Amador County – Prospect Motors in Jackson isn’t the only local dealership to close its doors recently. Plummer Pontiac and Cadillac on East Kettleman Lane in Lodi closed its doors on Wednesday, putting approximately 58 people out of work. This closure is in the wake of another major Lodi dealership, Geweke Chrysler Jeep and Dodge, closing down three weeks ago. Ten jobs were lost as a result. A Volkswagen dealership in Tracy closed and put 13 people out of work in early February. But the largest and most impactful closure so far has been the trifecta of Prospect Motors, Amador Motors an Amador Toyota in Jackson. Eighty two employees lost their jobs when the Amador County dealership closed suddenly and only days before Christmas. Owner Frank Halverson said GMAC pulled its inventory because he was “16 days late” in paying loans on the auto center facility. Halverson’s situation has become an all too common story as dealerships across the nation weather the deepening economic recession. The significance of the Prospect closure and its affect on the county tax base has garnered national attention. CBS News Crews visited the county last week to cover the story for the Nightly News with Katie Couric. Plummer Dealership owner Dennis Plummer said he went to great lengths to negotiate loans with GMAC, but to no avail. GMAC has been making major cutbacks and was recently negotiating with federal authorities to have itself converted into a bank holding company so it could be eligible for part of the $700 billion in federal bailouts. Plummer said that Pontiac and Cadillac generated more than $975,000 in sales tax revenue for the city of Lodi and San Joaquin County last year. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - In an effort to gather funding to improve infrastructure at Westover Field, representatives of the Amador County General Services Department sought approval from the Board of Supervisors Tuesday to pursue a grant application and matching funds. The grants sought fall under the lengthy title of Federal Aviation Administration Airport Improvement Program Application. GSA Director Jon Hopkins gave an overview of the history of the process, beginning with a suggestion by Airport Manager David Sheppard to submit a grant application for a number of improvement projects, including runway safety improvements like a slurry seal and parallel taxiway, and replacing the current visual approach indicator. These improvements were made all the more urgent when the project manager advised the GSA that the airport will not be eligible for future grants until the runway safety area meets current FAA guidelines. A grant application to cover all projects totaling $1,170,000 was submitted by a February 2 deadline, but Hopkins said that due to time constraints it was not cleared through the Supervisors first. The Board had the choice of whether to accept or reject the grant offer. The FAA returned an approval of only $288,099. The FAA will fund 90 percent of the grant, or $273,694, CALTRANS Aeronautics will fund 2.5 percent of that 95 percent, leaving a balance for the county of approximately $7,563. In regards to submitting a grant application without prior Supervisor approval, Supervisor Richard Forster said “I don’t like someone being too much of a maverick, but when you have a chance at over a million dollars…take it.” Supervisor John Plasse asked “what portion of the funds this grant comes close to accomplishing.” Hopkins said General fund monies would be needed as the Airport Enterprise Fund does not have the money for the required local match. Hopkins said that much of the County’s share of the costs could be reduced by using County staff to accomplish some of the projects. He said this was not always easy considering FAA guidelines and layers of paperwork, but that “local construction would be used whenever possible.” The Supervisors approved the motion unanimously. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Amador Water Agency Board of Directors will have a special meeting Wednesday for a Strategic Planning Workshop. The meeting is set to start 8:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Jackson Rancheria Hotel & Conference Center and should run most of the day. The annual meeting includes a Strategic Plan Review and a presentation on Expected Outcomes, plus 10 other agenda items. Chairman Terence Moore (District 5) called the special meeting, with the other four newly elected members expected to attend: Bill Condrashoff (District 1); Gary Thomas (District 2); Don Cooper (District 3); and Debbie Dunn (District 4). Agenda items include: Working Relationships and Ground Rules; Board Roles and Responsibilities; Staff Roles and Responsibilities; Core Values of the AWA; and The “7 Trends in Industry.” The board will also review and discuss the agency Mission Statement and have a work session on Strategic Planning Issues. They will Review and Update Strategic Plan for 2009 to 2014 and review the Capital Improvement Plan for the next 10 years and also review Customer Satisfaction Results and the agency’s “Next Steps.” The meeting is open to the public and will be held in the Fire Conference Room at the Jackson Rancheria, 12222 New York Ranch Road in Jackson. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The public is invited to comment on the 2009 applications the Bureau of Land Management has submitted to the California Department of Parks and Recreation, Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division. David Christy of BLM Central California’s public affairs, said the public review and comment period will run from Tuesday, March 3rd through Wednesday, April 1st. Christy in a release Monday said “The OHV grant applications are an annual process that is a key part of the partnership between BLM and the state of California, which issues grants to a variety of entities to improve or mitigate Off-Highway Vehicle recreation.” Under the process, BLM applies for grants from the state each year to help fund and coordinate its Off-Highway Vehicle program. View the applications online at www.ohv.parks.ca.gov. Copies are also available at the state office in Sacramento. For copies of grant applications being submitted by the Desert Managers Group and for California public lands along the Colorado River, contact the California State Office. Information is also available on BLM's website. The draft 2009 BLM applications total about 90 projects, which include law enforcement, facility developments, trails projects, restoration work and other Off-Highway Vehicle-related projects proposed throughout BLM’s 16 state field offices. Comments will be taken on grant applications for BLM offices in Folsom, Bishop and Bakersfield. Jim Keeler, BLM Off-Highway Vehicle coordinator, said BLM is also reaching out to interested members of the public through mailings, public meetings, personal contacts and through BLM-California's e-newsletter, News.bytes. For further details on BLM grant applications, contact Keeler at (916) 978-4654 or email, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

An experimental airplane crashed last Thursday night after an apparent medical collapse of the pilot that sent the plane flying unguided until it crashed on the shore of Lake Camanche in Calaveras County. Authorities discovered the wreckage in a desolate area near the shore of Lake Camanche after a nearly 12-hour search. Calaveras County Sheriff’s Officers identified the deceased pilot as Walter Guy Boeck, 67, who was owner of the plane, a Globe GC1A. Captain Jim Macedo of the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office said that 30 personnel from various agencies and two search planes also assisted in the search. Macedo said the search began around 9 p.m. last Thursday when authorities received a report of the aircraft falling off of an area radar screen. Boeck reportedly had been doing maintenance on his aircraft with a male friend, then the two took off together from the Rancho Murieta airport, each flying in their own airplane. Later in the flight, the other man reportedly saw Boeck’s plane flying erratically and he flew up next to Boeck’s plane and saw him slumped over the steering wheel. He could do nothing for Boeck and could not stop his plane, and when he ran low on fuel, he flew back to the Rancho Murieta airport and reported the incident. Macedo said the search line was from the Camanche Lake in the North Shore to Highway 4 near Stockton in the south. At about 9:30 a.m. Friday, a fixed-wing search plane spotted the wreckage in a low area near Lake Camanche’s shore in Calaveras County. Boeck’s body was removed from the wreckage. The family arrived at the scene Friday morning and confirmed that it was Boeck’s airplane. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration had been called in to assist in the investigation. Story by Jim Reece (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

By Jennifer Wilson -

The apparent demise of the Pine Grove Bypass project was again the topic of discussion at Wednesday night’s Pine Grove Council meeting. Collectively, council members are wondering why and how Pine Grove’s transportation solution became a widening project. Several members of the public showed up at the meeting specifically for that topic, including local Realtor Marc Bowman, local Jay Ollig, and developer Tony Rapini, who is currently working on the Pine Bluffs development project at Ridge Road and Highway 88. In addition to the original three options for Pine Grove, which were a southern bypass, a northern bypass, or upgrading 88 “straight up the middle,” Ollig suggested partial widening in conjunction with roundabouts and frontage roads, and promised to bring a drawn plan to the next meeting.

Additionally, the council voiced fears that if Pine Grove doesn’t “pick a solution,” state transportation funds will be given to another area, such as Martell or Ione. Another fear being heard “around town” is that the five-lane widening project is happening, regardless of the promised upcoming public workshops. To allay those fears, the council agreed to invite a member from both the Amador County Transportation Commission and Caltrans to their next meeting. Charles Field, Director of ACTC, has already confirmed that he will be in attendance. The council has put out a request for a representative from Caltrans to appear. The council is hoping that by having members from these two agencies together in the same room, the council’s and the public’s questions can be answered. Council Chair Andy Byrne hopes the information these to people can provide will help to “dispel the rumors.” The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 1st at 5:30 PM at the Pine Grove Town Hall.

Amador County – A public workshop is planned for Tuesday to introduce the public to the Ione draft General Plan Update, Ione City Hall announced last week. City Manager Kim Kerr said “after nearly a year of public workshops, meetings, data gathering and writing,” the draft update will be presented at a joint city council and planning commission meeting Tuesday in city hall. Kerr said the meeting “is an opportunity for community members to learn about the contents (of) and provide their comments on the Draft General Plan.” She said city officials are “really looking forward to hearing what Ione residents and business owners have to say,” and “support from the community has been and will continue to be the key to Ione’s success.” Two follow-up meetings will be held “for staff to walk meeting participants through the details of each element of the Draft General Plan Update and to gather additional input.” Those meetings are set for May 5th and 19th. Once primary public comments are taken and the council and commission give direction on the draft plan, a Draft Environmental Impact Report analyzing impacts of the General Plan Update will be released. Kerr said Tuesday’s workshop is an “important opportunity for residents to share views and give insight on how to maintain Ione’s quality of life while planning” for the future. The Ione General Plan Update, spearheaded by city consultants, Pacific Municipal Consultants of Rancho Cordova, is meant to be “a blueprint for guiding and developing” Ione’s future. It addresses land use, circulation, housing, natural resources, open space, community character, economic development and safety. Kerr said public “participation and contribution” to the meetings “will be essential as (the city strives) to preserve (its) history and create a viable and flourishing community that current and future generations will be glad to call home.” The Ione General Plan Update workshop is 6 p.m. Tuesday at Ione City Hall. For information online, see www.ionegeneralplan.com. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Members of the Amador Water Agency board of directors and the Plymouth City Council are expected to attend an official groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday to dedicate the Plymouth water pipeline project. The ceremony is set for 10 a.m. Wednesday, and will included comments form AWA board President Terence W. Moore, who represents District 5. AWA last week announced the ceremony, which will be held at a Montevina vineyard on Fiddletown/Shenandoah Road, east of Plymouth, below the hilltop where the city of Plymouth’s water storage tank is located. The groundbreaking will included “distinguished guests.” Work of the $10 Million Dollar joint project between the AWA and the city of Plymouth project began last month, but weather postponed the groundbreaking. The project will link the city of Plymouth’s water storage tank with the Tanner Water Treatment Plant on Ridge Road in Sutter Hill. The 6-segment pipeline will use and refurbish existing water lines between Sutter Creek, Amador City and Drytown, and will install new lines on the route, to deliver potable water to Plymouth. The project will help lift a 3-decade-long building moratorium in the city, and has ushered in a wave of commercial and housing developments proposed in and around city limits, with more than 1,000 equivalent dwelling units, all told. The groundbreaking is expected to last an hour. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Amador Water Agency board of directors on Thursday learned that it could not get a higher capacity in its sewer system improvement deal with the city of Sutter Creek, but approved a cost-shared expansion with the city. General Manager Jim Abercrombie sought to get more capacity in exchange for Sutter Creek’s conversion of AWA’s wastewater daily flow capacity from secondary to tertiary treatment level. Abercrombie said the agency’s current 480,000 gallons per day capacity would be exchanged from secondary to tertiary capacity in a deal between Sutter Creek and Gold Rush Ranch & Golf Resort. AWA sought instead to have that trade capacity upgraded to 600,000 gallons a day. Abercrombie said Sutter Creek City Manager Rob Duke did not want to renegotiate and lose previously committed agreements with Gold Rush. Board Member Bill Condrashoff of District 1 asked why AWA paid $750,000 to match Sutter Creek in the original capacity upgrade. Abercrombie said the upgrade was needed because of diminished capacities and increased flows of Fats, Oils and Greases in the system, which made the AWA system’s delivery of water to Sutter Creek violate state requirements. He said AWA could have spent the money to upgrade its own system, or as it chose, invested in the Sutter Creek upgrade and benefit from balanced capacity and also get access to 60,000 gallons a day more capacity. Board Chairman Terence Moore said he asked for the proposed increase in the trade because he was concerned about a clause in the new agreement that said “Gold Rush will only pay for 113,000 gallons a day in tertiary treatment, and suddenly we are going to be on the hook for upgrading that plant to 60,000 gallons a day.” Moore said the agency has “an out, so we’ll just upgrade our developer fees to hook into that additional 60,000 gallons a day capacity.” Condrashoff asked if Martell needed “capacity, with something like Prospect Motors closing.” Abercrombie said the Martell-area capacity base has been allocated and “maxed out.” Engineering Manager Gene Mancebo said that capacity was guaranteed to customers, who may not be using all of the total 100,000 gallons a day capacity. Mancebo said upgrades to the Sutter Creek system were well under way and “very close to completion.” The board voted to have Abercrombie sign the agreement with Sutter Creek. The Sutter Creek City Council has not yet approved the agreement. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

State - A list of 57 transportation projects – totaling $625 million – were adopted Thursday by the California Transportation Commission, as the first in line to receive infrastructure-focused federal economic stimulus dollars. Caltrans also voted to allocate funding for 56 of these projects, pending final approval by the Federal Highway Administration to release the stimulus funds, enabling construction to begin. “This is about jobs-jobs-jobs,” said Caltrans Director Will Kempton. “We plan on starting the first of these projects within 60 days – putting people to work as soon as possible. Caltrans will use the $625 million in federal economic stimulus funding to leverage other state resources, enabling construction to begin on hundreds of projects throughout California.” Nearly $565 million of the funding is targeted for projects in the State Highway Operations and Protection Program, including work on both rural and urban highways. Caltrans said these projects, including paving, fixing potholes, safety, and bridge preservation, receive funding first because protecting public safety is the highest priority and preserving the state’s investment in its highway system is highly cost-effective. The remaining $60 million of funding allocated today will go toward pavement preservation projects. California is expected to receive approximately $2.57 billion for highways, local streets and roads, freight and passenger rail, and port infrastructure projects from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed by President Obama on February 17. Staff Report This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.