Amador County – About 175 people in all participated in the Amador County branch of the 2009 PUSH America Journey of Hope bicycle ride and luncheon at Saint Sava mission Tuesday morning in Jackson. About 60 national members of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity, from colleges and universities all over the country, rode into Amador County from Sacramento in the early stages of their cross-country ride to reach out to communities, organizations, and people with disabilities. ARC of Amador Executive Director Mike Sweeney and about 120 people, including his staff members and ARC participants greeted the riders, who set out Sunday from the Golden Gate Bridge on the cross-country ride, called “Journey of Hope.” The destination is Washington D.C., and the ride is to raise awareness and funding for people with disabilities. ARC, which assists people with disabilities in the community of Amador County, has been a host organization and fundraising beneficiary of Journey of Hope and its Pi Kappa Phi bicyclists for 21 years now. The fraternity has several philanthropic events under its PUSH America program. On Tuesday, Sweeney greeted the riders and their pace vans and treated them to a hotdog lunch on the picnic tables at Saint Sava Mission. Sweeney said in Nevada, the 60 or so riders and their assisting vans will split into a northern route group and a southern route group. He said it was a good way for the program to spread the word to more communities and also to assist more communities. Push America’s website said the group “has been cycling all across the country on behalf of people with disabilities since 1988.” PUSH America has visited more than 30 states, and the “cycling events are carrying with them a message of acceptance and understanding for people with disabilities.” 2 of the group’s team events, Gear Up Florida and the Journey of Hope, “provide grant funding to partnering organizations, through an application process, located in the cities we visit.” For information online, see PUSHAmerica.org. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday heard an informational presentation by Amador Water Agency Engineering Manager Gene Mancebo on the potential benefits of an Inter-Regional Conjunctive Use Project, or IRCUP. As described in an agreement on conceptual terms and conditions pending approval, the IRCUP will “improve the availability of water supplies and provide environmental benefits through inter-regional conjunctive use efforts with new or enhanced ground and surface water storage.” The agreement would take place between the AWA, the Calaveras Water District, East Bay Municipal Utility District, the Mokelumne River Water and Power Authority, and the San Joaquin County Flood Control and Water Conservation District. The agreement states this “would provide for mutual support” for regional water projects and “resolve pending protests.” “The Amador Water Agency looks at water needs like a 3-legged stool: water conservation, water reclamation and water supply projects,” said Mancebo, referring to his agency’s desire to balance the three components equally. The agreement focuses on water storage in the San Joaquin ground basin for subsequent extraction in dry years, in order to help meet growing water demand needs. As outlined in a slide presentation, Amador, Calaveras and EBMUD will utilize the additional storage as demand increases, but San Joaquin needs supply as soon as possible to address its “groundwater overdraft” situation. “San Joaquin has been overdrafting their water supply, and as a result has salt water intrusion on their groundwater supply,” said Mancebo. Mancebo said San Joaquin County officials estimate additional storage of up to a million acre feet of water. Supervisor John Plasse asked if there “are enough flows off the Mokelumne River to meet those needs.” Mancebo said the water supplies we currently function off already meet that demand. He added that the State Water Resources Control Board has already listed the Mokelumne as a fully appropriated stream.” Foothill Conservancy Vice President Pete Bell said “we’ve got real problems with the terms and conditions of this agreement” and that “San Joaquin has been over-pumping for over 70 years,” but no other details were provided. No action was taken. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – In its second workshop on the 2009-2010 budget, the Amador Water Agency board of directors on Tuesday clarified its directions to staff from the previous meeting. Board member Don Cooper pointed at a 13.9 percent rate increase in wastewater and told staff he thought he had told them to look at “no rate increases.” AWA General Manager Jim Abercrombie said he thought the direction of the board was to have “staff come up with some kind of revenue stream to close the gap.” Board member Bill Condrashoff criticized Finance Manager Mike Lee for “math errors” and figures that did not add up correctly. Lee projected the last 6 weeks of the fiscal year, and “it’s the most realistic prediction I can give you.” Cooper said “I would like to see the impact of removing $800,000 dollars from this budget. We are not supposed to build this budget line by line.” He said “I’m a little frustrated because that is not our job.” Board member Debbie Dunn said the only changes staff pointed out in the new draft budget was the Cost of Living Adjustment. Abercrombie said he was looking at 5 different board members’ directions, and “some want to go line by line and go through the minutiae,” and some want a more wide view. Board member Gary Thomas said he would like to see the broad budget and then go line by line when needed. Chairman Terence Moore said “I would like to see this thing flat, see if we can give them a breather for a year.” He suggested balancing the budget using reserves. Condrashoff said he would like to see it balanced this year, but not by using reserves, because they would just face the same problems next year. Cooper said he thought the budget was over-projecting revenues and “stacking the deck – you are expecting to get more revenue that you will probably get.” Condrashoff said he wanted to minimize rate increases and cut the budget. Moore said he did not “know if we can cut out all the rate increases.” He suggested trying to keep the increases low, in the 2-4 percent range. Cooper said “we probably can’t take it to zero, but I’d like to see what happens when we take ti to zero. I would like to see what it looks like without the wound getting cut open.” Condrashoff agreed, saying he would like to see the Amador Water System rate increase “down to zero.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County –The Amador County Behavioral Health Department this week announced the launch of a community planning phase in its pursuit of Mental Health Services Act funding. Director George E. Sonsel said Amador County Behavioral Health is “about to embark on an inclusive process to plan for several million dollars worth of MHSA funding.” Areas in Amador that will get funding include “prevention and early intervention programs; workforce development activities; new information technology systems; behavioral health facilities; supportive housing; and unique and innovative behavioral health practices. Sonsel hired a professional community planning consultant, Resource Development Associates, to help “identify our county’s unique mental health needs and develop strategies that address these needs.” During the meeting, he said, “we will map our vision for future MHSA programs.” The meeting will “look at where we are today, and where we hope to go in the short-term and long-term.” RDA in an early June meeting said Amador County has $5.7 million dollars in funding due to it from the MHSA. RDA’s Jennifer Susskind said if something about the funding amount “changes in Sacramento, we will come back and tell you about it.” Funding includes $772,000 dollars for prevention and early intervention; $450,000 for workforce education training; $778,000 for capital facilities and technology; $501,000 for housing; and $230,000 for innovation. Susskind said a minimum 51 percent of the prevention and early intervention funds must be dedicated to children and youth, ages zero to 20. Part of that funding must also be spent by early next year. And workforce education training funds must be used in 10 years. Susskind said each county will decide whether to use the capital funds for buildings or technology. She said the $500,000 for housing “sounds very minimal,” but it can be used for development, acquisition, construction or rehabilitation. She said buying a house could help 6 people or so. Susskind said the planning council meeting will help identify goals and objectives in Amador. Sonsel said to “Expect a highly interactive meeting.” He said mental health specialists’ participation and voices are critical to the planning process. They “especially seek the input of behavioral health clients, their family members and caregivers.” The “community-wide kickoff meeting” is 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 30th at the Health & Human Services Building, 10877 Conductor Blvd, in Sutter Creek. RSVP (if possible, though not necessary) to Lynn Thomas at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call (209) 223-6814. The meeting is open to the public. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Amador County Health Officer Dr. Robert Hartmann is relaying the news to Amador County residents of a recently announced H1N1, or “swine flu” global pandemic and what it means for Amador County. On June 11, the World Health organization raised the worldwide Pandemic Influenza Alert Level to Phase Six, the highest such designation for a flu outbreak. According to Hartmann, “this declaration is based on the sustained world wide spread of the H1N1 virus, not an increased severity of illness.” Most cases of the virus are relatively mild, and officials in the U.S. have been assuring Americans that the declaration means little in this country, where a pandemic mode has been in effect since late April. The U.S. currently accounts for roughly half of the world's swine flu cases — nearly 17,855 cases in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. In California, there have been six deaths. One case of the virus was discovered in an Amador County man who returned from Mexico in mid-April, but Hartmann assures that that case was mild and the man recovered to full health without any propagation of the illness. “Amador County Public Health is continuing to meet with their partners - Sutter Amador Hospital, Amador County Sheriffs Office of Emergency Services, Department of Corrections, Amador County Unified School District and many others - to plan for the upcoming fall flu season,” says Hartmann. He is asking all individuals to take the same basic steps they would to avoid any other flu virus. This includes washing your hands often with soapy, hot water for 20-30 seconds, staying home if you are sick, covering your sneezes and coughs, and planning for all family members to receive a seasonal flu vaccine this fall. Please contact Amador County Public Health at 223-6407 if you have further questions. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Amador County Transportation Commission this week will consider sending a letter of invitation to the Ione Band of Miwok Indians to formally discuss road projects and the tribe’s casino and other development plans in Plymouth and Amador County. The draft letter is part of the ACTC board’s consent agenda, during its regular meeting Wednesday. The letter would request that tribal Chairman Matthew Franklin and the tribe “participate in formal government-to-government consultation with the (ACTC) regarding several transportation planning projects of potential interest to” the tribe. In the draft letter, staff wrote that “ACTC wishes to inform tribal leadership of the nature of these efforts and to gather information regarding planned tribal development that may potentially influence regional traffic patterns, and corresponding infrastructure planning.” ACTC’s projects mentioned in the letter included the “UPLAN,” a long-range, integrated land use and transportation planning tool. It also mentioned Plymouth and Martell “circulation improvement programs” and mapping exercises, a Pine Grove Corridor improvement project, and a regional transportation plan update. The draft letter calls it vital for ACTC to gather the tribe’s perspective on the matters. The Ione Band of Miwok Indians is seeking to have land taken into trust inside Plymouth city limits to build a tribal gambling casino there. The tribe and the Plymouth City Council ended formal government-to-government discussion about the casino project when Plymouth decided to no longer attend city council/tribal council committee meetings. The ACTC board represents all cities in the county, and the county, and members include Plymouth Vice Mayor Greg Baldwin, who is vice chairman of the ACTC board. The ACTC board meets at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the board of supervisors’ chambers at 810 Court Street in Jackson. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – City Engineer Roark Weber gave the Plymouth City Council preliminary numbers on some road work last week, then the council directed him to get more current numbers based on specific projects. That included grinding the full width of Main Street from Empire to Landrum streets, with an authorization to do a “full grind,” but only “grind as necessary.” Councilman Mike O’Meara said he “would trust Roark to use his professional judgment whether we need to use full width or partial.” Weber recommended directing him to do full-width, then adjust were possible to conserve funding. He said the grinded aggregate could be used as fill on projects elsewhere in the city and save the city money. The council also sought pricing for a “chip seal” project of Main Street east from Highway 49 to the city limit, just past Rory’s Towing. They also wanted numbers on an Emerson Street conduit pipe, which Weber would look at to see if one or 2 pipes would be necessary. He said new PVC pipes are steel-reinforced, and better products, and he would get an estimate on material for City Manager Dixon Flynn. Weber said the pipes are 3 feet in diameter, and it would be a “drop inlet,” part of the improvements done at the intersection of Empire Street and Highway 49. The council agreed revamping the city parking lot on Main was a priority. Councilwoman Pat Fordyce said to bring people to town, they need parking; and Vice Mayor Greg Baldwin said “depending on how the money flows,” he would like the parking lot fixed. Mayor Jon Colburn said a use permit at the end of Pacific Street needed to be looked at. He said “we need those people to participate because they are the ones that tear the road up.” The council also directed Flynn to seek bids on replacing the flag pole at Sharkey Begovich Park, estimated at $10,000 to $15,000 dollars. Flynn said there are flag pole companies all over the country, but there is also one company based in Amador County, in Pine Grove. Baldwin said they could save by doing the pole’s installation in-house. In public comment, Gary Colburn said Michelle Begovich is a “proud grandmother for the first time.” The baby boy is named Rowdy Sharkey Begovich. Colburn said he would like to see the flag pole restored, because it is an “historic part of the town.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Region - Tonight marks the first of two workshops this week on historic preservation in the mother lode region. The Amador County Historic Preservation Workshop, from 6 - 9 pm tonight at the Fiddletown Community Center Library, will “continue exploration of means for historic preservation.” Gary Reinoehl, a concerned citizen and workshop promoter, recently expressed to TSPN his concern that the “Economic Development Element of the (Amador County) General Plan doesn’t cover heritage tourism to the same extent that it does cultural tourism.” Based on these concerns, the Board of Supervisors on June 3 accepted an addendum that includes a goal for the County to seek designation as a Certified Local Government and a Preserve America Community, two preservation partnership programs between county, state and federal government. The agenda includes a discussion on becoming certified, and the potential benefits and setbacks. A second workshop, entitled “Keeping Time, Part II,” takes place Friday, June 19 from 9 am to 4 pm at the Church of the ‘49ers Faith Hall in Columbia. The conference includes lectures by Historical Researchers Terry Brejla and Julia Costello, Ph.D., Preservation Lawyer Susan Brandt-Hawley, Restoration Architect Mark Huck, and Senior Planner Roberta Deering. The conference culminates with a tour of Columbia State Park conducted by Cultural Resource Specialist Linda Dick Bissonnette highlighting “preservation success stories.” For further information about the conference, or to register by email, contact Carol Rios at 209-533-6601. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

El Dorado County – Sierra Pacific Industries’ sawmill in Camino closed its doors last Thursday, once again raising debate over the future of forest-based industries in our region and across the country. Sierra Pacific estimates 160 mill workers and 450 workers whose jobs depend on the Camino mill will lose their jobs. After recent closures in Quincy and Sonora, this becomes the third shutdown in the region, bringing the total direct and indirect job loss to almost 1200 jobs, according to Mark Luster, Community Relations Manager for Sierra Pacific Industries. As many as 25 mills have shut down through the last half-century in the Mother Lode region. “Today is a sad day for El Dorado County. The closing of Sierra Pacific’s mill is a great loss to the entire community,” said Senator Dave Cox, who represents this region. Sierra Pacific officials said the “difficult lumber market combined with reduced timber harvests on nearby national forest lands and state regulatory burdens were the primary drivers behind the decision to close the plants.” Luster said about 40 percent of the lumber needed to supply Sierra Pacific’s sawmills comes from the United States Forest Service and other private landowners. “The Forest Service has been under litigation for the last two decades or so, and their supply of timber has dropped about 90 percent in the last 20 or 30 years. That means that we don’t have the log supply to run our sawmills with,” said Luster. Some local officials, like Calaveras District 2 Supervisor Steve Wilensky are pushing for fundamental changes that will allow forest based industries to survive in the future. “It’s a boom-bust cycle that we’ve learned about in the foothills from the Gold Rush to timber to housing. We’ve really hitched our wagon to ponies that tended to go off a cliff,” said Wilensky in an exclusive TSPN interview. Wilensky traveled to Washington, DC, on May 21 to testify before a Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands in an Oversight Hearing. Wilensky is pushing for a sustainable forest economy partly based on restoration, watershed protection, and carbon sequestration. “Those things can be wrapped into an economy and could put a lot of people back to work,” he said. Senator Cox is taking a different approach to dealing with these closures. He met with the Governor and legislative leaders earlier this year to ask that the state revise its timber harvest laws with a Timber Harvest Plan/Forest Conservation Plan to allow professional foresters to manage California’s forests. “Had the Governor and Legislative leaders adopted Cox’s request, jobs in the timber industry would have been saved,” wrote one Cox spokesperson in a press release. Cox has also introduced Assembly Bill 1066, which would extend the effective period of a timber harvest plan from three years to five years. Wilenksy says that “every time we have a housing market drop we have a big argument about environmental regulations, but overall, statistically, housing starts dictate the number of board feet in this country, and the housing starts are down to nothing.” He added that “occasionally there will be places where environmental regulations keep people out of certain areas…but we’re looking to treat the Sierra as a whole so those distortions need to be balanced out.” Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Ione City Council on Tuesday will discuss the default on a Mello Roos bond that affects the Castle Oaks Subdivision, and 99 of its parcels owned by JTS Communities Incorporated. JTS missed a $453,000 dollar tax payment on its Castle Oaks Community Facilities District Number 3 in April, and the city of Ione in May notified JTS and partners that a correction would be needed in 45 days. City Manager Kim Kerr reported in May to the Board that the delinquency had occurred, and on May 21st, Kerr mailed a letter on behalf of the city to Stone & Youngberg LLC of San Diego; S&Y Capital Group of Los Angeles; Tower Investments LLC of Woodland; and Jack Sweigart and Larry Carter of JTS, based in Sacramento. The letter told the “initial purchasers” that they were “delinquent in the payment of the second installment of Special Taxes” for this fiscal year, for the Edgebrook and Castle Oaks Phase 2 Improvement Area Number 3. 2006 bonds for CFD Number 3 totaled $10.8 million dollars. Kerr in the letter said if delinquent taxes “are not paid in full within 45 days, the initial purchasers will be required” to “tender bonds in the amount of such delinquency.” Kerr in a report to the Ione City Council dated last Thursday said if the special taxes are not paid by July 6th, “or Restricted Bonds are not tendered, then the city needs to cause the Trusted to cancel Restricted Bonds.” A summary from the county tax collector’s office said 99 parcels in CFD 3 were delinquent on payments. That included 96 parcels owned by JTS Communities, and 3 parcels listed as owned by Jack T. and Victoria Sweigart. The summary said a total of $906,000 dollars was due, and $453,000 dollars in payments were delinquent for the 99 parcels, or half of the total due for the fiscal year. Kerr said County Tax Collector Michael Ryan notified the city of the non-payment by JTS Communities and its partners. Kerr and staff contacted city attorney Brian Forbath and financial consultant Shayne Morgan about the default. Kerr said staff researched and her report listed information on foreclosure proceedings, “for the benefit of the owners of the bonds.” Staff is working to “determine whether other property owners have not paid their Community Facilities District Special Taxes as well and the procedures to resolve the delinquency for each area. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.