Amador County – Federal officials signed a deal late yesterday that will protect nearly 28,000 acres of regional land under the nation’s largest safe harbor agreement. The property is within San Joaquin, Amador and Calaveras counties. The agreement was signed at Pardee Reservoir Observation Point in Amador County between representatives of the East Bay Municipal Utility District and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. EBMUD will voluntarily manage its property in order to restore and maintain the habitat for three federal protected species: the elderberry longhorn beetle, the California red-legged frog and the California tiger salamander. In return, the federal government has agreed not to impose any restrictions on the land. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would acknowledge in advance that incidental species impacts may be caused by routine EBMUD land-use practices. Details of the agreement date back to 2008, when EBMUD created a Mokelumne Watershed Master Plan outlining long-term strategies for protecting the 19,000 acres of land in the Mokelumne River watershed that EBMUD owns. “In order to successfully conserve federally listed species, we need cooperative agreements with private landowners in California,” said Susan Moore, field supervisor with the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife service office, in an interview with the Sac Bee. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Plymouth City Council last week discussed the issue of cleaning up the town by way of fining offenders. That item was Dixon Flynn’s City Manager Report, among different ongoing projects, listed as “code enforcement policies.” Flynn said it involved “the full range of code enforcement,” because the city had plenty of ordinances to regulate, but lacked in ordinances of enforcement. City Attorney Mike Dean asked if Amador County uses “administrative fines,” and he suggested using that type of find. He said administrative fines “come directly to the city and do not go through the state.” Vice Mayor Greg Baldwin said it would be good for people to get fines, so then they would start cleaning up their yards. Dean said the alternative method, using a “nuisance abatement process” requires a “reasonable notice – whatever that means – and an opportunity to be heard.” He said an administrative citation requires no notice or hearing, “but there is an appeal process there.” In other business, Flynn delivered draft policies on risk management. He said no action was required, and council members could look over the policies and bring them back on a case by case basis. City Clerk Gloria Stoddard, the city’s risk management coordinator, and the safety committee already had worked on the policies. Baldwin asked who had promoted the policies and what were they doing to fund them. He said thought they “should go for the bare minimum.” Stoddard said the Public Agency Risk Sharing Authority of California gave the city a template so the council can adjust it to fit Plymouth. She said the committee did eliminate some safety inspection reports, but they “got written up” by PARSAC. In other discussion, Flynn said Stoddard is going on vacation soon, to go to her grandson’s graduation. Flynn also introduced the city’s new administrative employee, Kathleen Johnson. He said Johnson, a Sutter Creek resident, was selected from 50 applicants in a process that started last fall. Johnson said she was “really excited to be here” and she has “been a Plymouth fan for years, as a visitor.” The Plymouth City Council next meets June 11th. 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 was on the road last week – literally. The council during its regular session gathered on Main Street in front of City Hall to look at what some called the worst road in town. The council was discussing street improvement projects for the upcoming construction season. Councilwoman Pat Shackleton said they decided that instead of just talking about the city’s worn streets, they would come out and look at the problems. Councilman Greg Baldwin suggested installing a “speed table” – a wide, almost bridge-like speed bump – to cross Main Street at the City Hall steps. He said it would help pedestrians cross and would remove the step up to the curb, while slowing traffic to 15 miles per hour. Mayor Jon Colburn asked City Engineer Roark Weber to get a cost estimate to repave Main Street from Landrum Street to Highway 49, and also chip-and-seal past Landrum. Weber said a 1999 report identified $332,000 dollars worth of “deferred maintenance” needs and $1.08 Million dollars would be “needed to bring all city streets into good condition.” He said “the 5 streets with ‘minus’ ratings were Quartz, Gerrans, Mineral and Pacific” streets. Since 1999, Weber said minimal street work had been done, except for a Safe Routes To School project and FEMA-funded repairs on Mill, Poplar and Empire streets. Weber said estimates would be lower if material costs were lower. Asphalt, once about $110 dollars a ton in now $70 to 85 dollars a ton. Finance director Jeff Gardner said the city got all of its Prop 1D funds, about $400,000 dollars. Weber said the Highway 49 and Main intersection project would be reimbursed, and the city should “try to get Caltrans to reimburse you so you are 100 percent in the black.” In public comment, Gary Colburn said: “Plymouth is a tourist trap, whether you like it or not. And all of our money comes from people going to the wine country, the gold country, the 49er Village and the Fair.” He said he shudders to think the city would spend money on a new pedestrian ramp or driveway, and would rather see it take the asphalt curve off of Main, to make it easier for the elderly to cross. Raymond Estey said “we chip sealed about 15 years ago” on Main Street, but Main has not been paved in 30 years, since before the 1970s, when a city water line was installed, through a cut in the asphalt. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - Teams and committees are now forming for the 6th Annual Amador County Camp Out For Cancer, to take place on September 12 and 13 at Argonaut High School Stadium. “You don't have to camp out to participate, you can form a team, or join a team and then enjoy the talents of many local musicians who donate their time to entertain the volunteers who participate!” said Ginger Rolf, Board Director of the Amador STARS program. Teams take turns manning their campsite and walking the track all to support those whose lives have been touched by cancer. There are two ceremonies, the Survivor Celebration and the Illumination Ceremony which honor all those who have taken the cancer journey. Proceeds from this event go to the Amador STARS, a local non profit organization that offers Support, Transportation and Resource Services to local cancer patients and their families. Funds raised stay in our local community except for a small percentage that is dedicated to cancer research. Call the STARS at 223-1246 to get more information. The Amador STARS new office is located in the new Safeway shopping center, two doors east of Safeway. Staff Report This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - The Amador County Recreation Agency logo was chosen for an achievement award by the California Park & Recreation Society after a vote from the larger recreation community. ACRA’s recognition in the category of agency logo will be honored at the 2009 California and Pacific Southwest Recreation and Park Training Conference, held in Santa Clara March 3 through 6. According to Tracey Towner-Yep, ACRA’s executive director, the CPRS awards program is among the highest recognitions the agency can receive. “Our logo was designed and donated by Ralph Merzlak, who did a wonderful job incorporating Amador County’s many recreation opportunities,” she said, adding: “This award is a credit to him and a perfect example of the private and public collaboration that makes ACRA and its many benefits to our local communities possible.” Yep said the logo has come to symbolize the quality of ACRA’s programs and facilities. There are many historic and cultural images incorporated into ACRA’s logo. The Kennedy Mine, an historic landmark that was once one of the world’s deepest gold mines, stands majestically in the background as a tangible reminder of the county’s Gold Rush history, a sentiment echoed by the a gold pan and examples of period architecture in the foreground. Amador’s wineries and vineyards, some with vines dating back to the 1850s, are symbolized by zinfandel and chardonnay grapes in the Kennedy Mine’s tailing wheel. The California Park & Recreation Society is a membership organization with 4,200 members representing the 525 local parks and recreation agencies throughout the state. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sacramento – Governor Schwarzenegger signed a bill last Thursday that will temporarily ban the use of suction dredges in gold mining following a California judge’s ruling. Alameda County Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch created a moratorium two weeks ago on the issuance of suction mining permits in California. The ban will remain in effect until a lawsuit against the Department of Fish and Game asserting that tax dollars are being used to illegally subsidize dredge mining is resolved. The lawsuit was filed in 2005 by the Karuk Tribe, who also claim the Department of Fish and Game allows the practice of suction dredge mining to occur in areas known to be critical habitats for endangered and at risk fish species. Mining groups like the New 49’ers Prospecting Association say there is no proof that dredging harms river environments. The New 49’ers urged the Governor to veto the bill, though there were enough votes in the Senate to override a potential veto. Approximately 3,500 permits are issued nationally each year for suction dredge mining. Many of these miners come to California’s Gold Country. The Mother Lode was ground zero for the original 49er movement and has since hosted hundreds of thousands of hopeful prospectors. Karuk Spokesman Craig Tucker said less than half the cost of issuing dredge mine permits each year is collected from permit fees. He said the rest “is subsidized by California taxpayers, including tribal, commercial and recreational fishermen who depend on healthy salmon runs for their livelihood or their businesses.” The ban will remain in effect until the state Department of Fish and Game completes an environmental review of suction dredging and creates new rules and regulations, said Lisa Page, a spokeswoman for the Governor’s office. Suction dredge mining is an underwater process that works like a vacuum to suck up and filter gravel from river bottoms. Miners who already have a permit can continue using dredges. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jackson – The Amador Regional Planning Committee agenda next week includes “future agenda items.” The regional planning committee meets 7 p.m. Wednesday, at the Sutter Creek civic building on Church Street, and will get a report from Sutter Creek on its wastewater plant and operations. The agenda includes discussion and possible action on all items listed. The only item listed under the agenda was a presentation by the city of Sutter Creek on the Amador Regional Sanitation Authority Master Plan. Sutter Creek City Manager Rob Duke reported on ARSA’s Master Plan to Sutter Creek City Council in early July meeting, saying its Environmental Impact Report will “hit the streets in about 60 days.” Duke said unsatisfactory rating of the plant due to flooding was addressed in the master plan. He said: “Up to a 125-year flood level, we have protection.” ARSA’s new plant will be located “above ground,” with 17-foot tall walls, and will be improved by developers of the Gold Rush Ranch & Golf Resort. Three issues were listed under future agenda items. They include: Recirculation of an updated MOU; presentations on General Plan updates and “current and proposed wastewater treatment and recycled water distribution facilities and programs.” They will also see a “draft of a program document supporting the sharing of revenues from major new and relocated commercial developments, and establishing a system to share personnel and material resources between jurisdictions.” Dates for those agenda items were not yet listed. Regional Planning Committee members are Sutter Creek Mayor Pro Tempore Tim Murphy, Jackson Mayor Connie Gonsalves, Amador County Supervisor Chairman Ted Novelli (District 1), Amador Supervisor Brian Oneto (District 5), Ione Councilwoman Andrea Bonham, Plymouth Councilwoman Pat Fordyce, and public member at large Renee Chapman. The meetings are 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 – An eleventh hour agreement between the county and the Amador County Deputy District Attorney’s Association, or ACDDAA, saved one position from elimination Tuesday afternoon. The Board of Supervisors took on a somber tone during their morning meeting when discussing Employee Unit Negotiations on Wage Concessions and disagreements with the ACDDAA. Of the nine bargaining units involved in negotiations, only the ACDDAA did not accept a 9 percent pay reduction in order to keep the county fiscally sound as it enters a new budget year. Amador County Administrative Officer Terri Daly recommended the board layoff one Deputy District Attorney. Amador County District Attorney Todd Riebe made an impassioned plea to the board to extend negotiations until Friday. He referred to the Deputy District Attorneys as “hard working professionals who toil in a sometimes thankless job.” He said the 36 hour/4 day work week agreed upon with other unions wouldn’t necessarily apply to his staff because “most work on their day off anyway.” Riebe said “a one-size-fits-all mentality doesn’t work” and “they are willing to shoulder their portion of the burden, it is only a question of how it is achieved.” Supervisor Brian Oneto countered that “we have been negotiating on this for months…and we’re dragging our feet.” Daly said the Sheriff’s office mid-management has taken cuts and still faces the same amount of crime. Various staff spoke up about regularly working extra hours in order to complete their duties. Board Chairman Ted Novelli said the Board and staff have acted in good faith. “I’d like to see the dollars it’s taken just to get this thing wrapped up,” he said. Senior Deputy District Attorney Joe Gasperetti said he would be willing to take a personal 20 percent furlough in order to save a position. Deputy District Attorney Bill Houle begged the board to give his association until Friday. Supervisor John Plasse sternly admonished the association. He said they had been given the same amount of time to negotiate as any other unit and had not responded at all from May 1st to July 9th. He said it was not adequate that the county received a compromised proposal the day before at 4 pm. “Mr. Riebe said that is in good faith. I do not concur,” said Plasse. Supervisor Louis Boitano made a motion to layoff one position unless the union agreed to the acceptance of a 36 hour/4 day work week by the 3 pm deadline. The Supervisors approved the motion 4-0. Supervisor Richard Forster was absent. At approximately 2:45 pm, the ACDDAA agreed to the 36 hour work week stipulation. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.