News Archive (6192)
Jackson City Council discusses architecture guidelines, historic standards
Written by Tom
Amador County – The Jackson City Council last week reviewed architectural guidelines and historical design standards in a public hearing last week, and directed staff to separate those in city code for possible consideration next week.
Jackson City Planner Susan Peters said the city Development Code adopted in 2009 “contains guidelines for architectural review.” She said they are not standards, which are mandatory, but are voluntary guidelines.
She said Development Code addressed architectural and design review. One chapter “contains Design Guidelines which are applicable to multiple family residential, commercial, industrial, and public or institutional projects. These are guidelines (which means voluntary) and do not apply to single-family residences.”
Another chapter, Peters said, is the “Historic Design Review, applicable to structures in the Historic Commercial Zone.” She said the standards “require discretionary review by a Design Review Committee” for “any project in the Historic Commercial Zone which requires a building permit.”
Peters said “we started this process to change the guidelines to standards” in May 2009, when a committee was formed, did work, and sent results to the Council last year. “It was just getting way too complex,” and staff decided to use separate processes for guidelines and standards.
Peters said the Council established the nine-member Architectural Regulations Committee to create an outline for architectural guidelines and regulation in the city. It was to decide recommend if design review should be applied city-wide; whether to have voluntary guidelines or mandatory standards; and who would be responsible for the reviewing process.
Peters said the committee had contractors, architects, and several concerned citizens. “Seven members ended up being very active,” and recommended having standards, not guidelines; applied city-wide; and recommended forming a review committee. It recommended five members, including two professionals in the building industry, two architects or designers, and one concerned citizen. Committee decisions could be appealed to the Planning Commission, and eventually to the City Council.
Vice Mayor Keith Sweet said the most important paragraph in the architecture standards, in part, said “the review authority may interpret these standards with some flexibility.” He hoped design committee appointees would “think that these, as written, are not in cement,” and try to meet the spirit of the standards.
Peters and City Attorney Andrew Morris prepared an ordinance to adopt the new regulations. One change from committee recommendation was the definition of a “Historic Structure.” The “original definition referred to a map” and “if the structure was within the area designated on the map, then it was considered historic.” Peters said “this has been replaced with a clearer definition that applies to individual structures as opposed to an area.”
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Amador Schools seek citizens for new Community Advisory Committee for Special Education Plan
Written by Tom
Amador County – Theresa Hawk, executive director of Amador County’s Special Education Local Plan Area said Friday that the Amador County Unified School District Board of Trustees is taking applications for a “Communities Advisory Committee,” specific to the district’s SELPA.
The application period opened about two weeks ago and closes Aug. 31. Hawk said Trustees are looking for teachers, parents and event students and the disabled to serve on the likely 10-member advisory committee, which will make recommendations about special education.
Hawk said the School Board on July 27 will appoint one of its Trustees to be a member of the Communities Advisory Committee. At their meeting in June, when they discussed the Committee, Trustee Pat Miller nominated Trustee Lynette Lipp. Hawk said the appointment still must be made.
Hawk said the Special Education Department and trustees would like to have a student with disabilities serve on the Communities Advisory Committee, along with an adult with disabilities. She said the community at large is always invited to attend, and they are looking for a core group to serve in two-year commitments. She said they had not received any applications as of July 15.
As SELPA Director, Hawk is an “ex officio member of the Communities Advisory Committee. They are basically seeking anyone who has interest in education. The application is simple, she said, and asks, in part, about people’s connection to special education. She said “a lot of our kids don’t have parents, they have grandparents, and we certainly don’t want to discourage any guardians from applying.”
She said it is strictly an advisory position, unpaid, and volunteer. The Committee will select its president, vice president and secretary, under its bylaws. It is meant to be self-sustaining, but Special Education will handle business needs, such as copies or agendas. Trustees will go through applications, and make appointments to the Committee.
Hawk has 35 years in SELPA and special education, including since Sept. 21, 2009 at ACUSD, in Southern California, and her native Michigan. She said she has seen some pretty dynamic Community Advisory Committees. She said her drive and dedication toward special education come from her parents, both of whom were severely disabled and quadriplegic, who instilled in her the understanding of living and excelling with disabilities.
Applications for the SELPA Communities Advisory Committee can be downloaded from the School District website. For information, call Hawk at (209) 257-5330.
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• Pine Grove CYA Camp Restorative Justice Program delivers crocheted children’s items to ATCAA
Written by Tom
Amador County – The Pine Grove Camp’s Restorative Justice Program recently made an annual donation of crocheted and knitted items for local youths recently.
Pine Grove CYA Camp Case Manager Deborah Brady escorted two fire fighters, Romel Fatouhi and Nelson Reyes-Campos to the Amador-Tuolomne Community Action Agency office in Sutter Creek recently. The purpose of the trip was to deliver crocheted and knitted items that the youths at Pine Grove Camp had made.
Pine Grove Youth Conservation Camp Superintendent Mike Roots said the “youths are involved in a Restorative Justice Program in Mrs. Hatfield’s class, where they work hard to make these items to keep children warm in the cold winters.”
Brady and the two wards delivered six boxes of hats, scarves and mittens for children of all ages, and Pat Porta of A-TCAA “was very appreciative of this donation, and accepted it on behalf of all of the children that will benefit from this project,” Roots said.
He said “we were then given a tour of the facility and learned about the many programs that are offered at the agency.” This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
“Friends of Amador” tell EPA that the Buena Vista Me-Wuk’s land status is still pending in court
Written by Tom
Amador County – Jerry Cassesi and his group “Friends of Amador County” earlier this month notified the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that the status of the Buena Vista Me-Wuk’s land for a tribal casino is still pending a court review.
The District of Columbia U.S. Court of Appeals in May remanded the case back to California courts. Amador County v. Kenneth Lee Salazar, Secretary of the U.S. Interior challenged that the Buena Vista tribe’s land fails to qualify as legally recognized “Indian Land.” District Court rejected a claim by the Interior that Amador County lacked standing over the land, but said a non-action approval of a gaming compact with the state was not reviewable under portions of the “Administrative Procedure Act,” according to an opinion in the ruling May 6.
Judge David S. Tatel wrote: “We agree with the district court that the County has standing, but because we conclude that the Secretary’s inaction is in fact reviewable, we reverse and remand for the district court to consider the merits in the first instance.”
Cassesi said he was concerned that the EPA, which issued a permit to discharge wastewater, was not getting appropriate, relevant information regarding the status of the land. Friends of Amador County attorney James E. Marino of Santa Barbara explained that in a July 8 letter Jo Ann Asami, Assistant Regional Counsel for EPA Region 9.
Marino said “the EPA is unaware of the status of the fee lands located at Buena Vista, in Amador County and the pending lawsuits in which the status of that land is a major issue.” Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians is also being challenged in court by Bea Crabtree and June Guerry, “two descendants of the original occupying/assignees of the former rancheria before it was dissolved and dis-established from any form or class of ‘Indian Country.’”
The 67.5 acres in 1927 “was acquired by the federal government in fee as a rancheria for the use of any needy or itinerant Indian,” Marino wrote, “not for the benefit of any particular tribe, band or community of Indians, and was made available for formal or informal assignment to such Indians in need of a place to live.” He said the only family to occupy the land after 1927 was the Oliver family.
After a 1983 class action lawsuit ruling, “any individual Indians (like the Olivers at Buena Vista) who were deeded rancheria lands in fee could elect to deed their fee lands back to the federal government to be held in trust,” Marino said. “They were allowed two years to make this election,” unless a formal extension was requested in court.
Marino said “descendants of the original distributees (Annie Oliver and Louie Oliver) did not elect to convey and deed the former Buena Vista rancheria land they had inherited, back to the federal government but instead elected to keep it in fee.”
Marino said “to sum up, these historical and undisputed facts establish that the 67.5 acres of land at Buena Vista are fee lands with no Indian or sovereign Indian status.”
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EMCO cuts ribbon on Sutter Creek manufacturing facility, with 50 employees, and room for triple that
Written by Tom
Amador County – A three-decade Amador County company, EMCO High Voltage Corporation, cut the ribbon on a new manufacturing facility in Sutter Creek Friday, and about 60 people attended.
EMCO opened a state-of-the-art facility at 11710 Commerce Drive, and Sales and Marketing Director Kim Bailey said about 50-plus staff members work there now, though the factory could have 45-50 employees working per shift.
CEO and President Mike Dougherty said EMCO is a “lean” and flexible manufacturing operation, complete with the latest in “green technology,” including a 25 kilowatt photovoltaic solar powered system that operates the company completely off the grid.
Program Manager Mike Janto said the factory has batteries to run for 8 hours, if the 115 solar panels on the roof aren’t getting enough light. It also has two generators as backup power.
Janto said The Solar Company of Ione put in a system that “allows us to operate 100 percent off the grid, very, very reliably.” He said bringing the factory was the easy part, but the hard part was making it a reliable tool.
Dougherty said “this was an empty shell just six months ago,” and Chris Fuller is the landlord. He said Tom Blackman brokered the deal. He introduced Ryck Johnson, formerly with Hewlitt Packard, who recently joined EMCO, and Barb Havens, who heads up a new Minden manufacturing facility. Dougherty said the two new facilities in Sutter Creek and Minden have gone from idea to reality in 12 months, and will be among four EMCO factories, the others in Oregon and New Mexico.
Ryck Johnson, director of manufacturing and engineering, said they ship directly from the factory, and work to be a “lean company.” He said the “manufacturing facility is a significant investment for EMCO.”
Janto said “lean manufacturing” means that “any time you hold a product, it costs you.” They don’t process material until they get an order, and partially build some products. So “instead of pushing products out the front door, you are creating a vacuum at the back door.”
He led a tour of the facility, which makes miniature high voltage power supplies for many different products, including such items as element detectors, night vision goggles, and PC boards. He said the products are ordered from catalogs.
The work stations are completely mobile, he said, so they “could put 45-50 operators in here on a single shift.” He showed areas where products are prepared, cured, cleaned up and labeled, and either go out or go on the shelf.
Janto said they try for same-day delivery, and if they need to build an order, try to cut down delivery time to two weeks. He said “the name of the game is whoever can build and deliver it quickest gets the sale.”
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Amador County – The Amador County Fair hooked the captain of the “Deadliest Catch” and some of his crew to liven up the Kids’ Parade and speak to the public later at the fair.
Karen Spencer, publicist for the fair, said the “Colburn family is no stranger to Amador County. Harold Colburn was one of the founders of the Amador County Fair and son, Gary Colburn, is a well-known resident. But none of them have gained the international public attention like brothers Monty and Keith Colburn, captains of the Bering Sea’s premier crab vessel, the 155-foot Wizard and stars of one the top-rated reality television shows,” the “Deadliest Catch.”
Captain Monty Colburn, who serves as Relief Captain and First Mate on the Wizard (owned by brother Keith), will be visiting the Amador County Fair on Thursday, July 28, along with crew members Lenny Lekanoff and Lynn Guitard. “The sea mates will tell tales of crabbing in the Bering Sea, life on Discovery Channel’s ‘Deadliest Catch’ television show, and then will hang out for a question and answer session with the audience,” Spencer said.
Colburn and his crew “will participate in the Kids Parade in downtown Plymouth at 9 a.m., enjoy the Fair, and then speak in the Bennie Brown Arena at approximately 7:30 p.m.”
“Deadliest Catch” has now been the number one Tuesday primetime cable program (excluding NBA Playoffs on TNT) and number two in all television (behind only America’s Got Talent”) for people and men age 25-54 for 14 weeks in a row, Discovery Channel said July 13.
Monty Colburn began his fishing career in Alaska in 1987 on the Juno, and never looked back. After several years with brother Keith on the Wizard, he took the helm of the Sea Fisher in 1998 and then the Norseman in 2001 operating with his brother, Spencer said.
In 2004 he captained the Sirene working on the oil spill clean up in Unalaska, Alaska, after the freighter Selandang Ayu ran aground near Dutch Harbor. When not at sea, he lives in the Lake Tahoe-area town of Brockway with his wife, Catherine and son Gregory.
Amador County Fair, July 28-31, is known for its living history exhibits and rich heritage of ranching, mining and agriculture. The Fair opens Thursday July 28, with a Kids Parade from downtown Plymouth to the Fairgrounds.
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Amador County public sounds off against expansion of Pardee Lake
Written by Tom
Amador County – About 30 people spoke last week against the East Bay Municipal Utility District 30-year plan that includes making a bigger Pardee Reservoir, during a series of scoping sessions that concludes this week in Oakland.
Foothill Conservancy’s President Katherine Evatt spoke against the expansion, and said she was happy the agency would look into partnering with Los Vaqueros Reservoir, and suggested water recycling can be more robust. She said Middle Bar Reach access was important because Amador County has very few rivers where people can learn about rivers.
Also speaking against Pardee expansion was Chris Chutes of California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, who said flooding the Middle Bar Bridge would remove a nice two-county fishing facility.
Peter Bunting, retired U.S. Forester and Native American Program Manager, and Vietnam War veteran, said he has seen a 2-star general take to task a 1-star general, saying: “What part of ‘no’ don’t you understand?”
Bunting said losing Middle Bar Bridge would be dangerous to fire safety, and pointed to the 2009 Station Fire as an example. The fire burned in 63 areas, burning more than 525 square miles of wildland, from July to November.
Bunting said the importance of the “willow gathering” area on the Mokelumne River in Middle Bar could be seen in the Smithsonian, where a local gourd maker’s work can be found, or during a recent weaver’s association show in Ione, when featuring hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of crafts made from willow fronds.
East Bay’s Director of Water & Natural Resources Richard Sykes said enlargement of Pardee may not occur for 10-20 years, if ever. He said the Utility just completed a new diversion point of water from the American River, and the economy has soured since the beginning of the 2040 plan. But he said the plan must be scoped to the level appropriate, and tough impacts noted, with mitigations.
He said he wants to work with opponents to find what impacts will happen and how to mitigate them. The Middle Bar Bridge could be raised and extended, to keep it there. He said willows grow quickly, and the plantings could be thickened to make up for the loss in the “willow gathering area.”
All comments will be addressed by the Utility in a Programmatic Environmental Impact Report. The comment period on the scoping for the East Bay Water Supply Management Program ends July 31. For information, contact East Bay MUD.
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Amador County – Sutter Gold Mining Incorporated, owners of 3.6 miles of historic Mother Lode gold-producing veins in Amador County, including the former Sutter Gold Mine, announced last week that it has secured $20 million in financing in Canada, and will start construction to ready the mine for eventual full production.
The construction will effectively end the underground tourism of the mine, in exchange for an anticipated payoff of as many as 223,000 ounces of gold estimated to be in the Sutter.
Sutter Gold Mining Chief Financial Officer Robert Hutmacher announced the financing approval Thursday (July 14), saying Sutter Gold closed a $20 million “prepaid gold project finance facility” in Vancouver, British Columbia and “has closed on an agreement with RMB Australia Holdings wherein” Australia Holdings “will provide a secured prepaid gold facility to Sutter in the amount of $20 million.”
Hutmacher said the “final delivery price” is $941 per ounce with 53,000 ounces of gold committed in a “mine plan” and Preliminary Economic Assessment for the Lincoln Project, the former Sutter Gold Mine.
“Sutter has made its first draw under the Facility, repaying its existing debt and funding the first month of the 12-month development schedule for the Lincoln Project,” Hutmacher said.
David Cochrane, vice president for environment, health and safety for Sutter Gold Mining, said in early July that the first steps to prepare for production include removal of the exterior building and construction of a new one. Underground construction will be done as well.
He said blasting would be contained to underground work, with surface excavation done by machinery. He said the blasts would have blast doors installed, and charges would be set to minimize impact, to try to remove only rock containing gold, which is economically most feasible for the company.
Grinders will reduce the size of rock under ground, and small mills, (not stamp mills) will reduce the rock further. He said the mine will use gravity sorting to remove gold at the mine site, but will send the fine material to another site for further, chemical extraction. He said mines typically have problems with acidic runoff, but the high carbon content of the mine will neutralize the acidity.
The project could create as many as 150 jobs in the next couple of years. Cochrane said the Lincoln Project has been a great job for him, allowing him to do work in his own back yard. The El Dorado County resident considers it a local project. He said the mine also hired another former local resident, from the aggregate industry, to work another dream job.
Cochrane said locally at least one family, the Boitanos, with five generations in mining, and a history in founding Amador County, will be working at the mine, including former TSPN news anchor, Holly Boitano.
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Dozens attend reopening ceremony of the Amador Museum’s Miniature Mine Models Exhibit
Written by Tom
Amador County – About 40 people attended a ceremony to mark the reopening of the Amador County Museum’s Miniature Mines Exhibit Saturday in Jackson.
Amador County Historical Society President Gary Reinoehl kicked off the open-air ceremony on the Museum’s new blacktop parking lot, and introduced several dignitaries in the audience, including those who later would cut the golden ribbon to open the new ramp to the reopened mine exhibit. Those cutting the ribbon were long-time Museum Curator Georgia Fox, Jackson City Councilman Pat Crew, and Amador Supervisor Chairman John Plasse.
Past Curator Cedric Clute said: “We hope this is the first step in bringing all of Amador County’s history back to life.”
Clute said he found the three model mines in storage at the museum, after taking over as curator. The predecessor to Fox, Clute said: “It was my job to decide what to do with it.” He said: “I’ll be anxious to see it again.”
He recalled purchases at Spinco Hardware while working on the exhibit, and $50 at Radio Shack for a cassette machine to play the music on. The tape includes the score for the introduction of “King Kong” in the movie, to introduce the Kennedy Mine head frame. He said the machine is probably the same one he bought years ago.
Plasse acknowledge Larry Cenotto for his work on the public-private partnership: the Museum lot, and a new wheelchair ramp to the Mine Exhibit. He said Cenotto had started the work before Plasse got on the Board. Plasse said “Larry kept running into roadblocks,” and Supervisors found that the best approach was just to “get out of the way, and turn that entrepreneurial spirit loose.”
Councilman Pat Crew said he agreed with Plasse. He gave kudos to the accomplishments. Crew said “there is no I in team,” and if this were Sacramento, “I don’t know if you would ever get done.”
Reinoehl also offered thanks to Fox for the 101 things she has done, and noted that she was looking for volunteer docents to lead the mine model tours at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturdays, or by appointment. The displays will be open 10-3 Saturdays.
Reinoehl thanked the major donors, including the Jackson Rancheria, Crew, Larry Cenotto, Stan Lukowicz, and the Bank of Amador. He also thanked the Board of Supervisors support in the partnership, which ended the three-year closure of the model exhibit. Cenotto said the Museum proper still needs foundation reinforcement.
Donations of work were done by Trevor Mottishaw, Phil Giurlani, Leonard Williams, John Hertzig, Jack Scott, and Kam Merzlak. Amador County General Services’ Jon Hopkins, Mark Olivarria, and Darren Robinson also gave assistance on the project.
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Rodeo Saturday July 30 includes Professional Bull riding at the Amador County Fair
Written by Tom
Amador County – Professional Rodeo rides into Bennie Brown arena Saturday of this year’s Amador County Fair, and tickets may be purchased in advance.
Fair marketer Karen Spencer said “rodeo is the sport of cowboys, weekend warriors and kids conquering Mutton Busting. Six rodeo events pit riders and ropers against cattle, bulls, and wild horses.” Those are bull riding, saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, team roping, tie down roping, and steer wrestling.
Women’s barrel racing features the fastest women on horseback in a clover-leafed race for time around barrels that are “ready to tip over when touched.”
Bull riding is the most notorious of professional rodeo events and Four Star Rodeo Company is known among bull riders to have top-of-the-line stock, including 2007 National Finals Rodeo Champion Bull, Shakedown.
Spencer said “why would anyone climb on the back of a bucking bull for a small chance at a little bit of prize money and a silver buckle? Most would consider it a foolhardy act. The risks are obvious. Serious injury is always a possibility for those fearless or foolish enough to sit astride an animal that weighs nearly a ton and is usually equipped with dangerous horns. But cowboys do it, fans love it, and bull riding may rank as rodeo’s most popular sport.”
Professional rodeo features skills developed by cowboys on ranches and trail rides at the turn of the century, including roping, riding bucking animals, and racing the fastest short-distance horses in the world. Risk-takers are willing to climb on the back of a wild, bucking bronc or notorious bull for a share of the purse or a silver buckle and the ride of a lifetime. It can take just eight seconds, if they can last that long.
The Amador Fair organizers last week announced the extension of the fair entry deadline to 5 p.m. Tuesday July 19, for filing entry forms for still exhibits, for adult categories such as baked goods, preserves, art, photography, gems and minerals, flowers and garden produce.
The Exhibitor Handbook is available on-line and limited printed copies are at the Fair office, libraries and feed stores.
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