Amador County – With several people from District 2 raising questions about their new neighbor’s proposed emissions, Amador County Board of Supervisors last week satisfied at least themselves with regulations in place to govern the Buena Vista Biomass Power plant on Coal Mine Road.

Supervisors approved the permit for the combustion-powered electricity plant but not before talking about emissions, among other things.

Jackson Valley resident Donna Oglevie asked if there will be “built-in,” and “ongoing monitoring to assure compliance” of emissions standards at the plant. Air Pollution Control Office Mike Boitano said if they do not comply with monitoring, they do not get a permit to operate.

County consultant Gary Jakobs of Ascent Environmental said his study of impacts called the emissions “cumulatively significant,” but he said “mountain counties” do not have a threshold in place for emissions. He said new California Environmental Quality Act thresholds were used, and Ascent’s work was “based on substantial evidence and based on a goal the state wants to meet.”

A woman with a ranch near the Buena Vista plant asked “why they did not aim for the lowest possible emissions.” She also liked Supervisor Richard Forster’s idea to require keeping up on new technology. Forster said he would like to remove wording from conditions of approval that allow for newer technology when “economically feasible,” and make it “enforceable” to require the best technology available.

Planner Nathan Lishman said the 1983 conditions could be changed at the board’s desire.

Supervisor Chairman John Plasse said to put that condition “on a company this size” would not be economically viable, “unless you are going to have an endless stream of ‘Cash for Clunkers’ for biomass plants.”

Supervisor Louis Boitano said the EPA requires upgrades when it deems them needed. Air Officer Mike Boitano said “we don’t regulate systems, and I’m not sure where my authority starts and stops on something like that.” He said the EPA “will certify equipment but they won’t tell you which ones to go out and get.”

County special counsel Al Herson said federal, state and local law apply, and provisions may be added when permits are renewed. After a break, County Deputy Counsel Greg Gillott said “there is no time limit on the validity of a use permit,” but “the board can place one on it.” He said the county can review the facility for compliance, and if in violation, the permit can be revoked.

Ascent’s Doug Brown said “the facility will get the best technology available,” and will achieve the required emission level.”

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Amador County – After a denial of its petition last week, Foothill Charter School proponents must decide if they want to withdraw the petition, correct it and resubmit it, or appeal the decision to the state.

Superintendent of School Dick Glock said Thursday that the proponents must decide their next steps, after a denial of their petition for a charter by the Amador County Unified School District Board of Trustees.

Foothill Charter School President Ramona Longero she may appeal the denial to the California Board of Education, and has 30 days to do so. She requested a 30-day extension on the decision, but was denied, and said the board preferred the petition be resubmitted. She said she had already submitted a revised petition, after getting results of an analysis two weeks ago from the district.

Longero spoke by phone Thursday with Glock, who said they had received a revised petition, but according to his research, Glock was concerned that “we won’t be fiscally sound.” She said the budget must show capital outlays, for items such as a flag, or desks, and they “just don’t have the details yet.”

She said she and her six partners in the school are confident to move forward with Foothill Charter School, and “as long we can build confidence in the financial plan, then we are good to go.”

Glock said they had three independent agencies look at the petition in an efforet “to be as impartial as possible.” San Joaquin County Charter School Authorizing Consortium found 53 items that did not meet state statutes, and all of those items have to be adjusted.

He said Longero was not discouraged and was “appreciative that we are sharing the information,” which they “can use for a prescription for success.” The Consortium’s findings were put in a matrix and given to Longero two weeks ago. They revised the petition, which was submitted before last Wednesday’s hearing.

Glock said some of the things they denied the petition for are still insufficient, and the county board of education would not approve the petition “in its current condition.” He said they must refine parts of the petition to make it statutorily accurate, and the board’s decision would be based on whether the petition does or does not meet state statutes.

“Talking to her today, they know a lot more than when they began the process,” Glock said, calling it, a “painstaking, meticulous and exhausting thing to do,” and the district is just trying to be impartial.

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Amador County – With the economy in a bad place, the local homeless shelter operator has been getting help from local organizations, to assure that she can still offer a good place for homeless families and individuals.

Denise Cloward, Amador Emergency Shelter Coordinator said last week that churches really helped the Jackson shelter and Amador County homeless people make it through the holidays recently. She said 10 churches are now involved in the Amador Faith Based Emergency Housing Committee, which meets once a month and helps people get back on their feet. She hopes to get all churches in Amador County involved eventually.

Assistance includes gasoline vouchers, tire purchases, and apartments. The Jackson shelter had 22 families and nine children over Christmas, and last week had 16 people staying there.

Cloward and the group Amador-Tuolumne Community Action Agency will be helping with a survey of the homeless in Amador County. A-TCAA Housing Resources Director Margaret “Beetle” Barbour said the survey will be conducted for 48 hours on Jan. 25-27. And she gave some examples of the last survey in Amador. It said 42 percent of those surveyed were in the age range of 50-64 years old. She said “Amador has an older overall homeless population compared to Calaveras and Tuolumne counties, and other areas with similar geography.

Barbour said about “87 percent of the adults surveyed had housing and then became homeless while they were already living in Amador County.” And 91 percent consider Amador County their home, and “are actual residents having a strong connection to the community.

The 2009 study said about 74 percent of adults planned “to either sleep outside or did not know where they were going to sleep on the day they were surveyed.” Barbour said “additional emergency or transitional housing would alleviate much of this problem.”

About 41 percent of Amador homeless people were considered to be “Chronically Homeless,” defined as having “been homeless more than four times in the last three years or homeless for more than a year at the time they were surveyed. This was down slightly from the 52 percent in 2007.

47 percent ,nearly half of homeless adults surveyed were women, Barbour said, a “clear trend in Amador County’s homeless demographics,” up from 45 percent in 2007. “Most jurisdictions have a much lower percentage of homeless female adults,” Barbour said, and this “may indicate a profound need for women-only shelters since homeless women are in greater danger of being victims of rape and other violent crimes.”

To volunteer to help with the 2011 survey, call (209) 223-9215.

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Amador County – The 2010 Amador County Sheriff’s Department Christmas Toy Drive again was a success this year, holding the drive Dec. 18 at the St. Sava Mission in Jackson.

The Sheriff’s department hosted its annual Christmas Toy Drive with assistance from California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation of Mule Creek State Prison.

The Sheriff’s office, in announcing the successes, said: “During these harder times it is more important than ever to lend a helping hand, and that could not be possible without the assistance of our community joining together as they have done every year.”

This year the Sheriff’s Office with the help from the Amador County Superintendent of Schools implemented a local voucher program, to ensure that toys donated by local citizens were placed with local children.

Sheriff Martin Ryan and his department acknowledged the assistance of many private or public groups. One was the employees of Mule Creek, whose “Toy Drive Committee” collect money year-round through bake sales, parking lot sales, and raffles. Mule Creek has partnered with the Sheriff’s Office for the past three years and through their donations, typically account for almost half of the toys donated each year.

Warden Michael Martel purchased a flat screen TV and offered it as a raffle prize for employees who brought in a new toy for the toy drive. Mule Creek employees successfully acquired and donated several thousand toys.

The Stockton Bicycle Club donated toward purchase of bicycles, and the Sheriff’s Office was able to purchase several bicycles, raffled off to local children December 18.

Kmart assisted in purchasing bicycles with its Kmart Care program, to collect a total of 18 bicycles. In all, 30 bicycles were given to local children.

Wal-Mart, another noteworthy contributor, through a grant program allowed the Sheriff’s Office to purchase additional toys and supplies.

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