Cal FIRE would like to remind residents that we still remain in Fire Season. Significant resources have been sent to Southern California to assist with those fires. However, the Amador-El Dorado Unit remains staffed with 10 engines, one dozer and one hand crew in preparation for warm, dry and possibly windy conditions predicted for the upcoming weekend in Northern California.

Jackson City Council met with all five council members for the first time in the past month. At the meeting, Judy Jebian, spokesperson for the Concerned Citizens of Jackson requested that a member of the group serve an active role on the committee that will negotiate a development agreement on the proposed Jackson Hills Golf Community. The Concerned Citizens of Jackson recently gathered signatures for 2 ballot referenda which would put a hold on any permits on the Jackson Hills Project.

At the supervisors’ Administrative Committee meeting Monday, supervisors recommended rejecting 3 of 4 First Time Home Buyer Loan applications presented for their approval. The supervisors felt the three homes were too expensive for their buyers, making the debt ratio too high for the First Time Home Buyer Loan program – a special county program where first time buyers can apply for home loans.  Each year the county has 7-8 $100,000 2nd loans that are offered to qualified buyers.

The Amador Fire Protection Authority met last week and approved the purchase $12,000 worth of wildland fire suits for local firefighters. The protective suits will be paid for by a federal grant awarded to AFPA and will replace about half of outdated fire suits before next fire season. AFPA hopes to replace the remaining needed equipment with a similar grant next year. At their meeting, the AFPA board also approved a new fee schedule for fire inspections, plan checks and other services. The new fees are based on $61.50 per hour for staff time, up from a previous $46 per hour. The old rate was adjusted to cover administrative and supervisory overhead costs that were not being recovered in the old fee schedule. AFPA provides fire inspections and plan checks for Amador Fire Protection District, Jackson Fire Department and the Sutter Creek Fire District.

A new general practitioner, Shane M. Patterson, M.D. has joined the medical staff of Sutter Amador Hospital. Dr. Patterson is now accepting new patients at Sutter Amador Hospital’s Jackson Family Practice office. Dr. Patterson completed his residency in general surgery at San Joaquin General Hospital. He received his medical degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine and completed his Internship at the Kern Medical Center. Dr. Patterson, along with his wife Heather and daughter Kelsey, currently reside in Stockton but plan to eventually relocate to an area closer to Jackson. Dr. Patterson and his wife were drawn to the rural environment of Amador County and all that this area has to offer. Dr. Patterson’s wife, Heather, is a veterinary in Stockton and is expecting their second child.

Monday’s Supervisors’ Administrative Committee meeting heard a disappointing update on the Amador County  Museum Re-roofing project. The Amador County Historical Society, in agreement with John F. Otto, the contractor for the project, said the project would more likely take 60 days rather than the original 30 days suggested in the bid and that the project should be postponed until May or June due to the weather. Delays in delivery of the metal roofing for the project are another factor in the decision to delay the project. Although disappointed, Supervisor Louis Boitano agreed that completion of the project could be jeopardized by anticipated El Nino winter this year, which could present safety issues to the workers as well as complications with the project. The contractor will be required to tarp the roof as needed to protect the Museum from the weather.

What will happen to the old Amador county Courthouse building in Jackson, now that the courts have moved to their new quarters? That is the subject of a feasibility study commissioned by Amador County and paid for by a state Community Development Block Grant. Synthesis Design, Inc., of Placerville looked at several scenarios for re-using the courthouse and 4 historic wood buildings nearby including: Affordable or workforce housing on the site, a multi-use community center, a parking structure, or a county library.

As desert winds and intense fires continue to torch Southern California, local Red Cross volunteers are already helping with relief and recovery efforts. The Motherlode District American Red Cross office, which serves Amador, Calaveras, Tuolumne and parts of Alpine Counties, sent a mobile feeding vehicle and team on Monday.  Calaveras County Red Cross Captain Clayre Quick has also been deployed to Southern California and local Red Cross volunteers are currently on stand-by for deployment.

We “Fall Back” from Daylight Savings Time a week later this year. Starting in 2007, the daylight saving period was extended 4 weeks. In March we set our clocks forward 3 weeks earlier than in prior years,and we are reverting back to standard time a week later this year. Turn your clocks back on November 4th, the first Sunday in November. If you have relatives in Hawaii, Arizona, some U.S. Territories, and some foreign countries, they do NOT observe Daylight Saving Time. According to California Energy Commission, the main reason we change our clocks is to save energy.