Sutter Creek – The Amador Water Agency board of directors heard a report on the Sutter Creek Broad Street pipe replacement project Thursday, with the bad news possibly getting worse. The project is expected to have a cost overrun of about $119,000, and that could deepen, depending on the quality of soils removed from a trench on the project. Engineer Erik Christeson reported that arsenic testing had not been completed on the roughly 300 yards of soil removed from the project, but not replaced in the ground, due to possible high arsenic content. He said some of it tested to Category 2, or 200 parts per billion of arsenic, which would have to be disposed of at a landfill in Keifer. If the soils test to higher concentration of arsenic at a Category 3 level, Christeson said the soil would have to be disposed of at facilities in either Button Willow or Nevada. Barry Birge said staff removed soil from the trench that is 7 feet deep and 30 inches wide, all of which is in a pile, awaiting testing. Christeson said the cost overrun of the Broad Street project included the need to use a “slurry,” or weak concrete infill on the pipeline segment. Christeson said another overrun was Sutter Creek’s conditions for an encroachment permit on the project. That included a $25,000 lump sum payment, in lieu of the city’s request to pay for paving half of Broad Street and also a slurry infill of the pipeline. AWA did the slurry anyway. AWA’s new General Manager Gene Mancebo said the slurry, a breakable but structural light concrete mix, was used for safety reasons, because of the fear that the pipeline might settle. The project was budgeted at $305,000 and to date had cost $296,000, with an anticipated final cost of $425,000, or $119,000 over budget. Christeson said that could go up considerably if the dirt removed from the Sutter Creek trench had Category 3 levels of arsenic. He said the tainted dirt included mine tailings that were historically used by the county as road base, but it also included arsenic in the native ground. Board Chairman Terence Moore said “it sounds pretty stupid” to “take native soil out of the ground” and not be able to put it back. Christeson said the California Department of Toxic Substance Control regulates the soils, but he was unaware “if anyone else is subjected to this.” He did not know whether other entities, such as PG&E and utilities were held to the same standards as AWA in its project in Sutter Creek. 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 voted 5-0 Tuesday to allow Sweet Pea Septic Service to hook into the city sewer system, with an annexation into the city required in the next 12 months. City Manager Rob Duke said Amador County was very motivated to have an out of area service contract approved for Sweet Pea’s Sutter Hill business. Duke recommended the actions, saying the city would allow Sweet Pea to hook into the sewer system, and the owners, the Trevaskis family agreed to annex into the city within 12 months. The owners would also support the annexation, and “agree to any conditions of annexation required by (the Local Agency Formation Commission) or the city.” Duke said LAFCO, which oversees annexations, supported the annexation, and LAFCO executive director Roseanne Chamberlain said the agency could have the annexation issue on its September 17th agenda. The annexation of about 60 acres of property on Sutter Hill was derailed by LAFCO when the city showed a plan to form a sewer improvement community facilities district, but did not show how it would be funded. Duke said an assessment district would be proposed, and the city will take that to LAFCO in November. City Planner Bruce Baracco said that would include creating contracts for 14 properties on Sutter Hill, working toward their voluntary annexation. The annexations will allow the properties to hook into the city sewer system and eliminate the public safety health risks of failing septic systems along Ridge Road. Sharyn Brown asked if they expected any hiccups, and Duke said property owners “don’t have any issue that we know of.” But Mayor Gary Wooten said: “people are unpredictable.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jackson – The Amador County Recreation Agency board approved a resolution recognizing a continued, cross-country relationship with its grant writer, Liz MacLeod, a longtime Calaveras County native, who will continue to give back to Amador County, from her new home in Clarksville, Tennessee. MacLeod said she had “never been called a magnanimous captain,” but that’s what the resolution said. ACRA Executive Director Tracey Towner-Yep’s resolution “kindly rejected” MacLeod’s letter of resignation submitted on August 21st, and said MacLeod “will remain as an employee of (ACRA) until such time as her services are no longer required.” MacLeod will “telecommute” from Tennessee. ACRA Board Member, Supervisor John Plasse said MacLeod was “instrumental in utilizing this new county grant writing software.” The resolution said MacLeod as grant writer garnered more than $100,000 in grant monies for ACRA, where she as a Recreation Aide 1 at Ione Junior High School’s after school program and leaves as Coordinator of Services and Public Affairs. Towner-Yep said she and MacLeod will continue as co-grant writers for ACRA, using the online-accessible software for grant writing. ACRA board Chairman Lee Ard said he first met MacLeod when she worked as a reporter for the Ledger Dispatch. Ard said her accuracy in reporting restored a faith in the accuracy of the newspaper, which was hard to meet when she left the paper. The resolution, passed on a 7-0 vote, said MacLeod “is intrinsically motivated, passionate, inquisitive and reliable.” She “performed her duties above and beyond expectations consistently” and was “an excellent team player and a magnanimous captain.” She took over as editor of the ACRA newsletter, and “her altruistic attitude has served the agency well, as she has volunteered countless hours and lent her expertise anywhere necessary.” Towner-Yep said she constantly asks MacLeod if she has changed her mind about leaving, but she has not. MacLeod told the ACRA board that the job was by far her best, and that the ACRA staff and director had become her family. According to its website, ACRA’s “mission is to maximize recreation opportunities for all the people in all the areas of Amador County by working collaboratively and thinking regionally.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jackson - The Interfaith Food Bank is asking for support with the Empty Bowls Fund Raiser to be held on Sunday, Oct 11th from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm at the Amador County Senior Center in Jackson. The Empty Bowls luncheon will provide attendees with a bowl of soup, bread, cookies and a beverage. So far, there has already been a generous outpouring of community support. Soups have been provided by Jose's Mexican Restaurant, Beth Sogaard Catering, Strings, the Imperial Hotel, and Sutter Amador Hospital. Cookies for the event were baked by Safeway and Tommy's in Jackson. Water is donated by Raley's and coffee is from Starbuck's. Tickets are available at the Squirrel's Nest in Sutter Creek, in Martel at Rare Exception Jewelers and in Plymouth at Gianandrea Insurance. Cost is $15 for the luncheon and there will be plenty of raffle prizes. For further information contact Carla Gianandrea at 245-6770. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jackson - A back-to-school speech by President Barack Obama caused unexpected controversy across America Tuesday, including here in Amador County, where Supervisor Dick Glock received a number of calls from outraged parents. The majority insisted their child either not be allowed to view the address while another group felt it should be required viewing. Glock said “the speech might be the most controversial” issue he’s dealt with in his time as Superintendant. “It’s certainly been a lighting rod for opinion,” he said. Following procedures suggested by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Glock and local school principles dialed parents with an automated voicemail message announcing that the speech would be taking place and each teacher could determine whether their students could view it based on their lesson plans. In some cases, parents were also contacted by individual school sites. In response, the Amador County School District received angry calls and mass emails were distributed expressing outrage over the district’s action and the speech itself. Several emails referred to the event as a forum for pushing a “socialist agenda.” Obama’s speech was made during a nationwide telecast broadcasting live from Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. Much of the controversy stemmed from conservatives who feared the President’s speech would be used as a springboard to push a partisan political agenda. But Obama made no references to anything political, instead urging students to work hard and stay in school. One Amador County parent and former teacher called the reaction “a prime example of the fear that has overtaken irrational individuals who see our President as an enemy instead of a leader and in turn project that upon their children.” Others criticized the short notice given before the speech was made. Glock said he was only informed of the speech a couple days in advance, nor was it realistic to send a permission slip home and get it back, which sometimes takes at least a week. There was also a major reaction from those who felt the President’s speech should be mandatory viewing. One parent said that “because of the right (wing’s) uproar, our children are not given the opportunity to be inspired and motivated by one of the finest president's we've ever had.” “I haven’t had any reports that somebody watched the speech and didn’t want to, nor did someone not get to watch it who wanted to,” said Glock. Much of the controversy fizzled out after the President spoke and stuck to talking points that highlighted the importance of education, personal responsibility and hard work. Superintendent Glock will appear on our noon news program this Friday to discuss the issue further. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jackson – The Amador County Board of Supervisors last week voted to pursue a contract with the California Department of Fire Protection for coverage of the entire county, with the aim of letting local jurisdictions sign in for coverage through the county. Supervisors voted 4-0 to approve sending a letter to Calfire requesting a proposal for an umbrella contract between Amador County and Calfire. The contract would be county-wide, and outline general terms and conditions for fire protection services. The umbrella contract would allow all individual fire districts to have Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with the county. Those MOUs would outline specific fire services with each district. Calfire would provide and oversee administrative duties. Amador County Chief Administrative Office Terri Daly recommended the request in a memo to the board, saying: “Each jurisdiction could have a different set of services provided by Calfire.” The object of the umbrella agreement with Calfire, and the MOUs, is to get to a point where the county can start using Measure M funds to pay for firefighting in Amador County. Daly requested that the “board consider the letter to Calfire “as a first step to provide more options to all the fire districts in the future.” Daly said Measure M will fund 7 fire districts in the county, but if the Buena Vista Rancheria’s Flying Cloud Casino becomes operational in the Jackson Valley, it will “create a dramatic need for paid fire staffing.” She said the county’s Intergovernmental Services Agreement (ISA) with the Buena Vista Me-Wuk Indians “allows for contracting with Calfire to provide those services.” The “casino is located within the territory of the Jackson Valley Fire Protection District,” but Daly said the “county has an interest in ensuring that all the terms and conditions of the ISA be met by the tribe, if financing is secured by the tribe and construction commences.” She said: “A Calfire contract between the county and Calfire – with an MOU between (Jackson Valley Fire) and the county – would provide protection to the county and to JVFPD.” She said that is because the county “is the only entity that can enforce the ISA.” Daly said Jackson Valley Fire and the county “have worked side-by-side with Calfire to develop fire protection requirements for the proposed casino.” Staff will prepare a draft of the letter, which will come back to the board of supervisors for approval. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sutter Creek – The Amador Water Agency today will consider supporting a U.S. House of Representatives bill that would establish a Water Protection and Reinvestment Fund. The bill, HR 3202, would create a 4-cent tax on all “water-based” beverage containers (up to 5 gallons in size), and also would establish a fund “to support investments in clean water and drinking water infrastructure.” The bill was introduced in the House July 14th by Steven LaTourette (Republican-Ohio), Norman Dicks (Democrat-Washington), Mike Simpson (Republican-Idaho), and Thomas Petri (Republican-Wisconsin). The “Water Protection and Reinvestment Act of 2009” includes “establishment and funding of a water protection and reinvestment trust fund.” It would appropriate to the Trust Fund “amounts equivalent to the taxes received in the treasury before January 7, 2016,” under provisions relating to the clean water restoration tax, and taxes relating to water.” The bill was put on today’s Amador Water Agency agenda on a suggestion by District 3 Director Don Cooper, and the board will discuss the bill and decide whether to support it. The bill includes limits to expenditures, and says funds will be available “only for purposes of investments in clean water and drinking water infrastructure.” Grants under the bill may be used by a public water system only for expenditures helping compliance with national primary drinking water regulations. Approved spending would include planning, design, and associated preconstruction activities. Funds may not be used for monitoring, operation, and maintenance expenditures. The bill would also place a 3 percent tax on the sale of “water disposal products” and a 1/2 percent tax on the sale of pharmaceuticals. All taxes in the bill would have a termination date, and cease to apply December 31st, 2015. The term “water disposal product” refers to soaps, detergents, toiletries, toilet tissue, water softeners, and cooking oils. The Water Protection and Reinvestment Fund would be run by the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and would allocate funds in the amount of 48 percent for capitalization grants for state water pollution control and 35 percent for making capitalization grants under the Safe Drinking Water Act relating to capitalization grants for state drinking water treatment. The remaining 17 percent would be split among 10 other programs. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Martell – Mental Health America of California celebrated the opening of its new wellness and recovery center Wednesday afternoon with a Barbeque lunch and open house. Volunteers and officials from a variety of agencies were in attendance to enjoy tri-tip steak sandwiches and share in celebrating the new center located at 12265 Martell Road in Jackson. “We’re happy about this location because there’s a tremendous need up here and there aren’t very many services to meet that need,” said Susan Gallagher, Executive Director of Mental Health America. Although the center has officially been open since July, the open house was arranged in order to reveal its new title, the “Sierra Wind Wellness and Recovery Center.” The center was made possible through a grant of $250,000 from Proposition 63, passed in 2004. Also known as the Mental Health Services Act, Prop 63 levies an additional 1 percent state tax on incomes of $1 million or greater to fundamental health services programs. According to David Schroeder, a family and youth advocate coordinator and the center’s director, that funding will have to last until next June when there will be another financial evaluation. Gallagher said Schroeder was chosen as center director because he has five years experience working at another center in Sacramento and because of his “passion for self-help support services.” Schroeder said this is a “unique” center in Amador County because it provides medical, psychiatric, socialization and other support services to both individuals and families. He said it is also unique because “Amador County has formally expanded that to include people with drug and alcohol addictions.” He said mental illness and substance abuse are often interrelated because mentally ill people “often self-medicate with alcohol and street drugs.” Apparently the need for these services locally is great. Sierra Wind served 87 people in its first month and now serves over 164 people. “The focal point primarily is to re-teach people with mental illness how to live their life,” said Schroeder. The overall goal is for Sierra Wind to become more than just a center and an integral part of the community. ARTS Director James Means recently installed a bus stop directly in front of the center. The Church of the Nazarene provides one or two hot meals each week for clients, and a top Sacramento chef volunteered his time to cook the free lunch. Schroeder said this assistance in turn encourages center clients to volunteer at these other organizations. Mental Health America, a non-profit formally known as Mental Health of Sacramento, is the oldest advocacy mental health organization in the United States. For more information on services provided at the Sierra Wind Center, or to volunteer your assistance, call 209-223-1956. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Arnold - An unusual bicycle accident and resulting concussion last Sunday left a Cupertino woman in serious condition, according to a report by the California Highway Patrol. The official Report of Collision states that Liyu Teng, 45, was riding a specialized bicycle along Highway 4 near Calaveras Big Trees State Park, four miles northeast of Arnold. The report says Teng “was riding her bicycle along the north paved shoulder of the highway” and “as she was rounding a gradual right curve, she somehow lost control of her bike’s steering and crashed. Teng was ejected from her bike onto the roadway. She was transported by ground ambulance to Crescent Cove Hospital near the town of Avery then subsequently flown to Doctor’s Hospital in Modesto via Life Flight Ambulance. Attending doctors diagnosed her with a major concussion to her head as well as lacerations and a contusion. She also complained of pain in her left shoulder. The bicycle sustained minor damage. The report indicates that she was using safety equipment. She has since returned to a more normal condition. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jackson – The Foothill Conservancy announce that the 2009 Mokelumne River Cleanup has been scheduled for September 19th. The day of fall-cleaning along the banks of Mokelumne River is an annual event. This year’s Mokelumne River Cleanup will be held at four sites on Saturday, Sept 19, as part of the Great Sierra River Cleanup and California Coastal Cleanup Day. The conservancy said volunteers would be “joining Californians from Crescent Bay to San Diego and Alturas to Bishop in restoring the gleam to the Golden State and the shine to the Sierra Nevada.” Sponsor of the cleanup are Foothill Conservancy, New York Fitness, East Bay Municipal Utility District and Camanche Recreation Company. The four staging sites along the river will be the Mokelumne Day Use Area below Camanche Reservoir, Middle Bar, Electra and Highway 26. Advance registration by site is required, and it helps the Conservancy with planning. People can participate as individuals, families, friends, and groups, but groups should call ahead. Children are welcome if accompanied by a responsible adult. No pets are allowed. An intergroup competition is encouraged. For information, see www.foothillconservancy.org or call Randy Berg at (209) 295-4900. Story by Jim Reece. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.