Amador County - County officials announced last week that effective July 6 and due to budget cutbacks, Amador County will be adjusting the hours that it will be open to the public for fiscal year 2009-10. The new hours will be Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and closed on Friday. This change will impact all public service counters and public phone numbers, but not public safety. Emergency Services will still be available. The schedule modification is the result of a cooperative effort between the board of supervisors and several employee bargaining units to absorb the budget reductions caused by a faltering economy while maintaining a full range of services to the community. Staff will be working a 9/36 plan, nine hours a day Monday through Thursday, which is a four hour reduction in pay, or 10 percent, each week. Future cuts will be determined by the direction taken in the upcoming state budget. It is anticipated that the state's budget solutions may cause layoffs that are tied to specific funding sources and program cuts within affected departments. Departments that have evening and weekend hours such as the library, animal control, and public works/road crew and law enforcement will be making other schedule modifications. Appointments may be made with individual departments outside of the new hours to accommodate urgent situations. Details for specific departments or buildings are available on the county's Web site at www.co.amador.ca.us. Staff Release This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - Frank Blauvelt, Jr. received a standing ovation and a certificate of appreciation at Monday’s Jackson City Council meeting for his service on the Kennedy Mine Foundation Board of Directors as a representative of Jackson. City Manager Mike Daly previously announced at the June 8 meeting that Blauvelt is resigning and the city would be reviewing candidates to fill his position. Two applications were received from Jackson residents Mary Heidecker and John Gonsalves. Based partly on a recommendation by Blauvelt himself, the council approved a motion by Councilwoman Marilyn Lewis to appoint Gonsalves as the city’s new representative. Gonsalves is a long-time Jackson resident and active participant in a number of community programs and activities, including as Chairman of the Amador County Planning Commission and his run for Board of Supervisors in 2008. Blauvelt held the seat for a number of years for the city. He also volunteers twice a week at the front desk at the Amador County Administration Building and has served the county as a volunteer in a number of other capacities. Mayor Connie Gonsalves read and presented Blauvelt with his certificate of appreciation as the first item on council’s agenda. Blauvelt jokingly recalled his concern when originally taking the position that it would cut into his fishing time. “I haven’t had a fishing license in a while, but I may go get one tomorrow,” he said. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Amador County supervisors and planning commissioners last week discussed parts of the economic development element, touching on agriculture and other aspects. Jim Conklin, executive director of the Amador County Business Council, said the “more business-friendly that you can make the county within legal limit,” the more of a major benefit it will be to the county. He said he would “like to see improved communications infrastructure built so people can live here and work here.” And he urged a “relook at the economic development delivery process arm.” He said the Small Business Administration is that delivery structure, with loans of $75,000 dollars – “a really woefully inadequate amount.” He thought Amador “needs to send a professional business message to companies thinking of locating” here. Olive farmer Susan Bragstadd asked about “land use and conservations elements of the General Plan,” referred to in one portion of the economic. County Planner Susan Grijalva said the elements were not written, and the only things written were plans and policies. Conklin believed the “Land Use Element should compliment the Economic Development Element.” Art Marinaccio, of Amador Citizens For Responsible Government, said “ag is everywhere a cow used to be at one time,” and pointed to a Foothill Conservancy call to replace each acre of grazing land that is developed with 4 acres of grazing land to be set aside. Discussion continues at the next meeting, to be announced. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Sutter Creek City Council last week discussed the promotion of events on Main Street banners, with sides differing on what events should be promoted. Councilwoman Sandy Anderson, chairwoman of the Sutter Creek Promotions Committee, talked about a petition circulating around town that would urge limiting the promotion of out-of-town events on the downtown banners in Sutter Creek. Resident Bart Weatherly asked what the petition was about. Anderson took one of the petitions to Weatherly in the audience, and said it was a protest about a banner that promoted the Jackson Rotary Club Mother’s Day Brunch at the Amador Senior Center in Jackson. Councilman Pat Crosby, a Promotions Committee member, said he knew all about the banners. Crosby said to get them up on the wire, between the two buildings at the corner of Main and Spanish Street, “you have to go through my wife’s living room,” their house above the Lizzie Ann’s Bubblegum Bookstore. Crosby said Ed Swift owns the hooks and wire, and Dennis Griffin and Russell Evitt own the buildings on either side of Main Street. Crosby said the banners stay hung until Police Chief Rob Duke tells the committee to take it down. Mayor Gary Wooten said he did not “want to offend anyone,” but “being offended by Jackson is wrong.” He said the city of Jackson has had an event shuttle bus to take people to shop in Sutter Creek. He said “we should be working together.” He said the Jackson Rotary has done a lot for Sutter Creek. That includes building a visitor’s event kiosk just completed on Main Street, on the south end of town. Michelle Grondin, manager of the Sutter Creek Farmer’s Market, said the banner has been a good thing. And someone pointed out that Belotti’s restaurant has run out of certain food items advertised on the banner. Ed Swift said on the cable on which the banner hangs: “That was my cable. I always considered it the city’s.” Councilwoman Linda Rianda said the then current Main Street banner was promoting the Kennedy Mine Barbecue, in Jackson, to benefit the Amador County Recreation Agency. The issue of Main Street banners was discussed at the May 19th meeting of the Promotions Committee. Discussion centered on the “committee taking care of banners and they be used solely for promotion of the city and county, not for private business.” Committee members Anderson and Crosby will write up a draft of guidelines. The Committee next meets June 15th at The Annex. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Construction already under way on a crossing of Sutter Creek will affect the city’s road traffic, as well as the location of the Saturday Farmer’s Market in downtown. The Sutter Creek Planning Commission last week approved a use permit for the market at its regular city lot, off Eureka Street, with an amended location to have it housed on the city’s southern edge lot, beside Main Street. That will allow Mountain Cascade to finish its work on the Amador Water Agency water pipeline to Plymouth. The pipeline will traverse the Sutter Creek waterway on a pedestrian bridge between the parking lot behind the community center and city hall. The bridge will connect that lot with the city lot on Eureka Street. Farmer’s Market manager Michelle Grondin said the market, which gets underway this month, had already advertised that it would be using the south lot, instead of a lot on Gopher Flat Road. The commission approved the use of the south Main lot, but also could change the location if needed. A resolution approving the use said the Amador Farmer’s Market has been operating in Sutter Creek since 1994. The market will operate from 8 a.m. to noon each Saturday, from June through October. The use permit includes changing a portion of Main Street will be “designated and limited to one-way north-bound vehicular traffic. The south exit of Main Street shall be designated as ‘right turn only’ onto south-bound Main Street.” Grondin said the Amador Farmer’s Market will operate June 13th through October. Workers for Mountain Cascade began work on the pedestrian bridge last week, cutting into the asphalt of both parking lots. The pipeline connects the city of Plymouth with the Tanner Water Treatment Plant on Ridge Road, and supply potable water to Plymouth. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Ione plans a Main Street Program discussion today at City Hall, hoping to speak with every business and property owner on Main Street and Preston Avenue. The council will hear a status report, and City Manager Kim Kerr said the meeting would focus on the Main Street Program’s organizational structure and other issues. The council will take no action, but could provide direction to staff. The meeting is 5:30 p.m. today in City Hall. Kerr said “We are looking for all business and property owners on Main Street and Preston Avenue to attend.” The city is “looking for interested community members and organizations to participate.” The Main Street Program is part of the Ione Community Preservation Project, which the city council and staff have been studying with public workshops. Once directions are determined for the project, the council can begin to spend $284,775 dollars, which came from 2 defunct Community Development Block Grants from the 1980s. Kerr said: “These grants are closed,” and, according the CDBG, “when there is no open CDBG grant, the funds are considered miscellaneous revenue … and can be used as the City sees fit.” The council has discussed 4 Ione Community Preservation Projects. Those projects and possible funding include the Main Street Program for $80,000 dollars; the Façade Program for $25,000; the Redevelopment Plan for $120,000; and an Economic Study for $60,000. Kerr said public meetings found 15 people interested in helping with the Main Street Program, and there are “different opinions on what the (organizational) structure should be,” and what it should look like initially and in two years. City funds will be used, causing public concern for “accountability and follow-through,” Kerr said, as well as concern for viability after start-up, so that “there is actually some impact in the downtown corridors.” Kerr said once the organizational structure is set, there will be a follow-up meeting with business owners. Mayor Lee Ard said he was still not sure if people wanted the council to carry out the community programs, and he wanted to see some “enthusiasm.” Councilwoman Andrea Bonham said she had seen enthusiasm at the last meeting. Councilman David Plank said “the second meeting was more rewarding than the first,” but the council was still missing 60 to 70 percent of business and property owners. Kerr agreed, saying it was the city’s goal to get business owners to recruit other business owners to join the project. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County - Also during Monday’s meeting, the Jackson City Council discussed the best policy for use of Measure E funds in fiscal year 2009/10. Also known as the “Transient Occupancy Tax,” Measure E funding has traditionally been put towards tourism and business promotion, economic development and downtown revitalization. According to a memo by City Manager Mike Daly, the Council approved raising the city’s transient occupancy tax in November, 2002, from 8 percent to 10 percent, resulting in an average of $60,000 additional funds per year. The amount available from 2008 is $61,575, said Daly. Over the past two years, the council has set aside $30,000 for use by the city on its own economic development projects. Daly wrote “the second year of the set aside has not been allocated, but the Jackson Revitalization Committee is looking into several projects and grant opportunities that could utilize at least a portion of this funding.” A Measure E advisory committee consisting of citizens Stan Lukowicz, Paul Molinell, Jr., Tom Peyton, Tracey Berkner, Michael Clausen and Councilmember Keith Sweet met last week to review ways to best use this funding. Lukowicz and Clausen were not in attendance at this final meeting. Based on their recommendations, council opted to reserve $30,000 for economic development needs for the city. This year, both the Amador Council of Tourism and the Amador Chamber of Commerce submitted separate proposals for the funds equaling a total of $67,500. The Amador Council of Tourism requested $30,000. The Chamber of Commerce requested $37,500. Under the recommendation of the Measure E advisory committee, council unanimously approved a recommendation of $25,310, plus $11,000 for partner projects with the Historic Jackson Business Association, to go to the Council of Tourism for development of a more comprehensive strategic plan and tourism marketing. $9000 dollars will go to the Amador Chamber of Commerce. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – A quorum of the Ione City Council may attend today’s 5 p.m. workshop on the Main Street Program, but their presence will be mostly to observe interaction of staff and the citizens. City staff noticed the workshop as a public meeting, so that the city council could attend. Last week’s notice of the meeting said: “There may be a quorum of city council members in attendance, but this is not a city council meeting and the council will take no action at this meeting.” City Manager Kim Kerr said last week that noticing the meeting will allow the council to participate in the workshop and make comments. Mayor Lee Ard said he would be content to be just a wallflower, hearing comments from town residents. The meeting is meant to educate the public on the Main Street Program, which the city will then try to implement with the help of citizen volunteers. The council has already acknowledged the volunteer work of Ione resident Jack Brotherton for his research work on the national Main Street Program. Kerr and the council believe today’s workshop will give people enough information for them to be able to decide if they want to volunteer to help run the program. Anticipated attendees include Main Street business and property owners and interested parties.” The meeting is 5 p.m. today at Ione City Hall. In other news, this week’s Ione Planning Commission meeting Tuesday has been canceled, but work stands ahead for the commission on the city’s draft General Plan. The Commission will have met twice this month in special meetings, and has work ahead in regard to the Ione General Plan Update. The commission meets with the city council in a joint meeting next Tuesday (May 19th) for a public hearing on 2 remaining elements of the Draft General Plan. They are the traffic “Circulation Element” and the Land Use Element. The next regular planning commission meetings will be June 9th, July 7th and August 11th. A special meeting of the Planning Commission, to consider the draft General Plan and its Environmental Impact Report is tentatively scheduled for July 28th. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Amador County Recreation Agency cautions to be on the lookout for flying saucers landing soon in Pioneer, at Molly Joyce Park. But expect no aliens, as the round objects are Frisbee-style flying discs, and the landing area is the county’s newest flying disc golf course. Recreation specialist Matt Nestor and Rec Aid Adam Lindsey of ACRA are collecting sponsors for individual baskets and have about 7 of them, for the disc golf course. Volunteers and/or sponsors include Brandon Wedge, Ray Birch and Paul Dalmau. They also have a sponsor for the signs that will adorn each tee box at the course, with a map showing each hole’s layout. Kam Merzlak of Merlak Signs will be sponsoring the signage. Disc golf is played like regular golf, except a Frisbee or flying disc is used instead of a ball. And rather than shoot for holes in the ground, the discs are thrown at wooden poles or at steel poles with baskets and steel chains hanging from them. Right now, Molly Joyce Park has 17 holes marked out, with wooden posts for the pins, which must be struck by the disc to “hole out” on each hole. Nestor said people can make their contribution to Amador County’s first permanent, year-round public Disc Golf Course at Mollie Joyce Park. The first permanent course is at Kirkwood Resort, but it is typically removed in winter. Another course, built at the Kennedy Mine was removed due to trespassers crossing onto adjoining property to get errant discs. Long-time El Dorado County disc golfer, Charlie Callahan and local Amador County players helped design the initial course layout, and plan a work party for 9 a.m. Saturday, August 9th at Molly Joyce Park. Nestor said he and Lindsey are seeking donations of money for baskets, with the goal to get 19 of them, or 18 for the disc golf course and 1 extra for a putting and approach warm-up area. The agency is also seeking volunteers to help ACRA auger the baskets, and to help clear trails for the course. Also, look for Nestor and Lindsey at the Amador County Fair this week, and get an information flyer on the drive to build the new course. For volunteer and basket sponsorship opportunities, or to get information, call Matt or Adam at 223-6373. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Sutter Creek Gold Mine, which currently serves as a tourism facility, is coming much closer to the possibility of functioning as a working gold mine. Sutter Gold Mining Incorporation, or SGM, headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, refers to it as the Lincoln Project, named after the original Lincoln Mine from which prospector Leland Stanford made his fortune. Stanford went on to found Stanford University and to partner in financing the Central Pacific Railroad. According to SGM, technical updates and initiatives in process “are directed towards determining the Lincoln Project development costs, schedule and future production decision.” A number of technical studies have already been completed though the hiring out of companies and consultants. A Metallurgical Process and Mill Design Report, Phase I of the Preliminary Mill Installation Estimate and a conceptual Study for a Paste Backfill System have all been completed. Clayr Alexander, President and CEO said, "With the completion of initial test work and conceptual engineering we have now developed a base plan from which we can begin to optimize our process and development costs.” Upcoming studies and tests include developing a Water Quality Standards Report, 3D modeling of the project, various underground testing, and determining a rock storage area. SGM controls over three miles of Mother Lode property, 90 percent of which has yet to be explored. The current resource estimate for the Sutter Gold Project indicates that a collective 700,000 ounces of gold could possibly be extracted from this area. The mine is now open exclusively for one hour underground tours “deep into the heart of the Mother Lode. No comments have been made as to when the mine could open for production. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.