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.

Also at Thursday evening’s Plymouth City Council Meeting, the council reviewed their Mid Year Budget Update. Current numbers are on target, with the money allocated for Attorney Services under budget and 99% of the budget already utilized. The council determined to move acceptance of the budget to the next meeting, as adjustments must be made. Council members generally agreed on the budget’s progress report, however, Vice Mayor Pat Fordyce did have some questions regarding the City’s current economic state and whether or not there were funds to pay for the potential hire of new employees. Her questions alluded to the last fiscal year, for which there is no final budget yet available. Discussions will continue at the next meeting.

Daffodil Hill, a famous local ranch known for its floral beauty, has reopened to the public. According to County Tax Collector Michael Ryan, Daffodil Hill’s opening was delayed by bad weather last weekend. Members of the Ryan family have managed the old homestead for decades. In the early days of the Gold Rush, Daffodil Hill was a regular stopping place for teamsters hauling timber from the Sierras down to the Kennedy and Argonaut Mines, and for eastbound travelers heading for the Comstock Lode on the Amador-Nevada Wagon Road.

Today, much of the landscape around the old homestead is covered with more than 300 named varieties of daffodils. More bulbs are added each year, with the help of private donations. The bulbs number more that 300,000 and include not only 300 varieties of daffodils, but also a large number of other varieties of bulbs and flowers as well. The best time to visit Daffodil Hill is the spring, usually from the end of March through the first three weeks of April. Daffodil Hill is open only at this time of year, after that it goes back to being a working ranch. Please call Daffodil Hill at (209) 296-7048 for additional information.

A Planned Development Amendment for a not-for-profit drug and alcohol recovery center sponsored by the Jackson Rancheria was approved Monday night at the Jackson Planning Commission meeting. The center will be located at 975 Broadway, which had previously been used as the Emmanuel Baptist Church. The center will be operational during the day and evening hours so that those who work or have other obligations can attend a meeting at their convenience, however, it is not an overnight facility. The intended purpose of the center is to focus on maintaining sobriety, and it will host 12-Step meetings, vocational skills and development, daycare, community workshops, and will rent out rooms for programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and Alateen.

Tony Capasso, Vice President of Real Estate and Facilities for the Rancheria, was on hand to answer questions from the Commission and from the public. The biggest concern from the public seemed to be the location of the facility, which is directly across from a large scale apartment complex and is bordered by residential communities.  Other concerned citizens questioned a potential increase in pedestrian and vehicle traffic. But supporters of the center, including Kathy DuBois, reminded the public that drug and alcohol abuse is a “very serious problem here in the county,” and cited the rise in substance use in the high schools. 

Supporters argued that the facility would be centrally located to support a number of alcoholics who have lost driving privileges as a result of DUI’s. Commissioner Dave Butow stated that “people get caught up in the fear of the unknown”, but also explained that he thought the Rancheria should have done a “much better job of telling the surrounding community” of the center. The Commissioners voted 3-2 to approve the amendment, with Commissioners Devlin and Butow opposing.

County Administrave Officer Terri Daly attempted to resign following last week’s pivotal ISA decision at the Board of Supervisor’s meeting, but was blocked from doing so in a vote by the Board. “During the past week, impassioned discussions suggested possible conflicts for me in the implementation of my responsibilities. I submitted my resignation to clarify those conflicts. My resignation was not accepted by the Board,” said Daly. Supervisors Escamilla and Novelli have both spoken out saying they don’t want to lose Daly and think of her as a valuable asset. Indeed, Daly’s resignation attempt has come at a difficult time for the county. The deadline for submission of the county and tribe’s arbitration proposals is Wednesday. Daly tendered her resignation in a closed session following last week’s meeting, which supervisor’s quashed in a 4-0 vote.

Charles A. Bailey was booked Sunday into the El Dorado County jail as a homicide suspect in connection with the death of his 2-year-old son, sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Bryan Golmitz said.On Saturday March 15, 2008 at 7am, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s office responded to a domestic violence-attempted murder in Shingle Springs.  The suspect, Charles A. Bailey, age 50, fled the area with his 2 year old son Andrew.  As a result, the El Dorado Sheriff’s Office issued an Amber Alert for the child who was last seen with his father. Charles Bailey was taken into custody later in the day by the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office who identified him through the Amber Alert. However, Andrew was not with his father. 

A massive ground search began along Highway 49 utilizing various search and rescue resources as well as those of the El Dorado Sheriff and the Amador County Sheriff. Based on information discovered by the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, their investigators were led to an area behind the KMART store in Martell.  Assisted by deputies of the Amador County Sheriff’s Office, the body of 2 year old Andrew was discovered near a small creek running behind the store at 6:00pm. At the request of the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Martin Ryan granted jurisdiction over the investigation into Andrew’s death to El Dorado County. 

The crime scene was processed by the FBI crime scene response unit at the request of El Dorado County. The battery victim, Bailey’s Girl Friend and the mother of the boy, who has not been yet identified by authorities, remains hospitalized in Mercy Hospital in Folsom. The Sacramento Bee reported Monday that Bailey’s ex-wife, Betsey Bailey, reached for comment at her home in the Los Angeles suburb of Hawthorne, expressed “shock” at the news. She said of her ex-husband, “Charles was quiet and friendly. He loved to help people.” Anyone with information on this case is asked to call the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office at (530) 621-6600.

 

Three alternative plans were proposed at the General Plan Advisory Committee, or GPAC meeting, last Thursday night.  Susan Grijalva, the county’s planning director, and representatives from the planning firm, EDAW, outlined each alternative’s proposed land use designations. Each alternative proposes a Local Service Center, or LSC, that would essentially be a city’s town center. An LSC specifically designates land use, allowing for essential local services in each town, such as gas, groceries, restaurants, banks, and professional services.  The idea of the LSC is to reduce the drive time and cost of gas traveling to Jackson or other regional areas, as well as provide for a local economy. The proposed alternatives incorporate growth in the Upcountry area, as well as other areas. 

There was some confusion about the proposed changes for Amador Pines. Cathy Koos Breazeal, an Amador Pines resident, and Executive Director of the Amador Fire Safe Council, shared her concerns about fire safety measures for the proposed alternative plans, including her neighborhood’s fears that these proposed plans would change the zoning for their area. Grijalva interjected to explain that none of the proposed plans would change the zoning of any area. Drew Sutton of EDAW added that the purpose of the General Plan is to outline land use designations, which is like a “first layer” of general guidelines, and zoning regulations are more detailed, and will give specific rules for an area’s use. Eventually, it will be up to the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors to select one, or a combination of the alternatives. The next GPAC meeting is scheduled for April 3rd.

The capital-area housing market continued its steady decline in February, but Sacramento County showed the first dramatic slowdown in its long slide since the late summer of 2005. DataQuick, a La Jolla-based Information Systems company, reported that median sales prices rose slightly from January to February in five counties: Amador, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento and Yolo counties. It's only one month's data, and it came from a winter month that's considered unreliable for trend spotting. But February sales of new and existing homes in Sacramento County -- the largest sector of the region's real estate market -- were just 7.7 percent fewer than in February 2007.That's the first single-digit decline in year-over-year home sales in the local area since August 2005.

Meanwhile, the 1,015 existing homes that closed escrow in February in Sacramento and surrounding counties was almost the same as February 2007. That, too, was the first time in at least two years that year-over-year sales of existing homes didn't fall by double-digit percentages. Only home builders saw a continued steep decline in escrow closings in February. Builders, who are fighting for market share against the increasing dominance of banks selling their foreclosed homes, reported 32.2 percent fewer closings in Sacramento County than the same time last year. The La Jolla firm said 2,061 new and existing homes changed hands during the month in Amador, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento counties.

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.

Travis was one of 13 Amador County students named to the All-County Academic team in February. The combination of points given for college test scores, grades, student activities and community service determined the county winner. The other 12 students participants included 2 students from Argonaut High and 10 from Amador high, including TSPN’s own Morgan Lederman. Travis was cited for his 4.26 grade point average, science and engineering scores, and several other school activities that included a number of block letters in academics. Travis was presented an award by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. A perpetual plaque will be placed in the Amador County Office of Education, commemorating this year’s honoree and future winners.