Recent statistics released by the Amador Council of Tourism shed a bright light on an industry that has traditionally helped gauge the economic state of Amador County. According to the optimistically titled report, “Amador Council of Tourism Accomplishments 2008”, the tourism council has been taken big steps towards promoting and nourishing Amador County’s tourism industry. These steps included hiring a part-time tourism director, opening a visitor’s center in Plymouth and tripling funding from 2006 to 2007. Many residents are familiar with the tourism council though there many appearances at travel shows, which this year included the Sunset Show Celebration, Amadoropoly, the Orange County Show and the Los Angeles Travel Show. Advertising played a big part in the council’s promotional campaign, with colorful ads featured in Sacramento magazine, the California Visitors Guide, Sunset, and Sactown Magazine. The Council ahs also qualified for an additional 14,000 dollars in Measure E funding which will be used for advertising.

Ione officials held a pre-application public hearing for the project design phase of the new Community Development Block Grant at their meeting Tuesday evening. The grant, which is the third in a series that the City has applied for, is part of the City’s housing strategy for first time homebuyers who meet the qualifications of low and moderate income families, households, and individuals. The City is currently proposing to use the funds mainly for housing acquisitions; however, the money may also be used for other aspects of housing including new construction, housing rehabilitation, public works, and economic development. As stated in the staff report, “Projects funded with CDBG allocations must carry out at least one of three objectives: benefit to a targeted income group, elimination of blight, or meeting urgent community development needs.”

The proposed national objective to be met by the city is to provide decent housing to those households making 51-81 percent of the median income of Amador County. The city’s consultants for the project, Connerly and Associates, will take the lead in preparing the necessary application and other related documents if the grant is awarded. John Broussard of Connerly and Associates was present at the meeting to field comments made by the public and the council regarding the program. According to Broussard, “the waiting list (for the program) is ever growing; there are currently 18 families on the list as of right now.” If the grant is awarded to the city, the application process will not begin until December 16th of this year. He also stated that “we try to serve members of the community first.” The next CDBG funding cycle opens in January of 2009.

Last week marked the first meeting of Jackson’s Housing Element Committee meeting, which Planning Commissioner Terri Works called a “disappointing turnout.”  Initially, ten people had promised to participate, but last week’s meeting only saw about half of those in attendance. The Housing Element Committee will be responsible for coming up with recommendations on the General Plan’s housing element. Their next meeting is scheduled for June 24th at 4 pm. The committee is looking for additional members.  If you would like to join the committee, please contact Jackson City Manager Mike Daly at 223-1646.

A new sign situated outside of Amador City has generated controversy amongst its citizens. The Highway 49 bypass effectively limited the number of big rigs and logging trucks that came rumbling through the tiny hamlet, but it also limited tourism and made access to the town confusing for first time visitors. In an effort to make the city more noticeable, the Amador County Transportation Commission, or ACTC, recently commissioned an impressive bronze sign, which was erected at the corner where the old 49 and 49 bypass converge. Although no citizen has complained about the aged bronze cityscape used as the sign’s backdrop, they have taken issue with the placement of the town’s title itself.

 “It is so low you can’t even see it if you’re standing 20 feet away. It blends right in with the city background, and once the grass grows at the base of the sign, the letters will be covered completely,” said a waitress at the local restaurant, Buffalo Chips. The City’s title is indeed placed low, sitting near the ground. Construction crew members, who erected the sign while simultaneously constructing the walking path and sign at the entrance to Sutter Creek, have explained that there are plans to add a solar powered light which will make the words more visible. But Amador City residents say that’s not enough. “They need to paint it or raise it or something” said Ray Hartman, an Amador resident who made a special trip to see the sign on Tuesday. ACTC has not yet said whether they plan to make adjustments to the sign, but plans are in consideration.

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.

After weeks of public inquiry, the Plymouth City Council approved a motion to at their city council meeting Thursday to open the public swimming pool. The pool will open June 19thand is scheduled to close September 7th, although that date could change according to the funds available. Vice Mayor Pat Fordyce has been at the forefront of the battle to keep the pool open, going to both ACRA and the Board of Supervisor’s for help. Supervisor Brian Oneto responded to the requests with a donation of 10-thousand dollars from his County Account.

ACRA is providing lifeguards for the pool at a total cost of 15,750 dollars for the season, expenses that will be reimbursed to ACRA at the end of the season. City staff anticipates roughly 3 thousand dollars in entry fees, leaving the total revenues at approximately 13 thousand dollars. City staff hope to obtain sponsorships from local business and fundraising efforts to reimburse the unfunded balance. Community member Donna Hall presented the council with a poster by local kids urging the council to “please save our pool.” She stated that “a large amount of children are served by the pool. It gives them a sense of community.”

Monday night’s Supervisor’s forum organized by the Amador Citizens for Responsible Government group went relatively well, despite some setbacks. At the start of the forum, hosting group president Vince De Stigter informed the packed chamber audience that a sudden blood clot had required district 1 candidate John Gonsalves be admitted to the hospital. Gonsalves is said to be recovering rapidly, and he wrote a formal statement regretting his absence from the event. Jack Mitchell, Publisher of the Amador Ledger Dispatch and scheduled moderator for the event, also showed up late due to car trouble. However, once the proceedings were underway, the four candidates fielded questions in random order as selected by Mitchell. Question topics ranged from the proposed Buena Vista Casino to economic growth. The forum functioned as planned. TSPN will be hosting its own candidate’s forum with our Let’s Talk host, Larry Cenotto. Our forum will be split between two programs. Keep your eye on the ticker at the bottom of your screen, or check out our website for scheduling information. 

Can the City of Plymouth afford to operate the public pool this summer? No determination has been made, yet it was a hot topic of discussion at the city council meeting Thursday evening. The pool, which is generally open from the last 2 weeks of May until the first 2 weeks of September, has become a significant expense for the city.  An estimate for necessary repairs by Lincoln Equipment Company was approximately 51 thousand dollars, which included a new filtering system and new pumps and motors. The City’s current financial state is becoming more and more of an issue.

Last March, the General Fund held roughly 1 million dollars compared to a current balance of 394 thousand dollars. Pool upkeep and maintenance costs are projected to be 51-thousand. ACRA Director Tracy Towner-Yep approached the Fair Manager to see if he would sell the pool to the City for a bargain price. The offer is being considered. Concerns regarding maintenance were also raised, as the pool requires nearly 35 hours of work a week, roughly the cost of another full time position. Vice Mayor Fordyce had several recommendations, including having someone from the city appear before the Board of Supervisors to request money for the pool, approaching developers and requesting funds, or shutting down the pool for this season until other funding outlets can be determined. Tracy Towner-Yep reminded the council of the Prop 12 money received in 2000 to “reline” the pool. Citizen Gary Colburn stated in public comment that “people pay taxes in order to receive services, the pool is a service.” Councilmember Baldwin recommended that Public Works Director Selby Beck contact pool companies and request bids for necessary repairs. The matter will be discussed further at the next scheduled meeting.

At their meeting last Thursday night, the Plymouth City Council once again revisited the topic of participation in the Amador Regional Planning Committee, a discussion that has been underway for months. The Amador Regional Planning Committee is the brainchild of Sutter Creek councilman Tim Murphy, and was established in early 2007. According to the Committee’s Memorandum of Understanding, or MOU, the committee was created in order to “require a more formalized structure to address the increasing regional pressures upon infrastructure, municipal services, and land use planning.” Since its inception, the County of Amador, as well as the cities of Sutter Creek, Jackson, and Ione, have joined.

The committee consists of one elected official from each participating city and the Amador County Board of Supervisors. Plymouth Council members discussed proposed changes to the Memorandum of Understanding that they will present to the Regional Planning Committee Members. The Council’s primary issues with the MOU center around subjects such as revenue sharing, increasing rates for services, as well as the possibility that the committee could become the major power in determining the direction of planning and associated revenue in the county. The changes to the MOU proposed by the council included provisions that would require the unanimous approval of all cities and the county before any changes are made to the “duties, responsibilities, and limitations” of the committee.PlymouthBaldwin stated, “Joining this committee could put us on a level playing field with the county. They have been a big player in our planning process. Now I think its time they step up to our plate and live up to their words.” 

The Council would also like to see a limitation placed on the number of committee members, requiring them to be actual elected officials of the cities and the county. If the committee agrees to accept the changes, then the city council will consider joining. Vice Mayor Pat Fordyce and Councilman Greg Baldwin will attend the next Regional Planning Committee Meeting to discuss the proposed changes. At the close of the discussion,

At the Sutter Creek Planning Commission Monday night, the major topics of discussion were regarding upcoming revisions to Sutter Creek’s traffic, sign and tree ordinances. The most significant item was a review of new Traffic Impact Study Guidelines that the county will be requiring developers to follow when preparing environmental traffic impact studies.