Ione – Developers of the Ione-area Rancho Arroyo Seco have pledged to match the money gathered in a computer lab fund drive that aims to gather $20,000 for a new computer lab at Ione Elementary School. The city of Ione reported that Rancho Arroyo Seco will match dollar-for-dollar the funds raised in the Ione Elementary School’s “Bulldog Byte Bash” set for October 23rd. Organizers said: “The goal is to raise $20,000 to build a state-of-the art computer lab that will accommodate up to 32 stations.” The city newsletter announced the Bash, and said to meet the “goal will require businesses, organizations and the community to support the effort.” The city newsletter said: “Rancho Arroyo Seco will once again match all donations dollar-for-dollar up to $10,000.” Rancho Arroyo Seco is owned by Amador Ranch Associates, a partnership led by John Telischak of Corte Madera and Bill Bunce of El Dorado Hills. Sharon Long said the Rancho for the last 2 years has matched funds in a fundraiser for the Ione Fire Department, raising $20,000 each year. 2 years ago, she said the IFD was able to replace all of their wildland gear. And last year, Ione Fire was able to leverage the $20,000 into $40,000, through a grant, and replace all of the department’s structure equipment, used in fighting structural fires. Long said the all-volunteer Ione Fire Department, with close to 40 personnel, was able to replace “very, very worn equipment.” This year, they will stage the fundraiser, with Rancho Arroyo Seco’s match, to benefit Ione Elementary. Rancho Arryo Seco will also sponsor the “Bulldog Byte Bash” from 5:30 until about 9:30 p.m. Friday, October 23 in the Big Red Barn at the Ranch on Highway 104. The family Bash “will feature many activities for kids including a ‘spook alley,’ bounce house, cotton candy, games, s’mores and more.” Tickets are on sale at Ione elementary, Clark’s Corner and City Hall. The Bash includes a spaghetti dinner, silent auction and raffle with a Grand Prize Drawing of a $1,000 trip to Disneyland, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Ione. Those not attending the Bulldog Byte Bash can send donations to “Computers for Kids,” Rancho Arroyo Seco, P.O. 1730, Ione, CA 95640. All funds donated will be dedicated to this project. For more information, contact Sharon Long at (209) 304-5118. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Martell - A battle is brewing over the future of the historic Amador railway in the Martell area after property owner Sierra Pacific Industries hired a salvage company to begin removing track last week. A representative of Iron Horse Preservation Society, the Nevada-based company hired for track removal, told TSPN that tracks are being cleared on SPI property from the Ridge Road/Highway 88 intersection through Martell in order to prepare for the eventual construction of a new business park. This includes the future demolition of the old depot building approximately 100 yards east of the railroad crossing on Highway 49 near Meek’s Hardware. According to Mike Preston, Corporate Administrator and lead negotiator for the Amador County Historic Railroad Foundation, his group has made clear to SPI that they have a strong interest in acquiring the line, rebuilding it and opening it for free to be used for various county purposes. He said this idea is supported by a number of businesses adjacent to the track, including Meek’s, Lowe’s and Safeway. He said that despite previous discussions with SPI and community support, “they’ve gone ahead and ripped the track up anyway.” Larry Bowler, President and Co-founder of the Recreational Railroad Coalition, Inc., said his group is also interested in the future of the rail line. They currently lease the railway between the Ridge Road junction and Ione from SPI for $1 a year in order to operate hand cranked rail carts known as speeders. “We would have liked to preserve the entire railroad, but we can’t complain about SPI. The mile and a half in question is their private property,” said Bowler. Nevertheless, Preston feels it is in the best interest of all parties to work together. “I have offered to negotiate a tax break with SPI, but that and other options are still on the table,” he said. The historical value of the old railway is officially recognized by the State of California and the Office of Historic Preservation. It is the only mountain railroad line in the United States that is all contained within one county. It stretches 11 miles from Martell to Ione and includes 25 bridges. The Amador County Historic Railroad Foundation is a non-profit with approximately 150 members. Its goal is the long-term preservation of Amador railways. The Recreational Railroad Coalition, Inc. is a Mutual Benefit Corporation organized to preserve America’s historic railroad corridors. Sierra Pacific Industries did not return comment by the time this story was published. No timeframe has been released as to when the rail removal will be completed or the business park will be constructed. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The California Department of Fire Protection last week announced a plan to have prescribed burns on 10-acre blocks of land in Amador County in the fall, after the first rains and the burning season opens. The Amador-El Dorado unit CALFIRE Forester Patrick McDaniel on Friday gave a “smoke notification we'd like to get out to the public right now. More specific details about the exact dates, sizes and locations will be available later as this is going to depend on the weather.” McDaniel said during the months of October and November, the Amador-El Dorado unit of CALFIRE plans to conduct a “prescribed burn live fire training exercise” on private properties located along Shake Ridge Road and Fiddletown Road in unincorporated areas of Amador County. The burns are part of CALFIRE’s “Vegetation Management Program,” of the Alpine-Amador-El Dorado-Sacramento Unit, based in Camino. The burns will not be conducted until the start of burn season, after the area gets the appropriate amount of rain. McDaniel said residents of Shake Ridge Road and Fiddletown Road should be aware of the “Shake-Fiddletown vegetation management plan,” which will be a live fire training exercise. McDaniel said people who are sensitive to smoke are requested to contact CALFIRE Forester Patrick McDaniel at (530) 647-5288. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sutter Creek – Amador County Supervisors John Plasse and Chairman Ted Novelli earlier this month worked out terms of agreement with the Amador Water Agency to provide water and wastewater services for a proposed new county jail. Gene Mancebo, interim general manager, said in a release last week that AWA’s board of “directors approved waiving a number of agency policies to accommodate county requests, citing public safety and a desire for cooperation between local government agencies.” The jail is estimated to need a maximum flow of 22,000 gallons of water a day of water and is expected to produce about 19,400 gallons a day of wastewater. The Amador County Sheriff’s Office has identified a site for the proposed jail. The parcel, in the Amador Central Office Park, has a daily service entitlement of 1,200 gallons of water and 600 gallons of wastewater. The county has applied for additional capacity with the AWA and “needs to confirm availability and cost for water and wastewater prior to purchasing the jail property,” Mancebo said. The agency's proposal was approved in a September 18th special meeting. In the agreement, the agency “is prepared to reserve water supply for up to 10 years while the county secures jail construction funding,” Mancebo said. A guarantee for wastewater capacity will require an agreement between Sutter Creek and the AWA to purchase capacity. Mancebo said: “The county will be charged AWA's service participation fees in place today, and the county has an option to pay the participation fees over” a 1-year to 10-year period. A 3 percent annual escalator will be imposed if the county chooses to make annual payments. Mancebo said Sutter Creek administrators have said they will provide sewer capacity to serve the jail. AWA directors emphasized their support of the new jail project and for an agreement that facilitated the county's project without asking AWA ratepayers to pay to serve a new jail. District 1 Director Bill Condrashoff said: “We are not subsidizing the jail.” Mancebo said AWA bent it policy for the deal with Amador County. Policy typically requires that capacity can only be reserved for 2 years and that service must be initiated within 2 years of participation fees payment or fees are increased to current levels. AWA will also credit the county for disconnecting one of its two 2-inch water connections at the existing jail, if Jackson officials agree. By Jim Reece. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sutter Creek – Sutter Creek likely will build its own wastewater treatment plant expansion, to be reimbursed by Gold Rush Ranch & Golf Resort, according to a report given at the City Council meeting Wednesday. City Manager Rob Duke said the plan to have Gold Rush handle the expansion of the plant was scuttled because of the need to keep the plant operational during the upgrade, so that the city system will be able to maintain service to its customers. Duke said staff decided that the first phase of the sewer plant upgrade would be easiest to do if the city hires people to do the work. Councilman Pat Crosby asked if it would mean the city would have to pay “prevailing wages.” Duke said the city would have to, as would the developer, if it did the project. He said City Attorney Dennis Crabb advised that it was unavoidable to pay prevailing wages. Councilman Tim Murphy said that the Gold Rush development agreement would need to have the “reimbursement spelled out” and clarified. Duke said that the mitigation or fee payment was a “policy issue that remains unclear,” and once the city and the Amador Regional Sanitation Authority adopt Wastewater Master Plans, “every new hook-up would pay the same fee.” He said he would make a notation for Crabb to have the draft development agreement meet the city council’s desires. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sutter Creek – The Sutter Creek City Council last week set up subcommittees to look at regional and local traffic mitigation, and also the fiscal impacts of the Gold Rush Ranch & Golf Resort. Mayor Gary Wooten also wanted “to have a committee look at grading,” but changed his mind. Mayor Pro Tem Tim Murphy and Councilman Pat Crosby both said the absence of detailed maps for grading was a problem. Murphy said the developer repeatedly has said “they won’t know what is going to be there,” but “a committee is just going to water it down.” Murphy also said he would like to see some “flexibility for when maps actually appear.” Wooten agreed. Consultant Anders Hauge (HOW-GHEE) said the developer likes detailed wording in grading guidelines, “in case they sell some of the large lots.” Crosby said the city council doesn’t know where it is going, “so why are (they) spending any time on it,” and they should wait for a detailed grading map. Murphy said developers “don’t have a market to justify putting those kind of documents together.” They agreed to use commission recommendations for grading and also “recreation & trails,” and “affordable housing.” They created council subcommittees to look at conditions of approval and the development agreement. Wooten suggested appointment of Councilwomen Linda Rianda and Sandy Anderson to work with Planning Commissioner Frank Cunha, to “review fiscal impacts and come back with specific recommendations” at the October 19th meeting. Crosby said “it would be a good idea to have them look at a Community Facilities District.” Hauge (HOW-GHEE) said the developer wanted traffic mitigation fees locked “for the duration of the project,” while the commission favored floating fees. Crosby said “fees should be those in effect at the time build-out occurs.” Wooten suggested Murphy, Crosby, a planning commissioner and Assistant City Manager Sean Rabe form a traffic mitigation subcommittee and work with Charles Field, executive director of the Amador County Transportation Commission, to determine fair share fee amounts for both regional and local impacts. He also noted that Field recommended the developer donate easements on Ridge Road that would accommodate expansion to 4 lanes, but not require the developer to build it. The traffic committee will come back with suggested regional and local fees traffic that would be appropriate. Wooten said council subcommittee meetings will be open to the public, and public input will be encouraged. Comments on work thus far were also encouraged to be sent to Mary Beth Van Voorhis at City Hall. The traffic committee meets 1 p.m. Tuesday at the community building on Church Street. The council returns to consideration of Gold Rush on October 19th. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Camanche – The California Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board announced last week that funding has reopened the state Healthy Families insurance program. The board said funding is now sufficient to avoid dis-enrolling children” and “to open the program to new enrollment,” which began September 17th. The agency has already begun processing waiting list applications. Funding came from passage of Assembly Bill 1422, setting “a gross premium tax paid by Medi-Cal managed care plans,” and from the state First Five Commission. Cuts to expenditures, and increased premiums and co-payments also helped reopen the program. The Healthy Families Program provides low cost health, dental and vision coverage to uninsured children, until the age 19, in working families. To qualify, children must be uninsured with no employer-sponsored insurance in the last three months. It is open to California residents, who are not enrolled in no-cost Medi-Cal. Children must meet citizenship, immigration and family income requirements. The Insurance Board said Healthy Families keeps nearly 900,000 California children insured, and gives thousands more children access to health care. Shannon Mosher, operations manager of the Camanche Lake Community Center, runs an enrollment program for the Amador-Tuolumne Community Action Agency. She said “people can sit down with me and I’m certified to help them fill out their applications.” A-CTAA has a grant from the United Way, Mosher said. “This is the fifth year we’ve been funded by them.” They normally get $40,000 a year, and this year received $42,000. She said: “We’ve enrolled about 100 kids every year for the last 5 years. We’d love to help more.” She said she was sure there are more people who may need help, due to the recession. The program gives medical insurance at different premium rates, based on family size and income. Premium rates depend on income level and children’s ages, but there are different deductions that are factored in, Mosher said. “For a family of four, you can make up to almost $48,000 a year, but that’s after the deductions have been taken off,” so it could be close to $50,000. She said enrollment has reopened, and she helped a family apply on Wednesday. Mosher said applications take about a half hour online. Call Camanche Community Center at 763-2794 or the Upcountry Community Center at 296-2785 to sign up. If they cannot make it to those offices, families can arrange for a meeting in Jackson, Ione or Sutter Creek. Online, see www.healthyfamilies.ca.gov or call 1(800) 880-5305. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sutter Creek – The Sutter Creek City Council last week set up subcommittees to look at regional and local traffic mitigation, and also the fiscal impacts of the Gold Rush Ranch & Golf Resort. Mayor Gary Wooten also wanted “to have a committee look at grading,” but changed his mind. Mayor Pro Tem Tim Murphy and Councilman Pat Crosby both said the absence of detailed maps for grading was a problem. Murphy said the developer repeatedly has said “they won’t know what is going to be there,” but “a committee is just going to water it down.” Murphy also said he would like to see some “flexibility for when maps actually appear.” Wooten agreed. Consultant Anders Hauge (HOW-GHEE) said the developer likes detailed wording in grading guidelines, “in case they sell some of the large lots.” Crosby said the city council doesn’t know where it is going, “so why are (they) spending any time on it,” and they should wait for a detailed grading map. Murphy said developers “don’t have a market to justify putting those kind of documents together.” They agreed to use commission recommendations for grading and also “recreation & trails,” and “affordable housing.” They created council subcommittees to look at conditions of approval and the development agreement. Wooten suggested appointment of Councilwomen Linda Rianda and Sandy Anderson to work with Planning Commissioner Frank Cunha, to “review fiscal impacts and come back with specific recommendations” at the October 19th meeting. Crosby said “it would be a good idea to have them look at a Community Facilities District.” Hauge (HOW-GHEE) said the developer wanted traffic mitigation fees locked “for the duration of the project,” while the commission favored floating fees. Crosby said “fees should be those in effect at the time build-out occurs.” Wooten suggested Murphy, Crosby, a planning commissioner and Assistant City Manager Sean Rabe form a traffic mitigation subcommittee and work with Charles Field, executive director of the Amador County Transportation Commission, to determine fair share fee amounts for both regional and local impacts. He also noted that Field recommended the developer donate easements on Ridge Road that would accommodate expansion to 4 lanes, but not require the developer to build it. The traffic committee will come back with suggested regional and local fees traffic that would be appropriate. Wooten said council subcommittee meetings will be open to the public, and public input will be encouraged. Comments on work thus far were also encouraged to be sent to Mary Beth Van Voorhis at City Hall. The traffic committee meets 1 p.m. Tuesday at the community building on Church Street. The council returns to consideration of Gold Rush on October 19th. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sutter Creek – Amador County Supervisors John Plasse and Chairman Ted Novelli earlier this month worked out terms of agreement with the Amador Water Agency to provide water and wastewater services for a proposed new county jail. Gene Mancebo, interim general manager, said in a release last week that AWA’s board of “directors approved waiving a number of agency policies to accommodate county requests, citing public safety and a desire for cooperation between local government agencies.” The jail is estimated to need a maximum flow of 22,000 gallons of water a day of water and is expected to produce about 19,400 gallons a day of wastewater. The Amador County Sheriff’s Office has identified a site for the proposed jail. The parcel, in the Amador Central Office Park, has a daily service entitlement of 1,200 gallons of water and 600 gallons of wastewater. The county has applied for additional capacity with the AWA and “needs to confirm availability and cost for water and wastewater prior to purchasing the jail property,” Mancebo said. The agency's proposal was approved in a September 18th special meeting. In the agreement, the agency “is prepared to reserve water supply for up to 10 years while the county secures jail construction funding,” Mancebo said. A guarantee for wastewater capacity will require an agreement between Sutter Creek and the AWA to purchase capacity. Mancebo said: “The county will be charged AWA's service participation fees in place today, and the county has an option to pay the participation fees over” a 1-year to 10-year period. A 3 percent annual escalator will be imposed if the county chooses to make annual payments. Mancebo said Sutter Creek administrators have said they will provide sewer capacity to serve the jail. AWA directors emphasized their support of the new jail project and for an agreement that facilitated the county's project without asking AWA ratepayers to pay to serve a new jail. District 1 Director Bill Condrashoff said: “We are not subsidizing the jail.” Mancebo said AWA bent it policy for the deal with Amador County. Policy typically requires that capacity can only be reserved for 2 years and that service must be initiated within 2 years of participation fees payment or fees are increased to current levels. AWA will also credit the county for disconnecting one of its two 2-inch water connections at the existing jail, if Jackson officials agree. By Jim Reece. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sutter Creek – Sutter Creek likely will build its own wastewater treatment plant expansion, to be reimbursed by Gold Rush Ranch & Golf Resort, according to a report given at the City Council meeting Wednesday. City Manager Rob Duke said the plan to have Gold Rush handle the expansion of the plant was scuttled because of the need to keep the plant operational during the upgrade, so that the city system will be able to maintain service to its customers. Duke said staff decided that the first phase of the sewer plant upgrade would be easiest to do if the city hires people to do the work. Councilman Pat Crosby asked if it would mean the city would have to pay “prevailing wages.” Duke said the city would have to, as would the developer, if it did the project. He said City Attorney Dennis Crabb advised that it was unavoidable to pay prevailing wages. Councilman Tim Murphy said that the Gold Rush development agreement would need to have the “reimbursement spelled out” and clarified. Duke said that the mitigation or fee payment was a “policy issue that remains unclear,” and once the city and the Amador Regional Sanitation Authority adopt Wastewater Master Plans, “every new hook-up would pay the same fee.” He said he would make a notation for Crabb to have the draft development agreement meet the city council’s desires. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.