Amador County – The Amador County Transportation Commission voted 5-0 Wednesday night to recommend three alternatives to Caltrans for further study for a Pine Grove Highway 88 improvement project.

The recommendation would ask Caltrans to study the project alternatives with greater detail, using state and federal environmental criteria, to see if they remain feasible in cost and impact. The vote also eliminated 10 other alternatives for various reasons, and the alternates would no longer be considered by the commission.

ACTC Project Manager Neil Peacock said the work would be done by Caltrans, and the commission only makes the recommendations. He explained the process by which the preferred projects were evaluated, with input from a “stakeholder working group,” which held 8 meetings to discuss needs and wants for Pine Grove.

About 40 people attended the meeting Wednesday, including many of the stakeholder group members, who spoke in praise of Peacock’s handling of the process. One, Rebecca Brown, admired the “context sensitive solution process” being used by ACTC and Caltrans.

Commissioner, Supervisor John Plasse asked about Peacock’s projects recommended for study, a North Bypass, a Southern Bypass, and a “Through Town” project, and why they did not have “built-in fatal errors.”

Peacock said “we will have them shortly, when you give us the go-ahead.” He said the study would get the finer detail of the project, and closer looks at impacts.

John Gedney, rural planning administrator for Caltrans District 10, said stakeholder group information was given to the Caltrans Project Development Team, which has been working on the project. Gedney said he “would be very surprised if there was a fatal flaw at this point.” ACTC Executive Director Charles Field said the stakeholder group included knowledgeable people, including Dokken Engineering members, so they were “not out in left field.”

The commission also voted to have staff further evaluate another alternative proposed by the Pine Grove Council, Alternative Number 14. Andy Byrne of the Pine Grove Council said the “Alternative 14 was not a last-minute addition,” but was made up by stakeholders working group members from details they gathered as the group met and worked. He said Alternative 14, with north and south one-way, one-lane bypasses, was drawn with the intention of keeping Pine Grove as a “Town Center,” as it is designated in the Amador County Draft General Plan update.

The commission directed more study, and evaluation of Alternate 14, to give it the same scrutiny other Alternates received from the stakeholders. It would then be brought back with a staff recommendation for commission action.

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

Amador County – The Amador County Transportation Commission voted 5-0 Wednesday night to recommend three alternatives to Caltrans for further study for a Pine Grove Highway 88 improvement project.

The recommendation would ask Caltrans to study the project alternatives with greater detail, using state and federal environmental criteria, to see if they remain feasible in cost and impact. The vote also eliminated 10 other alternatives for various reasons, and the alternates would no longer be considered by the commission.

ACTC Project Manager Neil Peacock said the work would be done by Caltrans, and the commission only makes the recommendations. He explained the process by which the preferred projects were evaluated, with input from a “stakeholder working group,” which held 8 meetings to discuss needs and wants for Pine Grove.

About 40 people attended the meeting Wednesday, including many of the stakeholder group members, who spoke in praise of Peacock’s handling of the process. One, Rebecca Brown, admired the “context sensitive solution process” being used by ACTC and Caltrans.

Commissioner, Supervisor John Plasse asked about Peacock’s projects recommended for study, a North Bypass, a Southern Bypass, and a “Through Town” project, and why they did not have “built-in fatal errors.”

Peacock said “we will have them shortly, when you give us the go-ahead.” He said the study would get the finer detail of the project, and closer looks at impacts.

John Gedney, rural planning administrator for Caltrans District 10, said stakeholder group information was given to the Caltrans Project Development Team, which has been working on the project. Gedney said he “would be very surprised if there was a fatal flaw at this point.” ACTC Executive Director Charles Field said the stakeholder group included knowledgeable people, including Dokken Engineering members, so they were “not out in left field.”

The commission also voted to have staff further evaluate another alternative proposed by the Pine Grove Council, Alternative Number 14. Andy Byrne of the Pine Grove Council said the “Alternative 14 was not a last-minute addition,” but was made up by stakeholders working group members from details they gathered as the group met and worked. He said Alternative 14, with north and south one-way, one-lane bypasses, was drawn with the intention of keeping Pine Grove as a “Town Center,” as it is designated in the Amador County Draft General Plan update.

The commission directed more study, and evaluation of Alternate 14, to give it the same scrutiny other Alternates received from the stakeholders. It would then be brought back with a staff recommendation for commission action.

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

Amador County – The Amador Water Agency board of directors last week received a brief overview of what staff considers its high priority items among its systems.

General Manager Gene Mancebo in a report Jan. 13 said the Strategic Plan underwent a complete revision in February 2009, when the board “directed staff to begin the plan anew.”

In October 2009, staff “began the process to revise the strategic plan,” including revising its Mission Statement, Vision Statement, Core values, and Goals. A draft plan resulted, and that received minor changes by the board.

Macebo said staff will begin the “budget process next month, and the Strategic Plan provides direction for developing business plans for each department to achieve objectives in the plan.” He said the board may consider the plan, revise it, create a new one, “or decide to forgo the plan.”

Board President Don Cooper recommended the board members review the plan on their own, and return to it in a later meeting. The board agreed.

After a short discussion, Mancebo went through his list of “high priority system items” among eight systems operated by the agency.

He said top Amador Water System priorities included the need for capacity increases and backwash improvements at the Ione and Tanner water treatment plants. AWS also needs a small diameter pipe to be placed in the Amador Canal, with either treated or raw water.

In the Central Amador Water Project Wholesale system, top priorities include either pursuing the Gravity Supply Line or improving pumps to increase the flow of raw water to Buckhorn. The system also needs backwash improvements at Mace Meadow, or a recycling system. A pending water rights application is another issue, as is the transmission of treated water.

CAWP retail priorities include boosting distribution pressure and fire flow capacity, and also replacement of a storage tank.

Mancebo said the Camanche area has been “designated a disadvantaged community,” and that may help with grants. The water system at Camanche needs rehabilitation of its Well Number 14. Grants may cover replacement of its Tank Number 9, and service connections.

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Amador County – The City Selection Committee met Wednesday afternoon and selected Ione and Jackson to represent the cities on the Local Agency Formation Commission, and also appointed Jackson and Amador City to hold seats on the Amador County Transportation Commission.

Mayor Connie Gonsalves presided over the meeting of Mayors, which selected Jackson City Councilman Keith Sweet to sit on the ACTC board. Amador City Mayor Aaron Brusatori said he was not sure who would be appointed to the position to represent his council.

Plymouth Mayor Greg Baldwin said he planned to stay in his position for Wednesday night’s ACTC meeting on the Pine Grove Highway 88 improvement project. Baldwin said his position expired Jan. 29, and he was adamant about keeping the seat until then. His position would be taken by an Amador City appointee.

Sweet took over for the position of retiring Councilman Pat Crosby of Sutter Creek. ACTC Chair Charles Field said as Sweet was Crosby’s alternate, an new alternate should be assigned. Ione Mayor David Plank said his council has selected Councilman Lloyd Oneto, “who will be starting his first year as an alternate.”

Field said alternates are appointed by the City Select Committee to be second in line for specific seats, and “only the alternate can take that seat.”

The committee also appointed Sutter Creek Councilman Jim Swift as an alternate behind the Jackson seat, and Plymouth Councilwoman Sandy Kyles as the Number 2 alternate, behind Amador City’s seat. The appointees join Commissioner Plank, whose alternate will be Lloyd Oneto.

The City Selection Committee also appointed members to the Amador County LAFCO. Plymouth past Mayor Jon Colburn rotated out, Ione Mayor David Plank was appointed to the number 1 city position, and Jackson City Councilman Pat Crew was appointed to the number 2 city seat.

The committee chose Amador City to be the alternate, and Mayor Aaron Brusatori nominated Amador City Councilman Tim Knox, who was appointed by the committee.

LAFCO Executive Director Roseanne Chamberlain said the “alternate has a full and valid vote in the absence of the representative.”

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Amador County – The Amador Water Agency board of directors recognized its former past President Terence Moore, who last year, left office after three terms and 12 years.

General Manager Gene Mancebo said District 5 Director Terry Moore was “instrumental in the development and completion of the Plymouth Pipeline and the Buckhorn Water Treatment Plant, the Amador Transmission Pipeline, Regional Wastewater and Recycling Master Plan, guiding the development of the Gravity Supply Line, and serving several years as Board president.”

Moore thanked AWA staff for their efforts in assisting agency governance and he gave the new board advice, telling them to “move away from the day to day workings of the Agency, and look at the big picture issues.”

He said such big items included “consolidation of the four water systems, getting a storage tank in the Upcountry, and getting the Lake Camanche system off of well water and onto a surface water supply.”

The AWA Board approved supporting Assembly Bill Number 8, sponsored by Assemblywoman Alyson Huber, which would halt the closure of Preston Youth Correction Facility for six months to allow additional analysis of the impacts of the closure.

Mancebo said the “agency expects to lose approximately $80,000 in annual revenues from water sales to the Preston facility, and an additional estimated $40,000 from indirect impacts of the closure.”

In a staff report, AWA Operations Manager Chris McKeage said he is working with the state “on permissible temporary options for disposing of the excess water” in the Buckhorn backwash system. He said “one option could be running the water to a nearby leach field.”

Trucking the water to a wastewater treatment plant was discussed, but McKeage said the “agency has yet to locate a plant that can take what is essentially raw Mokelumne River water, due to permit or capacity issues.”

McKeage said AWA has purchased a second-hand filtration plant to recycle backwash at Buckhorn. Recycling the water “will greatly reduce the amount of water sent to the Mace Meadow pond, partially alleviating the winter overflow problem in the future.”

The used filtration plant cost $5,000 and will require an estimated $65,000 of AWA staff time and materials to get the equipment on-line, which McKeage hopes will be in mid-February. McKeage estimate a new plant would have cost as much as $250,000 before installation.

A voluntary water conservation notice remained in effect for AWA customers along Highway 88 from Mace Meadow to Pine Grove, due to recent heavy rains have filled water treatment plant backwash ponds at Mace Meadow Golf Course.

AWA is required to ask for voluntary water conservation by all of its public water customers in systems at Mace Meadow, Rabb Park, Pine Grove and the Central Amador Water Project Retail.

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