & Earth Consignment boutique. But tragedy struck in 1997, when a fire started in a residence above the shop. Park lost everything, and rebuilt, next door, at 122 Main Street, her current location. The building was owned by Lester Garibaldi, who ran a photography business and a gift shop there. She occasionally makes a custom lampshade, but her specialty has switched to china, including fine imported tea sets from England and Russia. Her good friend, Marilynn Dodge of Volcano walked into the shop 8 years ago, the day they met, and now helps out occasionally. Park is a 33-year resident of Plymouth’s Main Street, and even served a 3-year appointment on the Plymouth City Council. She served with Gene Beck, Roger Kerner, Raymond Estey and Elaine Lasich. But she left the world of politics after the term ended. Park said Shady Lady would close, unless someone bought the business from her, at the end of July. The building is owned by Jackson City Councilman Wayne Garibaldi, the late Lester’s son. The building, with a photography darkroom upstairs, is neighbored by Heaven & Earth boutique, and Syd Bartlett’s Real Deal Antiques. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Amador County – The Sutter Creek Promotions Committee last week reported that it funded a new Farmer’s Market banner, and will discuss ways to mark the upcoming opening of its new foot bridge. The committee met June 16th at The Annex in Sutter Creek. Chairwoman Sandy Anderson asked members be prepared at their July meeting to discuss celebrations for the new bridge, which should be opening to foot traffic in August. Maureen Funk said Amador County hosts the County Assessor’s Conference in August 2010 and the Handweavers Conference in 2011. Anderson said the city needs to work closely with Amador Council of Tourism for these countywide events. Anderson and Councilman Pat Crosby will draw up a policy to clearly define wording and the type of event for the city’s banners. Funk will obtain the Jackson policy as a guideline. The policy will emphasize countywide events and will be resolved by July. The committee approved $163 for a new Farmer’s Market banners, to direct attention to the market’s Main Street parking lot, temporary location until the new bridge opens The Sutter Creek Visitor Center reported that it had 1,011 visitors in May. Volunteer Pam Weatherly is head of recruiting, training, and maintenance of volunteers. Weatherly created a list of restaurants with days and hours open that can be used by merchants. Barbara Braasch created a First-time Visitor Query Sheet to find out the length of visitor stays, how they discovered the town, and any comments they had. Marcia Oxford and Crosby are putting together a new walking tour. A financial report said in mid-June the committee had a cash balance of $10,465 for Promotions and $1,388 for the Visitors Center for a total of $11,853, which included $10,000 of previously committed funds. Anderson noted that the Sutter Creek Historic brochure needed to be reprinted, 10,000 copies at 16 cents each, $600 dollars of which has already been raised. The balance, another $1,000 dollars, comes from the Chairman’s Fund, donated funds for a rainy-day reserve that Crosby said now totals $3,201. Funk said that the cost for printing ACT’s Travel Planner was $900 dollars instead of the estimated $1,600. Anderson asked that all future requests for money be accompanied by the Funding Request Form, a draft of which she circulated. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Amador County – Jackson City Manager Mike Daly, speaking at Tuesday’s Jackson City Council meeting, said the city is “really close” to adoption of a balanced budget for Fiscal Year 2009-10. “We’re getting to a point where staff can present the balanced budget to the council,” said Daly.
In a memorandum to the council, Daly said that the City has experienced more than a 25 percent decline in General Fund revenue over the past few years, falling from $4.34 million dollars to $3.17 million. “Conditions worsened beyond expectations and after 3 years of deficit spending, the goal this coming year is a balanced budget,” Daly said. To achieve this, Daly and staff have been negotiating a number of cost saving measures. These include reducing every General Fund Department to the bare minimum for non-personnel operating costs, meeting with employees to discuss options for reductions in personnel costs, reducing the city’s contributions to outside agencies like the Amador County Recreation Agency, reducing retiree health insurance, reducing training budgets, and considering suspension of the City Council’s monthly “salary” of $75. The council formally agreed to this suspension. Councilman Pat Crew said the suspension was more of a “symbolic” gesture. Amador Water Agency Board Member Bill Condrashoff, who represents Jackson’s District 1, attended the meeting to give an update on rate hikes. Condrashoff said: “I would hate to see an already underpaid job go for nothing. Symbolism, that’s your call, but in my opinion, you guys should be going the other way.” Daly said the “gorilla in the closet is the state of California and how (its) budgeting might impact local government further.” In order to adopt the budget, staff recommended that a special City Council meeting be called for Monday, June 29 at 7 p.m. The special meeting was unanimously approved by the City Council. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Amador County – Federal officials signed a deal late yesterday that will protect nearly 28,000 acres of regional land under the nation’s largest safe harbor agreement. The property is within San Joaquin, Amador and Calaveras counties. The agreement was signed at Pardee Reservoir Observation Point in Amador County between representatives of the East Bay Municipal Utility District and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. EBMUD will voluntarily manage its property in order to restore and maintain the habitat for three federal protected species: the elderberry longhorn beetle, the California red-legged frog and the California tiger salamander. In return, the federal government has agreed not to impose any restrictions on the land. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would acknowledge in advance that incidental species impacts may be caused by routine EBMUD land-use practices. Details of the agreement date back to 2008, when EBMUD created a Mokelumne Watershed Master Plan outlining long-term strategies for protecting the 19,000 acres of land in the Mokelumne River watershed that EBMUD owns. “In order to successfully conserve federally listed species, we need cooperative agreements with private landowners in California,” said Susan Moore, field supervisor with the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife service office, in an interview with the Sac Bee. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Amador County – The Plymouth City Council last week discussed the issue of cleaning up the town by way of fining offenders. That item was Dixon Flynn’s City Manager Report, among different ongoing projects, listed as “code enforcement policies.” Flynn said it involved “the full range of code enforcement,” because the city had plenty of ordinances to regulate, but lacked in ordinances of enforcement. City Attorney Mike Dean asked if Amador County uses “administrative fines,” and he suggested using that type of find. He said administrative fines “come directly to the city and do not go through the state.” Vice Mayor Greg Baldwin said it would be good for people to get fines, so then they would start cleaning up their yards. Dean said the alternative method, using a “nuisance abatement process” requires a “reasonable notice – whatever that means – and an opportunity to be heard.” He said an administrative citation requires no notice or hearing, “but there is an appeal process there.” In other business, Flynn delivered draft policies on risk management. He said no action was required, and council members could look over the policies and bring them back on a case by case basis. City Clerk Gloria Stoddard, the city’s risk management coordinator, and the safety committee already had worked on the policies. Baldwin asked who had promoted the policies and what were they doing to fund them. He said thought they “should go for the bare minimum.” Stoddard said the Public Agency Risk Sharing Authority of California gave the city a template so the council can adjust it to fit Plymouth. She said the committee did eliminate some safety inspection reports, but they “got written up” by PARSAC. In other discussion, Flynn said Stoddard is going on vacation soon, to go to her grandson’s graduation. Flynn also introduced the city’s new administrative employee, Kathleen Johnson. He said Johnson, a Sutter Creek resident, was selected from 50 applicants in a process that started last fall. Johnson said she was “really excited to be here” and she has “been a Plymouth fan for years, as a visitor.” The Plymouth City Council next meets June 11th. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Amador County – The Plymouth City Council was on the road last week – literally. The council during its regular session gathered on Main Street in front of City Hall to look at what some called the worst road in town. The council was discussing street improvement projects for the upcoming construction season. Councilwoman Pat Shackleton said they decided that instead of just talking about the city’s worn streets, they would come out and look at the problems. Councilman Greg Baldwin suggested installing a “speed table” – a wide, almost bridge-like speed bump – to cross Main Street at the City Hall steps. He said it would help pedestrians cross and would remove the step up to the curb, while slowing traffic to 15 miles per hour. Mayor Jon Colburn asked City Engineer Roark Weber to get a cost estimate to repave Main Street from Landrum Street to Highway 49, and also chip-and-seal past Landrum. Weber said a 1999 report identified $332,000 dollars worth of “deferred maintenance” needs and $1.08 Million dollars would be “needed to bring all city streets into good condition.” He said “the 5 streets with ‘minus’ ratings were Quartz, Gerrans, Mineral and Pacific” streets. Since 1999, Weber said minimal street work had been done, except for a Safe Routes To School project and FEMA-funded repairs on Mill, Poplar and Empire streets. Weber said estimates would be lower if material costs were lower. Asphalt, once about $110 dollars a ton in now $70 to 85 dollars a ton. Finance director Jeff Gardner said the city got all of its Prop 1D funds, about $400,000 dollars. Weber said the Highway 49 and Main intersection project would be reimbursed, and the city should “try to get Caltrans to reimburse you so you are 100 percent in the black.” In public comment, Gary Colburn said: “Plymouth is a tourist trap, whether you like it or not. And all of our money comes from people going to the wine country, the gold country, the 49er Village and the Fair.” He said he shudders to think the city would spend money on a new pedestrian ramp or driveway, and would rather see it take the asphalt curve off of Main, to make it easier for the elderly to cross. Raymond Estey said “we chip sealed about 15 years ago” on Main Street, but Main has not been paved in 30 years, since before the 1970s, when a city water line was installed, through a cut in the asphalt. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Amador County - Teams and committees are now forming for the 6th Annual Amador County Camp Out For Cancer, to take place on September 12 and 13 at Argonaut High School Stadium. “You don't have to camp out to participate, you can form a team, or join a team and then enjoy the talents of many local musicians who donate their time to entertain the volunteers who participate!” said Ginger Rolf, Board Director of the Amador STARS program. Teams take turns manning their campsite and walking the track all to support those whose lives have been touched by cancer. There are two ceremonies, the Survivor Celebration and the Illumination Ceremony which honor all those who have taken the cancer journey. Proceeds from this event go to the Amador STARS, a local non profit organization that offers Support, Transportation and Resource Services to local cancer patients and their families. Funds raised stay in our local community except for a small percentage that is dedicated to cancer research. Call the STARS at 223-1246 to get more information. The Amador STARS new office is located in the new Safeway shopping center, two doors east of Safeway. Staff Report This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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