An Amador County Resident has created a new, more efficient breed of wind-energy turbine now being considered by the California Legislature. Stanley Marquiss, owner of Folsom-based Marquiss Wind Power, has been marketing an original invention - a 19-foot-tall turbine intended for mounting atop industrial and commercial buildings. Lodi Republican Assemblyman Alan Nakanishi had is co-sponsoring a bill promoting the turbines with Republican Sam Blakeslee of San Luis Obispo; who passed a similar measure with San Luis Obispo’s Local Government Committee on Wednesday.

 The new smaller turbines are so celebrated because they avoid a major pitfall associated with much larger turbines like the ones in the Altamont Hills near Livermore. The Altamont turbines are notorious for chopping up birds, a problem that has resulted in millions of dollars worth of damage each year. Marquiss’ invention is expected to avoid that problem completely and still generate a significant amount of energy. Two companies already have the turbines installed. A Marquiss company representative said they plan on installing several in Stockton soon. Nakanishi is in negotiations with the  California League of Cities, whose main concern is that the new turbines could signify an erosion of municipal power, and the development of ordinances to ensure proper instillation of the devices.

The Plymouth Planning Commission met Thursday evening for a public hearing on the City of Plymouth Design Guidelines. The Guidelines are specific to the downtown area, and were presented by Paula Daneluk, the City’s Community Development Director. Staff have been working on drafting the Design Guidelines for the past few months, as well as bringing each section of the draft Design Guidelines to the planning commission for review and comment upon completion. Proposed amendments to the guidelines include: a map outlining the Downtown Area, which will be affected by the adoption of the Design guidelines; no longer processing building and demolition permits  through the Site Plan Review process; and portions specific to signage, landscape, site planning, and architectural character.

The Commission recommended the adoption of the Downtown Design Guidelines to the Plymouth City Council. Also on the agenda was the General Plan Update, which focused on Safety, Transportation, and Public Facilities. Staff has been working on drafting the Public Safety Element of the City’s General Plan for months, and has composed a list consisting of goals, policies, and recommended actions for the City. The sections presented under the Public Facilities element Thursday evening included: General Safety, Emergency Preparedness, Geological/Seismic Hazards, Flood Hazards, Fire Hazards, Air Quality, and Hazardous Materials. The stated goals of the Safety Element Update included providing a safe and hazard free environment for the citizens of the City, and the prevention of loss of life, injury, and property damage due to natural and man made hazards.

Tensions mounted at Thursday night’s Plymouth City Council Meeting, and not just between the council and the public.  According to Maria Nunez-Simon, Mayor Jon Colburn made a disconcerting statement at Tuesday’s Supervisor’s Meeting in Jackson, where the mayor stated that he was there “representing the Plymouth City Council.”  Several other citizens came forward to state they had heard the same statement.  The mayor disagreed with Mrs. Nunez-Simon by stating that he had said he was there representing the “citizens of Plymouth.” Mrs. Nunez-Simon’s concern was whether or not the Mayor had the right to speak for all members of the council. Additionally, there were brief moments of disagreement about items on the agenda and what would be tabled for the next meeting. 

At one point, the Mayor reminded the council members that all calls to the city attorney should first be approved by the Mayor or the City Administrator.  It was implied that this statement was in response to Vice Mayor Fordyce’s recent call to the city attorney due to the fact that the Mayor had accused the Vice Mayor and one other person of violating the Brown Act.  The Vice Mayor indicated that she would call the city attorney any time that anyone was making “false accusations” about her or another member of the council.  Vice Mayor Fordyce went on to say that her purpose in serving on the city council was to protect the interests of the people of Plymouth. Perhaps one of the most dramatic comments came from Gary Colburn, a citizen of Plymouth and the brother of the mayor. Mr. Colburn stated that the hiring of the new City Administrator, H. Dixon Flynn was a “ray of sunshine” to the city of Plymouth, and indicated that the citizens of Plymouth had been “made to suffer” over the last four years, citing significant “evidence of dysfunction” with the prior members of the city council.  Conversely, another citizen had only criticism for the new city administrator.

As part of the County’s General Plan Update process, three land use alternatives have been developed for review and discussion.  The next GPAC meeting on April 3rd will focus on reviewing the various components contained in these alternatives. To consolidate the public’s thoughts on the concepts proposed in these alternatives a survey was created and has been placed on the County’s website at www.co.amador.ca.us/depts./planning and is available at the Planning Department.  Members of the public are encouraged to complete the survey and submit their answers to the Planning Department. The Planning Department plans and oversees new development and redevelopment plans; creates policy for land use; and regulates, monitors and enforces County Zoning Ordinance, Subdivision, Surface Mining, Neighborhood Preservation, and other ordinances.

Yesterday’s Board of Supervisors meeting was an occasion to honor the civic duties of a couple of longstanding local officials. In what proved to be an emotional moment for many in attendance, the Board honored Fred Joyce for histhe Mollie Joyce Outdoor Education and Environmental Center to the Amador County Recreation Agency, or ACRA. Attending ACRA representatives included Tracey Towner-Yep, Rosalie Pryor-Escamilla, and Debbie Dunn, all of whom showered Joyce with praise for both his donation and his long-time commitment to the betterment of Amador County. Joyce graduated from Amador High School in 1939 and attended Stanford University before becoming a lieutenant in the Navy.

He returned home to eventually become the principal of the high school and work for Amador County schools until 1975. Joyce had cared for the donated property for 22 years before donating it to ACRA on February 5th. The property includes two baseball diamonds, an area for a future ropes course, a flat area where homes exist, and over 30 acres of forest. Joyce considerers ACRA an excellent organization to donate to. Currently, he spends much of his time working with seniors and follows the philosophy, “Always keep busy.” “generous” donation of nearly 80 acres currently known as.

Also, a long-delayed plaque presentation was held to honor outgoing 2007 Chairman of the Board, Louis Boitano. “You might all wonder why this took so long,” said Supervisor Richard Forster. “But we decided to consolidate all the plaques into one.” Indeed, Boitano has been Chairman of the Board four times, on top of his many other civic responsibilities and long years of civic service. The presentation was finalized with a hearty handshake between Forster and Boitano.

Amador County’s Technical Advisory Committee met on Wednesday to review the newest updates to a requested Master Plan amendment concerning the Martell area. The applicant, a development partnership, has applied to change the land uses in the area just west of the existing Amador Ridge shopping center. But the real issue was presented by the Amador County Historical Society, who expressed their concerns on the cultural significance of the railroad in that area. Eugene Buckley asked that an environmental impact report, or EIR, be completed in order to identify the potential impacts of removing the railways. Buckley noted that the developer filed for an abandonment of the railway in 2004, and per the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, an EIR should have been done at that time due to the significant cultural changes that may occur.

Buckley also argued that the dismantling of the railways in Martell is of cultural and historical significance, and therefore should be investigated and documented. Dave Brown and Gary Blanc, representatives of the developer, countered that the railways were documented and recorded in 2004 as part of the abandonment process. Brown noted that the sections of road that crossed the existing railways were constructed so that the original rails could be replaced if the abandonment is rejected by the Surface Transportation Board, or STB, which is the sole agency that can make a decision on the use of the railways. 

Buckley argued that some of the rails have already been torn up and provided pictures of bent rails that had been removed in the Martell area. The committee agreed that further research was needed on the potential impacts of removing the railways, but noted that the decision was ultimately up to the STB, and it was agreed that an EIR would not be completed on the railways. Traffic congestion was one of the potential items identified in the proposed amendment. The committee agreed to conduct a focused EIR on traffic issues. At their next meeting, the committee will discuss the hiring of a consultant to prepare that EIR.

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.

Four Chefs from Jackson Rancheria Casino & Hotel won the prestigious People’s Choice award at the recent Taste of Elegance Pork Competition. The competition, held March 10 in Sacramento, featured tops chefs from throughout the area offering dishes designed to use pork in innovative ways. The Jackson Rancheria team won for their Pork Indian Tacos, similar to the dishes served in the casino’s Miwuk Indian Taco restaurant.

Members of the award winning team are Executive Chef Michael Golsie, James McGrath, Raymond Jursnich, and Julie Munson. Of those in attendance, Jackson Rancheria’s team was voted the People’s Choice winner. The event is produced by the National Pork Board and the California Pork Producers and is one of more than 20 regional competitions held each year. Jackson Rancheria Casino & Hotel is located at 12222 New York Ranch Road, Jackson, CA 95642. For more information, call 800-822-WINN or visit jacksoncasino.com.

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.

Jackson is looking at some proposed childcare land use designations. The Jackson Planning Commission is in the process of reviewing modifications to its Land Use Element.  As part of that process, the city has been collaborating with local organizations that have recommended policies to the commission. Joyce Stone of the Amador Child Care Council, or ACCC, proposed several policies that would allow the City of Jackson to “facilitate and promote the development of child care centers and homes in all areas, and encourage inclusion of child care centers in non-residential areas.”  Stone noted that there is a shortage of day care centers in Amador County.  In 2004, the ACCC conducted a childcare needs assessment that found that Amador County had enough childcare spaces to accommodate only 24 percent of Amador’s working parents.  Today, the need is just as great, especially for infant and toddler care facilities, says Stone. 

The ACCC’s recommendations to the planning commission propose that the city “streamline processing and permit regulations to promote the development of child care facilities.” Additionally, those recommendations include that the city provide incentives to, as well as require, developers to build daycare centers in or near their developments.  Some citizens questioned the use of the word “streamline,” saying that word was too vague.  Stone explained that term was used to mean that the city would take all steps possible to encourage and promote development of daycares.  Stone’s suggestions will be incorporated into the draft General Plan, which will eventually go before the Jackson City Council.  The Planning Commission will continue their review until the next scheduled meeting on April 21st.