Buena Vista – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is issuing a proposed notice today that could permit the Buena Vista Rancheria casino near Ione to discharge treated effluent into an unnamed tributary of Jackson Creek. The EPA announcement marks the beginning of a public comment period between August 5 and September 4. The notice of action under the Clean Water Act would allow the issuance of a Proposed National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit, or NPDES. With the construction of a new $150 million casino in Amador County growing more and more likely, the tribe is pursuing all permits necessary. The associated wastewater treatment plant would accommodate an annual average flow between 100,000 and 200,000 gallons per day, depending on the day of the week. Jackson Creek subsequently flows into Dry Creek and to the lower Mokelumne River. The permitting process stretches back to early 2006, when the EPA received comments on the matter from approximately 30 parties at a public hearing in Ione. Since the initial public notice, the tribe has completed all the necessary legal requirements, including the completion of a final Tribal Environmental Impact Report. Tribal Administrator Paul Tupaz, speaking on behalf of the Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians, issued no comment on the NPDES. The construction of the casino remains a contentious issue in Amador County. The Amador County Board of Supervisors has consistently opposed any Indian gaming expansion in Amador County - and specifically oppose the establishment of the Buena Vista Casino near Ione. To submit public comments on the NPDES, or to obtain information including a copy of proposed permit and administrative records, contact John Tinger of the EPA at (415) 420-2217 or email him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jackson – Jackson Rancheria officials are predicting construction work on areas of the hotel facility will be finished by January, allowing the venue to once again open its doors to top-notch entertainment. Jackson Rancheria CEO Rich Hoffman announced June 26 that all upcoming concerts and popular events like Karaoke and Dinner and a Movie will be cancelled due to building safety concerns. “After a careful evaluation of the deluxe portion of the hotel, our Building Official, CSG, communicated some concerns about the building's performance in the event of a fire. In a response to that report, the Tribe has elected to put the safety of our guests and staff ahead of any other concern, and discontinue the use of these areas until a correction is made,” said Hoffman. The specifics of the building official’s concerns were unclear but relate to the ability to properly evacuate the structure should a fire occur. “We will, under the guidance of our Building Official, continue to occupy the Tower building at the hotel, but the hotel rooms in the closed area, along with Lone Wolf's Steak & Seafood restaurant, the hotel kitchen and banquet facilities, meeting rooms and Grand Oak Ballroom will be unavailable,” said Hoffman. The casino has partnered with several motels in downtown Jackson and still has Tower rooms available. The casino also has a shuttle to and from Jackson. There is also a new RV Park with 100 plus spaces, as well as a 24-hour general store and a large gas station where members receive ten cents off a gallon of gas. He said all this falls during the transitional period from “a time when projects did not receive the appropriate scrutiny, to rebuilding in a way that will provide safety and function for years to come.” Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Cogen owners the Oneto Group, attended an open house last Wednesday at the plant, hosted by Buena Vista Biomass Power. The company plans to reopen the plant and sell electricity, in effect, bringing power, jobs and a lot of money to Jackson Valley and Amador County. Rux Oneto said the Oneto Group is working on a lease/purchase agreement with Buena Vista Biomass Power. The latter partners and staff hosted the open house last week. One of the nearest neighbors, if not the nearest, attended. That was John Tang, spokesman for the Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians, who’s 40-acre Rancheria is just down the road from the plant, across Coal Mine Road, and could be the closest beneficiary of the 18 megawatts of power generated there, when it opens its casino. Tang said they hope to break ground on their casino project in October. Managing partner of Buena Vista Biomass Power, Mark Thompson, said the company has taken over the Cogen plant and has spent 6 weeks “testing all of the 1,650 pumps, motors and valves.” He said they “want to understand the condition of the project as they try to generate capital.” They are looking for a $20 million capital investment. During construction they will have anywhere from 30 to 50 people on staff. And in full operation, they’ll have 20 full-time workers and an annual salary over $2.3 million. They have already put $2 million in the plant, and have qualified for a federal grant of between $1.5 million and $3 million. Thompson said they also hope to go for some of the state firefighting money, as a industry that will burn fuel for wildfires in a controlled combustion chamber and generate power. He said the state last year spent $800 million in fire suppression. Thompson said the Cogen plant “is in good condition because of numerous people trying to reopen it.” He said: “We will reopen it.” Buena Vista Biomass Power was issued a permit from the Amador Air District in early July. Amador Air District Officer Jim Harris said the facility has already undergone 2 Environmental Impact Reports, including the initial one in the 1980s and a Supplemental EIR in the 1990s. He said: “In essence, it’s a facility that’s not running.” The existing facility meets legal environmental requirements, but people have questioned what is happening, so the Air District board of directors is holding a public meeting August 25th, to let people know what is happening there and to take public comment. Harris said his consulting engineer reviewed the permit application and no rules or regulations required any special EIR. Harris said the permit includes burning lignite and rubber tire fuel – pellets – and wood byproducts. Buena Vista Biomass Power plans to burn only wood byproducts. Harris said its emissions will be reduced by 50 percent, “so in operations, it is predicted to be very clean.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Facing a $200,000 budget deficit, Sutter Creek City Council avoided declaring an impasse Monday in negotiations with 2 unions. Instead, the finance committee will resume talks with the Sutter Creek Police Officers Association, and the Service Employees International Union. Mayor Gary Wooten said the city is “looking at a 10 percent cut for employee costs” and “eliminating some management positions.” SEIU Local 1021 Representative Mike Fouch said “we are prepared at this time to go back to the table.” Wooten agreed to meet with Fouch Tuesday, while the committee will meet with POA August 12th. Councilman Pat Crosby said: “I don’t see how Sutter Creek is going to move forward unless we drastically reduce our number of employees.” He said “indirect labor costs are running at 125 percent.” Crosby said: “We don’t know what we are doing here. As far as I’m concerned, it’s time to start over.” Crosby said they should give “termination notices” to all city employees, then “start from scratch.” He said: “We’ve got to cut our labor in half. I see no other way to balance our budget.” Wooten disagreed, saying if the budget balances this year, it will help next year. Wooten said they need to negotiate a fair agreement with unions. Crosby said “you’re talking about $600,000 in 2 years,” another $400,000 next year, “puts us at a million bucks.” Crosby made a motion to terminate all city employee contracts. A man in the audience then said: “I make a motion to kick his ass.” Wooten said the item was for discussion only and no action. The room was filled with city employees including maintenance, city hall and police. City Clerk Judy Allen, her voice breaking, said “Sutter Creek is the only city that doesn’t have a full time city clerk” and it needs one. She said Natalie Doyle “is kept busy doing my job,” and she couldn’t “believe you have Natalie’s job as one to be eliminated.” City Clerks from Jackson, Giselle Cangelosi, and Ione’s Janice Traverso, both urged the council to make it a full-time post. Wooten said Sutter Creek police were probably among the lowest paid in California, but like he did when a policeman, “they took an oath to lay down their lives rather than sway form the path of duty.” Councilwoman Sandy Anderson said city employees “are not over-benefitted.” She said “we need to make cuts and we will make the cuts to make the city solvent.” Wooten said: “I’m going to shut this down. It’s very stressful, very emotional, and it affects everyone in this room.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jackson – The Jackson City Council approved an amendment to the city’s contract with the PERS program on Tuesday that will provide two years additional service credit retirement incentives for Jackson Police Officers. Also known as the “golden handshake” program, the incentive allows retiring officers age 50 and older to retire with an allowance based on their final salary and how many years of service they provided. City Manager Mike Daly said calculations are based on a 3 percent @ 50 retirement formula, making the City’s total cost 87 percent of the annual rate of pay. Two officers are currently eligible for retirement, making the highest possible cost to the city $103,951. Daly said only one employee has indicated a strong interest in retiring, which would cost the city $50,770 if that employee accepted. Daly said that in general, qualifying law enforcement officers can get up to 90 percent of their final pay in perpetuity. During the Fiscal Year 2009-2010 budget process, the city elected to offer an early retirement incentive in order to reduce the number of Police Officers from eight to seven and help alleviate budget concerns. The eliminated position was frozen last year and continues to remain frozen. City Attorney Andrew Morris said that since the authorization was put forward as an urgency ordinance, it requires a 4/5ths vote to pass as defined by California Government Code. This meant approval by all four attending council members. Mayor Connie Gonsalves was absent from the meeting. Councilmember Marilyn Lewis stated hesitation about voting for the amendment but voted yes. The urgency ordinance allows the City to implement the ordinance immediately. Daly said the interested officer has 90 days from Monday’s meeting to decide whether he will take advantage of the program. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jackson – The Amador County Planning Commission on Tuesday denied findings in the Wicklow Way Environmental Impact Report, effectively prohibiting further action on the massive Jackson subdivision unless the developer reapplies or is granted an appeal. Amador County Planning Administrative Assistant Heidi Jacobs said the decision was based on “significant and unavoidable impacts provided in the EIR.” The project, as proposed by Lemke Construction, involves the subdivision of an approximately 200 acre parcel into hundreds of residential units and commercial space. The project has been in the works for four to five years and would be located above the K-Mart and Wal-Mart stores in the Martell area, according to Lemke Construction Planning Manager Susan Larson. Lemke Construction was not present at Tuesday’s meeting, and according to one concerned citizen whose property is adjacent to the proposed project, the company has been “unresponsive and has not provided a fiscal analysis or other details.” The Planning Commission deliberated for 2 hours on findings in the EIR before denying in a 5-0 vote the subdivision map and parcel map. They also recommended denial of proposed zone changes to the Board of Supervisors, who will be voting on the matter at a to-be-determined date. Lemke Construction has ten days to appeal the decision, after which time they would have to start the application process over again. Planner Heather Anderson said that if the Planning Commission decisions are appealed, they will be scheduling another review at the same time as the proposed zone change denial is discussed. In total, the commission denied three of seven findings in the EIR. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sutter Creek - Amador County Health Officer Robert Hartmann released a brief Tuesday afternoon cautioning residents to “expect a significant increase in the number of Novel H1N1 cases in the United States in the fall.” The most recent strain of H1N1, commonly known as swine flu, was first reported in Mexico earlier this year. The US now has 37,000 documented cases and 211 documented deaths from H1N1. One case of the virus was discovered in an Amador County man who returned from Mexico in mid-April, but Amador County Health Officer Dr. Robert Hartmann assured that that case was mild and the man recovered to full health without any spread of the illness. On June 11, the World Health Organization raised the worldwide Pandemic Influenza Alert Level to Phase Six, the highest such designation for a flu outbreak. Hartmann said “heavy case counts are present in the southern hemisphere of the world.” He said Amador County Public Health is collaborating with local partners to prepare for Fall 2009 flu season. The partners are the Amador County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services, Sutter Amador Hospital, Department of Corrections, and Amador County Unified School District. He also said seasonal flu vaccinations will occur earlier this year. Vaccinations will be available in doctor’s offices by early September. Upcoming flu vaccine clinics will be offered by the Public Health Department. Hartmann said previously at a Board of Supervisors meeting that the Health Department’s goal is to be “first, fast and accurate” in relaying health information to the public and gaining the public’s trust. Amador County Public Health Director Angel LaSage said the county is utilizing a recent $150,000 state grant to prepare for the future by purchasing pharmaceutical type refrigerators and staying abreast of new science and information. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jackson – Sutter Amador hospital announced the addition of a new Nurse Practitioner, Yolanda Apedaile(Ah-ped-e-ailey), to join the team of health care providers at Sutter Amador Women’s Services. Apedaile has over 11 years of experience as a family nurse practitioner and almost five years of experience as a registered nurse. Apedaile most recently came from Lorna Adolfo MD & Associates in Roseville. Prior to that, she was a full-time FNP and manager for the MACT Health Board Jackson Rancheria Medical Clinic in Jackson for eight years. She also practiced as an FNP for Kaiser Permanente for about a year and was an RN for the Black Hills VA Healthcare System for almost five years in South Dakota, which is where she received her Masters and Bachelors of Science from South Dakota State University. “We are thrilled to have Yolanda join our team,” said Christine Sullivan, nurse midwife and manager of Sutter Amador Women’s Services. “This is a very busy practice and Yolanda is a welcomed addition. She not only has extensive experience and knowledge, but she also possesses passion for women’s health and the patient’s she serves.” Apedaile, along with her husband and youngest son, reside in Amador City and enjoy all this area has to offer. Her husband is a surveyor and her oldest son is a captain in the Air Force. “Sutter Amador Women’s Services has a very professional and caring team of providers,” says Apedaile. “I am delighted to be here and look forward to providing primary care services to women of all ages.” She is now accepting patients. To schedule an appointment with Yolanda Apedaile, call Sutter Amador Women’s Services at (209) 257-0177. Staff Report This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Plymouth – Congressman Dan Lungren focused on health care and Capitol Hill battles over health care reform in a speech before the Plymouth Rotary Club Tuesday morning at the 49er RV Village in Plymouth. “A government system would ration health care,” said Lungren, standing before an audience of approximately 30 Rotarians. “We’re already $1 trillion in debt, and I don’t see how we can take on another trillion-dollar program,” he said. A number of Rotarians were in attendance, including individuals from the Amador Water Agency, the Ione Band of Miwok Indians, the Plymouth City Council and the Amador City Council. Audience members stood and applauded at the start and conclusion of Lungren’s nearly hour-long speech. He said “health care could mean more to the United States than any other single issue today.” He criticized President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Democrats for trying to push through a health package that will require more government oversight and spending. He called Joe Biden “an interesting guy you’d like to watch a football game with, but by half-time you’d be telling him to shut up.” Marilyn Hoopes, a resident of Sutter Creek, said her rates as a small employer have gone up 50 percent and asked if it isn’t better to have some sort of government competition. She also said she is happy with the Medicare system. Lungren said Medicare is going to go broke by 2040. “My fear is that if we go in the other direction, Medicare will break us,” he said. He said “I will never give up on this country, but I do give up on some of the people who say we can do things (the same old way.)” Lungren ended his speech by quoting French theorist and economist Frederic Bastiat, who said: “The state is the great fictitious entity by which everyone seeks to live at the expense of everyone else.” Lungren represents California’s 3rd District, which includes Amador County. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.