Amador County – The California Department of Transportation plans to have work crews on Highway 88 in Pine Grove and on Highways 49 and 16 around Ione to pick up litter today, that is Friday, April 22, as part of its statewide annual statewide Litter Removal and Enforcement Day.

Public information officer Chantel Miller of Caltrans District 10 in Stockton said the district’s maintenance field crews will clean up along freeways and roadways in the eight counties served by District 10.

Caltrans holds its annual cleanup day on Earth Day. Miller said the “activity is to enhance public awareness of the volume and cost associated with removing litter, trash and debris by removing litter along the highways and roadways.” Last year, Caltrans spent almost $50 million on litter removal throughout the state highway system. More than 141,000 cubic yards of litter were collected and disposed, or about 8,860 Caltrans garbage trucks full of litter.

“The best anti-litter campaign,” Miller said, “is to ensure trash never makes it onto our highways in the first place.”

In addition to the economic costs, litter presents a wide range of serious threats to the environment and human health. Wildlife can suffer from plastics in the environment; roadside vegetation can be damaged by large debris; fires can be started from burning cigarettes; and harmful chemicals and biohazards can cause a serious threat to human health. Miller said litter can clog roadway drainage systems and aid in the spread of disease.

Caltrans maintenance crews will pick up litter on highways and freeways in District 10 throughout the day.

In Alpine, Amador, Calaveras and Tuolumne Counties, Crews will be covering as much area as possible that has no Adopt-A-Highway sponsorship. They will pick up litter in the Pine Grove area, and along Highways 88, 49, and 104. They will stockpile at the Pine Grove maintenance yard. Crews will pick up along Highway 88 and stockpile at the Peddler Hill and Caples Lake maintenance yards and near Emigrant Trail. In Ione, crews will pick up on Highways 49 and 16, and stockpile at Highways 124 and 16.

Crews will also work in Calaveras County Highway 49, 12 and 26, stockpiling at Old Vactor Pits on SR12; in Tuolumne County on 108, and 120, stockpiling on 120 east of Kistler Ranch and on 108 just east of Green Springs Road.

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Amador County – An Upcountry special meeting of the Amador Water Agency board of directors Wednesday sought to inform the public about a Gravity Supply pipeline for the Central Amador Water Project service area, and answer the question, “Why now?”

Mancebo said the raw water conveyance system is 8,900 feet of 12-inch steel, tar-coated pipeline, with a vertical lift of approximately 1,100 feet. It is about 35 years old, with two inline pump stations, and was originally designed for a maximum capacity of 1,000 gallons a minute, and 1.4 million gallons a day. The system now is conveying more than the designed capacity, and on a peak day, typically operates at 1,300-1,600 gallons a minute, up to 2.3 million gallons a day.

Mancebo said a 1991 master plan identified improvements for the Pioneer area needed for fire protection and distribution pressures, which today would cost about $3.5 million. Mancebo said the AWA should plan for the improvements “with and without development.”

CAWP service areas include 13 former residential areas that were consolidated, and now make up Mace Meadow, Rabb Park and Pine Grove retail service districts. The CAWP Retail Distribution System includes about 90 miles of pipe, of which 42 miles is 4-inch diameter or smaller. Another 18,000 feet of pipe is 1-and-a-half inch diameter or smaller. The system also has 446 fire hydrants, which Supervisor Ted Novelli pointed out includes standpipes, with varying hose thread sizes.

Mancebo said the Gravity Supply Line would cut electricity costs to CAWP, which is about 18 percent of its operating budget. The gravity flow would decrease greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce power use by 1.88 million kilowatt hours annually.

He said studies in 1989, ’95, 2002 and ‘07 all recommend “that we move forward with the GSL.” He said now was the time for several reasons.

He said “the system today is running over its designed capacity,” and the USDA likes the GSL project and is ready to award a $5 million grant, and a long term loan for the estimated $13.5 million, provided conditions are met. He said in the current economic climate, construction bids are coming in 25-30 percent under engineers’ estimates. Since 2003, AWA and staff have moved forward on the project.

He said a rate increase in CAWP was rejected last year, and estimates now say that it would cost customers $3 to $5 more per month on their bill for the AWA to be able to finance the Gravity Supply Line. They do not know the final number to build the GSL, but if it varies from $13.9 million to $11.9 million, Mancebo said “it would only change the bottom line cost to customers about $22,000.”

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Amador County – The Amador Water Agency board of directors wrapped up a series of informational coffee shop meetings around the Upcountry with a special board meeting Wednesday at the Veterans Hall on Buckhorn Ridge Road in Pioneer, and a light public turnout.

aidAWA General Manager Gene Mancebo said the attendance had peaked with last week’s meeting at Mace Meadow Golf Course restaurant when about 24 people attended the meeting, aimed at taking input from customers of the Central Amador Water Project service area, while informing the public about issues the system faces. Agency staff and board members outnumbered the four members of the public in attendance, with two of those staunch opponents, Debbie Dunn and Ken Berry.

Board President Don Cooper said past coffee shop meetings, hosted by himself and Director Robert Manassero, usually began pretty heated, but by the end people understood the dilemma the agency faces in an aging system that needs to be replaced. In meeting exit polls, up to 80 percent said they supported the Gravity Supply Line project.

Mancebo said the GSL would build in redundancy, reliability and water quality to the existing electrically pumped pipeline which now takes water from the Tiger Creek after bay. He said the pumps have run every day since the system was install, up to 22 hours on a typical summer day, and AWA staff “visit those pumps every one of those days.”

He counted 70 outages in the last two years on the pipeline, before he stopped counting. He said there were 163 incidents of inoperability between 2004 and 2008, including 97 electrical or mechanical failures, 14 communication failures and 52 power outages. Staff often must result in buying used parts online for the pump system’s control panel because new parts are no longer made.

District 3 Supervisor Ted Novelli asked if the AWA would need to raise rates if it lost a pump or the pipeline fails. Mancebo said there was no money set aside for a new pipeline or motors. He said CAWP Retail customers have not had a rate increase in nearly 5 years.

He said the agency and its board seek to cut out electrical costs that have more than doubled since 1989, then they paid PG&E $109,000 just to get the water to the treatment plant. The annual cost peaked at $300,000 in 2006, and last year was $250,000. He said the agency would have to pay PG&E for “power foregone,” but “those are wholesale dollars.”

He said drawing from the “regulator reservoir” would increase water quality, and the gravity-fed line would work “rain or shine,” without power. He said maintenance on the CAWP system was $67,000 last year.

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Amador County – The Ryan families on Thursday announced that due to a storm of rain and hail, the Daffodil Hill has closed for the season.

The families announced in an e-mail Thursday that although they “had planned on being open through Easter Sunday, Mother Nature had other plans. The storm that hit (Wednesday) night and (Thursday) morning with rain and hail was the final straw. Quite simply, the great majority of our blooms are now gone. As such, we have little choice but to close Daffodil Hill for the season, effective immediately.”

The release said: “Our thanks to the thousands of people who visited the Hill this year. We look forward to seeing you again in 2012.” The Ryan Families, of George W., Martin A., and Michael E. Ryan have “undertaken the job of continuing the ‘Hill’ to honor our parents, as our parents did to honor theirs.”

McLaughlin’s Daffodil Hill has been a family project, which now includes 1,500 walnut trees, harvested annually to pay the Hill’s and other expenses. It is open each year, mid-March to mid-April, seven days a week, weather permitting, and has seen as many as 4,000 people in a given day.

The Ryans said their mother, Mary, who passed away in 2008, most eloquently wrote about why she and her husband, Judge Martin Ryan, and the family, keep up the Daffodil Hill tradition.

Mary wrote: “Many people have asked why we have created this spot of beauty. Perhaps it is because we enjoy seeing the bulbs blossom forth each springtime, so symbolic of Easter and the Resurrection. Perhaps it is because we want to keep the “old home place” from falling to ruin and neglect as so many of these old country places are doing. In part too, it is our way of perpetuating the memory of our parents, grandparents and those early-day farm folk whose way of life was so hard and so different from our present way of life.”

The Ryans’ great-grandparents, Arthur Burbeck McLaughlin and Lizzie Van Vorst McLaughlin, established McLaughlin Ranch, now Daffodil Hill, in 1887. When purchased, it was planted with daffodils. The “yellow blooms were Lizzie’s most prized possession and she divided and replanted the bulbs each year to increase the size of their garden.” The family continues to plant other daffodils in her memory, and the memory of other family members, and now there are approximately 6 acres of daffodils, with 300 varieties, and 500,000 blooms.

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Amador County – The popular phenomenon of Global Knockout mixed martial arts fighting will return to the ring in the new wing of the Jackson Rancheria Casino & Hotel with a fight date set for June.

Global Knock-Out returns with a vengeance called the “Back Lot Beatdown,” set for Saturday, June 25, with an as-yet unset card of fights. Carol Cook, content developer for the Jackson Rancheria Marketing Department, announced the fight date promotion last week. The fights will be held in the new event area next to the Hotel. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the fights begin at 6 p.m.

Cook said Jackson Rancheria began producing Global Knock-Out events in 2007 and has presented some of the best fights and fighters in the region. Tickets are $35 for general admission, $50 for floor seats, and $100 for ringside. Tickets may only be purchased at the Dreamcatcher’s Club booth in Jackson Rancheria Casino or by phone with a credit card. Call (800) 822-WINN, ext. 6148 to get tickets by phone. Tickets may be purchased at the booth with cash, credit cards, or Dreamcatcher’s Club points. There are no additional fees or charges for the tickets.

Each ticket includes free Point Play at the Casino. People must be 18 years old to purchase tickets. No one under 18 is allowed at the event unless accompanied by an adult. No alcohol served at this event.

For more details, including the fight card, as it becomes available, visit GlobalKnockOut.com.

Jackson Rancheria Casino & Hotel is located at 12222 New York Ranch Road, Jackson, CA 95642. For more information visit JacksonCasino.com or call (800) 822-WINN; that’s (800) 822-9466.

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Amador County – The Amador Regional Sanitation Authority board of directors this week will consider hiring a long-term wastewater planning engineer, from a firm that currently works for the city of Sutter Creek.

ARSA’s board meets 10 a.m. Wednesday in Sutter Creek, and the agenda includes a status update on Henderson Dam, and issues related to the Division of Safety of Dams. The board will also discuss authorization for “wastewater facility planning services” under a current city contract with Weber, Ghio & Associates (WGA).

City Manager and ARSA Manager Sean Rabe in a report for this week’s meeting recommended the ARSA board authorize him to hire Gary Ghio of WGA for “wastewater disposal planning services.” Rabe said “issues that are critical to the long-term survival of ARSA” have arisen with the Division of Safety of Dams, and the city of Ione. He said the “issues include long-term planning for the system that current staff cannot perform, having another voice to represent ARSA before DSOD, and seeking out potential funding sources for capital improvements.”

Rabe said “Gary Ghio serves as district engineer for a number of utility districts and has significant experience in obtaining funding sources.” He said “because the city is contracted for management services with ARSA, Ghio can be retained under the current city contract with WGA.”

He recommended “an initial not-to-exceed authorization of $5,000 for the remainder of the fiscal year, with evaluation at the beginning of next fiscal year of the engineering budget.” He recommended the contingency fund pay for the contract.

The ARSA board at its March 23rd meeting selected Sutter Creek Councilman Jim Swift as its chairman, and Supervisor Richard Forster as vice chairman. Other board members are Councilman John Swift of Amador City, Supervisor Louis Boitano and Sutter Creek City Mayor Tim Murphy.

A “water balance” report for the ARSA wastewater storage ending in March listed monthly rainfall since October of 2010 totaled 30.8 inches, including 8 inches of rain in March, 5.2 inches in February, and 6 inches last December.

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Amador County – Congressman Dan Lungren, (R-District 3) who represents Amador County, will be hosting a Town Hall meeting in Calaveras County this week, and will also call in to TSPN to give a Congressional Update.

Lungren is scheduled to appear via telephone on Tuesday’s TSPN TV News program in the noon hour, and plans to give a Congressional Update. He could also discuss Budget negotiations, and the Debt Ceiling.

Lungren plans a Town Hall meeting 10:30 a.m. to noon, Saturday, April 30 in the Tom Sawyer Hall at the Calaveras County Fair Grounds, 101 Frogtown Road in Angels Camp. He announced the Town Hall in a mailer, encouraging people to “ask your questions” and “make your voice heard.”

The “Small Business Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act of 2011,” introduced by Lungren, was approved April 5 by the U.S. Senate on an 87-12 vote. After first passing the House, the bill has been sent on to the President for his signature.

Lungren in the circular said: “Our economy needs job creators more than ever and that is my priority. Removing uncertainty and obstacles to that goal – such as unnecessary IRS paperwork mandates – gives the small business community the confidence it needs to plan expansion and hire workers to get the job done.”

He said he is “working to address the fiscal health of the country,” and the growing government debt has become “our biggest national security threat,” according to Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Lungren said: “I believe we must change the way we view the people’s money and Washington’s culture of spending. Before the leadership of the House changed hands, the Democrat majority in the last Congress failed to even produce a budget. Rather than take the steps necessary to address the unsustainable debt and deficit crisis facing our contry, the last Congress punted.”

He said recently, chairman of the House Budget Committee, Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) “introduced a budget that aims to cut spending by more than $6 trillion dollars over the next decade. His plan includes recommendations from the President’s debt commission who released their report at the end of last year.”

Lungren said: “We must reduce the spiraling growth of government in order to increase job creation and create an environment for sustainable economic growth. The good news is there is still time to fix our future fiscal problems gradually and set the country on a sustainable course.”

He said: “If we don’t take prompt action then more painful decisions await us in the not too distant future. It is paramount we face the music now and bring our spending under control. Preserving these programs for future generations to come is our duty.”

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Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 4-22-11 - TSPN's Tom Slivick sits down with Beetle Barbour of Amador Tuolumne Community Action Agency to disuss 4 family transitional housing units that ATCAA seeks to place on Argonaut Lane in Jackson.

Amador County News, TSPN TV News Video, 4-25-11 - Supervisor Richard Forster sits down with Tom Slivick to discuss the agenda for the upcoming board of supervisors meeting.