By Alex Lane -

A typically serene morning was transformed by the raw power of scores of bikers making their way through central Amador County last week. Their destination: Street Vibrations in Reno, Nevada, a celebration of “music, metal, and motorcycles.” The annual event is an homage to the biker culture and its emblem, the Harley Davidson motorcycle. The “Biggest Little City in the World” was transformed last weekend by enthusiastic attendees celebrating a longstanding subculture. Amador County is no stranger to motorcyclists. A number of bars and restaurants stretching along Highways 88 and 49 have traditionally welcomed the bikers and their business. While some residents blame the bikers for traffic, increased crime and noise pollution, others welcome them with open arms. “Everyone should be welcome here if they have a dollar in their pocket and want to spend it,” said Martha Perez, Owner of Jose’s Restaurant in Jackson. “We should all welcome each other – that’s the American way.” One Jackson resident believes it is too easy to blame the decay of Jackson’s downtown businesses on transient motorcyclists. “I doubt that someone who can afford a 50,000 dollar bike is going to waste their time committing crimes that jeopardize their freedom to explore the open road,” he said. But local law enforcement still receives complaints of traffic and noise pollution whenever large biker groups pass through the county. According to sheriff’s reports, road blockage and traffic violations are the most common citations given to bikers.

By Jim Reece -

Amador County Supervisors last week voted to send a letter to the state supporting logging as a means of clearing the air and curbing catastrophic forest fires in Amador and across California. The board voted 5-0 to approve a letter for Chairman Richard Forster to sign. The letter, to California Air Resources Board Chair Mary D. Nichols, was in regard to the 2008 Climate Change Scoping Plan. Forster said the draft letter was in response to the issue of the Climate Change Scoping Plan and requested Nichols to strongly support allowing the logging of high-density forest areas containing trees that were dead and dying, so to create defensible space and reduce the fuels in forests and prevent catastrophic fires, which have disastrous effects on air quality and contribute to global warming. The letter noted that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in a March executive order directed the California Environmental Protection Agency and the California Resources Agency to oversee the Climate Action Team’s development of measures for wildfire fuels reduction and biomass utilization. The letter said that Amador County Supervisors are “troubled that no such measures have been outlined in the scoping plan.” The letter said that “wildfires statewide have had major impacts on air quality, contributing significantly to California’s carbon and particulate emissions.” Supervisors urged the Governor to take an active role at the federal level to demand that the United States Forest Service take action to mitigate the risk of catastrophic wildfires. The letter urged the Air Resources Board to include in its Final Draft Scoping Plan a “firm commitment by the state to join with local governments to advocate at the federal level for enhanced management on U.S. Forest Service lands, as well as an extensive program to quantify wildfire emissions that could be avoided though better forest management practices.” The letter called the efforts vital to “improving the quality of the air and public health.” Supervisors passed an accompanying resolution that noted Amador County land totaled 363,500 acres, of which 34 percent – or 87,270 acres – is federal land. The resolution, Number 08-186, calls for “immediate measures to be taken to prevent imminent catastrophic wildfires.”

By Holly Boitano -

The Gold Rush Ranch and Golf Resort’s environmental review process has encountered an obstruction which will push back the City’s goal of project approval by the end of the year. California state law says that in order for a project to be approved, it must be consistent with a city’s general plan – the document which serves as the proto-blueprint for city development. According to the Sutter Creek Planning Commission, Gold Rush’s Draft Environmental Impact Report contains numerous disparities with the Sutter Creek plan. This issue was first articulated by Planning Commission Chairman Robin Peters at the September 18th meeting, where Peters called for a formal evaluation of how the DEIR’s content coheres with the General Plan tenets. Peters also expressed concern that the project DEIR substitutes General Plan amendments for impact mitigation in several circumstances. At Monday’s meeting, the commission spent nearly three-and-a-half hours examining the first 17 pages of the 70-page Consistency Evaluation, prepared by the City’s planning consultant Hauge Brueck and Associates. Controversy reared its head with only the second posture of the Land Use Element, Goal 2.2, which states “topographically sensitive features shall be protected by requiring the use of creative land development designs that transfer density and construction to less sensitive areas.” Planning Commissioners were not convinced that the project’s overall grading, which will require 3 million yards of dirt to be moved, is consistent with that goal. “I am of the mind that the developer needs to take a harder look at this goal, and apply it to the grading approach,” Peters said. Commissioners also took issue with the following Policy 2.1, which states, “Growth management is necessary in order to preserve Sutter Creek’s existing quality of life.” Commissioner Mike Kirkley said “Historically, this community has grown at a rate of about 2 percent per year. This project will take us into the 6 percent category, which will make us one of the fastest growing communities in Northern California. I don’t think we can assume the demand for housing.” The Planning Commission will continue this discussion at its next meeting, 7 p.m. Wednesday, October 1st.

By Alex Lane -

The Amador County Sheriff’s Office has released its first annual report highlighting the department’s accomplishments during 2007. “I am convinced that upon reading this report you will be impressed as I have been with the quality of the 116 men and women who dedicate themselves every day to provide protection and security to the citizens of Amador County,” Sheriff Martin Ryan said. The report details the inner workings of the office and the duties of its many divisions. These include an Executive Division consisting of the Office of Emergency Services and a Crime Analysis Unit; an Operations Division consisting of the Coroner, Investigations and Patrol Bureau; a Court Services Division; and a number of special units. The special units frequently make headlines in Amador County through high profile drug busts and search and rescue operations. 2007 saw the creation of the first county-specific multi-agency narcotics task force named the Amador County Combined Narcotics Enforcement Team. This is the most significant move in the history of Amador County toward combating the most prevalent local law enforcement issue. A restructuring for efficiency led to a new Administration Bureau, two new Lieutenant’s positions, and a first-ever Correctional Lieutenant position. Ryan believes that the many changes that occurred over the past year have enhanced his office’s ability to do its job better. The report also includes a budget breakdown. In 2007, 16 percent, or 69,995 dollars of Amador County’s budget went to the Sheriff’s Office. Of that, 58 percent was used for Operations and Administration and 28 percent went toward the jail. Ryan and his staff have been vocal in public meetings about what they see as a much needed “replacement for our outdated and overcrowded jail.” Although the report does not address this issue in detail, the need for a new jail has become the Sheriff’s top priority.

By Jim Reece -

The Boy Scouts of America’s Amador County District will be filling Howard Park in Ione today through Sunday for its 2008 Fall Camporee. Some events are open to the public. The Scouts’ Amador District will hold the camporee to earn Emergency Preparedness Merit Badges, as scouts work through each required event. That includes a Saturday night campfire and show. The Ione and Jackson Fire Departments, California Highway Patrol, the Amador County Sheriff’s Office, the Amador Office of Emergency Services, the Cal-Fire, Civil Air Patrol and other agencies will be helping with events and putting on a midway display on Saturday afternoon. The public is invited to visit Saturday from 2 to 6 p.m. to see the Midway Displays, as well as emergency vehicles, helicopter and police and ambulance displays.

By Jim Reece -

The Award Winning Amador County State Fair Exhibit is on display at Prospect Motors in the Amador Auto Mall. The display was designed by Kam Merzlak of Jackson and built by Doug Wescott of Fiddletown. The Amador exhibit won the Silver Award and the prestigious Superintendent's Award, given specially to Amador County “because we were all volunteers who lived in the county. Most of the counties hire out large scale operations to build for them,” Merzlak said. Merzlak designed the exhibit and enlisted Fiddletown motorcycle customizer Doug Wescott to fabricate his vision. The rest is history. Merzlak said it was “a great idea for county residents who didn't attend the State Fair to see how we represented the county" by seeing the exhibit at Prospect Motors. The exhibit will be displayed there until the next Chamber of Commerce mixer October 8th at 5pm.

By Jennifer Wilson -

The Pine Grove Bypass took center stage again at a public meeting last week. This time it was Thursday’s Upcountry Community Council meeting. John Carlson, a staff member of the Pine Grove Community Council, provided Upcountry residents with an update on transportation issues. Carlson’s update instigated a slew of questions and comments from many meeting attendees, some of whom had differences of opinion in regard to when and how a bypass option came about, and was subsequently dropped. Discussion went as far back as 2002, when the county held a series of public workshops on the bypass. UCC member Debbie Dunn gave her opinion that around that time, the Amador County Transportation Commission was required by the state to submit a Regional Transportation Plan addressing transportation issues. She said they fulfilled that requirement by holding the workshops and narrowing several ideas down to three options, then submitted those to the state. After that, the whole issue apparently was forgotten. Now, six years later, with what some say is a recent “explosive growth” in Amador County, and several new housing developments in the works, citizens are clamoring for some sort of solution for Highway 88 through Pine Grove, which sees as much as 14,000 cars per day. Carlson, also a board member of the Pine Grove Civic Improvement Club, noted that Pine Grove’s Level of Service, is now an E on a scale of A to F, with A being free-flowing traffic and F representing multiple stops and delays. Some of the public’s questions may be answered at the next Pine Grove Council meeting, which will have in attendance ACTC Director Charles Field and a representative from Caltrans. Both should give a background on the history of the proposed traffic solutions and answer questions from the public. The meeting is 5:30 PM Wednesday, October 1st at the Pine Grove Town Hall.

By Jim Reece -

Potential zoning changes across the county will be the subject of a 3-day hearing to map out land use for the new Amador County General Plan. Amador County supervisors and planning commissioners will host the hearing October 14, 15 and 16 to discuss the General Plan Land Use Map and its affect on land use zoning throughout the county. The Amador Planning Department Land Use Agency sent a notice of the hearing last week to all property owners in the county. The public hearing is the first in a series that will “begin the process of developing a Preferred Alternative Land Use Map for Analysis in the Environmental Impact Report” of the General Plan. With the letter came a list of 20 descriptions of particular or general zoning area changes that could affect many different properties around the county. The letter indicated that “this is not a complete, or detailed, list,” and urged property owners to visit the county website to “view and obtain the written information and maps that have been developed to this point.” Paper copies are available at the Planning Department at 20 cents a page. The letter said “because all of the various changes currently under consideration cannot be set out in this notice, we urge you to contact the Amador County Planning Department at (209) 223-6380 to personally discuss with staff the potential effects the proposal may have on your specific property.” The department said the list is subject to change throughout the process of the public land use map hearings. Specific areas mentioned included approximately 800 acres in the Martell area; 18,000 acres northwest, west and southeast of Ione; the Camanche Village area; property just northwest of the intersection of Camanche Road and Camanche Parkway North; Open High Country east of Dew Drop; Open Forest west of Dew Drop; River Pines; Rabb Park; an area at the southeast corner of the western most junction of Highway 88 and Jackson Valley Road; and parcels on the southwest and southeast corners of the Highway 16 and 49 junction.

By Holly Boitano -

The City of Sutter Creek last week granted a request from Ridge Business Park to place a lien on the property as security for payment in lieu of $50,000 in permitting and processing fees. The project developer, Tara Hassidy, pled the case for the lien request before the City Council Monday night. Hassidy said that she and her family are into the project for $2.2 million, and have suffered some unfortunate circumstances with their contractor as well as with their bank. The developer is currently seeking to file a final map for a condominium type business park on Ridge Road, consisting of 9 condo units. Two of those units are currently in escrow, which the developer will use the part of the lien money to settle. The developer will then pay the $50,000 in fees with revenue generated from the settlement.

By Jennifer Wilson -

The Proposed Wicklow Way Subdivision was again the topic of discussion at Amador County’s Technical Advisory Committee meeting last week. Planner Heather Anderson advised everyone that all changes from the last TAC meeting had been incorporated into the project’s mitigation measures and conditions draft documents. Lemke Construction Director of Planning Susan Larson attended to answer any questions, but most departments involved with the project indicated the need for more time to review the finalized drafts. All agreed that bringing the item back to TAC in two weeks would provide sufficient time for review. If a finalized draft is agreed upon at that time, the committee will recommend approval to the Amador County Planning Commission, which will hold a series of public hearings on the documents. The Wicklow project, which has been in the works for four to five years according to Larson, would be located up above the K-Mart and Wal-Mart stores in the Martell area. And in regards to the project’s Final Environmental Impact Report, that document will be discussed at a public hearing at tomorrow night’s Planning Commission meeting, to be held at 7 PM at 810 Court Street in the Board of Supervisors chambers. A copy of the Final EIR is available on the county’s website at www.co.amador.ca.us/Depts/planning.