Amador County - Also at Thursday’s special meeting in Evalynn Bishop Hall, there will be a workshop on the Ione Community Preservation Project. The project includes a “Main Street Program,” a “Redevelopment Plan,” an Economic Study and a “Main Street Façade Program.” The meeting will discuss $285,000 dollars in funding that the city found from two Community Development Block Grants that were funded in the 1980s but are currently inactive. City Manager Kim Kerr in a staff report said the $284,775 is from the two CDBG grants that closed in December 1990. Kerr and City Attorney Kristen Castanos in researching the funds, found that “when there is no open CDBG grant the funds are considered miscellaneous revenue and (are) not subject to the requirements of … the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 … and can be used as the city sees fit.” Kerr recommended putting $100,000 dollars into the Main Street Program over the next 3 years, for a matching funds Façade Program, which would match up to $2,500. She also recommended $120,000 for the Redevelopment Plan study; $60,000 for the Economic Study; and $4,775 to set up the Main Street Program. Kerr recommended “that the City have a separate non-profit organization operate the Main Street program and have a public-private partnership relationship with the non-profit…. The working title is the Ione Community Preservation Project which will involve economic development, education, and cultural events.” Staff had discussed the non-profit with various community members, including, Marie Nutting of Preston Castle Foundation; Regia Sargent of Ione Picnic Association; Maureen Funk of Amador Council of Tourism; local Realtor Sally Bligh; City Treasurer Sharon Long; and Councilwoman Andrea Bonham, co-owner of Clark’s Corner. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sacramento – Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Friday signed an allocation bill for $835 Million Dollars for regional transportation agencies, part of $1.6 Billion Dollars in federal economic stimulus from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Mark DeSio of the California Department of Transportation, said Schwarzenegger is “continuing his push to create jobs through infrastructure-based investment.” ARRA projects to get funding include 2 projects in Amador County, both on Highway 88. The first is near Barton, from 1/10th mile west of Wagon Wheel Drive to 1/10th mile west of Silver Lake Road, costing $1.16 Million Dollars. The second is Highway 88 near Plasse, from 2 miles west of Tragedy Springs Road to 3/10th-miles east of Kit Carson Lodge Road, also costing $1.16 Million Dollars. The law “modifies existing state law, providing greater delegation to regional transportation agencies for selecting projects and programming their dollars,” DeSio said in a release. Each region is developing a list of projects that could be funded by the $1.6 billion-dollar pool of money. The new law also gives CalTrans flexibility to use $310 million dollars in federal economic stimulus funds, to move a number of Proposition 1B projects more quickly to construction. DeSio said “Caltrans will propose projects that provide construction jobs immediately and also provide the greatest long-term economic benefits for the state.” Caltrans launched an Economic Recovery Website, DeSio said, “designed to provide “up-to-date information on using ARRA funds on transportation projects to create jobs and jump-start the economy.” Online see www.dot.ca.gov/recovery or the federal site, www.recovery.gov. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - Action by state and local officials is adding momentum to protests against proposed Assembly Bill 885, which would increase statewide minimum standards for Onsite Sewage and Wastewater Treatment Systems. The original bill was signed in to law by Governor Gray Davis on September 28, 2000, but updated regulations controlled through the State Water Resources Control Board are proposed for 2010. The State Board is up against protests from residents and officials in rural counties who feel the uniform standards originally proposed for coastal communities are ineffective when applied across the state as blanket legislation. Recently, three members of the State Legislature have introduced three separate bills addressing the issue. Freshman Assemblywoman Alyson Huber, who represents Amador County and the 10th District, introduced AB 580, which amends one section of the water code and has gained the support of the Regional Council of Rural Counties. AB 916, authored by Assemblyman Dan Logue, also amends two sections of the water code. And AB 268, introduced by Assemblyman Ted Gaines, would repeal 885 entirely. The latter bill is not expected to make it to the assembly floor for discussion. Supervisor Richard Forster, in an exclusive interview with TSPN, called the proposal unrealistic and an additional burden on that segment of our community. He also cited the hefty fines against owner’s of onsite treatment systems should this legislation pass. Information based on the 2000 U.S. Census suggests that of the approximate 15,034 housing units in Amador County, 8,347 use Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems. That’s approximately 55.5 percent of the county’s housing units. Amador Water Agency Board member Debbie Dunn said in a public email that “Amador County hosts a significant population that will be affected by this legislation. It would behoove all agencies and councils to hold some level of dialogue with their members, attendees and residents in the near future.” Assemblywoman Huber is holding a public workshop in Amador County to address this and other issues facing the county, as well as take time for public input. That workshop is being held this Wednesday evening, April 1st, 6:30pm at the Board of Supervisors Chambers, 810 Court Street in Jackson. The Control Board is scheduled to discuss the matter further on April 14th. 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 announced Monday that a quorum of the AWA board may attend today’s meeting of the Amador County Board of Supervisors to discuss their opposition to the East Bay Municipal Utility District’s proposal to expand Pardee Reservoir. The public notice effectively allows the AWA board to discuss agency business at the meeting without violation of the Brown Act. Supervisors will discuss and possibly take action relative to the proposed expansion of Pardee Dam, by building up the dam, as part of the East Bay Municipal Utility District 2040 water plan. The meeting starts at 9 a.m. today. Last Thursday, the AWA board took input from the public urging opposition for various reasons, and the board voted unanimously to oppose the Pardee expansion. Board member Debbie Dunn said if the project were “vehemently opposed, what is East Bay MUD’s next step?” Abercrombie said opposition should include points of contention, to which East Bay would “be required to evaluate and provide detailed responses.” Katherine Evatt of the Foothill Conservancy said if enough people oppose the expansion, East Bay MUD “can change that 2040 Plan now (and remove the expansion of Pardee). They need no environmental study to do that.” Dunn said the reason East Bay prefers the Pardee expansion is obvious, because it would produce 52,000 acre-feet of water a year, compared to a desalination project by the Bay, which could spout 10,000 to 12,000 acre-feet a year. Dunn said in the last week and 3 days she had not met anyone who supported expanding Pardee. A board member of the Jackson Valley Irrigation District was the only one who spoke in support of the expansion, at the workshop 2 weeks ago. Evatt said the expansion of Pardee Reservoir would not give any new water to Amador County, and the project would require a 400-foot dam and hundreds of millions of dollars, if not a billion dollars. She said East Bay MUD directors “rejected an off-stream dam in their own district,” but pursue one in Amador. Evatt said “people love that river and they use it. And if you threaten it, they show up.” She recited a list of groups that attended the meeting in the AWA office, and said “these people have money and they will fight it tooth and nail.” To comment, e-mail 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.

Amador County – Plymouth drew criticism for its ambitious draft Sphere Of Influence last week as the Amador County Supervisors and Planning Commission ended a 3-day General Plan Update meeting Thursday in Jackson. Talk turned to inclusion or exclusion from city spheres of any property that would get a proposed new land designation, that is, the “Urban Reserve” designation. The panel also talked about possible adverse affects on properties. The sphere of influence, the imaginary line around cities, indicates areas a city council intends to annex. County Planner Susan Grijalva said if a property is not annexed, the property owner can request to be removed from a city’s sphere of influence. She said “if a city has no general plan adopted for a sphere, then the county’s designation would remain.” Sutter Creek Assistant City Manager Sean Rabe said “city planners do really feel that this is a good thing.” Property splits can still happen, but in the sphere, the owner goes to the city, rather than the county. Grijalva said rejection of annexation of a property into a city limit does not create an “automatic ejection from a Sphere of Influence.” The property owner must ask the Local Agency Formation Commission for removal from a Sphere. Supervisor Brian Oneto asked what would happen if a request were rejected by LAFCO. Grijalva said the property would then be “stuck” in the Sphere. Rabe said annexations are rejected because projects on properties are not built to a city’s standards. Grijalva said “some cities’ spheres have been overbroad” and they cannot serve the land they seek to annex. She said “LAFCO must approve a city’s ability to serve its sphere.” In public comment, Art Marinaccio of Amador Citizens For Responsible Government said the issue “needs to be clearly understood” and “a lot of background information should come forward” for the panel to decide the Urban Reserve question. He said “it is unfair to criticize Plymouth” for looking farther than 10 years out in their plan. Supervisor Richard Forster criticized the ambition of Plymouth, which he said has a draft Sphere of Influence in which it would be “looking at 8-and-a-half square miles of total annexation.” Marinaccio said “let’s ask for actual information, rather than speculation.” Forster recommended supervisors workshop the issue with commissioners, and Grijalva said staff will get more information on Urban Reserve and bring it back to the panel, which resumes the meeting 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 8th in the Supervisors’ chambers. A second meeting, if needed, would convene noon to 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 9th. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Plymouth City Council in its first meeting this month authorized its city manager to discuss with a company about reopening the Arroyo Ditch. City Manager Dixon Flynn said last week that the council authorized him to negotiate with Shenandoah Water Company regarding operation of the Arroyo Ditch, including working to verify legal rights to the diversion of water and also to get the nuts and bolts turned to bring water through the ditch to the city. Flynn said the Shenandoah Water Company is made up of 2 attorneys and 2 engineers, and includes 2 former Amador County residents. They were 1 of 2 companies who submitted a list of qualifications for the work. Flynn said the Shenandoah Water showed its experience in specifically getting a ditch to flow again in Napa Valley. The group restore flow to a 1950s water ditch by proving “beneficial use,” or showing buyers for the supply of water downstream. Flynn said the Arroyo Ditch was in use for 100 years and went on down Highway 49, eventually serving customers all the way to Ione. Once restored, those farms downstream along the Arroyo Ditch could translate to those needed “beneficial use” customers. He said the ditch “slipped into disrepair because the city fell behind in maintenance over the years.” By the mid-1990s, it slipped into disuse. Flynn said it pulls water only during high flow times, per the rights. “And the problem is, where do you store it? I believe I have the solution – in the mines.” He said mines are used in the Middle East to store water, where they are called cisterns. The city has estimated that it could store 200 acre-feet of water in the Empire Mine. He said it would have to be checked for chemicals, but he said the Empire was said to have been easy to bail out when it took on water, indicating it was likely not leaky. Shenandoah Water Company will work on restoring the water, then be able to sell a portion of the water, while giving Plymouth a share of the water, all at no cost to Plymouth. Flynn said he was not yet sure whether the ditch would be restored or be fitted with a pipeline. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - Officer John Stewart, a two year veteran of the Ione Police Department, passed away during the afternoon hours of March 25th due to complications from illness. Prior to serving the community of Ione, Stewart worked for the Cities of Jackson, Isleton, Rio Vista, and Guadalupe. Stewart has been in law enforcement since the early 80’s. Funeral services will be held Tuesday, March 31 at the Ione Community United Methodist Church, 150 West Marlette Street, beginning at 10 am. Following the service, Officer Stewart will be laid to rest at the Ione Public Cemetery. Donations are accepted at the Bank of Amador under the “John Stewart Family Trust.” He is survived by his wife and children. Staff Report This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County Crime - Jackson resident Larry Steven Smith, 51, was found guilty on March 26th of raping a woman at the National Hotel last November. Smith was found guilty by an Amador County Jury of the felony charges of rape of an intoxicated person and rape of an unconscious person, and a misdemeanor sexual battery. According to District Attorney Todd Riebe, Smith and another man were captured on surveillance video groping and “taking advantage of the victim’s incapacitation.” Smith and his male companion are seen taking the 40-year-old woman from the Fargo Club to the National Hotel, where the companion uses the victim’s credit card to rent a room at the hotel. Smith and the other male take the victim up to her room and leave. Smith is later shown on video returning to the victim’s room. The victim testified that she was shopping in Jackson for the first time and entered the Fargo Club to have a drink. She said she ordered a second drink and the next thing she remembered was waking up in a hotel room next to Smith. The victim reported the crime to Jackson police the next day. Riebe said the video surveillance was the crucial piece of evidence in the case. “The video clearly demonstrated Smith’s intent to take advantage of the victim’s capacity,” he said. Smith’s sentencing date will be determined on March 27th. He faces up to eight years in state prison. 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 has drafted and approved a response to East Bay Municipal Utilities DIstrict’s proposal to raise the Pardee Reservoir outlined in its 2040 Water Management Plan. In a 5-0 vote during the Water Agency meeting Thursday, the Board approved a response drafted by AWA General Manager Jim Abercrombie. “The Agency is opposed to the enlargement of the Pardee Reservoir as currently proposed, especially the water backup, past the Hwy 49 Bridge,” wrote Abercrombie. AWA feels this project is greater in scope than previously proposed, and there “are significant environmental, aesthetic, biological and recreational impacts that the public raised that need to be addressed.” However, the Agency does support continuing discussion on the concept of the IRCUP project, which indicates a need for an additional 20,000 acre feet of water to meet the general plan build-out of the County. Abercrombie writes that the “draft program EIR (of the 2040 Water Plan) does not address the water rights that may be needed in order to carry out the enlarged Pardee Reservoir alternative or the new Buckhorn Canyon Reservoir alternative.” Among other reasons cited for opposing the plan, Abercrombie said “there is no mention in this section regarding the need for State Water Resources Control Board permit approval for the enlarged Pardee Reservoir alternative, the Buckhorn Canyon Reservoir alternative, or the banking of Mokelumne River water in the San Joaquin Groundwater Basin. Abercrombie goes on to site specifics that need further clarification. The letter also echoes a primary concern of many who attended the overflowing meeting in the Amador Water Agency building two weeks ago. “The Agency is requesting EBMUD hold a second meeting in Amador County and extend the comment period due to the lack of adequate space for all attendees to participate in the presentation and discussion,” said Abercrombie. “ln summary,” he writes, “the Agency is opposed to the proposed Pardee Reservoir enlargement; however, the Agency is open to discussions regarding the IRCUP with EBMUD to secure additional water supplies for the benefit of Amador and EBMUD.” 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 last Thursday voted unanimously to oppose the East Bay Municipal Utility District in its proposal to expand Pardee Lake dam. General Manager Abercrombie said that East Bay MUD preferred the Pardee Lake expansion, to its other water supply solutions in the 2040 plan. Abercrombie said Amador County is growing and the projected needs of for water total 20,000 acre feet, but Chairman Terence Moore said that need could be 30,000 acre feet, when studies are done. Moore pointed out that East Bay MUD’s plan includes 370,000 acre-feet of water, which they want to store, but do not have the rights to store. He cited the 1959 agreement between East Bay MUD and Amador and Calaveras counties, which prevents East Bay MUD from making any project on the Mokelumne River without approval from both counties. Pete Bell, president of the Foothill Conservancy, said his attorney was still reviewing the agreement but thinks AWA has “the authority to stop them from acquiring new water rights, but you don’t have the authority to stop them from raising the dam.” Bell said raising a dam in the Valley “was too politically unpopular, so they came to the Upcountry, and found out last week that they are facing opposition here too.” Bell said the engineering is sufficient, the project lack in legal rights, and “financial cost effectiveness.” Bell said raising Pardee dam raises fish passage issues and reopens the East Bay agency’s federal license and accompanying settlement agreement to downstream parties. AWA Vice Chairman Bill Condrashoff said he did “not think this is about water rights” or the Conjunctive Use Project. He thought it was “about flooding parts of the Mokelumne River.” He said if they don’t get in their comments about the plan now, it might be too late, when the comment period closes April 8. The East Bay MUD 2040 plan hosts another public meeting 6:30 p.m. today at the San Andreas Town Hall, 24 Church Hill Road. To comment, e-mail 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.