Amador County has joined Jackson and Plymouth in raising recreation fees assessed when building permits are pulled, but like the cities, the Supervisors also split over  the amount of that assessment. The Amador County Recreation Agency under the guidance of executive director Tracey Towner Yep, conducted a nexus study that looked at the needs of the communities through out the county and then worked backwards to assess an approximate fee that should be charged on all new residential structures for recreation in the county.

This Thursday the General Plan Update Committee will meet at 6pm at the County Administration building after having an extension to their committees' lifespan granted by the Supervisors. The purpose of this General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC) meeting is to discuss circulation issues as they relate to the General Plan Update. Charles Field, Executive Director of the Amador County Transportation Commission will give a presentation on  Roadway, Pedestrian and Bicycle Circulation issues in the county.

The Amador County Chamber of Commerce has announced the winners of the 5th Annual Margaret Dalton Golden Nugget Awards. The award honors celebrates and acknowledges local unsung heroes; those who contribute their time and efforts to the community and local causes with little fanfare or recognition. This year’s honorees are Rich Hoffman and Gloria Stoddard. Rich Hoffman is CEO of Jackson Rancheria Casino and Hotel – he serves on the Sutter Amador Hospital Board of Trustees and on the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. As the one who holds the purse strings at the Rancheria, Hoffman works with many local charities. Gloria Stoddard is the Clerk of the City of Plymouth –  she wears many hats in Plymouth City government and is the “go-to” person if you need something in Plymouth. She is active with her church and taught Sunday school for many years. The Golden Nugget Awards dinner will be held February 8 at the Jackson Rancheria Casino Conference Center and tickets are available from the Chamber of Commerce – 223-0350. 

An Amador County farm established more than a century ago by the Winter family has been preserved in agriculture by the state and the Sacramento Valley Conservancy. The conservancy used some 680,000 dollars awarded by the state Department of Conservation to buy the 180-acre Winterport farm near Ione. Money for the purchase came from Proposition 40, the $2.6 billion open space and farmland preservation bond passed by voters in 2002.

 

Although Ione is 30 miles from Sacramento, development pressure in the scenic hills surrounding the tiny town has been building. A developer has purchased 16,000 acres near the Winterport farm. "We're in the path of development, and we're trying to encourage them to go the other way," Winterport farm owner Dan Port said in the release. He said he and his wife expect their grown children to eventually come back and take over the farm, which currently grows hay but has produced melons, pumpkins and Christmas trees. (end) am McClatchy-Tribune contributed.

Despite some strong public comment opposing the project, the Amador County Planning Commission, or ACPC, approved the Environmental Impact Report for the Mokelumne Bluffs Subdivision. The EIR was first submitted to the agency in 2003 and has since gone through numerous changes in response to opposing forces who believe the project will have a detrimental environmental impact. Commission members were also doubtful about specific aspects of the document at Tuesday night’s meeting and asked for clarification from Charlie Simpson, the consultant who drafted the EIR. “What we’re doing in the EIR is responding to all elements and requirements of the (California Environmental Quality Act),” said Simpson.

Simpson also took the moment to respond to earlier public comment asking for more research on environmental impact. “We identified, as guidelines required, comparative environmental alternatives. It’s a no brainer, 50 lots instead of 100 would obviously be less of an impact. I think we gave a reasonable range of alternatives,” said Simpson. He went on to say that the current project, as opposed to the project reviewed in the draft EIR in 2005, is substantially more refined now, including a wildlife and oak tree mitigation plan. “If you run down the list of changes and think to your self ‘is this a plus or a minus?’ in terms of the environment, these are all pluses,” said Simpson.

Earlier in the evening, Pine Grove citizens who will be living near the project voiced their opinions. John Carlson of Pine Grove believes the project will add to global warming because of its location and its future residents perceived commute. Indeed, much of Tuesday night’s debate wavered off track into discussions about global warming in general. The commissioners expressed their concerns over some of the vague language in the EIR, but were happy overall with the document. The document was approved in a vote of 4-1, on a condition that any further changes will need to be introduced later as findings. Chair Andy Byrne voted to oppose the approval, stating that he believed the document still needed some revision.

Also at the Plymouth meeting, the council discussed whether or not the City could take eminent domain actions on a 20 foot wide permanent pipeline easement and a 25 foot temporary construction easement across from the AT&T property in Sutter Creek. The public hearing opened up with the opportunity for the property owner or a representative of the owner to voice their objection, none were voiced and the statutory hearing was closed. Public comment was opened with questions arising on who would actually own and operate the pipeline in question. The Pipeline Project would be fully owned and operated by the AWA. To adopt the Resolution of Necessity, an authorization to file eminent domain action for the easements in a 4/5 vote was necessary from council. Council passed the Resolution 4-1 with Councilman Baldwin opposing.

“This is a deal breaker” is how the Amador Planning Commission characterized traffic mitigation fees being applied to a recently reviewed project proposed for downtown Pine Grove. The request was for the conversion of a residential property to various commercial businesses about one half a mile east of the Ridge Rd intersection with Hwy 88 in Pine Grove. The Technical Advisory Committee previously asked for a traffic study, which was prepared and presented. During the public hearing developers Phil Longacre and Jack Stewart appeared before the planning commission stating that a commercial development in the Pine Grove area could help, not only the community directly around the project, but the county as a whole as consumers in the upcountry area could reduce car trips on Hwy 88 as consumer needs are meet in the upcountry areas.

Last week the city of Plymouth became the second city in Amador County to adopt the new Amador County Recreation Agency’s nexus study report, the regional recreation Masterplan, and the development recreation impact fees that go with them. The Nexus Study recommends that cities in the county require between 8,670 and 4,300 dollars in recreational impact fees for new development. Some residents of Plymouth stated that the 4,300 dollar fee may even be out of the question because it could make building in Plymouth too expensive and deter developers and therefore growth. Jackson, the first of the two cities to adopt the fees, chose to implement the 8,670 dollar per dwelling recreation fee; the maximum recommended by the nexus study.

After almost two weeks Cal Trans has responded to the proposal offered by the Tri-County’s in regards to the outstanding 12.8 million dollar increase for the Angels Camp Bypass. Previously on December 22 a meeting was held by representatives of the Tri-Counties, Alpine, Amador and Calaveras, ACTC Executive Director Charles Field and Cal Tran’s representatives. Field said, “We all agreed to ask Cal Trans…and the California Transportation Commission for money.” He said that requested funds included the 12.8 million dollars for the Angels Camp Bypass cost overrun and “an additional million to maintain Hwy. 49.” When asked if funds were included in the proposal to repair damage to Sutter Ione Road which was caused by construction equipment used to Build the Hwy. 49 bypass, Field responded by saying that, “Sutter Ione Road was also in the discussion, but it was up in the air as to whether the Tri-County’s, Cal Trans or the California Transportation Commission’s support will be given, (as well as) the money to repair Sutter Ione Road.” Although Field added that “everyone was in agreement to ask for the money.” At the Dec. 22nd meeting a proposal was developed that helped meet the needs of the Tri-County’s, and it was agreed upon that ACTC would guide the effort.

Tuesday evening, the Ione City Council held a lengthy discussion regarding the proposed improvements to City Hall and security enhancements for the Police Department, both of which are housed in one building. The proposed plan would be short term, from 3-5 years, until the funds needed to build a separate Police Department are secured. The improvements are in part intended to secure the identities of victims, suspects and witnesses as they are reporting to the front desk of City Hall. The proposed project would include an interview room, file room, and the relocation of some doors. Also there would be two separate entrances to the building- one for City Hall and one for the Police Department. Councilman Sherman asked if either the Sergeant or Chief’s office could be used for an interview room, as opposed to building a new one. The answer was that this was not a realistic option, as documents would have to be secured, weapons would have to be removed, and the Chief would be asked to leave for an unknown time period. Councilman Skip Schaufel remarked that if this reconstruction could “help one victim, then the council will have done its job.” Staff has currently received a 39-thousand dollar estimate for the remodel project and is requesting to put together a project document to release for bid. Council approved a Request for Proposal on the estimates in a 3-2 vote, with Councilman Sherman and Ulm opposing.