A new roof for the Amador County Museum in Jackson could be reality this year, weather permitting. The county has advertised for bids on the structural reinforcement and new metal roof for the nearly 150-year old museum building. The bid will be awarded on Oct. 2 with the intent to complete construction this building season. Also at the museum, after a recent evaluation of the many trees on the museum’s park-like grounds, it was recommended that one tree be removed for safety reasons. The tree is located at the front of the museum parking lot and overhangs Summit St. across the street from Jackson Elementary School. Also in Monday’s discussion, County Administrative Officer Terri Daly recommended that new lieutenant positions added to the Amador County Sheriff Department be classified as “exempt” positions – or ineligible for union membership. Daly noted that the lieutenant positions have management responsibilities and are considered exempt in other sheriff departments in the region. CAO Daly also clarified starting salaries for sheriff deputies as starting at $45,873 per year, with 5% increase in six months. 

 

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The County of Amador is set to wrap up a code enforcement issue that has been going on for several years in Pine Grove. The property in question is located at 19698 Highway 88, and belongs to William and Theresa Mulderry. The Board of Supervisors heard the item on Tuesday, in order to postpone a years-old abatement order that was set to go into affect this Wednesday. The abatement order was placed on the retail space years ago due to issues over unpermitted outdoor storage at the site, as well as additions that were made to the property by a previous owner without the correct permits. Since then, the Mulderrys have made multiple improvements to the property in order to comply with County codes. The latest and last of these items was the installation of manhole covers that were installed by the Amador Water Agency. At the meeting, the Board voted to place an additional two week stay order on the item to insure the completion of any follow-up paperwork. The Mulderry’s are expected to get their final, up-to-date permits at the end of the two week period.

Shoppers in historic downtown Jackson won’t have to pay for parking this summer.  As part of the downtown stimulus program for the City of Jackson, the city council voted unanimously to cover the downtown area parking meters and provide free parking from Memorial Day through Labor Day.  The move comes from a joint effort between the city and the Economic Development Committee to revitalize Downtown Jackson.  This summer, the city will place bags over the meters on Main Street from the Bookstore to the National Hotel, a stretch that includes about 52 parking meters.  Several members of the city council spoke of comments and complaints from tourists and locals who had received parking tickets after spending considerable amounts of money in downtown shops. The city and committee hope to stimulate the economy by providing free parking, and will advertise in order to get the word out.  Although parking will be free this summer, the 3 hour time limit still applies, and parking officers will be tracking time by marking tires. The committee also considered phasing out the parking meters altogether, installing diagonal parking, and making Main Street a one-way street. Some members of the public were opposed to removing the meters, citing the high cost involved in purchasing and installing the meters.  Thornton Consolo of Jackson feels that having an officer patrol Main Street marking tires is “five times more labor intensive” than simply writing tickets for expired meters.  Consolo also made reference to the lost revenue from the meters, as well as from parking citations.  Vice Mayor Connie Gonsalves replied that the 2007 net revenue amounted to 7,355 dollars, implying that the potential revenue loss over the summer would be less than that.  Regardless of the loss in revenue, one local shopkeeper says the free parking will be “wonderful” for downtown.

Last weekend, the Volcano Theater Company gave its annual acting and directing workshop titled “Oedipus for Dummies”. Aspiring actors of all ages participated in this year’s workshop lead by Chris Thebaut. Thebaut encouraged attendees of all ages  to participate. One focus of the workshop was a dry and plodding play made light-hearted by a blend of traditional Greek tragedy themes and modern day interpretations and costuming. The costumes and masks were created by the participants, who also gave input on the “direction” of their characters. Giles Turner, the AmadorHigh School drama teacher, called the amateur creation “Bold and Impressive”. Turner credited Thebaut for creating a “conduit for community participation”. Attendees of the workshop told TSPN that they thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Amador County Election Department has begun the official canvass votes from the primary election Tuesday. AmadorCounty voters turned in 826 vote-by-mail ballots and 159 provisional ballots at the polls on Election Day – those ballots still need to be counted. During the canvass, precinct returns will be reviewed, all remaining vote by mail/provisional ballots will be processed, and a manual recount of 1% of the county vote will be conducted. Anyone desiring to observe the canvass is welcome. The canvass must be completed by March 4, 2008.

The first in a series of community workshops presented by the county Board of Supervisors took place last night at Evelyn Bishop Hall in Ione. The workshops are being held to get public input regarding the proposed Buena Vista Rancheria casino. The Board has reached a crossroads on the issue, and is actively seeking comments from the public as to whether the board should approve the tribe’s proposed agreement, or continue to litigate.Fielding public inquiry were variousAmador County agency representatives and officers, as well as the county’s legal counsel. Mediating the workshop were former Supervisor Richard Vinson and County Administrative Officer Terry Daly.

The Amador County Board of Supervisors has revised the public workshop schedule regarding the proposed Buena Vista Rancheria Casino. The Board announced last Tuesday that they have reached a crossroad on the issue and want the public to weigh in on whether to approve the tribe’s proposed agreement or continue to litigate. Workshops will be held in various locations to present the county’s options and get public input. The revised schedule for the Buena Vista Rancheria Casino workshops will be held Wednesday, Feb 6, 6:30 – 8:30 pm at Evelyn Bishop Hall in Ione, CA; Wednesday, Feb. 13, 6:30-8:30pm at the Oaks Mobile Home Park  in Buena Vista; Saturday, Feb 16, 1pm-3pm: Amador County Administration Building, Board Chambers in Jackson; Tuesday Feb. 19, 6:30pm-8:30pm:  Pine Grove Town Hall in Pine Grove and on Wednesday Feb. 20, 6:30 – 8:30 pm at the Plymouth City Hall in Plymouth.

The time as come to finally revise the outdated Hazardous and Infectious Waste Ordinance in Amador County. The current ordinance was adopted in 1980. Significant changes to regulations for Hazardous Materials, Hazardous Waste and Infectious Waste have occurred in the past 28 years, and the county ordinance has never been updated. A Public hearing is scheduled for the Board of Supervisors’ meeting being held February 12.  Because of the expected interest by the community on this issue, two workshops on the proposed revisions are scheduled prior to the public hearing. The workshops will be held Tuesday, January 29th – you can attend an afternoon session from 2:30 – 4:30, or an evening session from 7-9 pm. Both workshops will be held in the Board of Supervisors’  For additional information on the workshops or the Hazardous Materials program, please contact the Amador County Environmental Health Department at  223-6439. Chambers in the County Administrative Center.

Last night, Jackson City Council chose Wayne Garibaldi to fill the council seat left vacant when Drew Stidger resigned from the council at the end of the year. Garibaldi was chosen from a field of 7 applicants for the job, who sent letters of interest to the council and made presentations on their qualifications at a special meeting a week ago. Mayor Pryor-Escamilla explained the criteria she looked at when considering each applicant: including prior Government experience, their skills and ability to work as a team player, the support garnered from the public, their intention to run for election in the fall, and other such factors.

Amador County Assessor Jim Rooney is warning local governments to brace themselves for reduced growth in property tax revenues next year. At the Plymouth City Council meeting Thursday night, Rooney made an informal presentation on how the current real estate slump is affecting property values – which translates into reduced property taxes filtering down to city governments. For the past several years, the Amador County and cities have enjoyed property tax revenue growth of 15 to 17% per year. Rooney says he thinks revenues next year will likely only increase about 5 to 7%, and that local governments should plan their budgets accordingly. Rooney is scheduled to make a similar presentation to the Jackson City Council at their regular council meeting tonight.