Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 4-29-11 - Kam Merzlak speaks with Mike Boitano of the Amador Air District about upcoming burn days and upcoming permit requirements.

Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 4-22-11 - Jim Wilmarth and Frank Manzano stop by the AM Live set to show off some of the wonderful items that will be available at this years Jackson Rotary Mother's Day Brunch.

Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 5-3-11

·       Amador County hired a Community Development Director; and negotiated a 2-year extension for Public Health Officer Bob Hartmann.

·       Supervisors honored Kathleen Harmon, who was named Assembly District 10 Woman of the Year.

·       Amador County Environmental Health seeks a grant to clean up a dump site on Brickyard Road near Ione.

·       Caltrans will detour traffic to Amador County for 2 weeks, May 11, for repair of Hwy 50 at Echo Summit.

·       Sutter Creek Duck Race gave away more than $6,000 in its annual fundraiser over the weekend.

Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 5-3-11 - TSPN's Tom Slivick sits down with Mark Luster of Sierra Pacific Industries to discuss SPI’s plans for expansion of operations locally and regionally.

Amador County – Amador County Chief Administrative Officer Chuck Iley hired Aaron Brusatori as the new Community Development Director, and also helped to negotiate a two-year extension to Dr. Robert Hartmann’s contract as Public Health Officer.

Iley said Hartmann’s contract is pending approval by the full Amador County Board of Supervisors at its next meeting. Iley worked with Supervisor Chairman John Plasse to offer terms to Hartmann. He said it would pay Hartmann $5,600 per month, or $500 a month less than he now makes. The agreement is going before the Board at its May 10th meeting, likely on the consent agenda. If approved, it would extend Hartmann’s contract two years beyond its current expiration date, from July 11, 2011, to June 30, 2013. Hartmann had been working under successive one-year contract extensions. Iley said he is planning to put Hartmann’s contract on the consent agenda.

The Chief Administrative Officer also helped interview and then hired Aaron Brusatori, who began working for the county Monday as its first Community Development Director, which oversees the departments of Public Works, Planning, Building, Environmental Health, Code Enforcement and Solid Waste. With a “pretty broad” position, the Community Development Director will focus primarily on Public Works direction, but in addition, he oversees those other departments, Iley said. It is a “management unit job level” and the directors of the other departments answer to him. The Community Development Director’s pay level is $104,000 a year.

Brusatori was hired as an employee, by the CAO, and his new position was approved by the Board of Supervisors several months ago. It was advertised, then offered to Brusatori about six weeks ago. At the time the position was created by Supervisors, Iley recommended they make the Community Development Director an engineer’s position. Brusatori, also the Mayor of Amador City, is a professional civil engineer, and is now a regular at-will employee of Amador County.

Iley said the CAO makes regular hiring decisions, and department heads work at the pleasure of the board. A hiring committee, approved by the board, worked on Brusatori’s hiring. It included the Human Resources director, Iley, and the Administrative Committee, made up of Supervisor Chairman John Plasse and Supervisor Louis Boitno.

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Amador County – The Amador County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution last week honoring Kathleen Harmon for her recognition as the Assembly District 10 “Woman of the Year” for the California Women’s Legislative Caucus.

The Award, begun in 1987, is a “celebration of the contributions to society made by remarkable women throughout California.” It recognizes a woman from each Senate and Assembly district, for their accomplishments.

Harmon, the executive director of the Interfaith Food Bank, was chosen by Assemblywoman Alyson Huber as her District 10 Woman of the Year.

The biography listed by the California Women’s Legislative Caucus said Harmon is Executive Director of Amador County’s Interfaith Food Bank, and she “advocates for her agency at the state and federal level while she oversees fundraising, food procurement and distribution for 4,000 people each month with an all-volunteer staff.”

The biography said: “In her spare time, (Harmon) serves on Amador County’s Disaster Prevention and Homeless Task Forces, Community Health Awareness Council, Sierra Gold Quilt Guild, Volcano Theater Company, Sutter Creek Church of the Nazarene, and many other worthwhile groups.”

Supervisor Chairman John Plasse last week read a resolution of the Board of Supervisors honoring Harmon’s accomplishments.

Plasse noted other accomplishments, saying Harmon “displays exemplary leadership qualities and a willingness to assume any task at hand by also being involved with the California Association of Food Banks,” Connecting Hands, and Amador County Women’s Network. The resolution said Harmon “is truly an inspiration to others through her vitality, desire to serve and unconditional compassion for those in need.”

The resolution said Harmon “has dedicated countless hours fundraising for her organization, and giving of her time unselfishly. She is not only an asset to the community but an example of true humanity in action.”

Harmon, who appeared to be choked up, said it was the first time she had ever been left speechless. Earlier in the meeting, she had noted that Interfaith Food Bank gets no federal funding, saying, “we are locally supported.”

Plasse said that Harmon even loaned the Food Bank’s truck to the Jackson Lions to use for a recent fundraiser. Supervisor Ted Novelli recognized Harmon as a member of his Supervisorial District 3, and said “our district is proud of her.” At the previous meeting, he had noted that Harmon was the District 10 recipient this year, and said the Board should give her special recognition.

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Amador County – Amador County Environmental Health Department is seeking a grant to clean up an illegal dump site near Ione with as much as 800 cubic yards of solid waste and numerous tires.

Ione City Manager Kim Kerr submitted a letter of support for Environmental Health, which is seeking a “Farm and Ranch Cleanup Grant.” She said staff verified that “the property owner agreed with applying for the grant.” Kerr in a report to the Ione City Council for today’s meeting said she sent the “letter in support of the grant application.”

The City received a letter from the Amador County Environmental Health Department and Tony Maris, Amador County Registered Environmental Health Specialist, with the county “Solid Waste Local Enforcement Agency.” Maris said in the letter to the city that site contained “approximately 800 cubic yards of solid waste and many waste tires.”

Kerr sent a letter April 20th in support of the grant application to assist cleaning up the Brickyard Road Dump Site, located between Highway 124 and Brickyard Road, in rural Ione. The letter, in part, said the “years of dumping at this site” may encourage more dumping, and that “rainfall may be contributing to the movement of pollutants to the broad seasonal drainage in the area.”

The letter, a form letter sent by Maris, said the “accidental burning of this dump and waste tires would create a variety of public health nuisances.” It also noted that “there may be adverse public health impacts” to the junior high and elementary schools, located about a mile from the site. It also worried about property values in the area being “diminished by the existence of this threat to public health.”

Amador Environmental Health said the support letter would “bolster our grant application to the state of California – Cal Recycle.”

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Amador County – Caltrans will detour Highway 50 traffic to Lake Tahoe through Amador County for two weeks, starting May 11, while repair is done at Echo Summit.

Caltrans District 3 announced that the temporary detour is needed to replace a rock wall at Echo Summit in El Dorado County. U.S. Highway 50 will be closed at Echo Summit for approximately two weeks, depending on weather, beginning May 11.

Jody Jones, District 3 director, said the “closure is part of the first stage of a safety enhancement project that will remove damaged rock walls and replace them with a barrier that meets current safety standards.”

The project was partly funded with $1.9 million from the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Caltrans Director Cindy McKim said “the project is a great example of how Caltrans is putting Recovery Act funds to good use, providing jobs and at the same time making U.S. Highway 50 safer for the public.”

Jones said California has obligated nearly $2.6 billion in Recovery Act funds to nearly 1,000 local street, highway, and job training transportation projects statewide.

The detour includes one-way traffic control May 9-10, and then for up to six weeks after Highway 50 is reopened. The highway will be open with no restrictions on Memorial Day weekend.

Jones said alternate routes around the closure take travelers through the “scenic gold country of El Dorado and Amador counties.” Motorists should allow one hour extra travel time to reach South Lake Tahoe, during the two-week full closure.

Three alternate routes were recommended for Highway 50 travel to Tahoe. From Sacramento, exit at Power Inn Road, take Highway 16 east to Highway 49 south into Amador County. At Highway 88 in Jackson, turn left, taking it east to Highway 89. Go north on 89, follow it back to Highway 50 in South Lake Tahoe.

From Placerville, exit 50 at Missouri Flat Road and take Highway 49 south through Plymouth. Go east on Highway 88 in Jackson. At Highway 89 turn north and follow it back to Highway 50 in South Lake Tahoe.

Motorists coming through Stockton can exit 99 as usual at Highway 88 east, continuing onto 88/49. In Jackson, turn left to continue on 88 east, then take 89 north to 50 in South Lake Tahoe.

Electronic message signs at key positions will direct travelers on the highways. Jones said the “alternate route through El Dorado and Amador Counties is a good way to go any time there are closures or substantial delays on Highway 50 due to weather, collisions or construction.”

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Amador County – The Sutter Creek Duck Race reported Monday that it had given away $6,125 in prizes this weekend races, including $2,500 to Judy Sparks of Pine Grove, who was the first place winner in the Final Heat.

The Edwards Family of Sutter Creek won second place in the Final Heat, to take home $1,500; and another Sutter Creek resident, Tommy Sellers took third in the Final Heat to win $1,000. Amador County Recreation Agency, which runs the fundraiser, released the list of winners, of which 11 of 12 heat placers (first through third) were from Amador County.

Merchant Duck Race winners were Pizza Plus in first place, Perkos second, and Gold Trail Natural Foods third. Operation Care won the Merchant Duck Beauty Contest.

Sutter Creek residents took six of the total 12 heat awards, including Red Mathia, third in Heat Number 1; Sutter Creek City Councilwoman Linda Rianda, second, and Carol Salinas, third in Heat 2; & Jago Landgraf, winner of Heat 3.

Alan Roberts of Plymouth won Heat 1 and Eileen M. Hard of Jackson was second; and Joanne Kerner of Plymouth was second in Heat 3, while Brenda Walker of Pine Grove was third. The only non-county placer was Helen Porter of Carmichael, winner of Heat 1.

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Fire Prevention Specialist Teri Mizuhara of the Amador-El Dorado-Sacramento-Alpine Unit of Cal-Fire, said Cal-Fire “is reminding everyone that dooryard burn permits are required starting Sunday, May 1st.” The permits are issued to the public free of charge, are valid for three years from the date of issuance and allow for the burning of dry vegetation that originates on the landowners property. The permits do not allow the burning of trash, which is illegal.

Unit Chief Kelly Keenan is encouraging people to get an early start and begin disposing of all vegetation now when it is safe to burn the piles of tree branches, shrubs and weeds, versus later in the year when burning debris piles can escape.

Keenan said: “We still have a lot of extra vegetation” from the “very destructive December 2009 storms and if we don’t continue to aggressively dispose of this fuel, come summer our wildfires will have the potential of becoming catastrophic.” It is estimated that in some areas there is 33 percent more fuel on the ground than in past years from that single storm.

“Last year 23 percent of our wildland fires in Amador and El Dorado Counties were from burning debris piles that escaped the control of the person in charge,” Keenan said. To reduce risk of starting a wildfire, he advised to begin disposing of vegetation now when it is safer to burn.

Safety tips included keeping burn piles 4x4 feet in size. He advised to scrape the ground to bare dirt in a ten foot wide ring around each debris pile, “have a shovel and water supply (a charged hose) nearby to use in the event your fire escapes from the pile and make sure an adult is in attendance until the pile is completely extinguished.”

Free burn permits are available at most of the local staffed fire stations, Keenan said, and “don’t forget that the use of burn barrels is no longer legal in El Dorado or Amador counties.” For tips on burning debris piles safely or other fire safety topics, see the Cal-Fire website fact sheets. For alternatives to burning, contact Amador Fire Safe Council, or El Dorado Fire Safe Council for details on available programs.

Cal-Fire advised people to remember that they can only burn on “permissive burn days,” so don’t forget to call the local Air Quality Management District immediately prior to lighting burn piles. In Amador call (209) 223-6246. In El Dorado call (530) 621-5897.