The Amador Water Agency received approval from the Amador County Board of Supervisors to rezone 80 acres of agency property in the Lake Camanche area. The property, about ¼ mile east of Curran Rd, is the former site for wastewater disposal, which the agency has ceased using for this purpose. The 80-acres, which are surrounded by residential properties, will be split into 2 40-acre parcels, rezoned R1A – single family residential and agricultural.

Neighbors of the property had protested the changes when the county notified them of several easements that the Planning Department had put in place to accommodate access to the new lots. Amador Water Agency General Manager Jim Abercrombie told the supervisors that the water agency did not need or want these easements, and agreed with neighbors that the easements should be abandoned. Abercrombie says that the new lots will go on the market very soon, and that the proceeds from the property sale of former wastewater system property will be used to augment the current wastewater system in the Camanche area.

The Amador County Unified School District Board of Trustees cancelled a special meeting scheduled for today, when the Board was to award a bid for paving projects at Sutter Creek Elementary School, Amador High School and Argonaut High School. According to the district office, the meeting was cancelled because one of the competing paving contractors had filed a protest on the bidding process. The district business office said at this point, the job will likely be postponed until spring anyway, and a new request for bids will go out, and the bidding process will start over from scratch.

Mailboxes are becoming quite the conversation in Sutter Creek as the local post office there has decided to allow street delivery on some additional streets.

Last Thursday night’s meeting at La Contenta golf club was no doubt crowded with worried Camanche area residents of three East Bay Municipal Utility District owned mobile home parks. All of the residents, and many elderly as well, were concerned over their future and how it would be impacted by East Bay MUD’s update of its Mokelumne Watershed Master Plan. Although no promises were made, the utility did acknowledge some of the owner’s concerns and points of information as valid.

The Joint Water Committee, made up of members of the Board of Supervisors and Water Agency Board of Directors met this week to discuss the current water and wastewater matters in the county.

Summer is the time for lazy days, warm evenings, county fairs and carnivals. In rural communities throughout the nation, the Fair is the biggest event of the summer and it is no different for Amador County. And this is the week- the Amador County Fair officially opens Thursday with kids day and seniors day.

A multi jurisdictional effort, which included help from local residents and businesses, has paid off and yesterday afternoon as the lead agency, the Amador County Sheriff’s Department announced they had found the missing hiker for which a massive hunt had been taking place. On Monday June 11, 2007 at approximately 1450 hours, Magee was located approximately 1.5 miles east of the Amador County line in Alpine County, near Beebe Lake.  Magee was located by a California National Guard Helicopter search team after he placed pine needles on his camp fire to create a smoke plume. 

Representatives from the Amador Water Agency, the Board of Supervisors, local city councils and ARSA were all in attendance at the joint water committee meeting held this week. A topic of discussion was the Wicklow Way subdivision project and that projects impact on the Jackson Creek. Concerns included the fact that as much as 3 million cubic yards of dirt will be bulldozed and moved. This, in turn, is causing some concern that the downstream areas will be damaged.

The City of Jackson Planning Commission and Cemetery Committee both have some new members.  Three new members were appointed to the Cemetery Committee last week.  Walter Hoeser and Warren Carleton were both re-appointed to the committee, and Margot McIntire was newly appointed.  Both Hoeser and Carleton have been on the committee for several years, and Carlton is the current chairman.  McIntire grew up on Church Street and has knowledge of the cemetery.  At a special meeting Monday night, Derek Selman of Martell was appointed to the Jackson Planning Commission, filling Terri Works vacant position.  And finally, Leticia Sexton was re-appointed to the commission as Chairwoman.  Both the Planning Commission and Cemetery Committee positions constitute two year terms.

The deadline for entries in the upcoming and highly anticipated Amador County Fair, which takes place July 24-27, is drawing near. Entry forms and fees are due by 6:00 pm, Saturday, July 12. The Fair showcases the talents of the local residents, and neighboring counties, who would like to share their best needlework, beautiful blooms, tasty jams and jellies, and outstanding garden produce.  According to CEO Troy Bowers, the fair is truly a reflection of the lifestyle of the Foothills, with community spirit and neighborly attitudes. Artists can enter paintings, sculptures, or photographs. Rock hounds can show off their collections, handcrafted jewelry, or that rare find. Most categories are open to residents of Amador, Calaveras and El Dorado Counties. 

Home Arts, Art, and Photography are also open to Tuolumne County and Gems and Minerals can be entered by all California residents. Entering your best work in the County Fair makes attending the Fair even more fun with the anticipation of searching through the displays to see if a ribbon is prominently displayed on your exhibit. You also have more of an appreciation for the effort that has gone into the other entries and the hours spent on the displays, said Bowers. Submitting your entry forms by July 12 allows building supervisors to plan and set up for the displays during the Fair.  Forms and guidebooks are currently available at the Fair Office, and the 4-H Office, feed stores and County libraries.  The guide is also posted on the Internet at www.amadorcountyfair.com.  If you need assistance, the Amador County Fair staff is glad to help and explain the rules. Call the Fair office at 209 245-6921. A complete schedule of the due dates and locations for actual exhibits, judging and release dates is included in the Entry Guide.