Another controversial discussion at the Amador County Planning Commission on Tuesday centered around an amendment to the County Zoning Code that would establish a design review process and associated standards for development projects. Amador County Planner Nathan Lishman has spearheaded this project, which will establish architectural standards for new buildings in Amador County, in order to avoid “big box development.” The discussion revolved around the issue of whether it is too costly for developers for the County to impose design standards on buildings. Developer and local business owner Jerry Wright took the stand to oppose the standards. “You guys are driving the county into the ground,” he stated. “I have been driving up here for years. Plymouth is a slum that is not changing. Thank God the Indians are coming in to clean the place up, because there aren’t too many nice places here, and everyone wants to keep it the same.”

Local developer Leroy Carlin also spoke against the standards, stating “this is too burdensome for developers, it adds a lot to the cost.” The planning commissioners, however, defended the project. “I invite everyone to read this document before you stand here and criticize us all. I am very pro property rights, as a fiscal conservative, but I like what I have seen as a result of Folsom’s design review,” stated commissioner John Gonsalves. Commissioner Ray Ryan expressed his support for a design review committee, stating, “the committee has to be balanced. It is going to be made of developers and people who know what is going on. We don’t want to look around and see a square box on the corner, it devalues the land.” At the end of the discussion, the Planning Commission decided to continue the topic to their August 12th meeting, and directed staff to research more about other cities’ design review committees, and appeals processes.

The Amador County Planning Commission has approved a use permit to allow a helicopter air ambulance program and associated facilities at Amador County’s Westover Field Airport. The applicant for the permit is California Shock/Trauma Air Rescue, or CALSTAR. The permit includes provisions for three crew members, a modular building, storage space, a helipad, and a fuel truck. The permit will not be activated, however, until CALSTAR receives a ‘will-serve’ letter from the Amador County Water Agency, which ACPC staff does not anticipate will be a setback. Commissioner John Gonsalves, who moved to approve the permit, stated, “I feel that this program supports the airport, and provides a very valuable service to the community.”

Animal adoption volunteers are experiencing a crisis. The number of kittens needing homes has reached 200, far above the normal level for animal adoptions. “There are approximately one hundred kittens at the animal shelter and one hundred being fostered at A-Pal by full-time volunteers,” said Susan Manning of the Feed Barn in Jackson, which, along with the Jackson Creek Veterinary Clinic, is one of two businesses caring for the young felines. A-Pal is AmadorCounty’s Humane Society, and has been caring for local animals for some 30 years. According to A-Pal staff, its shelter has gone from 80 percent of its animals killed in the 1980’s to 25 percent today, with a goal of zero adoptable pets killed.

The excessive amount of kittens has proven to be a unique challenge for all organizations involved. “Right now we have 10 cages of kittens, so we have about 30 kittens total at the Feed Barn,” said Manning. She went on to explain that the advantage to adopting one of these kittens as compared to a free kitten is that A-Pal has already spayed, neutered, and given the necessary shots. This practice insures population control and actually cuts the price it costs to buy the kitten because a free kitten would need these procedures anyway. Members of all organizations involved agree unanimously on the cause of the sudden spike in feline populations. In the words of Manning: “Spay and neuter your animals. It’s that simple.” For more information on kitten adoption or free animal spay and neuter clinics, contact A-Pal at 223-0410 or the Feed Barn at 223-2809.

This past school year, local students found out that not all learning takes place in the classroom. Amador and Calaveras County teens in the Regional Occupational Program, or ROP, received health care work experience firsthand at Sutter Amador Hospital . Thirteen of these young adults were honored recently at a Student Appreciation Day Breakfast at Sutter Amador Hospital. During the reception, Doug Archer, Executive Recruiter for Sutter Health and former employee of Sutter Amador Hospital, congratulated the students and shared with them the benefits of having a career in health care. School representatives presented certificates to each of the students who participated from their schools.

Anne Platt, CEO of Sutter Amador Hospital concluded the reception by sharing with the students the many rewards working in health care has in store for them. The ROP program is offered to all high school seniors and allows those who participate to gain valuable hands-on experience in a variety of health care fields. “Students who are interested in pursuing a career in health care reap many benefits from this program,” says Barbara Wells, Education Manager. Enrolled students dedicate, on average, about 8 – 10 hours per week throughout the school year working in select departments at the hospital or at one of our off site health centers.

The Oro de Amador Planning Committee has almost finished developing a master plan that proposes multiple uses for the 155-acre property adjacent to New York Ranch Road in Jackson. City Manager Mike Daly presented the draft plan at Monday night’s Jackson City Council meeting. The land, which was once used as a mine tailings depository site by the Kennedy Mine and Milling Company, was acquired by the city in December, 2006.  The committee, which was formed to explore funding options and develop a Park Master Plan, came up with both passive and active land use ideas. Active ideas include constructing a ball field, recreation center, skate park, playground, bike trails, and other like park features and activities, where passive ideas include more preservation-minded activities such as a nature preserve, picnic area, botanical garden, interpretive signs, and interactive museum. 

Both active and passive ideas were also categorized as intrusive or non-intrusive.  Intrusive ideas were those that required grading, tree removal, or adding structures, and non-intrusive ideas included propositions where minimal changes would be required. The committee also mapped out safety hazards, historic elements, vehicle and pedestrian accessibility, and recreation boundaries, as well as an implementation plan. Bob Devlin, a member of the committee, says that while he was “excited about the donation of this property…I think we need to do a lot of (further) studying.”  Devlin suggested including the Jackson Historical Society and the Kennedy Mine Foundation in future planning sessions. Mayor Pryor Escamilla noted that the wide range of land use ideas presented are meant to allow people to “pick and choose” in order to come up with a city park that everyone can enjoy.  The city will still need to get soil clearance from the Department of Toxic Substances Control, and will still be taking community input on the project. Additionally, the project will go through environmental review.

The Mountain Valley Emergency Medical Agency recently honored Sutter Amador Hospital emergency room staff and a physician at the annual EMS Awards Dinner at the American Legion on Saturday, May 31st.“It is an honor to receive these awards,” says Karen Woods, Director of Emergency Services at Sutter Amador Hospital. “Our employees and physician are very deserving.” This year’s recipients included Dr. Ron Hood, who has been an emergency room physician at Sutter Amador Hospital for over 8 years and received the award for Best Hospital Physician of the Year. Gerrie Winstead, a Sutter Amador employee for 15 years, was awarded as the Mobile Intensive Care Nurse of the Year.

 

The Sutter Creek Planning Commission this week held a public hearing regarding traffic concerns at the Farmers Market. The hearing was scheduled in order to update the Conditional Use Permit approved in 1995 and to incorporate past changes into a new document. The meat of the discussion concerned the removal of the barricades which are currently placed around the farmers market to restrict vehicular traffic. Some members of the public feel that the barriers are too restrictive of public accessibility to the market, and should be removed. The commission, however, did not feel comfortable opening the market to thru traffic, and recommended that the barricades stay in place as stated in the permit. After some discussion, the conditional use permit was approved unanimously by the commission.

 

Ongoing discussions over the Sutter Hill Transit Center Project continue in Sutter Creek. Minor revisions to the project outline have recently been made, and this week, the incorporation of new civil engineer Aaron Busatori and funding realities were looked at more closely to be ensure consistency with the original project plan. The Transit Center is a project proposed by the Amador Regional Transit System, or ARTS, in conjunction with the Amador County Transportation Commission. Included in the original project components are a transportation center building, a 1.2 acre plot of land to be dedicated to the city as a public park, and a 50-75 space park-n-ride lot with a solar electric shade structure. An agreement is currently being proposed between the center and the Amador Tourism Council to possibly staff the facility.

The center will be under continuous video surveillance, funded through Homeland Security. The original cost estimate for the project was approximately $2.5 million, but with the increasing costs for all things associated with construction, modifications were necessary. During the presentation of the project Charles Field of ACTC stated that the necessary funds needed for phase 1 of the project were not fully raised, so the city will be receiving a combined sum of approximately $1 million from Calaveras and Tuolumne Counties Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program, a federally funded program that allocates money for projects which specifically reduce air pollution. Because of the struggles with the various funding outlets “we had to be realistic with phase 1” stated Field. When asked the likelihood that phase 2 will ever be completed, he responded that “We are committed to it” and that ACTC and the City are “working like hell to get it built.”

The Jackson City Council conducted a public hearing Monday night to hear the appeal of an approved conditional use permit to construct a new senior facility at 135 Agate Place.  Ron Regan, the applicant, requested the permit to construct the new facility adjacent to the existing Oak Manor Senior Center off New York Ranch Road. The proposed facility would include 14 residential units for congregate care of the elderly, and would have a covered walkway between the proposed structure and the existing facility, which could be used by both residents and staff. The project was reviewed and approved by the Jackson Planning Commission in August of last year.  Subsequently, two appeals were submitted.  The first, from Gerald Browder, a resident of Placer Drive, which is near Agate Place, cited several impacts, including light and noise pollution, inconsistent land uses, parking problems, and the increased impact on public services. 

The Amador STARS organization sponsored another successful “Great Amador Head Shave” event Tuesday. A host of hairy volunteers showed up for the 5th Annual fundraiser to support those with cancer. To be specific, the trimmings will be used to make hairpieces for children suffering from long-term medical hair loss due to cancer treatments like chemotherapy. Three volunteer hairstylists- Kelly, Chandra and Laura- were on hand to lovingly remove the donated hair.  One volunteer, David Carlson, has shaved his head each year since the programs inception in honor of those in his family who have been touched by cancer. The idea is the driving force behind Locks of Love, a non-profit organization created specifically for this purpose. Amador STARS provides support, transportation and resource services for local cancer patients.