Anxious youngsters from local elementary schools will soon be able to take advantage of the new playground at Detert Park in Jackson. The City of Jackson’s fifth annual “Clean Our Green” litter clean-up and recycling day has been chosen as the occasion for the ribbon cutting and grand opening of the City’s new play structure equipment in Detert Park. As the Clean Our Green event winds down, attention will shift to the play area behind the Jackson pool. After years of reserving funds for a new playground structure, the City invested $60,000 in new playground equipment in the area where previous equipment was removed due to safety regulations. 

The City received assistance from the Jackson Elementary School third graders to select the equipment and the City’s Public Works crew installed the equipment over the past few weeks.  The play equipment features several different structures intended for children from ages 2 to 12. Clean Our Green is a community wide effort intended to give Jackson a spring cleaning by providing helpful participants with litter bags and gloves to remove litter in public areas throughout the community. The Amador County Recreation Agency will also be on hand to provide free barbecued hot dogs and other snacks for participants.  The event is funded with California Department of Conservation funds granted to the City from the deposits on beverage containers. The ribbon cutting will take place at noon on Saturday, April 19th.

The Amador County Waste Management Department has partnered with Amador High School’s Earth Club to create elementary school assemblies on recycling and litter reduction.  Members of the Earth Club have developed a performance that will promote the Waste Management Department’s guiding priorities:  REDUCE-REUSE-RECYCLE, or the 3R’s.  Elementary students will learn from their older peers the importance of reducing waste, reusing materials over and over, and then recycling almost everything else.  The Earth Club is scheduled to perform at Sutter Creek Elementary and Primary Schools, Pioneer and Pine Grove Elementary Schools, Jackson Jr. High, and a public appearance at the Jackson Library on April 3 at 10:30 a.m.

The concept of high school students teaching elementary students originated last summer when Amador High School Teacher Mr. Joe Anooshian, Principal Allen Van Velzen, and Waste Management Staff 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.  One possible project involved students in the revitalization of their school grounds to help instill a sense of appreciation and respect for the high school campus. As discussed, this type of effort may even help improve students' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding stewardship of their surroundings.  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.

According to County Administrative Officer, Pat Blacklock on Jan. 2nd the County and MCSP’s New Warden Rich Subia all met. “The purpose of the meeting was simply to introduce ourselves, establish a relationship and discuss issues of concern.  The County extended an invitation to meet once we learned there was a new warden,” according to Blacklock. Supervisor’s Louis Boitano and Richard Forster, County Administrative Officer Patrick Blacklock, and County Counsel Martha Shaver all attended.  Both Supervisors appeared to be encouraged by the meeting.

The Ione City Council meeting began on a sad note Tuesday evening with Councilman Jeff Barnhart reading his letter of resignation. He stated that his decision was not an easy one to make, and that his time on the council was a wonderful learning experience. He cited work as the main contributor to his resignation, and left the meeting immediately after the letter was read. City Manager Kim Kerr then informed the council that no further decisions could be made that night. Council directed staff to put the discussion regarding options for the City on the March 24th Special Meeting which begins at 4 p.m. Council approved a time change for the Planning Commission, changing their meeting time from 5:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. to promote consistency. Also, a ½ cent special tax for fire will be on the ballot this November for residents of the County to vote on. Allocation of funds will be determined by call volume and will be adjusted annually.

Amador Fire Protection District statistics for the month of February continue to indicate a county wide need for fire department services. In February, AFPD responded to 115 incidents. Only three of the incidents related to fires: 1 structure fire, 1 chimney fire and 1 vehicle fire. They attended to 66 medical emergencies and 27 vehicle accidents. Over the years, there has been an increase in incidents requiring the assistance of the AFPD. Total incidents in 2003 were 1418. By 2005 that number had climbed to 1510, and 2007 responses were 1600; an increase of nearly 200 incidents over 4 year period.

The Jackson Hills Golf Community development held an open house this week, displaying all the details of the proposed development for the community to view.

Last Friday marked the deadline to file for the Supervisor’s race in Amador County. The candidates come from a wide range of backgrounds. Three candidates filed to run for the District 1 seat, which is being vacated by Richard Escamilla.  Jackson Mayor Rosalie Pryor Escamilla, the sister-in-law of Supervisor Escamilla, has served on the Jackson City Council for over seven years, twice as mayor. Also running for District 1 is John Gonsalves, a fulltime Amador County resident for the past 23 years as well as the Foreman of the 2000 - 2001 Amador County Civil Grand Jury. The third candidate for District 1 is John Plasse, a fourth-generation Amador County resident. Plasse is currently involved in evaluating the land use, open space, and economic development elements being drafted in the Amador County General Plan Update.

Finally, Richard Forster, the District 2 incumbent, has been an Amador County resident since 1975, and served two terms on the Board of Supervisors.  Additionally, he served on the Amador Water Agency Board of Directors, the Ione Planning Commission, as well as various other organizations.  Mr. Forster is running uncontested. Louis Boitano, the District 4 incumbent, is a life-long and fourth-generation resident of Amador County. Boitano served on the Sutter Creek City Council and the Sutter Creek Fire Protection District, each for three years, and is currently serving as chairman of the Amador County Transportation Commission. David Pincus, a local Certified Mortgage Planner, is the only challenger to the District 4 seat.  Pincus’ background is in law enforcement in the Bay Area, where he served as President of the International Police Association, San Francisco Region, and was a career police officer. We’ll have more on the candidates in future news broadcasts.

What started as a reunion-style picnic on a hill in the outskirts of Ione on May 3, 1857, has now grown into four days of special events. Now known as the Annual Ione Homecoming, the event will be celebrating its 132nd year this May.  On May 3, 1876, as part of the nation’s centennial celebration, the event was moved from that famed hill to the present-day Howard Park, where a then state-of-the-art racetrack and grandstand had just been constructed. Each year, the non-profit Ione Picnic Association, or IPA, which is the organizer of the entire homecoming, holds a fundraiser to help support the historic event. 

This year’s was a showing of The Story of Seabiscuit, which brought to light the fact that the famous racehorse was owned by Charles Stewart Howard for whom Howard Park is named. In 1942, Howard bought 32,000 acres of land that is now Rancho Arroyo Seco, and included in the sale was the 89-acre parcel that is now Howard Park.  Howard died in 1950, and the park land was sold to the City of Ione in 1995. The homecoming entertains with a different theme each year, with this year’s theme of “Mardi Gras Magic” paralleling that of the Amador County Fair.

According to the IPA website, the annual homecoming is “a bridge connecting our rich past and exciting future!” Another longstanding tradition is the homecoming’s mascot, “Benny Bedbug,” a cartoon bug invented in the early 1970’s by G. Lambert.  Each year, Benny characterizes the theme of the event, which in past years has included 2001’s “Benny Goes Around the World,” 1980’s “Gold Fever,” and 1978’s “Fantasy World.” The 2008 Ione Homecoming runs May 9th through the 11th, in Howard Park and Downtown Ione, with the Miss Ione Scholarship Pageant this Saturday, May 3rd at Ione Elementary School.  Tickets are available at Ione Auto, Coldwell Banker in Ione, the Rancho Arroyo Seco office, from Ione Picnic Association members, or by calling 209-274-2777.  You can obtain more information about homecoming events on the IPA website at www.IonePicnic.com.

The Board of Supervisors has discussed their 2007 Legislative Strategies. David French, the county’s federal Lobbyist appeared before the board with a presentation that included a list of the county’s priorities. Currently, that includes library services. This request was submitted by the lobbyists and 150,000 dollars were received, however the appropriations are incomplete for the fiscal year at this time. The money will receive it when available. The next priority is the distance learning facility for the Consumes Community College partnership for opportunities in the county. Senator Barbara Boxer continues to be helpful in this endeavor. Indian Gaming also tops the list as the lobbyists keep watch on Congress looking to make sure no back doors open for either of the proposed casinos in Ione and Plymouth. Currently, Indian Gaming issues are moving very slowly through Congress.

On November 18, 2006, the Rotary Club of Jackson teamed up with the River Pines Revitalization Association, Inc. for a Fall Clean-Up of River Pines.  Jackson Rotary provided a 35 yard dumpster, free of charge, for local residents to dispose of trash from around the community.  Rotarians and residents of River Pines worked side by side to load the dumpster to maximum capacity and had it filled by noon!  RPRA provided refreshments for the volunteers and a wonderful lunch following completion of the project.