At Monday night’s Jackson City Council meeting, the council made several decisions designed to help rejuvenate downtown Jackson.  The first decision was to adopt a “Strategic Plan 2008,” which outlines a vision and mission for the Economic Development Committee.  The plan “lays the framework” for seven key strategies designed to guide the economic development activities for the City of Jackson.  The seven key strategies are 1, to improve visual appeal, 2, to implement a coordinator/facilitator position, 3, to evaluate the use of public facilities and properties, 4, to establish development areas, 5, to define connectivity corridors, 6, to undergo information gathering and dissemination, and 7, to identify unmet business and service needs. The council unanimously adopted the strategic plan as a working document. The second decision made was to direct staff to move forward with a feasibility study for establishing a Redevelopment Agency for the City of Jackson. 

In an effort to plan for the future, Ione City Council members toured Galt and Jackson’s water treatment plants Monday.  According to Ione City Manager Kim Kerr, the city discovered that the capacity of their two treatment plants could only handle about 700 new homes, whereas capacity is needed for about 1200.  When the city decided to expand their current sewer treatment plant, a lawsuit was filed by a landowner adjacent to the plant, the outcome of which mandated the preparation of an Environmental Impact Report, or EIR, on any future work done at the plant.  As part of that process, the city decided to tour several nearby cities’ treatment plants, including Jackson, Galt, and Valley Springs, the latter of which had to cancel. Kerr said she felt that the plant tours would help the council get “a good visualization” of how a treatment plant works, and “what the potential footprint would be” in expanding their own plant. “It gives us more factors as we go forward,” says Kerr. 

It looks like Amador County residents will soon be able to enjoy movies in the park on a giant outdoor projection screen. Amador County Recreation Agency, or ACRA, has partnered with Sutter Amador Hospital to acquire an outdoor inflatable projection kit.  ACRA Director Tracey Towner-Yep is excited about the giant projection TV, saying “I’ve worked on this for two years,” referring to the difficult task of getting funding. The kit is comprised of a 30 by 17 foot theatrical grade screen, mounted in an inflatable 36 by 27 foot frame, with Mackie speakers and all the bells and whistles.

The bill for the projection kit was picked up by Sutter Amador Hospital.  Jody Boetzer Public Relations Specialist for the hospital, says that part of their non-profit status is partnering with various agencies throughout the county, including ACRA. “It’s part of our mission to give back to the community” says Boetzer.  The new projection TV will be unveiled at this year’s Amador County Fair in the Wii Pavilion, and Towner-Yep hopes to start showing movies in local parks starting in September.  Movies will generally be family and children-oriented.  “We’re thinking of Pixar-type movies, and that type of thing,” says Towner-Yep.  But ACRA does want to hear from the public, as well. If you have any suggestions, please call 223-6349 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Ione Planning Commission met Tuesday to discuss the plans for the second of two new Ione Fire Station’s. Currently the plans are nearing the 80 percent completion stage- a typical marker for review by the Planning Commission. Part of the approval included a condition that requires the Planning Commission to review and approve the floor plan, elevations, building materials, color palettes, landscaping, and parking layout prior to the issuance of building permit. The planning commission had previously approved a boundary line adjustment and a conditional usepermit for the project in 2007 which stated that the aforementioned items must be approved prior to a building permit being issued.  The floor plans for the proposed station were also available at the meeting, including a full-color board which showed the materials to be used on site. City Planner Christopher Jordan was available to answer questions during the public hearing from the audience and the councilmen. The Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend the plans to the Ione city council. commission. 

Hot weather throughout Amador County this Summer Solstice weekend encouraged many residents to take it easy and stay indoors, while other took advantage of the sunshine and explored what our county has to offer. On Saturday, the longest day of the year, the Jackson pool welcomed a full capacity crowd, and Sutter Creek’s long-running Black Bart Day’s drew families from far and wide who were eager to see an authentic recreation of a western gun shootout. Large crowds were also spotted attending two local plays- Red Herring, at the Volcano Amphitheatre, and the world premiere of The Ox Herder at the Sutter Creek theatre. This weekend was another reminder that there is no shortage of fun activities taking place across AmadorCounty.

The Mountain Valley Emergency Medical Agency recently honored Sutter Amador Hospital emergency room staff and a physician at the annual EMS Awards Dinner at the American Legion on Saturday, May 31st.“It is an honor to receive these awards,” says Karen Woods, Director of Emergency Services at Sutter Amador Hospital. “Our employees and physician are very deserving.” This year’s recipients included Dr. Ron Hood, who has been an emergency room physician at Sutter Amador Hospital for over 8 years and received the award for Best Hospital Physician of the Year. Gerrie Winstead, a Sutter Amador employee for 15 years, was awarded as the Mobile Intensive Care Nurse of the Year.

And finally, for all you outdoor enthusiasts- Kirkwood will officially begin its summer mountain operations on July 4th with weekend chairlift operations, hiking trails, mountain biking, climbing wall, ropes course, zip line, disc golf, fishing, horseback riding and many other activities.  Kirkwood’s summer headquarters will be open on weekends with scheduled hours of Saturdays from 8:30am to 4:00pm and Sundays from 8:30am to 3:00pm. They’ll be offering information on all summer activities including Kirkwood’s inaugural Mountain Bike Event Series, Fly Fishing Clinics, and Climbing Programs.  For more information, please contact Expedition Summer Headquarters at 209.258.7360 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.">'+addy_text67699+'<\/a>'; //--> .

Today marks the grand opening of the Sutter Amador Hospital Auxiliary Thrift Shop. The Thrift Shop is celebrating the move to its new location in the Cost Less Shopping Center behind the Waffle Shop and next to Cost Less. “We have everything from soup to nuts,” said Terri Holm, one of the store’s volunteer clerks. “People have donated quite a few unusual items.” All the proceeds from the thrift store benefit the Sutter Amador Hospital. Funds are allocated based on the various needs of the hospital. When we spoke to store manager Barbara Fogg the day before the grand opening, she explained that the store is still being filled and employees will happily accept any nice, clean, usable donations. Holm was also quick to point out that store volunteers make a special effort to put aside supplies for infants in order to have those supplies readily available if there is an emergency. The Grand opening of the Auxilary Thrift Store will take place today, May 21st, between 11am and 4 pm. For more information you can contact the store at the number on your screen.

At Wednesday’s board meeting of the Amador County Recreation Agency, or ACRA, the board revisited the ongoing issue of the existing and intended use of the Scout Hut at Pioneer Park. The building, which is owned by the county and maintained by the Amador County General Services Administration, or GSA, has traditionally been used by the Boy Scouts in that area. The Scout Hut was built in 1994 and dedicated to the Scouts by the county. Since that time, the Scouts have mainly used the building and paid for its utilities. Recently, ACRA received several inquiries regarding use of the facility, which instigated the apparent debate over who can use the building. At ACRA’s last board meeting, the board asked LeAnne McIntyre of the GSA to conduct research on the original grant paperwork for the building. Wednesday, McIntyre reported that the original paperwork could not be found; however, GSA Director Jon Hopkins says that “the public has never been excluded from using the building.” Hopkins indicated that, up until recently, no one had made a request to use it, as most groups use the Veteran’s Hall, which is just a few hundred yards away, and is much larger.  Hopkins also added that the real issue is what agency will be responsible for scheduling for the building, a task that is now being managed by GSA. One option was having ACRA maintain the schedule. Tracey Towner-Yep, ACRA Director, indicated that her agency could handle that job. The ACRA Board will be drafting a letter to the Board of Supervisors communicating their wishes that the Scout Hut be open for public use, with ACRA managing the schedule.  In the meantime, you can contact the General Services Administration at 223-6375 with scheduling requests.

The constant battle between Hillary and Barack is not the only heated competition for election. Questions have been raised over the intentions of certain groups involved in the Calaveras County’s District 2 Supervisors race. Incumbent Supervisor Steve Wilensky believes the Calaveras County Association of Realtors political action committee is trying to buy his district 2 seat after the committee donated 7,000 to opponent John Morse’s campaign. The committee denied any ulterior motives in a press release, saying the donation was made with “no strings attached.” But the release also states that “there is a need for change on the Board. We are unhappy with the performance level that has led to moratoriums and the unrelenting assault on property rights and personal freedoms.”  While they may not be buying a candidate, they are buying an election, said Wilensky. The committee has continued to vehemently deny any involvement beyond a standard donation.