Plasse Joins Jackson Revitalization Committee
It looks like John Plasse will have the opportunity to serve on the Jackson Revitalization Committee after all. At the Jackson City Council meeting on Monday night, City Manager Mike Daly presented a recommendation from the committee to amend their guidelines to add a County Liaison position and appoint Supervisor-Elect John Plasse to the position. The amendment is the result of the committee’s first meeting, which was held on October 1, where many committee members spoke of Plasse’s commitment and hard work on the Jackson Economic Development committee. Council member Wayne Garibaldi, who is also a member of the committee, said that he experienced “100 percent support” for adding Plasse to the committee. At the city council’s September 22nd meeting, the council had decided not to appoint Plasse, due to the “appearance of a conflict of interest,” even though no such conflict legally existed. Instead the council appointed Shelley Scott, who also has been actively involved on the Economic Development Committee and was elected Vice Chair of the new committee on October 1. Monday night, council members briefly entertained opening up the County Liaison position to the public and inviting applications, but in the end, the seemingly overwhelming call for Plasse to be in that new position won out and the three present council members approved the amendment to the guidelines and added Plasse to the committee as the “County Liaison.” In addition to Plasse’s and Scott’s positions, Rich Hoffman was elected as the committee’s chair, and meetings will be held the second Thursday of each month at 6 pm at 33 Broadway in Jackson.
Amador Water Agency Candidates' Forum Tonight
A candidate’s forum for the Amador Water Agency Board of Directors is scheduled for Monday evening. It will be sponsored by the Amador Resource Conservation District, or ARCD. According to ARCD President Steve Cannon, the forum is an ideal place to pose, “relevant questions designed to promote the exchange of ideas relating to water in Amador County.” The candidates will answer questions pertaining to the management of local water resources, and all candidates shall be able to review those questions ahead of time. Time permitting, the moderator will also allow audience members to ask questions of the candidates. “We do not intend for this forum to be a debate, as such. Our intention is to enhance the public’s knowledge about the candidates’ position on certain water issues, their motivation for seeking a position on the Water Agency Board, and their general knowledge about water issues that qualifies them to serve on the Water Agency Board,” Cannon said. The Amador Resource Conservation District is a special district organized under Title 9 of the California Code whose stated mission is to “encourage the wise use of all natural resources in Amador County and assist the landowners of the county in the conservation and management of those resources.” The forum will take place at the County Administration Building, 810 Court Street in Jackson, beginning at 6:30pm. The moderator will be Giles Turner, a respected educator at Amador High School. The public is encouraged to attend.
Ione City Council
Sutter Creek Business Association
Jackson Sign Ordinance Approved
The City of Jackson has implemented a commercial “temporary sign” ordinance, which will limit the size and use of temporary commercial signs within the city. At Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, council members conducted a 2nd reading of the ordinance and agreed that it was time to take action. The new ordinance will allow a temporary sign only to advertise a special promotion or sale, and may not be used as a permanent sign for naming the business. New businesses will be allowed to use a temporary sign for 60 days while a permanent sign is being made, and current business owners in Jackson will have six months to replace any temporary sign. Additionally, use will be limited to two signs at any given time, which may be erected up to three times per year, for a period of 30 days each. A permit fee of 25 dollars will apply, and sign size will be limited to sixteen square feet. Exceptions to the size limit will be considered, and will be charged 10 dollars for each additional four square feet or portion thereof. The sign ordinance applies to commercial signs only, as the city recently adopted a separate ordinance that covers non-commercial signage, such as non-profit organizations and political signs. The temporary sign ordinance will take effect 30 days from adoption, which will be on November 13, 2008. For more information on either ordinance, you can call Jackson City Hall at 223-1646.
Pine Grove Council
Plymouth Picks Leaders
General Plan Update
An over-capacity crowd filled the seats and aisles of the Amador County Board of Supervisors chambers Tuesday in the first of a 3-day serial meeting to hash through Land Use for the county’s new General Plan. County Planner Susan Grijalva introduced staff, county department heads and consultants who in turn presented the status of updates for land use at staff level. At nearly 2-and-a-half years old, the General Plan update might still see another year of discussion before supervisors take action. Grijalva said one public hearing is the minimum requirement for a general plan update, but the county will have a minimum of two, possibly more. She said the General Plan is not zoning, as the two are distinct layers in law. Amador County Geographic Information Coordinator, Keith Johnson, introduced a digital mapping system, the U-Plan, which builds models and helps show current and prospective new land uses around the county. “U-Plan does not decide where development goes,” he said, and it does not develop policy. But it will show areas, such as federal lands, water bodies, and high-fire-risk areas, where development cannot occur. Grijalva told supervisors and planning commissioners in the joint meeting that the object was to find out what is desired, pinpoint areas of the county that need more information, identify what options need to be explored, and bring back the findings after the first of the year. County Attorney Martha Shaver talked about conflicts of interest and said she could talk individually with supervisors and commissioners if needed. Amador County Transportation Commission Executive Director Charles Field talked about modeling. “We’re not going to be looking at the parcel level.” He said “Our traffic infrastructure is not keeping up with growth,” but the ability to remedy problems was made difficult with the high cost of highway bypasses and the lack of federal funding, which the state has done little to supplement. Field said that even if the funds were there, the Amador communities are so drenched in historic value that expansion of roads would be difficult. Public input will be taken today, Thursday, 1 to 5 p.m. at the Supervisors Chambers.
Scarce Parking For Amador Soccer Games
Parents of Amador High School soccer players are experiencing problems finding a parking space for evening games. According to one mother, the upper parking lot has been closed and locked this year, drastically reducing the number of spots available, which has ultimately taken a toll on game attendance. The concerned mom spoke at Wednesday’s Unified School District Board Meeting on behalf of about 25 Amador High School parents and area residents who signed a petition requesting that the lot be made accessible during soccer games, as that lot is open during football games. “Is soccer a second class sport?” she asked, and says that “people are struggling to get from the lower parking lot, carrying chairs, and coolers…and then having to carry things back down in the dark – not a very safe endeavor at all.” Also, a number of game-goers have received 50-dollar tickets for parking in the gym parking lot. According to the mom, Kevin Neville, the Athletics Director of Amador High, says that allowing students to take money is a safety issue. In light of this, numerous parents have offered to volunteer monitoring the gate and taking parking fees during the game. When contacted, Neville confirmed that he thought students should not be collecting money at the upper lot as its “isolated up there.” He also announced plans to have the upper lot available for the last four games of the season. “We’re going to try it and see how it goes,” says Neville. Board Member Terry Porray brought up the issue at last week’s School Board meeting, and stated that she would like the matter looked into, and asked why the lot is closed. TSPN will bring you more information on this matter as details develop.