A structural defect discovered at the Jackson Rancheria Casino building has caused casino managers to temporarily relocate a significant number of gaming activities to another part of the casino. According to a press release Friday, engineers investigating the cause of water leaks at the casino entered areas not normally accessible and determined possible structural defects in the construction of a portion of the casino area. Pending further investigation, casino officials have closed this portion of the casino and will relocate its gaming activities to nearby Dalton Town Hall – the press release calls this action “a precautionary measure.” “We became aware of this potential structural problem and took immediate steps to ensure the safety of our patrons and staff by closing part of the casino,” said Jackson Rancheria CEO Rich Hoffman. “We would rather err on the side of caution. Once we determine the extent of the problem, we will review our options.” Inspectors have evaluated the remainder of the facility and deemed it fundamentally sound.

Can you sew? Do you need a fun outlet for your creative urges? Main Street Theatre Works is looking for costumers for their 2008 season. Main Street Theatre Works director Susan McCandless says this season’s shows are great ones for costume designer “wannabes” to get their feet wet on -- not too big or too complicated. A small stipend is offered to costume designers. And you can volunteer your services in some other way.  Help is always needed and there's something for everyone, says McCandless. Main Street Theatre Works is also looking for a number of pieces of dark wood Victorian furniture and accessories to borrow from March 7th to April 14th for the company’s spring production.  If you can help, contact Susan McCandless at (209)295-4499.

The County’s General Services Administration will be reorganized to cut costs and rebalance the staff-to-management ratio. County Administrative Officer Terri Daly said that, over the years, various functions and departments have been moved in and out of the GSA, and that the GSA began restructuring in 2005. Now that the county has completed all planned major building projects, she said it was time to take another step of consolidation.

The GSA will merge the Support Services Dept and the Facilities Dept into one, called Government Support Services. This department will be responsible for construction projects, printing, the motor pool, mail service, maintenance of all facilities and parks and custodial services. A new mid-level director will be hired to head the new Government Support Services Dept, with a salary of $7000 per month. Daly said she was trying to find positions elsewhere in the county rather than laying-off the displaced directors of Support Services and Facilities. Daly stressed that no other layoffs were being considered. County government is currently operating under a hiring freeze and many departments are short staffed.

 

What to do about revitalizing Jackson’s historic commercial district will be the topic of a special Jackson City Council meeting scheduled for Tuesday evening. Historic Jackson Business Association spokesperson Toni Fancher said HJBA merchants asked the city for the workshop to start working on a vision for historic Jackson that would be shared by city government and merchants alike. Jackson business owners and all other citizens are invited to attend and share their ideas for economic development within the City of Jackson.

Jackson Rancheria Casino’s seventh annual Giving Season promotion begins October 15 with opportunities for both players and the community to benefit. Players can win a share of over $1,000,000 in Bonus Slot Play through daily drawings at noon. Thirty winners will be drawn daily and each will win $500 in Bonus Slot Play (valid for 21 days). There is no limit to how many times a person can win. In addition, players receive $5 in Bonus Slot Play for every 1,000 Dreamcatcher’s Club points they earn between October 15 and December 20, up to a maximum of $500 Bonus Slot Play.

Sutter Creek Elementary and Primary Schools will be joining schools from around the world to celebrate International Walk to School Day on Wednesday, October 3. Watch for lots of elementary school-age students on Sutter Creek streets, walking to school with parents, teachers and community leaders. The event will begin at 7:30 am at the new upper parking lot on Sutter-Ione Road and the Sutter Creek parking lot next to the post office. The event is being organized by Sutter Creek and the school district to celebrate the completion of the Safe Routes to School project along Sutter-Ione Road and Spanish Street for the Sutter Creek Elementary School. For additional local information, please contact Mel Welsh at 296-4848.

At Wednesday night’s Pine Grove Council meeting, members discussed the controversial Pine Grove Bypass project, which was just unanimously voted down by the Amador County Transportation Commission, or ACTC, in June. After that decision was made, it was noted that the Pine Grove area was not fairly represented on the commission because Upcountry District 3 Supervisor Ted Novelli is only an alternate. The remainder of supervisor representation comes from Richard Forster in Ione, and Louis Boitano in Sutter Creek and only parts of Pine Grove. All other commission members come from the cities of Ione, Jackson, Plymouth, and Sutter Creek. Due to this apparent lack of Upcountry representation in ACTC, the council will ask one of the supervisors to step down from the commission and be replaced by an Upcountry representative.

Louis Boitano will look to get this item agendized at ACTC’s next meeting. In addition, the council feels that proper procedures were not followed and is interested in changing the report that was originally submitted to Caltrans. According to Caltrans procedures, if there is any objection to a project, ACTC must complete a Community Involvement Plan, which would require a series of Town Halls on the subject. Pine Grove Council member John Carlson says, “We just want (ACTC) to go through the proper steps.” According to local activist Debbie Dunn, a few town hall meetings were conducted on the project “about six years ago.” Dunn is asking for more community involvement in deciding the fate of the bypass. “We need as many Upcountry people as possible at that (ACTC meeting),” which is scheduled for August 20th at 6PM at 810 Court Street, in the Board of Supervisors chambers.

And finally, Climax Road will be closed on August 19th and 20th due to construction purposes. The Board of Supervisors authorized the closure on behalf of Pacific Gas and Electric Company. PG&E will be reconductoring the power lines along the road during those days, a project that has been delayed several times. PG&E requested the road closure, because they feel it will save on time and money.

The ongoing battle over a request for a liquor license at a Pioneer store came to a close at the tail end of Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting. Danny McCauley, owner of Liquor and More and property manager of Sierra Homes and Properties, stressed to the council that his sole intention in opening up another liquor store in Pioneer is to stimulate the economy. “It would not have been me, it would have been Buckhorn residents who work in the liquor store,” he said. The proposed store site, located in the BuckhornPlaza, was left empty when Buckhorn Liquors moved to the Buckhorn Village a few hundred yards away.

McCauley decided to lease the space for his new store, and started renovating the interior, which is now nearly complete. After McCauley filed with the California Department of Alcohol and Beverage Control, or ABC, he received copies of numerous complaint letters sent to the state from local residents. Opponents to the store felt it was unnecessary to have yet another liquor store in Amador County with the many current liquor vendors in the area. The vote before the Board was whether or not to approve a letter of public convenience or necessity to satisfy the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control’s requirements for an off-sale liquor license. The Board voted 3 against and 1 for. Supervisor Boitano was the sole Supervisor who approved, while Supervisor Escamilla abstained due to a potential conflict of interest. “I called people who were openly opposed and told them no hard feelings. I think the Board of Supervisors should be commended for all their efforts,” said McCauley. He is now debating his two current options, to close in escrow, or to move his license to another county.

The City of Sutter Creek is getting closer to its long time-dream of purchasing the Historical Knight Foundry. At Monday night’s Sutter Creek City Council meeting, the council voted to approve Staff recommendations to amend their purchase contract and agreement with the Knight Foundry Corporation to reflect the California Culture and Historical Endowment (CCHE) requirement that the City own the foundry in order to receive grant funds.