Ione City Council met Tuesday evening to discuss multiple issues regarding City finances. Opening the discussion was the presentation of the City’s Quarterly Financial Report, with the next report coming in January of 2008. This is the first time quarterly reports have been presented at city council meetings and Ione City manager Kim Kerr said she plans to make it a regular practice.

 

Next on the agenda was the appointment of 2 council members, Andrea Bonham and Lee Ard, to help the City Council meet its financial reporting oversight responsibilities. Further training for the project is required and both appointees will attend a League of California Cities training in Sacramento in January. The City also applied for the California Integrated Waste Management Board Tire-Derived Products Grant, requesting a $100,000 grant to replace the bark that currently is used on the play structures in city parks, for a recycled tire product. The rubber chips have several advantages: it is actually easier to clean and the rubber is much heavier than bark chips and won’t fly away during wind storms.

Registration is now open for a Symposium on Climate Change presented by the Sierra Nevada Conservancy. This free Symposium will take place on Wednesday, December 5th, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm at the Miners Foundry in Nevada City and will feature in-depth discussions with experts from the academic, government, business and non-profit fields on the vital topic of climate change in the Sierra Nevada. In an attempt to reduce the carbon footprint as much as possible, the Sierra Nevada Conservancy is encouraging Symposium participants to carpool. To register for the event phone (530) 823-4670  or go to their website Sierranevadaconservancy.ca.gov

The Amador County Chamber of Commerce has a new location at the Mother Lode Plaza behind Jose’s Restaurant in Jackson. Their official move was November 21st, to 571 S. Highway 49. Their hours are Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm. We spoke to Jacqueline Lucido who said she was thrilled to announce that, with the new location, they have doubled their office space, are now ADA compliant, have more parking and a better work environment for their volunteers. Lucido says the new space gives them the opportunity to further develop tourism in the county. They also have conference rooms available for use. You can get more information at 223-0350.

Mother Lode Scots Christmas Walk will be held on Saturday, Dec 1. in Plymouth this year. This Scottish candlelight procession is a favorite long-time Amador County tradition. Gather at the gazebo on Main Street at 5:30 pm. The candlelight procession on Main Street begins at 6.

Three flu shot clinics for seniors will be held this Thursday. Amador County Public Health is holding an early bird clinic Thursday at 6:45 - 7:30 a.m. at the Public Health office at 1003 Broadway, Suite 203, Jackson. From 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., another clinic will be held at Our Lady of the Pines Church off Tiger Creek Road, Pioneer, and then Thursday afternoon from 2:00 - 3:00 p.m., at Upcountry Community Center 19999 Highway 88, Pine Grove.

A Final Environmental Impact Statement for the public lands portion of the Kirkwood Mountain Master Development Plan is available for public review. The Eldorado National Forest and Kirkwood cooperatively developed this plan for improving Kirkwood’s on-mountain facilities and recreational opportunities by providing improvements to: the lift and terrain network; on-mountain guest services; snowmaking coverage; infrastructure; and non-skiing/riding activities.

Monday night’s Sutter Creek City Council meeting saw discussion of several issues.  In Public Matters not on the Agenda, a youth pastor from Sutter Creek proposed starting a youth intern program that would sponsor clean-up of Highway 49 from the Day’s Inn to Ridge Road. The program would be comprised of 14-18 year olds who would pick up trash and otherwise beautify the highway. The City Council agreed to allow the youth pastor to pursue the program, with several council members proclaiming that it was a “good idea.” The council went on to discuss possible road development on Mill Street, close to downtown.

Yesterday, Maggie, an elephant who has lived most of her life at a zoo in Alaska, moved to her new hometown of San Andreas. At 27, the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage says the African elephant — said to be Alaska’s only elephant — is having some health troubles, and zookeepers think she’ll be better off in a warmer climate where she can be outdoors year round. Maggie has been the subject of animal rights group campaigns to “Free Maggie” by relocating her to more suitable quarters, since her former zoo-mate had to be euthanized after suffering elephant foot-rot disease. Maggie will take up residence at Ark 2000, the 2,300-acre exotic animal sanctuary complex near San Andreas operated by the Performing Animal Welfare Society (or PAWS).

After a long year of pruning, cultivating and harvesting, Amador County wineries and vineyards celebrated “The Big Crush” Saturday and Sunday. The Amador Vintner's Association’s "Big Crush" event attracted thousands of wine lovers from as far away as Texas wineries throughout the county for great wine, food and fun. Wineries offered every possible way to taste wine, wines poured from barrel and bottle, delicious food, live music at many of the wineries and dancing at some!

“A hopeful step forward” for the Knight Foundry in Sutter Creek according to Project Director Andy Fahrenwald. The California Cultural and Historical Endowment has just announced the finalists in the Round 3 Grant Cycle for Proposition 40 funding and Sutter Creek historic project has made the list.