Amador County – The Plymouth City Council last Thursday rejected a request for more expenses for its Planning consultant, and sent staff to study its agreement with the city planners. City Planner Darcy Goulart said the amendment to the planning department’s budget for General Plan work, including answering public comments, would total $25,000, instead of the original $32,000 listed in the agenda packet. She said the “comment letters are taking more time to answer” than they thought. Councilman Greg Baldwin asked if the letters were from people who lived out-of-town. City Manager Dixon Flynn said “city staff has expressed a concern to me that this (General Plan) probably could have been scaled down.” But he said “at this point, we can’t back up and start over.” Councilman Mike O’meara asked if it was “going to become a bottomless pit.” Baldwin said “it’s time to fire somebody. This is the people’s money.” Flynn said the Environmental Impact Report of the General Plan would include public comment that must be answered and will cost even more money. The council rejected the request for the $25,000 budget change, and asked Flynn to read the contract with Goulart and Development Impact Incorporated of Elk Grove. They also told Flynn to “talk with the city attorney if needed,” and put the issue on the agenda for the next meeting. O’Meara also asked to see how much money the city has spent with the company. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - A head-on collision in the Pioneer area Thursday morning backed up traffic for miles and injured two. According to preliminary reports, a car and a white van collided after one of the vehicles crossed the center line, although it is unclear who is at fault. The van was headed eastbound and the car was headed westbound. The female driver of the car was seriously injured and transported to Mercy San Juan Hospital by helicopter. The male driver of the van was taken by ambulance to a local hospital. The collision was strong enough to rip the entire wheel off the front of the car. Police are still investigating. Story by Alex Lane

Amador County -The election office said Thursday that it still has just over 1,400 ballots that could be counted in Tuesday’s election, which could have an impact on some of the tighter local races in Amador County. Debbie Smith, elections supervisor for the Amador elections office, said that 261 provisional votes came back from polling places Tuesday. The provisional votes were cast when the voter possibly did not have an absentee ballot to surrender at the polls or for other reasons. Smith said that the elections office also received 1,142 ballots by mail before the cutoff time to vote but after the other absentee ballots had been processed. Those ballots had not been processed and added to the total vote counts. Those remaining ballots total 1,403. She said the elections office was in the process of verifying signatures for the remaining absentee ballots left to tally. She said that the tallying might take place sometime today, Friday, November 7th. The 261 provisional ballots must be checked to see if they are valid and whether they will be tallied, to add to vote counts. The tightest finish Tuesday was in the Plymouth City Council race, where three seats were available to six candidates. Incumbent Councilman Greg Baldwin was 2 votes shy of third place, with 179 votes to third-place winner, Maria Nunez, who had 181 votes. Mayor Jon Colburn took the most votes, receiving 240 and Councilwoman Patricia Shackleton was second with 214 votes. In another close 3-seat race, incumbent Jackson City Councilman Alfred A. Nunes was 6 votes behind the third place finisher Marilyn Lewis, who took 730 votes to Nunes’ 724. Keith Sweet was second in vote numbers with 795 votes and Wayne Garibaldi led the count with 1,190 votes. Story by Jim Reece

Kirkwood Mountain Resort last week announced the tentative schedule for its annual backcountry tours and programs. Daniel Pistoresi of Kirkwood Mountain Resort said in an e-mail last week that Kirkwood offers California’s only resort-based backcountry program, which is “designed to expand the boundaries of mountain exploration.” The offerings include a daily guide service, camps, clinics, backcountry programs and “PowderCat” tours. Classes include beacon training, avalanche awareness courses and the snowcat tours. Pistoris said “Kirkwood’s legendary terrain and reliable snowfall provide the perfect training grounds for skiers and snowboarders looking to take their riding to the next level.” He said visitors can stop by Expedition: Kirkwood Headquarters for daily backcountry forecasts and enlist one of Kirkwood’s knowledgeable guides to show the “secret stashes” of the resort. Few lucky individuals will experience the powder reserves of Red Cliffs and Martin Point as part of Expedition: Kirkwood’s Snowcat Tours, as permitted by conditions. Jon Copeland, Director of Expedition: Kirkwood, said “The industry has seen a dramatic increase in the number of people enjoying backcountry skiing and snowboarding over the last decade. Our programs are designed to educate participants while at the same time exposing them to the lesser known powder stashes at Kirkwood.” New for the 2008-09 season, Expedition: Kirkwood will be offering complimentary avalanche beacon demonstrations on select Sundays along with daily guide service available through the Expedition: Kirkwood Headquarters located in the Mountain Village Plaza. Other highlights for the 2008-09 season include the 2nd Annual Telemark Festival to be held March 13th and 14th and the return of the Women’s Specific Three Day Camp scheduled for March 6th though the 8th. For more information on all of Expedition: Kirkwood products, see www.kirkwood.com or call (209) 258-7360. Story by Jim Reece.

By Jim Reece -

The Award Winning Amador County State Fair Exhibit is on display at Prospect Motors in the Amador Auto Mall in Martell, through early October. Designer and builder of the photographic exhibit, Kam Merzlak said the display was “a great idea for county residents who didn't attend the State Fair to see how we represented the county.” The exhibit will be displayed until the next Amador County Chamber of Commerce mixer, 5 p.m. Wednesday, October 8th. Merzlak is owner and operator of Merzlak Signs in Jackson. Merzlak built the display with the help of Fiddletown chopper fabricator, Doug Wescott.

By Holly Boitano -

A routine agenda item turned into an episode worthy of the Discovery Channel Tuesday when Amador County Planning Commissioners learned of an early 20th Century mine tailing dam that had been seemingly lost since the 1970s, at Rancheria Creek. Commissioners were set to review an environmental document and possibly vote on a subdivision of 311 acres into 7 parcels, located on both sides of Highway 49 at the Rancheria Creek crossing, 800 feet south of Vaira Ranch Road in Drytown. About 10 area residents sat through 3 hours of agenda items to voice objections to the project’s inclusion of a 14.5-acre dedication to CALTRANS for a right-of-way, consisting of portions of an ancient road that had been abandoned by the County in the 1930s, but which residents still use and maintain as a secondary access to their properties.

But before the discussion reached the subject of the road, area resident Amy Turner dropped a bomb: The environmental document contains a highly inaccurate description of a “small agricultural pond” within Rancheria Creek, which is actually a 30-foot tall, 200-foot long dam that was built in 1910 to impound mine tailings from several of the area’s historic mines. Turner said that according to her research, the dam was last looked at in 1975, when apparently someone decided that it did not meet the qualifications to be placed in the Department of Water Resources Division of Dam Safety’s jurisdiction. Project applicants Steven MacDonald and Jeff Cookson also failed to disclose the existence of the dam in their project application. The written description of the project goes as far as to state, in two places, that “there are no existing structures on the properties.” This information was enough for Commissioners to require additional environmental review, including an engineering study on the stability of the dam and a study on the contents of the impounded soil. Residents were also reassured that the proposed right-of-way is only specific to this project, and that the County has no reason to independently seek easements through their properties.

Amador County – The Ione City Council last month heard Amador County Recreation Agency’s request to clarify wording in its Joint Power Agreement, then asked for more information to make a decisions. Executive Director Tracey Towner-Yep said the county attorney wanted ACRA to clean up “language so we can move forward with financing projects.” To have a successful election would take a two-thirds majority. She said ACRA “certainly can’t levy a tax,” and a recent memo was wrong in saying so. But she believes as a Joint Power Authority, ACRA can already seek funding through ballot initiatives. Mayor Lee Ard said it was difficult for him as ACRA board president and also an Ione City Councilman. Ard said, based on City Attorney Kristen Castanos’ comments, “you need a better lawyer.” Towner-Yep said ACRA’s attorney is good and “gives good, solid and very conservative advice.” Towner-Yep said Prop. 218 taxes, property taxes and sales taxes could be considered, while involvement depended on interest among member entities, which include all cities, the county and the school district, plus Camanche and Upcountry groups. Towner-Yep said ACRA’s mission is to “provide recreation opportunities for all of Amador County,” adding that the agency “budget last year was $403,000 dollars.” And member contributions of $172,000 dollars were “soft money,” not guaranteed, as she must approach members annually. Councilman David Plank asked about vote requirements. Towner-Yep said Prop. 218 needed a 50 percent majority, voter taxes take two-thirds majority. She said the school district’s “Field of Dreams” football field movement failed 3 years ago “because people don’t want to pay different rates.” Towner-Yep said she would be OK with letting taxes taken in an area stay in that area to pay for recreation. The discussion will be continued at a future council meeting. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - The Forest Service is extending the current closure of Eldorado National Forest dirt roads and trails until at least April 15 since many of the routes are too muddy for vehicles to drive on. The Forest Service says it will continue to reassess the conditions and the weather forecasts to determine if lifting the closure is still reasonable. Dirt roads and trails, also known as native surface roads, have been closed since January 1, when the three month minimal seasonal closure was put into effect. Forest Supervisor Ramiro Villalvazo said that he elected to extend the closure period by way of a Forest Order because soil conditions remained too wet to travel on without causing damage. “I am primarily concerned with the soils in the lower elevations that tend to mud up more easily than those found in the higher elevations,” said Villalvazo. “The dirt road closure affects the entire Eldorado National Forest and I expect that some routes will be drier than others.” Villalvazo says that when he lifts the closure, some routes will be too wet to drive on and visitors will be responsible not to drive on them. Once the closure is lifted, the Forest Service can still cite people for damaging the routes. “Every year the dirt roads and trails will be closed between January 1 and March 31,” said Villalvazo. “And, each year, depending on the conditions and the weather forecast, I may need to close them sooner or open them later. This year I need to open them later.”

Amador County – The joint panel updating the Amador County General Plan may conclude today with the start of a reception honoring Congressman Dan Lungren. The Amador County Board of Supervisors and the county Planning Commission were scheduled to reconvene today at 10 a.m. for an expected day-long meeting, which could end about the time a reception begins for Congressman Lungren. The Amador County Supervisors will host the 4 p.m. reception to honor Lungren by presenting him “with a resolution recognizing his role in securing a federal grant in the amount of $180,500 dollars” for the Highway 88 corridor in Pine Grove. The resolution will thank Lungren for “his federal allocations for the Pine Grove Corridor Project and for his continued support” of Amador County priorities. The reception will take place in the Board of Supervisors Chambers at 810 Court Street in Jackson, following the wrap-up of the joint General Plan update panel meeting. If needed, the panel will meet again Thursday, April 9th, from 1 to 5 p.m. County Planner Susan Grijalva said the items left for discussion are a decision regarding special designation requests, originally set for Day 2 of the meetings 2 weeks ago. Also, the panel will deliberate and make recommendations regarding a Preferred Alternative; then take public comment, originally set for Day 3 of the March meetings. For further information about the Lungren reception, call the Board of Supervisors Office at 223-6470. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - Newly-elected Assemblywoman and 10th District Representative Alyson Huber will be hosting a town hall meeting at the Board of Supervisors Chambers on April 1st. According to a press release from her office, Huber hopes residents will come to hear about what’s happening in the Capitol, her ideas for the district and what resources she can offer to residents, as well as share their thoughts on issues important to them. Topics on the agenda include the local economy, job loss and septic tank issues. Huber has come out strongly against proposed septic regulations by the State Water Quality Control Board. “As currently written, the proposed regulations apply uniformly throughout the state, with no consideration for California’s diverse geographical, hydrogeological, and demographic characteristics,” she said. The town hall meeting will include time for a question and answer session and Huber staff will be on hand to help residents with any questions or requests involving state and local agencies. The town hall take place on April 1st from 6:30 to 7:30pm at 810 Court Street in Jackson. For more information, contact Huber’s Capitol office at (916) 319-2010 or her District office at (209) 333-5330. Staff Report This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.