Amador County – Construction already under way on a crossing of Sutter Creek will affect the city’s road traffic, as well as the location of the Saturday Farmer’s Market in downtown. The Sutter Creek Planning Commission last week approved a use permit for the market at its regular city lot, off Eureka Street, with an amended location to have it housed on the city’s southern edge lot, beside Main Street. That will allow Mountain Cascade to finish its work on the Amador Water Agency water pipeline to Plymouth. The pipeline will traverse the Sutter Creek waterway on a pedestrian bridge between the parking lot behind the community center and city hall. The bridge will connect that lot with the city lot on Eureka Street. Farmer’s Market manager Michelle Grondin said the market, which gets underway this month, had already advertised that it would be using the south lot, instead of a lot on Gopher Flat Road. The commission approved the use of the south Main lot, but also could change the location if needed. A resolution approving the use said the Amador Farmer’s Market has been operating in Sutter Creek since 1994. The market will operate from 8 a.m. to noon each Saturday, from June through October. The use permit includes changing a portion of Main Street will be “designated and limited to one-way north-bound vehicular traffic. The south exit of Main Street shall be designated as ‘right turn only’ onto south-bound Main Street.” Grondin said the Amador Farmer’s Market will operate June 13th through October. Workers for Mountain Cascade began work on the pedestrian bridge last week, cutting into the asphalt of both parking lots. The pipeline connects the city of Plymouth with the Tanner Water Treatment Plant on Ridge Road, and supply potable water to Plymouth. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Plymouth City Council was on the road last week – literally. The council during its regular session gathered on Main Street in front of City Hall to look at what some called the worst road in town. The council was discussing street improvement projects for the upcoming construction season. Councilwoman Pat Shackleton said they decided that instead of just talking about the city’s worn streets, they would come out and look at the problems. Councilman Greg Baldwin suggested installing a “speed table” – a wide, almost bridge-like speed bump – to cross Main Street at the City Hall steps. He said it would help pedestrians cross and would remove the step up to the curb, while slowing traffic to 15 miles per hour. Mayor Jon Colburn asked City Engineer Roark Weber to get a cost estimate to repave Main Street from Landrum Street to Highway 49, and also chip-and-seal past Landrum. Weber said a 1999 report identified $332,000 dollars worth of “deferred maintenance” needs and $1.08 Million dollars would be “needed to bring all city streets into good condition.” He said “the 5 streets with ‘minus’ ratings were Quartz, Gerrans, Mineral and Pacific” streets. Since 1999, Weber said minimal street work had been done, except for a Safe Routes To School project and FEMA-funded repairs on Mill, Poplar and Empire streets. Weber said estimates would be lower if material costs were lower. Asphalt, once about $110 dollars a ton in now $70 to 85 dollars a ton. Finance director Jeff Gardner said the city got all of its Prop 1D funds, about $400,000 dollars. Weber said the Highway 49 and Main intersection project would be reimbursed, and the city should “try to get Caltrans to reimburse you so you are 100 percent in the black.” In public comment, Gary Colburn said: “Plymouth is a tourist trap, whether you like it or not. And all of our money comes from people going to the wine country, the gold country, the 49er Village and the Fair.” He said he shudders to think the city would spend money on a new pedestrian ramp or driveway, and would rather see it take the asphalt curve off of Main, to make it easier for the elderly to cross. Raymond Estey said “we chip sealed about 15 years ago” on Main Street, but Main has not been paved in 30 years, since before the 1970s, when a city water line was installed, through a cut in the asphalt. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Jackson Revitalization Committee has issued an invitation to all Jackson businesses to participate in its new “Shop Jackson” marketing and business promotions campaign. In an exclusive interview with TSPN, Jackson Mayor Connie Gonsalves called the revitalization of Jackson’s diminishing downtown “essential” to the city’s future. The Jackson Revitalization Committee was recommended by the city’s Economic Development Committee and approved by the city council late last year. The new committee, now being referred to as the JRC, will focus on recruiting and retaining new businesses and industries, sustaining a growing economy, and thus “enriching the lives and experiences of Jackson property owners, merchants, residents and tourists.” The JRC operates as a public/private non-profit organization. Jackson’s downtown, as compared to nearby Sutter Creek or Amador City, has notably suffered under the weight of the nation’s current economic recession. The “Shop Jackson” campaign will take place Wednesday, June 3rd at the Jackson Civic Center, Broadway and Highway 88 in Jackson. Anyone whose business or profession is located within the Jackson city limits is invited to attend. Goals of the meeting will be to discuss the development of a new marketing and business promotion campaign, discussing upcoming county fair publicity as well as ongoing print and mail exposure, and reaching “over 300,000 new and local customers each month. A welcome reception complete with complimentary food and beverages takes place at 5:30pm and the business promotions presentation takes place from 6 – 7pm. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Ione plans a Main Street Program discussion today at City Hall, hoping to speak with every business and property owner on Main Street and Preston Avenue. The council will hear a status report, and City Manager Kim Kerr said the meeting would focus on the Main Street Program’s organizational structure and other issues. The council will take no action, but could provide direction to staff. The meeting is 5:30 p.m. today in City Hall. Kerr said “We are looking for all business and property owners on Main Street and Preston Avenue to attend.” The city is “looking for interested community members and organizations to participate.” The Main Street Program is part of the Ione Community Preservation Project, which the city council and staff have been studying with public workshops. Once directions are determined for the project, the council can begin to spend $284,775 dollars, which came from 2 defunct Community Development Block Grants from the 1980s. Kerr said: “These grants are closed,” and, according the CDBG, “when there is no open CDBG grant, the funds are considered miscellaneous revenue … and can be used as the City sees fit.” The council has discussed 4 Ione Community Preservation Projects. Those projects and possible funding include the Main Street Program for $80,000 dollars; the Façade Program for $25,000; the Redevelopment Plan for $120,000; and an Economic Study for $60,000. Kerr said public meetings found 15 people interested in helping with the Main Street Program, and there are “different opinions on what the (organizational) structure should be,” and what it should look like initially and in two years. City funds will be used, causing public concern for “accountability and follow-through,” Kerr said, as well as concern for viability after start-up, so that “there is actually some impact in the downtown corridors.” Kerr said once the organizational structure is set, there will be a follow-up meeting with business owners. Mayor Lee Ard said he was still not sure if people wanted the council to carry out the community programs, and he wanted to see some “enthusiasm.” Councilwoman Andrea Bonham said she had seen enthusiasm at the last meeting. Councilman David Plank said “the second meeting was more rewarding than the first,” but the council was still missing 60 to 70 percent of business and property owners. Kerr agreed, saying it was the city’s goal to get business owners to recruit other business owners to join the project. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Calaveras County – Rumors abound about the possibility of a community college campus in Calaveras County. The decision is expected at an early June meeting of trustees for the Stockton-based San Joaquin Community College. College President Raul Rodrigues gave the Calaveras County site an “80 to 90 percent” chance of becoming reality. Under consideration for the new satellite campus site are six acres on Paloma Road, northeast of Valley Springs. Supporters have been drumming up support for the idea, which they say will draw more than 500 hundred students to the area and bring much needed job training and employment to the county. Another benefit of the plan would be financial: a private donor has offered the six acres, and portable classrooms would come at no cost from the Calaveras County Unified School District. “We’re now in serious contention for a Delta College site in this county,” said county Supervisor Steve Wilensky, who represents much of northern Calaveras County, including Paloma. Other Supervisors are also in support of the project. Delta has considered this idea before. The college was close to buying 60 acres of land from property owner Tom Coe three years ago, but opted to focus on developing a satellite campus near Tracy, where funding came through a voter-approved $250 million bond measure passed in 2004. That project has since been sidelined because of escalating costs and delays. Currently, Calaveras and many Amador county residents commute to college in either Sacramento , Delta College’s main campus in Stockton, or Columbia College in Tuolumne County. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

State - Legislation to increase government transparency by Assemblymember Alyson Huber passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee with bipartisan support late last month. The bills have now passed all necessary Assembly committees and will move to the Assembly floor. “AB 1181 and AB 1274 are good reforms that will help make campaign contributions and lobbying activity details more accessible to the public, not just insiders,” said Assemblymember Huber. “Both Democratic and Republican legislators recognize the need for these reforms and more transparency, and I look forward to moving these bills closer to the Governor’s desk.” AB 1181 would require all state candidate committees, ballot measure committees and slate mail organizations to file contributors online with the Secretary of State’s office. AB 1274 would address the need to easily identify who is lobbying on a specific issue by requiring the Secretary of State to display online a breakdown of all lobbying interests seeking to influence each proposed law. This list would be updated quarterly. Huber's bills are a long way from becoming law. Both were introduced late last month and have not yet been considered in legislative committees, their next step. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County Region – A Calaveras County Sheriff’s detective suffered a minor gunshot wound to his shoulder Wednesday while investigating an auto theft case near Railroad Flat. A suspect, Michael D. Thompson, 29, of Mokelumne Hill, was shot multiple times and hospitalized in serious but stable condition, as of Thursday morning at Modesto Memorial Hospital. Calaveras County Sheriff’s Sergeant Dave Seawell said Thursday that: “As of this morning investigators have determined that Detective Rick DiBasilio had been struck by ricocheting metal fragments as a result of shots fired by Detective Wade Whitney.” Investigators concluded that rounds fired by Whitney fragmented as they hit the suspect’s vehicle, and at least 1 round struck DiBasilio. Seawell said “2 small bullet fragments remain in DiBasilio’s left shoulder.” The 6-year Calaveras sheriff’s office veteran was treated and released late Wednesday from Mark Twain Hospital and expected to fully recover. The incident began Wednesday morning when detectives served a search warrant in Rail Road Flat, for possession of stolen property. Suspect John Palmer, wanted for 2 outstanding arrest warrants, was not at the residence, but detectives recovered a stolen vehicle and stolen items. Returning to headquarters, DiBasilio and Whitney passed a white Chevrolet Camaro, similar to one Palmer reportedly was driving. The detectives later found the vehicle parked at 5915 Rail Road Flat Road, and Thompson working under its hood. As detectives approached and announced their presence, Thompson ran to start the car. DiBasilio tried to prevent Thompson from starting the car and reached into it. Thompson started the car, placed the vehicle into reverse, and drove backwards, turning the Camaro into DiBasilio as he raced the engine in reverse while DiBasilio hung on, to maintain his balance and avoid being run over. Seawell said Whitney believed DiBasilio was going to be run over. In response, Whitney fired multiple rounds into the vehicle in an attempt to stop Thompson. Thompson was subsequently struck several times in the upper torso and the car stopped. Seawell said Whitney and DiBasilio secured Thompson and immediately rendered first aid and called for medical assistance. The vehicle driven by Thompson was found to be stolen. It was seized, and authorities are seeking a warrant to search it. Thompson has a history of resisting arrest, possession of controlled substances, illegal firearm possession and probation and parole violations. The DA is considering charges for Thompson. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Ione City Council voted Wednesday to plan on hiring a company to manage its wastewater treatment system, but it also deferred the decision on which company to hire. The council held a special meeting and heard presentations from 4 companies seeking to take over operation of the city wastewater treatment plant. “We decided to digest all of the information that the 4 presenters gave us yesterday and make our decision at our June 2nd meeting,” Councilman David Plank said. The council voted 4-1 to not hire a new “level 4” wastewater plant operator, and in doing so also “voted to have an outside operation” come in and operate the plant. Plank said council members are all anxious to get a new operator, but they “still have a little more math to do in our cost comparisons.” The city must look at costs. The council wanted to “take a few extra days to digest all of the information.” PERC is headquartered in Costa Mesa, Veolia Water Company is based in Pleasant Hill, Southwest Water is from Los Angeles, and Severn Trent is from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Plank said: “We have, without question, 4 of the top operation and maintenance wastewater treatment plant independent firms in the country, wanting to work in little old Ione.” He said they are all good companies, which makes it a tough decision. All 4 companies handle national and worldwide accounts. Plank said some city employees in the wastewater department may chose to go to work for the contractor, once a company is chosen. The bids came in at a range of $440,000 up to $544,181 dollars, including low bidder, PERC. The bids included a year’s contract, with proposed operations costs, and bids related to the collection system, the water treatment plant, maintenance and tertiary work. City Manager Kim Kerr said: “we are projecting our costs at $459,492 dollars.” She said part of the process is to see if the companies can operate the city’s system cheaper than the city does it “in-house.” 8 companies expressed interest and the 4 were chosen to make presentations. Each bid included $50,000 dollars in maintenance, including $30,000 for the wastewater treatment plant and $20,000 dollars for the tertiary system. Of the bids, Veolia’s was the highest at $544,181 dollars. Severn Trent bid $468,954; Southwest Water bid $447,000; and PERC bid $440,160. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – This past school year, local students found out that not all learning takes place in the classroom. Amador County teens from both Argonaut and Amador High Schools in the Regional Occupational Program, or ROP, received health care work experience firsthand at Sutter Amador Hospital. Eighteen of these young adults were honored at the hospital’s Student Appreciation Day Breakfast on Wednesday, May 20, 2009 in the community conference center. Barbara Wells, Education Manager, opened the program by welcoming everyone and introducing the ROP health instructor from the Amador Unified School District, Linda Critchfield, and special guests Dick Glock , Schools Superintendent and Pat Miller, School District Board Member. Wells and Critchfield presented certificates to each of the students who participated. Department directors and staff directly responsible for instructing the student thanked them for the contributions they made to their departments and shared personal information about how each student was impacted and grew throughout the year by the experiences they were able to gain. Anne Platt, CEO, concluded the reception by sharing with the students the many rewards working in health care has in store for them and encouraged those who do choose a career in health care to remain committed and passionate about their chosen field. Platt said: “I know that as long as each of you stays committed to your vision, the future of healthcare is in good hands.” Staff Report This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Amador County Local Agency Formation Commission approved a “Sphere of Influence” revision for the city of Plymouth last week, and sent a Sutter Hill annexation request back for more planning. LAFCO Executive Officer Roseanne Chamberlain said the board approved amending the Plymouth sphere of influence “to conform its current sphere of influence to follow existing parcel lines.” Chamberlain said the change was made so that any parcel that was mostly inside the sphere of influence, that whole parcel was added to the sphere. And any parcel mostly outside the sphere was taken out. Chamberlain said the change added less than 100 acres to the city’s sphere of influence, which was last updated in 1976. The LAFCO board considered an annexation request by Sutter Creek to add 56.3 acres on Sutter Hill. Chamberlain said the board decided the “city needs to do some additional work on its Community Facilities District, to pay for a sewer line and road improvements.” LAFCO directors wanted Sutter Creek to do more work and come up with a plan for the CFD formation. Chamberlain said the “city had the intention to do a Community Facilities District, but they need to do the planning.” The reorganization would include annexation to Sutter Creek & Sutter Creek Fire Protection District and detachment from Amador Fire Protection District. The reorganization area is located near Ridge Road east of Highway 49; east of Sutter Hill Road, north and south of Eureka Road, and north and south of Ridge Road. The LAFCO board also approved a proposal by the Drytown County Water District for creating a sphere of influence including land within the existing boundary and current service area of the district. Chamberlain said the district has fewer than 100 connections. The new sphere of influence “includes everybody who’s already got a water connection.” LAFCO canceled its June meeting and the board next meets July 16th. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.