Amador County – In an early May public hearing, Ione City Council discussed a draft noise ordinance, which drew criticism from the public.

City Manager Kim Kerr said municipal code only addresses “public nuisances,” and doesn’t apply to every noise complaint, nor do all complaints concern time of day, so interpretation “becomes very subjective.” An ordinance would “remove the subjectivity.”

City Planner Christopher Jordan said the ordinance was drafted from other cities’ ordinances. It included noise decibel limitations, and would require buying a decibel meter and calibrating equipment for $3,100. Kerr said the city had $1,100 invested in the issue so far, including advertising the public hearing.

Kerr said JTS Community rules have been applied to the city but “there was nothing on the books that allowed us to enforce those rules.” She said the council could try to address some scenarios in the ordinance, such as noise from a party at Pardee Lake, or bicycle riders shouting during rides through town.

In public comment, James Nevine complained repeatedly of a neighbor who uses “bullhorns and whistles out in front of the house,” to celebrate birthdays. Laurie Lord said trying to fix a problem for one or two people will “throw a blanket on the rest of us,” though “it would be nice to have guidelines to go by.”

Kerr reiterated that one complaint was not addressed by city code, and was therefore not in the city’s power to resolve. Gary Thomas said it was “going over the edge” with an ordinance. He said he resolved a noise issue with 40 neighbors in an apartment complex, with the help of police, who then spoke to the residents.

Councilman Lloyd Oneto said he would like to level the playing field, but if they “put in more teeth, it could come back to bite you.”

Jack Brotherton said the city should have a budget going into these things,” and “front-end” the budget, so that you don’t have to count the money as you go. He said “somebody celebrating their birthday with a bullhorn at 2 a.m. is unacceptable.” Judy Eisner said she works nights, and “your ordinance wouldn’t allow me to complain.”

Mayor David Plank said they should “make something very simple to address this issue.” Vice Mayor Ron Smylie said letting a good community work out the issue was “better than having a 5-page ordinance.” Kerr said “I agree, but we do have complaints which we can’t resolve at that level.” She said they could make changes and further clarification in city code, but “unfortunately, one line” in the city code about public nuisances “cannot resolve all of the issues.”

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Amador County – Pine Grove Camp’s “Crew Two,” led by Captain Chris Waters, participated in the city of Ione’s 135th annual Homecoming celebration by marching in the community parade.

Superintendent Mike Roots of the Pine Grove Youth Conservation Camp announced the participation in a release last week.

Officer Mitch Karr drove the Emergency Crew Vehicle while Crew Two, wearing wildland firefighting gear and fully tooled up, walked the route. Roots said “although the Ione Homecoming Parade was relatively short in distance, it was long on public participation and enthusiastic support.” Pine Grove Camp’s wildland firefighters rounded out a number of fire engines, rescue rigs, and assorted fire support vehicles driven by CAL Fire and the city personnel from the Ione Fire Department.

All fire service entries were well received and publicly acknowledged for their continuing public service contribution to the greater community.

Ione’s 135th Homecoming celebration opened Friday, May 13th with a new event called “Holy Smokes! It’s a Rib Cook-off.” There was music by “30 Years After” and “FreeZeout”. During the day, a children’s costume contest, junior frog jump, and a Little League baseball game occurred at the elementary school.

A carnival was held at Howard Park where fireworks lit up the sky when the sun went down. Saturday kicked off with the Bedbug Challenge run and walk, the Cub Scout pancake breakfast and other festive events at Howard Park.

The parade down Main Street began at 10 a.m. with Grand Marshal Dolores Larrigan leading the way. Larrigan said she has participated in the parade for 65 years and “Hats, Horses and Hay” are just her style.

Right after the parade was the ever popular soap box derby. The Saturday night Homecoming dance was held on Main Street from 9 p.m. until midnight.

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Amador County – The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection warned people of risks heading into summer and the dry season, including the overabundance of grass and brush, and the high amount of water expected to be coming from the impending melt.

Teri Mizuhara, prevention specialist with Cal Fire said last week that the “wet spring brings hidden dangers,” and she stressed safety. She said “this spring’s above average rainfall has led to an abundance of grass, brush and water throughout the state.” While the weather is ideal for Californians and tourists to enjoy outdoor recreation, Mizuhara said Cal Fire officials “are reminding everyone of the importance of safety” heading into the summer holidays.

Despite rain falling as recently as this week, she said “the grass and brush in many areas has begun to dry out and is becoming increasingly flammable. Cal Fire crews have already seen an increase in the number of wildfires, even with the late rain.”

Chief Ken Pimlott, acting director of Cal Fire, said: “Many people don’t realize that most of the low lying grass only takes an hour to dry out.” He said weather forecasts appears “to be great for outdoor activities, but people still need to be cautious this time of year, because the grass can burn.”

Wildfires are not the only danger posed by the outdoors, Mizuhara said. She said instances of drowning “dramatically increase during the Memorial Day weekend.”

Pimlott said: “All the runoff from this winter’s storms has increased the amount of water and flow in our rivers and lakes.” He said “in California, drowning is the leading cause of deaths among children under 14, and every year Cal Fire responds to water rescues across the state, many of which tragically claim the lives of both adults and children.”

Cal Fire said a number of important steps can help make summer safer. When camping, people should obtain the necessary permits needed for campfires. They should clear away grass, leaves and other debris within a 10-foot perimeter of any campfire. It is also good to have a responsible person in attendance at all times, and ensure that all campfires are completely extinguished before leaving. When barbequing, never leave the grill unattended.

In the water, Mizuhara said to always wear a life jacket. Children should always be supervised by a responsible adult and people should never swim alone. Drinking alcohol and swimming “is just as dangerous as drinking and driving,” she said.

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Amador County – The U.S. Department of Agriculture last week announced that it has canceled a portion of its “Sierra Cascades Dialog” program that was scheduled for Saturday in Sutter Creek.

The dialog in Sutter Creek, called “Improving Social and Economic Conditions in Rural Forest Communities,” would have been the “third in a series of Dialogs over the coming years to discuss a range of critical issues that affect the Sierra Nevada and the Cascades and people who live, work and recreate there,” according to USDA information on the meeting. The Sutter Creek Dialog was canceled, and will be moved to Sacramento and held on Oct. 13.

The Dialogs focus on the future of national forests, “providing an opportunity for learning, aligned actions, and understanding different perspectives.” Previous Dialogs were “Ecological Restoration” last November, and “Values, Attitudes & Beliefs: Shaping the Assessment for Forest Planning,” in February.

Future Dialog topics include “An All Lands Approach to Fire Protection and Ecological Restoration” and “Utilization of Wood Waste for Multiple Benefits.” Others include “Monitoring & Adaptive Management” and “Changing Climate.”

Michael T. Chapel, the Regional Forester’s Representative USDA Forest Service in Sacramento announced the postponement in an email to participants in the Sierra-Cascades Dialogs. Chapel said the “registration for this event is far lower than our previous meetings,” and “after visiting with representatives from a variety of interests, we have decided to postpone our discussion about improving social and economic conditions in rural communities.”

Chapel said people “may know that we planned this meeting to respond to requests from some of you to move our discussions into the Sierra-Cascades region. Others recommended that we meet on a Saturday to accommodate those who cannot meet during the week.”

He said the “arrangements do not work for the majority of you,” so they “will move the meetings back to McClellan.” Since the summers are busy, they plan to postpone the discussion until the next scheduled Dialog, Oct. 13.

Those who had registered for the June 4 event will be getting a refund sent to them from Sacramento State.

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Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 5-27-11 - TSPN's Tom Slivick sits down with Scott Oneto, Director of the UC Cooperative Extension, to discuss some of the many programs that are offered by the UC Cooperative Exntension.

Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 5-27-11 - TSPN's Tom Slivick sits down with Scott Oneto, Director of the UC Cooperative Extension, to discuss some of the many programs that are offered by the UC Cooperative Exntension.

Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 5-27-11 - TSPN's Tom Slivick sits down with Scott Oneto, Director of the UC Cooperative Extension, to discuss some of the many programs that are offered by the UC Cooperative Exntension.

Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 5-27-11 - TSPN's Tom Slivick sits down with Scott Oneto, Director of the UC Cooperative Extension, to discuss some of the many programs that are offered by the UC Cooperative Exntension.

Amador County – In late April, the Amador Water Agency board of directors voted to oppose the California Water Resources Investment Act, in part because it was an “unfunded mandate.”

AWA General Manager Gene Mancebo at the late April meeting said the directors “voted to join other water agency coalition groups” in opposing California Senate Bill 34, which would enact the California Water Resources Investment Act of 2011. Mancebo told the board that the act would be an unfunded mandate, and it “would impose an assessment on each acre-foot of water sold for residential and agricultural use.”

He said the “bill initially proposed an assessment of $110 per acre-foot of residential use and for each acre of agricultural irrigation,” with the funds generated to be used “to finance a water resources investment program.”

Mancebo said the “dollar amount has been removed from the current version of the bill, but Directors discussed the negative impact of any assessment on Agency water rates, and voted 5-0 to send a letter in opposition.”

Also in the late April meeting, the AWA board of directors declared eight of its trucks as surplus and will sell the trucks through the Agency’s surplus property process. The used vehicles, dating from 1996 to 2001, will be offered for sale first to other government agencies and then to the general public, per a new agency policy approved by the new board. Any trucks not sold at that point will be offered for sale to Agency employees.

A list of the surplus vehicles is available by contacting Cris Thompson or Barry Birge at the Amador Water Agency, at (209) 223-3018.

The AWA board of directors today has two special meetings that will occur before the regular meeting. One, which was announced yesterday, is to discuss Proposition 84 grant implementation, relative to the Urban Water Management Plan, that would be created in conjunction with the East Bay Municipal Utility District. The special meeting is set for 1:30 p.m. today.

The board also was to have a special budget meeting starting at 8 a.m. today to talk about the 2011-2012 fiscal year budget, and the fiscal year capital improvement projects. They also were to discuss fixed asset review, and receive a cash flow projections report.

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Amador County – Among the more than 100 people who attended the Amador County Joint Panel meeting Wednesday were many wearing the red of the Mother Lode Tea Party. All were invited to speak later in the meeting. During public matters not on the agenda, a few people still spoke about the matters that were on the agenda: The General Plan.

Kathy Allen said her group, Amador Citizens for Smart Growth, was unduly criticized for costing the county for making Freedom of Information Act requests, but she said her comment letters of 7 and 13 pages “were in no way monstrous.” She said Amador Business Council “submitted a much larger document.”

Terry Nielsen of Pine Grove said “we moved here to be in the open country” and are strongly against being crammed into clustered, controlled communities. He cited Senate Bill 375 as the bible for the California Environmental Quality Act, and Greenhouse Gas reduction, and said “the law is so revolutionary that California has been going through a real boom in the planning industry.”

Supervisor Ted Novelli pointed out that SB375, the “metropolitan planning” law, is specific to 7 counties, but not Amador County. But he said “certain segments of it could pertain to Amador County.”

Supervisor Chairman John Plasse read a statement from county legal counsel about a recent greenhouse gas ruling, which went against the state in San Francisco. He said AB32 created CEQA, but SB97 amended CEQA to add greeghouse gas emission, which was the basis on which then Attorney General Jerry Brown required the monitoring of greenhouse gasses to be in county General Plans. Plasse said the ruling in San Francisco was against “Cap & Trade,” and the State Resources Board will appeal, which stays the ruling on Cap & Trade, and “unfortunately, we will not be able to address the issue.”

The Panel then turned to several issues that still needed to be rectified. Among those was land use designation on a few properties around the Amador County Airport, which Planner Susan Grijalva said had inconsistencies. One of those was property purchased by the Amador Water Agency to expand its water storage. The land designation was changed to Public Service, as was a 3.26-acre parcel near West Point Bridge on Highway 26. Similarly, the Pine Grove community leach field was designated a Public Service area.

Other land near the airport was discussed, including a 20-acre ranch, whose owners had not been notified of possible designation changes. It was agreed to make a notification of all lands affected by the airport, due to “federally adopted over-flight zones.” Supervisors Louis Boitano and Novelli said they thought the family owned the property before the airport was built.

After taking public comment, the Joint Panel meeting was adjourned to resume at 1 p.m. today.

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