The Ione City Council voted 3-2 Tuesday to apply for a 560,000 dollar loan to complete the city’s new firehouse, using City Hall as collateral, and also approved a 5 percent raise for its city manager. Opposition to the loan cited world and U.S. financial crises as reason to pull the plug --- for now – on the new firehouse. Mayor Andrea Bonham, Vice Mayor Lee Ard and Councilman Skip Shaufel voted yes to direct City Manager Kim Kerr and City Finance Director Mark Smith to work with the loan provider to finalize the loan documents. The 3-2 vote also approved a resolution using the city hall “or a similar city property” as collateral in the loan and authorized City Manager Kerr to sign the loan and collateral documents. Ard said the financial industry is in a bad state, such that a city can get a loan and then a week later have that loan approval rescinded, as happened to the city in this case. Councilman Jim Ulm spoke against the loan before the vote. “We didn’t think we could afford this firehouse. We can’t afford it,” Ulm said. Ulm thought the city should finish the slab - or firehouse’s foundation - for now, and then call it quits on the project until a later date. “This is a recipe for disaster,” Ulm said. “We don’t have to have that. We’re not in that bad of shape.” Sherman also voted no, saying before the vote that he opposed “going out and getting more loans at the city’s expense.” Bonham said she saw the approval as a “substitution of a loan that we previously approved.” Finance director Smith told the council that they could not mortgage city-owned property and Kerr said the move was a common means of financing for municipalities.

A hay truck in the upcountry region lost control Monday afternoon, resulting in a dramatic wreck similar to another hay truck accident that had occurred in the same spot last year. According to witnesses at the scene, the massive 18-wheeler collided with three passenger vehicles headed East on Hwy 88. Witnesses indicated the truck had been traveling too fast in the West bound direction when it lost control, skidded into a sedan, and pushed the vehicle into a tree on the side of the road, snapping the tree like a twig and leaving both the broken tree and piles of hay atop the sedan. In the process of that collision, the hay truck also swept another car off the road like a toy and collided head on with yet another vehicle. The truck then rolled over on its top and came to rest alongside the second vehicle which was now in a ditch upside down, on the side of the road. The dramatic rescue effort involved fire fighters and law enforcement from a number of surrounding agencies. The wreck initially stopped traffic, which was then filtered past the wreck over the course of several hours. Although no severe injuries have been reported, four people were taken to the hospital, three of those by helicopter.

 

Recycler Ricky, Amador County’s official recycling mascot, and the Amador Disposal Service have announced a new curbside recycling program. In late August 2008, the Amador Disposal Service will begin to distribute curbside recycling containers to its customers living in unincorporated areas of the county. This new curbside recycling program will replace the “blue bag” program now in use, with no additional costs to customers. Amador Disposal Service customers will be able to put all of their recycling in one large 64 gallon blue cart for pick up every other week with their normal service. All paper, cardboard, plastic bottles, glass, aluminum and metal cans should be placed in the cart. Sorting of recyclables is not necessary. Areas scheduled to receive recycling carts include Carbondale, Forest Home, Willow Creek, Drytown, the Shenandoah Valley, River Pines and Fiddletown. Detailed information on the new program will be distributed when the blue recycling carts are delivered. Residents in the above-mentioned areas will also be gradually transitioned to carts for their household garbage. The Amador Disposal Service is encouraging citizens to participate in this “convenient” recycling program. According to Jim McHargue, Solid Waste Program Manager for Amador County, recycling reduces the amount of space needed for landfills and contributes to the preservation of our natural resources. For more information, please call the Amador Disposal Service at 274-2454.

The City of Plymouth held a special joint meeting with the Plymouth City Council and Planning Commission in attendance, on top of the regularly scheduled city council meeting Thursday evening. The main topics of the joint meeting were two informational presentations, one regarding the proposed Shenandoah Valley Commercial Center, and the other specific to the Putnam Ranch. Bill Hanna from Commercial Development Solutions LLC, or CDS, was at the meeting to present the conceptual design intent for the proposed Shenandoah Valley Center. According to Hanna, “This project has been in development for over 2 years,” and is being presented to governmental entities for “feedback and to answer any questions which may arise”. After giving a brief history and background on CDS, Hanna discussed the design brief, which included such aspects as 1930’s style architecture, the use of “indigenous” materials to portray character and style, and building a recognizable gateway to the Shenandoah Valley. The proposed location is approximately 17 acres, and sits at 9702 Main Street. The property is currently zoned for commercial and light industrial use. The proposed project components include: 6 retail spots, 3 restaurants, 4 office buildings, 3 wineries, 11 wine tasting rooms, 1 micro brewery, a 3 story 83 room Hotel/Conference Center, a public restroom in the proposed park area, a parking garage outfitted for 143 cars, and 640 on site parking stalls. According to Hanna, the center is estimated to create between 250-300 new jobs, increase tax revenue stream, generate a means to fill voids in current community services and retail, and establish an economic stimulus for future planned growth. After the presentation, council and commission limited their input to a few questions about water usage and waste water. The matter will be discussed further at the upcoming Plymouth City Council meeting.