Wednesday, 07 November 2007 03:58

Sutter Creek City Council Report

Monday night’s Sutter Creek City Council meeting saw discussion of several issues.  In Public Matters not on the Agenda, a youth pastor from Sutter Creek proposed starting a youth intern program that would sponsor clean-up of Highway 49 from the Day’s Inn to Ridge Road. The program would be comprised of 14-18 year olds who would pick up trash and otherwise beautify the highway. The City Council agreed to allow the youth pastor to pursue the program, with several council members proclaiming that it was a “good idea.” The council went on to discuss possible road development on Mill Street, close to downtown.

The city is looking to build an access on its property from Mill Street to Amador Road, which would jive with another Sutter Creek bypass that is being proposed on the East Side of the town. The city is anticipating development of some of the properties that are adjacent to Mill Street, and wants to make that future development accessible from two directions: Mill Street on the south side and Amador Road/ the East Sutter Creek bypass on the North side. Another topic of interest was in the City Manager’s Report, regarding the status of the Knight Foundry. Rob Duke, the city manager, said that the city needs a total of 2 million dollars to restore the Foundry, and have received a grant from the state for 800-thousand dollars. They need another 500-thousand to match the grant, which will enable them to purchase the property. They are also are making a request to PG&E to fund the project, as well as pursuing a Sierra Nevada Conservation (SNC) grant for $14,000.

After the City Manager’s Report came the Mayor and Council’s Report, where Councilman Pat Crosby stated that the new visitor’s center in Sutter Creek is now staffed with 26 volunteers. He also said that the city would begin bus services from the visitor’s center to the Sutter Gold Mine on Highway 49, and that they were also developing a guided walking tour of the city. There was also discussion regarding the affects of the new Highway 49 bypass on the businesses in Sutter Creek. Crosby said that he felt that the bypass “has not been the killer that we thought it would be,” and that the bypass issue “would only get better from here on.”