Earlier this week, at their bimonthly meeting, the Sutter Creek Planning Commission was asked to amend the city's current sign ordinance to allow more signage for developments to advertise new homes for sale. Citizens at the meeting told the commissioners that they were strongly against the amendment because, among other things, it would allow for monument sized signs to be placed anywhere in the city; including the historic district. Citizens stated that they do not want to start looking like the Sacramento Valley, and this amendment would allow for developments to advertise using "people on street corners waving developer signs." The commission was in accordance with the citizens on this aspect, Commissioner Frank Cunha stated, "No, we do not want to see someone waving a development sign on the corner of Gopher Flat and Hwy 49."

Thanks to a grant from the state and some dedicated individuals, Sutter Creek’s Bryson Park is home to an impressive new playground. After a lengthy application process which required resolutions, presentations and assurance that the park will be compliant with the American Disabilities Act, the play area was built by local craftsmen and opened the weekend of March 23rd. 30,000 dollars worth of funding came through the 2000 Bond Act, a per capita grant put out by the State Department of Parks and Recreation. The grant required signage that credits both the grant and those who sponsor it. “The grant process took several years from start to finish,” said Office Manager Natalie Doyle, who spearheaded the project. Construction was done by Public Works Superintendent George Christner and his crew. The result is an impressive play area to rival any other park in the county. The equipment includes steps, a “sit and see” panel for the younger kids, a gazebo like structure and hollow slides. The equipment cost around 22,000 dollars, with the rest of the monies divided between the costs of construction and woodchips. The woodchips are splinter free and environmentally friendly. The play area is intended for children ages 5-12.

Thanks to inmates of the Mule Creek State Prison, Preston Castle, a national historic landmark located in Ione, is closer to restoration. The two entities have teamed up through the Mule Creek State Prison Vocational Cabinetmaking Program. The program ensures the restoration of all of Preston Castle’s windows and gives inmates the opportunity to learn valuable skills and give back to the community. Each inmate participating in the program works on some aspect of the window restoration project. Instructor Mike Doud supervises the inmates that participate in the five-year cabinetmaking program that is accredited by San Joaquin Delta College.

The restoration of Preston Castle’s windows began in 2007 and will continue until all windows are completed. “We are very excited about this partnership with Mule Creek State Prison,” says Marie Nutting, president of Preston Castle Foundation. “It benefits the prison, the castle and the community.” Chris Weathersbee, public information officer for Mule Creek State Prison, is also enthused about the partnership. “An inmate is much more likely to obtain employment with a contractor or cabinetmaking shop if he can reference specific skills that relate to either of these related trades.” The Vocational Cabinetmaking Program began in 1987 and instructs inmates on all the traditional cabinet construction techniques. The 27 inmates who participate in the program learn every aspect of the cabinetmaking trades and every student who graduates obtains certification as an entry-level tradesman, as well as  the ability and opportunity to achieve economic success.

At a special Amador Water Agency meeting tonight, the board will discuss the possible elimination of a proposed 1.5 million gallon treated water storage tank as a part of the Plymouth Pipeline project. During recent design reviews, Agency staff learned that the Plymouth Pipeline Project’s proposed storage tank could not be filled during peak water use periods. Agency Staff, working with City Staff, are considering alternatives in order to hydraulically bring water to the tank.

These alternatives included lowering the tank location, pipe improvements to reduce head loss, and elimination of the tank. If the tank is lowered in elevation, benefits to the Agency are dramatically reduced. The Agency will also continue reviewing storage options in connection with the proposed Regional Water Treatment Plant. The proposed tank and associated infrastructure was estimated to cost 3 to 3.5 million and its elimination presents a significant Project cost reduction.

Young people from the Amador County Youth Coalition joined thousands of kids across the country for Kick Butts Day (KBD), a nationwide initiative that makes kids leaders in the effort to stop youth tobacco use.  As part of the local Kick Butts Day event, Youth Coalition members created a dynamic display illustrating the 1200 deaths that occur every day in the United States to tobacco related diseases. Tobacco statistics indicate that, here in Amador County, at least 1 person loses their life each week due to smoking.

The dynamic display made a striking impression on passing motorists, and one witness said it reminded him of modernist “physical art”. Throughout the year, these young advocates take part in a variety of activities to promote healthy living in our community, including working to develop policies that reduce youth tobacco use, exposure to secondhand smoke and educating their peers about tobacco companies’ deceptive marketing practices.

New Jackson Ford Mercury generously donated a portion of their fence line yesterday along Highway 49 in Martell for the 17 member Youth Coalition to construct a display.  Youth Coalition members from Ione Junior High, Jackson Junior High, Amador High School and Argonaut High School have worked with many local agencies and businesses to collect the 1200 pairs of shoes. After school, on the afternoon of April 2nd, Youth Coalition representatives will be along the fence line beside their display showcasing their message with youth-created banners and signs.  Each empty pair of shoes represents a life lost every day. For more information about the KBD display along Highway 49 in Martell, contact Diana Evensen at 223-6638 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

The U.S. Forest Service will be hosting a workshop on reducing fuels in the El Dorado National Forest using Stewardship Contracting. The target audience for the workshop is prospective contractors in Amador and El Dorado counties who wish to learn more about how stewardship contracts work and how to bid.  Stewardship contracts were authorized by Congress in the 2003 Appropriations Bill and allow the Forest Service to exchange goods for services. For the past four years, the Forest Service has been using the value of commercial timber from forest thinning projects in the El Dorado National Forest to offset the cost of reducing fuels on the ground and removing small trees growing under taller trees that create “fire ladders.” “Stewardship contracts reduce the Forest Service’s reliance on tax dollars to accomplish vital fuels reduction in the National Forests,” said El dorado National Forest Contracting Officer Patricia Ferrell.

Ferrell says fuels reduction isn’t the only work that can be accomplished in the National Forest using stewardship contracts.  Many kinds of projects can be undertaken with this contracting authority including watershed restoration, wildlife habitat and forest health improvement, and noxious weed control. “Like anything new, there is apprehension in potential contractors.  We plan to help educate our prospective contractors so they can effectively bid on these projects,” said Ferrell. For more information about the workshop, contact El Dorado National Forest Contracting Officer Patricia Ferrell at (530) 642-5146.

Thanks to the Jackson Cemetery Committee and some industrious high school students, the city cemetery is receiving some much-needed repairs and a new monument. The committee chairman, Warren Carleton, introduced the committee members and provided an overview of the committee’s recent efforts. A wooden gazebo that was originally constructed by Jackson Boy Scout Troup 478 had fallen victim to vandals over time.  With the help of Parkey’s Welding, the committee used city funds and private donations to rebuild the gazebo out of steel to make it more durable and vandal-proof. 

Also, new signs have been mounted at cemetery entrances that bear the City of Jackson logo and ask visitors to “Please respect the cemetery.” Additionally, a new sign is in the works to honor and mark the graves of the miners killed in the 1922 Argonaut Mine Tragedy. The committee has also completed some gravesite repairs with the help of the County Probation Department’s community service program.  In addition, the committee has plans to revitalize the children’s cemetery, a project spearheaded by Cemetery Sexton, Charline Buckley. 

Those plans include installing a low-post boundary fence and better marking some of the gravesites.  Buckley says she wants to provide visitors and relatives with a nice area to visit. Most of the children in that area died in the 1950’s and 60’s.  And finally, ten students from Argonaut High School have volunteered to erect a Chinese monument in the cemetery as part of their leadership class.  Sydni Nicolici, the student chairperson on the project, says they are building the monument so “they can help everyone understand” about the Chinese aspect of the cemetery. The project will add an inscription to an existing pillar, and the finished monument will include a ceremonial stone, a dedication stone, bamboo, trees, and a small rock wall.  The students are working with a contractor and have thus far drawn up plans.  Their next step will be to seek out donated materials and labor to complete the project.

Years of fundraising to rescue two imperiled gold rush Chinatown buildings in Fiddletown have paid off with an announcement by the California Culture and Historical Endowment, or CCHE, last week. CCHE awarded a grant of $208,000 to the Fiddletown Preservation Society, or FPS. The small foothill village of Fiddletown is unique for having four gold rush era structures remaining from its 19th century Chinatown. Most early Chinatowns in California were destroyed by arson or demolition. Fiddletown’s Chinese gambling hall and general store, both constructed around 1860, are in danger of crumbling due to deterioration from time and weather. Since 2001, the FPS has been seeking public and private funds to save these remainders of a once-vibrant Chinese community.

The buildings are across the street from the rammed-earth Chew Kee Museum, a historic Chinese herb store that was restored in the 1980s. This first phase of the Fiddletown Restoration of Chinese Structures project will stabilize and weatherproof the two endangered Chinese buildings. Additional money was raised from local grants, Chinese organizations and private donations. CCHE is a grant program designed to preserve stories of the many people who together make up an historic and modern California. CCHE has awarded a total of $122 million dollars from the California Neighborhood Parks and Coastal Protection Act of 2002 — more commonly known as Proposition 40.

Yesterday marked the 3rd in a series of educational yet entertaining performances by Amador High School’s “Earth Club”. Preschool and Kindergarten aged children sat watching in fascination as half a dozen high school students performed an ecological fable about the negative effects of deforestation. Members of the Earth Club developed a performance that will promote the Waste Management Department’s guiding priorities:  REDUCE-REUSE-RECYCLE, or the 3R’s. The performance told the story of a group of woodland creatures whose habitat is threatened by a greedy developer. The children’s reaction was anything but negative, however, as they enthusiastically asked questions about trees and recycling after the show. The children were then invited by the cast to help pick up cans and bottles.

 

The Earth Club’s two remaining performances will take place at Pioneer Elementary at 8:15 a.m. on April 8th, and Pine Grove Elementary at 9:30 a.m. on April 8th. Teacher Joe Anooshian and Waste Management Staff Leader Anne Short discussed the need for a campus beautification make-over at Amador High School.  Over the years, the landscaping has deteriorated, while littering and vandalism on campus have increased.  Since high school seniors are required to complete 10 hours of community service, they could apply the hours earned from the project towards their credits. For more information, please contact the Amador County Waste Management Department at 223-6429.

Heinz Hamann, Amador Water Agency director for District 1, announced he will resign from the board effective Feb. 1. Hamann said he will go with great reluctance, but his wife’s health needs require that they move to Sacramento. Hamann has served on the Water Agency Board since 1998 – he took office right in the middle of the controversy over construction of the pipeline. He said he is honored to have served the people of Amador County. The Agency achievements he is most proud of from his tenure are the Amador Pipeline, the Buckhorn Water Treatment Plant, the Agency’s Recycled Water Plan, and the Regional Wastewater Master Plan. Hamann’s term runs until 2010. The water agency board is expected to invite letters of interest from candidates in District 1 interested in being appointed to serve out the remainder of Hamann’s term.