Amador County – The Pine Grove Civic Improvement Club announced the renovation of the Volcano Armory and Pine Grove Town Hall is starting this week.

The Town Hall project will provide remodeled bathrooms, an upgraded septic system, a reconstructed porch, and an accessibility lift at the front of the Town Hall. The Volcano Armory project will provide new bathrooms, storage areas, a kitchen, and a heating system.

The Pine Grove Civic Improvement people may notice demolition activities at both buildings, which will be closed to the public during the construction phase. The Club expects both buildings to be completed in three to four months.

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Amador County – The Community Foundation of Amador County will salute its out-going Executive Director Shannon Lowery in a dinner tonight, which will also serve to welcome its new Executive Director Tina Hurley.

Lowery is retiring after eight years directing the Community Foundation, and achieved many milestones, including “expanding the donor base to achieve $1 million in grants awarded to Amador County nonprofit groups.”

Community Foundation Board President Stan Lucowicz said “Shannon has been an extraordinary leader and provided support to many Amador charities during her years at ACF.”

Lucowicz said: “This is a bittersweet time for the Foundation,” which “has achieved so much and is increasingly a vehicle for local people to support local projects, or know their bequests will be used in our own community.”

“We have Shannon to thank for taking us to this point and it’s hard to say goodbye,” he said. “At the same time, we very much appreciate Shannon’s guidance in helping us find Tina Hurley, who has the experience and skills to help us grow the donor base and expand the support we can provide to the local community.”

Hurley started working part-time in November, under Lowery, then full-time in December, and Lowery’s last day was Dec. 31. Lowery left after eight years, and takes much institutional knowledge with her, Hurley said. Working with her was helpful, and she still has contact with Lowery several times a day via e-mail.

Hurley has 20 years’ experience at all levels in the administration of not-for-profit organizations, and specifically worked in a “community foundation,” the San Francisco foundation for Legacy Society. She said community foundations “show through bequests and trusts, that people can really make a difference in their community.”

She said community foundations are hybrids, with the charitable aspect of a foundation, and the ability of a bank to distribute funds and financing to the community.

Hurley said this is Amador Community Foundation’s 10th anniversary year, and a celebration is in the works. The Foundation has received some larger gifts, and the board, with Lukowicz, President, Vice President Pat Crew and Treasurer Wayne Garibalidi, “are all great to work with and very supportive.”

Hurley said: “I think we are set to grow.”

She said Crew was good about getting her out to meet people in the community, and planned to take her to Jackson Rotary next week. She plans to attend Ione and Plymouth Rotary as well.

Hurley lives in Granite Bay with her husband, Jim. They are “empty nesters,” and plan to try to move to the Mother Lode area.

The farewell and welcome dinner is 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 27 at Thomi’s Banquet Room in Jackson.

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Amador County – Amador Fire Safe Council, one of about 25 member entities of the Amador Calaveras Consensus Group received the good news Tuesday that their regional conservation and wildfire plan for the Mokelumne River watershed is going to Washington D.C. for consideration for funding.

Council members Jim Simmons and Cathy Koos-Breazeal said Wednesday that they had just received word that the 100,000-acre planning project was on the short list of two projects from Region 5 (the Pacific Northwest) which would be going to the nation’s capitol, and it would be in contention for $40 million in federal financing.

Simmon said it still had to make it through the budget trimming process, and Koos-Breazeal said “we got our foot in the door.” Simmons said it seems like a lot of money, but as a 10-year plan, it equates to $4 million a year.

Koos-Breazeal said the planning area is the Mokelumne River watershed, from Highway 49 and 88 east to the crest, including El Dorado and Stanislaus national forest land, and parts of the Cosumnes and Stanislaus watersheds.

Amador Fire Safe Council wrote an Amador County-wide Community Conservation and Wildfire Protection Plan, giving it nine regions, and this week released the first localized plan, for the Buckhorn, Volcano and Pioneer area. The council next looks to make a Pine Grove fire plan.

Part of a presentation Koos-Breazeal and Simmons gave on the Pioneer plan said that the Protection Plan is “developed with input from the community and resource protection professionals,” and it “is designed to protect people and property from devastating wildfires while at the same time maintaining and improving the native environment.”

Koos-Breazeal said: “Calaveras County is just getting theirs kicked off, and we are helping with that.” She said: “Our funding is specifically for Amador County, but we are collaborating with them through the Amador Calaveras Consensus Group.”

The Consensus Group is proposing the Mokelumne River Watershed protection plan, known as the “Cornerstone” project, which is on the way to Washington for consideration. Consensus Group members include Amador County Board of Supervisors, the Calaveras Board of Supervisors, and the Buena Vista Biomass Power combustion generation power plant in Amador County, which would be a major player in forestry management solutions, Koos-Breazeal said. The main focus of the Amador Calaveras Consensus Group is “revitalizing of the community and keeping the jobs, while at the same time respecting the forest.” The Group next meets March 16 in Jackson.

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Amador County – The Jackson Rancheria Casino & Hotel again this year has ended its “Giving Season” with a $50,000 contribution to five local non-profit organizations.

Rancheria CEO Rich Hoffman and Marketing Vice President Ron Olivero presented ceremonial checks to the recipients, which this year are the Amador County Recreation Agency, the Amador County Senior Center, Calaveras Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity of Calaveras, and the Interfaith Food Bank.

Marketing director Carol Cook said this year’s recipients each received $10,000 in January, “a time when most charities’ funds are seriously low.”

The funds are from the 10th annual Giving Season fund drive, during which the Jackson Rancheria pledges to donate $1 to local charities for every 3,000 points earned by all Dreamcatchers Club members during the promotion.

Kathleen Harmon, director of the Interfaith Food Bank spoke for all of the beneficiaries, in a statement released by the Rancheria. Harmon said that with the declining economy, the need for the organizations’ services continues to increase while donations decrease. She said they are all very grateful to the Rancheria’s continuing support.

Harmon said: “In this declining economy, Jackson Rancheria continues to make it a priority to give back to the community.”

Jeannie Hayward, director of the Calaveras Food Bank said: “We appreciate so much that the Rancheria continues to understand the needs of the community. These donations do make a difference in what we can do for our community.”

During the 10 years of the Giving Season promotion, the Jackson Rancheria has donated more than $400,000 to local non-profit organizations through this one promotion alone.

The Jackson Rancheria Casino & Hotel is located at 12222 New York Ranch Road in Jackson.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – The Jackson Rancheria Casino & Hotel again this year has ended its “Giving Season” with a $50,000 contribution to five local non-profit organizations.

Rancheria CEO Rich Hoffman and Marketing Vice President Ron Olivero presented ceremonial checks to the recipients, which this year are the Amador County Recreation Agency, the Amador County Senior Center, Calaveras Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity of Calaveras, and the Interfaith Food Bank.

Marketing director Carol Cook said this year’s recipients each received $10,000 in January, “a time when most charities’ funds are seriously low.”

The funds are from the 10th annual Giving Season fund drive, during which the Jackson Rancheria pledges to donate $1 to local charities for every 3,000 points earned by all Dreamcatchers Club members during the promotion.

Kathleen Harmon, director of the Interfaith Food Bank spoke for all of the beneficiaries, in a statement released by the Rancheria. Harmon said that with the declining economy, the need for the organizations’ services continues to increase while donations decrease. She said they are all very grateful to the Rancheria’s continuing support.

Harmon said: “In this declining economy, Jackson Rancheria continues to make it a priority to give back to the community.”

Jeannie Hayward, director of the Calaveras Food Bank said: “We appreciate so much that the Rancheria continues to understand the needs of the community. These donations do make a difference in what we can do for our community.”

During the 10 years of the Giving Season promotion, the Jackson Rancheria has donated more than $400,000 to local non-profit organizations through this one promotion alone.

The Jackson Rancheria Casino & Hotel is located at 12222 New York Ranch Road in Jackson.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Amador County – Amador Fire Safe Council, one of about 25 member entities of the Amador Calaveras Consensus Group received the good news Tuesday that their regional conservation and wildfire plan for the Mokelumne River watershed is going to Washington D.C. for consideration for funding.

Council members Jim Simmons and Cathy Koos-Breazeal said Wednesday that they had just received word that the 100,000-acre planning project was on the short list of two projects from Region 5 (the Pacific Northwest) which would be going to the nation’s capitol, and it would be in contention for $40 million in federal financing.

Simmon said it still had to make it through the budget trimming process, and Koos-Breazeal said “we got our foot in the door.” Simmons said it seems like a lot of money, but as a 10-year plan, it equates to $4 million a year.

Koos-Breazeal said the planning area is the Mokelumne River watershed, from Highway 49 and 88 east to the crest, including El Dorado and Stanislaus national forest land, and parts of the Cosumnes and Stanislaus watersheds.

Amador Fire Safe Council wrote an Amador County-wide Community Conservation and Wildfire Protection Plan, giving it nine regions, and this week released the first localized plan, for the Buckhorn, Volcano and Pioneer area. The council next looks to make a Pine Grove fire plan.

Part of a presentation Koos-Breazeal and Simmons gave on the Pioneer plan said that the Protection Plan is “developed with input from the community and resource protection professionals,” and it “is designed to protect people and property from devastating wildfires while at the same time maintaining and improving the native environment.”

Koos-Breazeal said: “Calaveras County is just getting theirs kicked off, and we are helping with that.” She said: “Our funding is specifically for Amador County, but we are collaborating with them through the Amador Calaveras Consensus Group.”

The Consensus Group is proposing the Mokelumne River Watershed protection plan, known as the “Cornerstone” project, which is on the way to Washington for consideration. Consensus Group members include Amador County Board of Supervisors, the Calaveras Board of Supervisors, and the Buena Vista Biomass Power combustion generation power plant in Amador County, which would be a major player in forestry management solutions, Koos-Breazeal said. The main focus of the Amador Calaveras Consensus Group is “revitalizing of the community and keeping the jobs, while at the same time respecting the forest.” The Group next meets March 16 in Jackson.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.