Last Thursdays Amador Water Agency Board of Directors meeting proved to be a busy one with Board tackling a number of tough issues, which included the Plymouth Pipeline, Buckhorn Water Treatment Plant and a Conservation Program for Lake Camanche. The Board of Directors reviewed an amendment with the City of Plymouth regarding the pipeline. According to the Agency’s Manager of Engineering and Planning Gene Mancebo the “…Amendment provides for the option of upsizing a portion of the treated water transmission pipeline that is proposed to serve the City of Plymouth.” He explained that to provide for future capacity needs that the portion of pipeline located between Amador City and the City of Plymouth point of service be increased from a 12 inch pipeline to 16 inch pipeline. 

A Final Environmental Impact Statement for the public lands portion of the Kirkwood Mountain Master Development Plan is available for public review. The Eldorado National Forest and Kirkwood cooperatively developed this plan for improving Kirkwood’s on-mountain facilities and recreational opportunities by providing improvements to: the lift and terrain network; on-mountain guest services; snowmaking coverage; infrastructure; and non-skiing/riding activities.

The unofficial results of the River Pines Public Utilities District mail-in ballot to elect two new directors are in – and Lylis McCutcheon and Jackie Keehan were the top two vote-getters. McCutcheon received 37 votes, or 29.4% of the vote, Keehnen received 32 votes, or 25.4% of the vote. Carol Albaugh and Sally Upchurch Hopkins were just one vote apart with 29 and 28 votes respectively. 213 registered voters were eligible to vote in the River Pines PUD election, and 79 votes were cast. These results have yet to be certified by the Amador County Election Department, and are obviously very close, but assuming these results stand, McCutcheon and Keehnen will take their seats on the first Friday in December.

Sutter Creek celebrated the dedication of the city’s thirteenth mural depicting various aspects of life in Sutter Creek – today and yesterday – that decorate the walls of the Sutter Creek Auditorium. The new mural was painted by first and second grade students, ages 6 to 8 years old, in Elizabeth Tone’s 2006 – 2007 class at Sutter Creek Elementary School. Their colorful mural titled Sutter Creek Grammar School: 1870 – 2007 shows the historic and modern Sutter Creek schools and playgrounds filled with students playing.

Vino Noceto, a small, family operated vineyard, winery, and orchard in the Shenandoah Valley, has been named one of the winners of the state’s Waste Reduction Awards Program (also known as the WRAP Award). The WRAP Awards Program, established in 1993 by the California Integrated Waste Management Board, recognizes California businesses that have made outstanding efforts to reduce waste and send less garbage to our landfills. By-products of the vineyard and winemaking processes – pressings, leaves, stems -- are collected and composted into a nutrient-rich soil amendment used in organically-managed vineyards.  Owner Jim Gullett estimates that over 500 tons of winery by-products have been recycled into compost since opening Vino Noceto's winery in 1999. 

In early April of 2007, after a full day of work, twenty-four year old Zackary Fowler was riding his motorcycle on Highway 124 between Ione and Plymouth when he ran head-on into a minivan. Suffering life-threatening injuries he was life-flighted to UC Davis Medical Center. As a result of this accident Zackary lost his right leg and has limited use of his right arm and hand. In the weeks following the accident Fowler and his wife learned that they did not have Durable Medical Equipment or “DME” coverage.

We have more details on our earlier story on Sutter Gold Mining’s announcement that it would entertain offers to buy the company. On September 5, 2007, Sutter Gold Mining Inc. announced that it had retained IBK Capital Corporation, a prominent investment banking company out of Toronto, to evaluate alternative strategies to enhance its shareholder value. Alternatives might include bringing in a joint venture partner, selling a working interest in the project or the potential sale of the project with the goal of moving the mine to full production.

“It was the largest structure fire in Amador County history” said Jackson Assistant Fire Chief Dale Fishback after the Old Georgia Pacific mill building burned down last August. And a night watchman, trapped in that building would surely have lost his life without quick action by two Sutter Hill CalFire engine crews. Tuesday, the Amador County Board of Supervisors and Amador Fire Protection District honored those firefighters for their heroism that night.