Amador County – City Manager Dixon Flynn this week said work has begun on the Arroyo Ditch, which a contractor believes will be a renewed water supply for the city of Plymouth. Flynn last week reported that Mayor Jon Colburn expects water to be again flowing down the ditch and into the city’s system by the middle of this month. Flynn said he had not talked to Colburn this week and heard his latest prediction. “The Mayor loves this project,” Flynn said, “so he goes every day I suspect.” The mayor has been to the site to monitor progress, and city engineer Richard Prima also has gone to the work site, along the miles of the ditch, which links the city to the Cosumnes River, on the Amador-El Dorado county border, through a system of earthen ditches, and even a bridged pipeline that crosses over another waterway. Flynn said Shenadoah Water Company has been working on the ditch for 3 weeks, since the city granted them an encroachment permit. The company has been working with a crew of 5 to 12 people, and 3 excavators, to remove weeds and rocks from the ditch in order to get water flowing again. Flynn said Plymouth City Council and the Shenandoah Water Company have “an agreement to talk about an agreement,” and the company has permission to clear the ditch with the encroachment permit. While doing so, they are working on costs and seeing who will do what in an agreement. The company can afford a bigger crew and the equipment, while the city could only afford a 2-person crew to try to keep the ditch operational. He said Shenandoah Water Company actually feels “that they could get water out of the ditch as a supply for Plymouth.” Mayor Colburn thinks Plymouth “will have water by mid-May” coming from the ditch. Flynn said the company is “prepared to spend several million dollars to do it, if we get to an agreement. And that’s a big if.” The city council took requests for proposals and the company was the best qualified, having restored rights to and water flow from another ditch, in Sonoma. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Two Amador County supervisors will discuss the current condition of Amador County’s forests and associated problems, including the potential for catastrophic fire, at the upcoming Amador-El Dorado Forest Forum. Brian Oneto, District 5 Supervisor since January 2007 and John Plasse, Supervisor Elect for District 1, will cover this and other matters during this installation of the semi-monthly forum. They will also address county government's role in shaping future policy on public and private forestland. The Amador-El Dorado Forest Forum is a group of forestry professionals, forest educators, and others interested in forestry practices and issues in the two-county area. The Forum meets once a month in fall, winter, and spring months at various locations in the two-county area. The Forum awards scholarships to local college students with forestry majors and sponsors the California Forestry Challenge. The meeting is Wednesday, December 17, 2008 at El Torero Restaurant, located at 10898 North State Highway 49 / 88, in Jackson. Social Hour begins at 6:00 p.m., and dinner starts at 6:30 p.m. To reserve a space for dinner contact Diane Dealey Neill at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (530) 672-9350 by December 15. Raffle tickets to support the Forest Forum may be purchased at the door. Donations help support scholarships and forestry education efforts. Staff Report

The Ione City Council held a special meeting Tuesday evening which included a public hearing, a workshop, and a few updates from staff regarding various projects currently underway in the City. The Public Hearing, which pertained to the approval of a rate increase for a solid waste permit from ACES, had previously been placed on an April agenda, but was subsequently rescheduled pending a decision on the Buena Vista landfill. ACES’s requested rate increase of 9.3% is to compensate for the rising costs of insurance and fuel. During the discussion, City Manager Kim Kerr reminded the council that it is written into the ACES’s permit ordinance that an increase can only be requested one time per calendar year. The resolution for the rate increase was then approved 4-1 with Councilman Sherman dissenting.

A CALTRANS crew and a hefty amount of odd looking equipment shut down the center lane of Highway 49 in downtown Jackson yesterday. According to Cristy Black, a geologist from UC Davis who was working with the crew, their activities were part of a routine test for contaminants in the soil and ground water. The process is known as soil boring. Their location was chosen because of the location of an underground storage unit that could have been contributing to the contamination. The activities are considered routine maintenance.

The State Department of Water Resources will allocate only one-quarter of the water requested for next year by State Water Project contractors – these water suppliers serve more than 25 million Californians and about 750,000 acres of irrigated farmland. This is significantly less than the initial 2007 water allocation of 60 percent of requested supply. 2007 has been a "dry" water year in the Sacramento region and a "critically dry" water year in the San Joaquin region and reservoirs are going into the 2008 water year with less than average water supply.

“Take-It-Back Amador!” is a partnership that promotes the proper recycling and disposal of used household batteries and fluorescent tubes & bulbs.  In response to New Universal Waste Regulations, Meeks Lumber & Hardware, and ACE Hardware and Lumber stores located in Pine Grove and Ione are accepting these items, free of charge, from county residents. California regulations prohibit universal wastes from landfill disposal.  Amador County residents can continue to bring these items to the County’s Household Hazardous Waste (H-H-W) Collection Facility every other Saturday at the Buena Vista Landfill Transfer Station.  This program is for residential use only.  Business and commercial materials will not be accepted.  For more information on HHW collection dates or materials, please contact Amador County Waste Management Department at 209-223-6429.  For more information, please contact Amador County Waste Management Department at 209) 223-6429 or visit:  www.co.amador.ca.us/depts/waste/

Amador County – Sutter Creek’s annual Parade of Lights last Saturday proved once again why it is one of Amador County’s favorite holiday pastimes. As the popularity of the parade has grown each year, so have the entries. This year’s parade consisted mostly of traditional entries, but there were quite a few new offerings as well. One parade organizer said it was the largest Parade of Lights to date. Besides the usual trucks and wagons adorned with lights, there was also a giant sleigh created by Merzlak Signs owner Kam Merzlak, a number of miniature horses pulling children in tiny sleighs, a glowing tractor from the Sutter Gold Mine and a number of horses wrapped in Christmas light collars. A visitor to Amador County named Janine Gariglo said she was surprised by the sense of community generated by the occasion. The event shut down Main Street for most of the evening. Story by Alex Lane

Common Ground Senior Services, a local group committed to Amador County’s elderly, is feeling the effects of economic tightening across the board. As a result, the group is reaching out to community members for badly needed funding for the Meals-on Wheels program. Since its inception decades ago, the Meals on Wheels program has become a life-line between the elderly and infirmed and outside assistance. Drivers regularly provide food for those who may have difficulty making it to the store to buy themselves, as well as provide social support and assistance in daily living. 

Common Ground Director Elizabeth Thompson estimates a scheduled delivery of 40,000 meals this year. California’s budget crisis, along with the national economic downturn, have only added to the tight budget constraints Common Ground already faces. Common Ground is providing maximum coverage at minimum operation cost. In some areas, this means regularly scheduled stops can only receive one meal per week. Common Ground will be holding a Fiesta De Sol, or Festival of the Sun Dinner on Friday May 16th. They are hoping for a large turnout and plenty of generous donations. Alcohol service will begin at 5pm followed by a dinner of chicken enchiladas and chile verde at 6. There will also be live entertainment and raffle prizes. Tickets are $15 for adults and $8 for children 14 years and under. The Amador Senior Center is at 229 New York Ranch Road, Jackson. For tickets or more information, call 223-3015.

A newly approved designation could mean big future benefits for Amador County, as well as an official title for  being an important part of American history. During Monday’s Administrative committee meeting, grant writers and Supervisors Richard Forster and Ted Novelli discussed the pros and cons of applying for a Preserve America Designation. According to the proposal, “Amador County is a genuine, unique remnant of early California and the Wild West. A “Gold Mine” of opportunity exists in our charming towns, historical structures, old churches, mining areas, and settlements.” Amador’s Kit Carson and Emigrant Trail areas could also be used as major selling points.

However, the most enticing aspect of the Preserve America designation was the potential future financial benefits. The county could qualify for grants that would both benefit historical preservation and boost tourism. Supervisor Forster was particularly pleased by the cost-free designation process, with the exception of grant writing fees. Now that the Supervisors have given their recommendation, the next step will be to work closely with the State Historic Preservation Office and stakeholders to develop the Preserve America Community Designation Application. Although the potential benefits of such a low-cost designation seem obvious, the Supervisors did not fail to discuss the limitations. The Preserve America grant does not fund any repairs, rehabilitation and acquisitions of historic properties; reconstruction of former historic properties, or work performed prior to the announcement of the award. As the grant process continues, more presentations on its progress
are expected at future Board Meetings.

If you happen to be near downtown Jackson and with a timepiece, have no fear. Locals have relied on Jackson Cleaner’s reliable noon whistle to sound off at 12pm for the last six years. Owners John and Tami Trevaskis were inspired to purchase a whistle of their own based on a tradition originally practiced by the old Amador Steam Laundry in Sutter Creek. Six years ago this month, the Trevaskis purchased a new boiler to power two steam-pressure whistles. The whistles have a history of their own. One was originally used at an old sawmill in Martell. The other was used as a fire whistle on Mare Island near San Francisco.  Alone or in combination, the whistles pack an audible punch. The tradition of using steam whistles to mark time has been a relatively blue collar tradition for hundreds of years. Steam whistles were often used to notify factory and industrial workers of meal breaks and shift times before many could afford their own timepiece. The next time you’re in the Jackson area, listen for the reliable shrill from atop Jackson Cleaners, keeping blue collars clean since 1938.