Ione - The Amador District Boy Scouts Pioneering Fall Camporee will be held October 16 through 18 at Howard Park in Ione. This event will feature the Pioneering Merit Badge, which can be earned as Scouts work through each required activity and complete a construction project. This event will feature engineered structures constructed from wooden spars and rope lashing. Anticipated structures include rope bridges, towers, and catapults. The community is welcome all day on Oct. 17 to view what Boy Scout Pioneering is all about. Participation is expected from local Boy Scout, Venture and Cub Scout units. Boys will be completing merit badge requirements in the morning and constructing unit projects in the afternoon. For more information, call Dick McCleery at 274-4188 or Jim Whitaker at 296-7776. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jackson – The Amador County Planning Department this week released a draft “glossary of terms” for the county General Plan Update. The text includes strikethroughs to language, and staff recommendations. Examples include definitions of the words “shall” and “should.” It says “shall” is “that which is obligatory” and “an unequivocal direction.” The word “should” is defined as “a less rigid directive than ‘shall’” and is “a directive to be followed if at all possible in the absence of compelling or contravening considerations.” The glossary includes several entries that planning staff recommended for removal from the glossary. Staff says the word “adequate” should be removed because it is a “subjective” word. Staff also recommends removing the words “balance,” “developer,” “discourage,” and “encourage.” The note suggests the word “developer” could “be removed from goals and policies” in the county general plan. They also recommend removing the glossary entry of the noun form of the word “preserve,” because “is not used as a noun in the goals and policies.” Staff also suggested reevaluation of the use of the term “Community Water Systems,” and potentially deleting it from the glossary. The entry for Large Retailer is defined as “large commercial retail or warehouse stores with footprints greater than 50,000 square feet of gross floor area,” but it deleted about 370 words defining large retail stores, including the names of many franchise stores. Deleted categories included “big-box retail facilities,” “discount department stores,” “category killers”, “outlet stores,” and “warehouse clubs.” The planning department noted that “staff would prefer to develop a single, simple threshold rather than devise several types of retailers, with different sizes for each.” The term “Economically Viable Agriculture” is defined, and staff notes that the “county intends to support the economic viability of agricultural activities by allowing a wider variety of activities in appropriate areas.” Those include roadside stands, processing activities, and agri-tourism uses. The “agri-business” glossary entry notes that “specific agriculture-related businesses which would be permitted on a particular parcel will be regulated by the Amador County Zoning Code.” With an entry on “agriculture-related businesses,” staff noted that those “may include some uses which are not permitted on lands under Williamson Act contracts.” Those “uses would not apply to parcels under Williamson Act contracts. The General Plan Update and related materials, including the new glossary, can be seen online at the county’s website, www.co.amador.ca.us. For information, call the Amador planning department at 223-6380. 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 last week won a $367,000 federal stimulus grant that will design and build a new sewer leach field in the Gayla Manor subdivision in Pine Grove. AWA Interim General Manager Gene Mancebo said last week that $367,612 had been awarded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and it will pay for improvements to an “overtaxed community wastewater system.” The funds will pay for design and construction of a new leach field and “expand the Gayla Manor wastewater system’s capacity to meet a 100-year wet season occurrence and satisfy the requirements of the Regional Water Quality Control Board.” The Gayla Manor system has been out of compliance since 2003, “when state regulators tightened wastewater storage requirements.” In May, the AWA board authorized acquisition of a 3-acre parcel of land owned by the Gayla Manor Homeowners Association where the new leach field will be constructed. When the grant funds were approved, the sale of the property closed escrow at no costs. The land purchase agreement included improvements for the Gayla Manor Subdivision. AWA Financial Service Manager Michael Lee said the grant is through the California Department of Water Resources, Clean Water Program. He said the award “is another agency success in pursuing government grants to pay for important system improvements while keeping rates affordable.” Lee said in the last 5 years, AWA has secured more than “$9 million in government grants” for “water and wastewater projects in Amador County.” AWA crews should begin work on the leach field in November. In other AWA news, the board of directors will host a special meeting 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Lockwood Fire Department Number 2, at Hale and Shakeridge Roads. The board will discuss LaMel Heights Water, and plans to meet with the property owners of LaMel Heights to discuss potential upcoming rate increases. Also Wednesday, the AWA Engineering Committee meets at 1 p.m. in the agency’s Ridge Road office. The committee, Board President Terence Moore and Vice President Bill Condrashoff, will discuss annual prequalification of contractors for large capital construction projects. They will also discuss annual development of “on-call contracts” for “common and repetitive professional and construction services.” Those include surveying, geotechnical engineering, hydrogeology and paving. The committee will also discuss a “discrepancy between the deeded property line and the existing fence line,” involving the Amador Water System, and Oneto and New York Ranch Reservoir properties. For information, call (209) 223-3018. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Plymouth – Plymouth last week heard that it was getting a $2.25 million boost in is city wastewater system, which will nearly cover the update of the city’s ailing sewer system. Plymouth City Council heard a report from consultant Richard Prima that the city will have to pay for nearly $200,000 of the work that would not be covered by the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act funding. That unfunded work included sludge removal maintenance, and would not be covered by the federal stimulus funding because the work is considered ongoing and necessary maintenance. The California Revolving Loan Fund program will disperse the funds, and Prima said in September that the state found that Plymouth is eligible for a “principal forgiveness” loan – a grant – due to low household income. On Thursday, the council also tentatively hired a community development director, and agreed to a short-term contract with Berry Siebe, on the recommendation of City Manager Dixon Flynn. They signed a $5,000 contract with Siebe to start work immediately (October 13, that is tomorrow), and the short contract would get them through the end of the month. At the next meeting, October 22nd, Flynn will bring back an employment contract, with a job description and a salary range. Finance Manager Jeff Gardner, a member of one of the 3 city teams that interviewed applicants for the community development director job, said Siebe was former military and “task oriented.” Vice Mayor Greg Baldwin liked his grant writing skills. Siebe told the council Thursday that he had won more than $1 million in grants, during his planning work for the city of Hughson. He said he learned to be a planning manager with “on the job training,” while building the Hughson planning department. He offered to be a staff member at the city administration for $50 an hour, and work 3 days a week. Gardner said he would work for half of what they paid the past community development director, and 3 times more days. Councilwoman Pat Shackleton said she remembered former City Manager Hilary Straus always saying that Plymouth would save money by having a staff development director. Before hiring Siebe, the council finalized termination of services with Development Impact Incorporated,” and planner Paula Daneluk. The company had completed the city’s General Plan Update, which was approved in August. The termination included a $31,000 payment to the Development Impact, which would give the city original documents from its work for Plymouth. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sonora - The Veterans Memorial committee of Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), Chapter 391 of Sonora reports that they received donations for over 585 bricks which will be used in the walkway around the Veterans Memorial to be constructed at the new $2.5 million VA Medical Clinic in Sonora. “We can only fit 720 bricks in the area and there are only about 135 left. That’s why we’ve put a deadline of October 30 on donating for a brick. So, if you’ve been thinking about it, now is the time to act,” said Frank Smart, committee chair. The Veterans Affairs (VA) clinic on Mono Way, the location of the new Veterans Memorial, opened on September 29 with opening ceremonies scheduled for October 9 at 11:00 a.m. According to Smart, they are aiming at having the Memorial finished by December. The VVA Chapter began offering the bricks several months ago in order to finance the Memorial. The bricks will surround the Memorial which will be located where the flagpole is located at the front of the building. “We have one of the area’s best artists, Gereon Rios to design it and now we’re getting the materials together,” said Smart. The Veterans Memorial honors all veterans from all services and the Merchant Marines from all of the nation’s wars. According to Rios, the Memorial was conceived to resemble a “Peacemaker” revolver cylinder. This was a weapon used during the late 1800s in the west and carried by lawmen. Rios says this piece will rival many of those in cities like San Francisco, Chicago, and New York. Smart is being assisted in this endeavor by Vietnam Veterans John Bright, Dave Bonnot, Bill Chamberlain, George Eldridge, and Geroon Rios. A 4x8-inch brick donation is $50 and an 8x8-inch paver is $100. There are four lines available on the brick while there are eight lines on the paver. VVA Chapter 391 is the largest in California and ninth out of 650 in the nation. The California State VVA Council named the Sonora Chapter as Chapter of the Year. The Chapter sponsors several events during the year and the proceeds go to support their many community services. Applications for the bricks are available at the VA Sonora Clinic, Chamber of Commerce, at the County Veterans Service Office, and on Chapter 391’s web site, www.VietnamVeterans391.org as well as the County’s web site, www.Tuolumne.county.ca.gov. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Plymouth – Plymouth last week heard that it was getting a $2.25 million boost in is city wastewater system, which will nearly cover the update of the city’s ailing sewer system. Plymouth City Council heard a report from consultant Richard Prima that the city will have to pay for nearly $200,000 of the work that would not be covered by the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act funding. That unfunded work included sludge removal maintenance, and would not be covered by the federal stimulus funding because the work is considered ongoing and necessary maintenance. The California Revolving Loan Fund program will disperse the funds, and Prima said in September that the state found that Plymouth is eligible for a “principal forgiveness” loan – a grant – due to low household income. On Thursday, the council also tentatively hired a community development director, and agreed to a short-term contract with Berry Siebe, on the recommendation of City Manager Dixon Flynn. They signed a $5,000 contract with Siebe to start work immediately (October 13, that is tomorrow), and the short contract would get them through the end of the month. At the next meeting, October 22nd, Flynn will bring back an employment contract, with a job description and a salary range. Finance Manager Jeff Gardner, a member of one of the 3 city teams that interviewed applicants for the community development director job, said Siebe was former military and “task oriented.” Vice Mayor Greg Baldwin liked his grant writing skills. Siebe told the council Thursday that he had won more than $1 million in grants, during his planning work for the city of Hughson. He said he learned to be a planning manager with “on the job training,” while building the Hughson planning department. He offered to be a staff member at the city administration for $50 an hour, and work 3 days a week. Gardner said he would work for half of what they paid the past community development director, and 3 times more days. Councilwoman Pat Shackleton said she remembered former City Manager Hilary Straus always saying that Plymouth would save money by having a staff development director. Before hiring Siebe, the council finalized termination of services with Development Impact Incorporated,” and planner Paula Daneluk. The company had completed the city’s General Plan Update, which was approved in August. The termination included a $31,000 payment to the Development Impact, which would give the city original documents from its work for Plymouth. 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 last week won a $367,000 federal stimulus grant that will design and build a new sewer leach field in the Gayla Manor subdivision in Pine Grove. AWA Interim General Manager Gene Mancebo said last week that $367,612 had been awarded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and it will pay for improvements to an “overtaxed community wastewater system.” The funds will pay for design and construction of a new leach field and “expand the Gayla Manor wastewater system’s capacity to meet a 100-year wet season occurrence and satisfy the requirements of the Regional Water Quality Control Board.” The Gayla Manor system has been out of compliance since 2003, “when state regulators tightened wastewater storage requirements.” In May, the AWA board authorized acquisition of a 3-acre parcel of land owned by the Gayla Manor Homeowners Association where the new leach field will be constructed. When the grant funds were approved, the sale of the property closed escrow at no costs. The land purchase agreement included improvements for the Gayla Manor Subdivision. AWA Financial Service Manager Michael Lee said the grant is through the California Department of Water Resources, Clean Water Program. He said the award “is another agency success in pursuing government grants to pay for important system improvements while keeping rates affordable.” Lee said in the last 5 years, AWA has secured more than “$9 million in government grants” for “water and wastewater projects in Amador County.” AWA crews should begin work on the leach field in November. In other AWA news, the board of directors will host a special meeting 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Lockwood Fire Department Number 2, at Hale and Shakeridge Roads. The board will discuss LaMel Heights Water, and plans to meet with the property owners of LaMel Heights to discuss potential upcoming rate increases. Also Wednesday, the AWA Engineering Committee meets at 1 p.m. in the agency’s Ridge Road office. The committee, Board President Terence Moore and Vice President Bill Condrashoff, will discuss annual prequalification of contractors for large capital construction projects. They will also discuss annual development of “on-call contracts” for “common and repetitive professional and construction services.” Those include surveying, geotechnical engineering, hydrogeology and paving. The committee will also discuss a “discrepancy between the deeded property line and the existing fence line,” involving the Amador Water System, and Oneto and New York Ranch Reservoir properties. For information, call (209) 223-3018. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sonora - The Veterans Memorial committee of Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), Chapter 391 of Sonora reports that they received donations for over 585 bricks which will be used in the walkway around the Veterans Memorial to be constructed at the new $2.5 million VA Medical Clinic in Sonora. “We can only fit 720 bricks in the area and there are only about 135 left. That’s why we’ve put a deadline of October 30 on donating for a brick. So, if you’ve been thinking about it, now is the time to act,” said Frank Smart, committee chair. The Veterans Affairs (VA) clinic on Mono Way, the location of the new Veterans Memorial, opened on September 29 with opening ceremonies scheduled for October 9 at 11:00 a.m. According to Smart, they are aiming at having the Memorial finished by December. The VVA Chapter began offering the bricks several months ago in order to finance the Memorial. The bricks will surround the Memorial which will be located where the flagpole is located at the front of the building. “We have one of the area’s best artists, Gereon Rios to design it and now we’re getting the materials together,” said Smart. The Veterans Memorial honors all veterans from all services and the Merchant Marines from all of the nation’s wars. According to Rios, the Memorial was conceived to resemble a “Peacemaker” revolver cylinder. This was a weapon used during the late 1800s in the west and carried by lawmen. Rios says this piece will rival many of those in cities like San Francisco, Chicago, and New York. Smart is being assisted in this endeavor by Vietnam Veterans John Bright, Dave Bonnot, Bill Chamberlain, George Eldridge, and Geroon Rios. A 4x8-inch brick donation is $50 and an 8x8-inch paver is $100. There are four lines available on the brick while there are eight lines on the paver. VVA Chapter 391 is the largest in California and ninth out of 650 in the nation. The California State VVA Council named the Sonora Chapter as Chapter of the Year. The Chapter sponsors several events during the year and the proceeds go to support their many community services. Applications for the bricks are available at the VA Sonora Clinic, Chamber of Commerce, at the County Veterans Service Office, and on Chapter 391’s web site, www.VietnamVeterans391.org as well as the County’s web site, www.Tuolumne.county.ca.gov. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jackson – The Amador County Planning Department this week released a draft “glossary of terms” for the county General Plan Update. The text includes strikethroughs to language, and staff recommendations. Examples include definitions of the words “shall” and “should.” It says “shall” is “that which is obligatory” and “an unequivocal direction.” The word “should” is defined as “a less rigid directive than ‘shall’” and is “a directive to be followed if at all possible in the absence of compelling or contravening considerations.” The glossary includes several entries that planning staff recommended for removal from the glossary. Staff says the word “adequate” should be removed because it is a “subjective” word. Staff also recommends removing the words “balance,” “developer,” “discourage,” and “encourage.” The note suggests the word “developer” could “be removed from goals and policies” in the county general plan. They also recommend removing the glossary entry of the noun form of the word “preserve,” because “is not used as a noun in the goals and policies.” Staff also suggested reevaluation of the use of the term “Community Water Systems,” and potentially deleting it from the glossary. The entry for Large Retailer is defined as “large commercial retail or warehouse stores with footprints greater than 50,000 square feet of gross floor area,” but it deleted about 370 words defining large retail stores, including the names of many franchise stores. Deleted categories included “big-box retail facilities,” “discount department stores,” “category killers”, “outlet stores,” and “warehouse clubs.” The planning department noted that “staff would prefer to develop a single, simple threshold rather than devise several types of retailers, with different sizes for each.” The term “Economically Viable Agriculture” is defined, and staff notes that the “county intends to support the economic viability of agricultural activities by allowing a wider variety of activities in appropriate areas.” Those include roadside stands, processing activities, and agri-tourism uses. The “agri-business” glossary entry notes that “specific agriculture-related businesses which would be permitted on a particular parcel will be regulated by the Amador County Zoning Code.” With an entry on “agriculture-related businesses,” staff noted that those “may include some uses which are not permitted on lands under Williamson Act contracts.” Those “uses would not apply to parcels under Williamson Act contracts. The General Plan Update and related materials, including the new glossary, can be seen online at the county’s website, www.co.amador.ca.us. For information, call the Amador planning department at 223-6380. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jackson - The Amador County Sheriff’s Department was recently audited by the State of California 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Office. The goal of this inspection was to help ensure emergency calls are answered “as expediently as possible and to prove public safety agencies with updated technical and operational standards,” according to a release by Undersheriff Jim Wegner. The audit focused on 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Point’s (PSAP) response to incoming calls. “As the only Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) within Amador County, the Amador County Sheriff’s Office Communications Bureau is charged with answering all 9-1-1 emergency calls that originate within the County,” said Wegner. Dispatchers provide pre-arrival instructions while fire responders are dispatched for all law enforcement and medical calls. “In the case of fires, all calls are routed to the Cal Fire Communications Center in Camino, California,” said Wegner. Amador County Sheriff Martin Ryan announced that our local center answered 99.4 percent of all emergency 9-1-1 calls received within the first ten seconds, significantly higher than the state standard of 90 percent. Wegner said, “Sheriff Ryan is extremely proud of the employees in the Communications Bureau and commends the Dispatchers for their technical proficiency, calming demeanor, ability to multi-task in the performance of their often stressful duties, and for providing excellent service to the citizens of Amador County.” This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.