Amador County – St. Patrick’s parish and the Diocese of Sacramento announced the close of escrow on the purchase of the former Prospect Motors building and land in Martell, for the use as a future Amador County Catholic Center.

Jeannine Crew, pastoral assistant to Father Tom Seabridge, said the Diocese of Sacramento and three local parishes announced the close of escrow December 11th, and bringing the “Amador Catholic Center one step closer to reality.

A release said the “Diocese of Sacramento and the three local parishes completed the purchase of the former Prospect Motors site,” which “will be turned into a multi-purpose” facility “to support the social and spiritual needs of all three Amador County parishes.”

Kevin Eckery in the release said Sacred Heart of Ione, St. Patrick’s in Jackson and Immaculate Conception in Sutter Creek churches “will continue to have weekday and Sunday masses, but the three parishes will consolidate some social, educational and other activities at the new Amador Catholic Center, including some masses.”

Sacramento Bishop, the Most Reverend Jaime Soto said in the release that “this is the culmination of 10 years of discussion and planning,” adding, “with a declining number of priests we have to find ways to share resources.”

Soto said: “The Amador Catholic Center helps us to meet this challenge. There is a lot more work to do, but this is a very exciting achievement.”

Father Liam MacCarthy has been appointed by Bishop Soto to manage the project and serve as interim pastor of the three parishes. He takes over for Father Tom Seabridge, who on January 1st begins a six-month sabbatical before his next assignment.

The new Catholic Center has been designed by Comstock-Johnson Architects. It will feature worship space with up to 600 seats, a youth center with gymnasium, offices, classrooms, kitchen and a large social hall for parish community events. The plans also envision other spaces and areas designed to provide family-friendly activities for all ages.

Initial renovations are expected to begin in 2011. MacCarthy is the former pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Sutter Creek.

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Amador County – Continuous rain throughout California over the weekend drowned previous records, with showers expected to continue for the last days of Christmas shopping. Weather forecasters are now warning that the worst may be yet to come.

The deluge began last Friday and slowed on Sunday night, presenting a brief respite from what is now one of the wettest weekends in the state’s history. Considering the circumstances, flooding and roadwork were minimal in most of Amador County when compared with recent storm systems.

The most rain fell in Southern California, where some locations received up to 12 inches, according to the National Weather Service. More than 9 inches of rain fell in Topanga canyon over a three-day period, and 2.3 inches fell on the USC campus breaking the record of 2.12 inches set in 1921. The downtown, Hollywood and San Fernando areas of Los Angeles all received at least three inches of rain.

In many areas, previous records were shattered by a number of inches. The National Weather Service said 3.45 inches of rain fell in Pasadena on Sunday, far surpassing the old mark of 1.5 inches set in 1987.

There was sporadic flooding of single-family homes in the San Joaquin Valley, but no deaths or injuries had been reported.

A 25-mile stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway running between Malibu and Oxnard was closed to traffic after reports of a mudslide, according to the California Highway Patrol.

In the Sierra Nevada range, as much as 60 inches of snow were reported at the highest elevations. Reports from Kirkwood say at least five feet fell in that area.

Forecasters say more rain and snow will continue to fall throughout the week, with the likelihood of another heavy system coming in on Christmas Day.

Another storm on Tuesday will bring colder weather and snow at lower elevations. Impacts will include moderate to heavy snow in the mountains and locally gusty winds. Moderate to heavy rain showers will take place in the lower elevations with the possibility for continued minor flooding in the Sacramento and foothills regions.

Forecasters say there will also be a chance for isolated thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds and small hail.

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Amador County – The Ione City Council today (December 21st) could consider putting two projects to bid, and will also hear presentations on procedures, duties and law, and could make selections for its mayor and vice mayor for 2011.

Among initial actions, the council could consider putting out to bid an estimated $57,000 remodel of City Hall and the Ione Police Department headquarters.

The project will give police new storage, interviewing areas and security, and will address Americans with Disabilities Act needs in City Hall. City Engineer John Wanger said funds for the project would come from Police Facility Impact Fees, and the city administration impact fees.

The council will also consider placing out for bids a restroom facility project at Ed Hughes Memorial Arena in Howard Park. The proposed budget is $157,000. Wanger said it would be paid for by $99,500 in Park Grant Funds from the Amador County Recreation Agency, and another $82,000 available from “already allocated State Resource Bond Act of 2002 funds.”

Projected cost includes a “fully constructed restroom delivered to the site and placed by a crane onto a site that has been prepared by a contractor with all utilities stubbed into place.”

Purchase and installation was estimated at $81,000 and site work, to potentially be put out to bid by the council, was estimated at $66,000. Wanger said engineering was already authorized for the project at $10,000.

The council will also consider pursuit of a new company to run the city’s website and e-mail services, with first-year costs estimated at $8,670. The current company, ReadyBuilder, notified the city it will cease operations December 31st.

City Manager Kim Kerr recommended in a report today that the council select its new mayor and vice mayor, with terms to take effect January 1st and run through December 2011.

She also recommended council members review and provide input to the new mayor about appointments to various council committees and liaison positions. The mayor annually makes the appointments, and “council members should review and notify the mayor or city manager of their desire to participate in various committees.”

The mayor then can share the appointments at the meeting. She said the city council must approve the mayor’s appointments.

City Attorney Kristen Castanos today is scheduled to give a presentation on the Brown Act and conflicts of interest, and Kerr will give a presentation of Rosenberg’s Rules of Order, which the city council adopted in 2008. Story by

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Amador County - The California Highway Patrol cautioned Monday that it will begin its Christmas Maximum Enforcement Period (MEP) on Friday, December 24th at 6 pm, to continue through Sunday, December 26th at 11:59 pm. The MEP means CHP officers throughout the state plan for an increased visible presence in order to deter those who may danger others while driving in holiday traffic and possible stormy weather.

“The holiday season is all about having good times with family and friends, and about sharing and giving,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “We want to make sure everyone enjoys their festivities, and therefore, our goal is to ensure you and your loved ones arrive at your destination safely.”

The CHP reminds drivers “to always wear seatbelts, put children in appropriate safety seats, drive at a safe speed for various conditions, and never drink and drive during the holiday season.”

“Officers will be on the road to ensure motorists celebrate the holiday in a safe, responsible manner,” said Farrow. “If your celebration involves alcohol, please designate a non-drinking driver.”

Last year during the CHP’s Christmas holiday enforcement period, 22 people were killed in collisions statewide. Among the vehicle occupants killed within the CHP’s jurisdiction, more than half were not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. CHP officers also accounted for 1,104 arrests made statewide for driving under the influence (DUI) during the 2009 Christmas MEP.

The CHP said it will conduct a similar MEP during the New Year’s holiday weekend, which begins Friday, December 31st at 6 pm and continues through 11:59 pm on Sunday, January 2nd, 2011.

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Amador County – Amador Water Agency staff last week said it did not expect to be fined for two spills in the last few weeks, including 15,000 gallons of raw sewage estimated to have leaked in Martell.

AWA General Manager Gene Mancebo said the Office of Emergency Services was informed right away, and other state agencies were notified of both incidents. He said that if regulating agencies felt there was some health risks, they would have ordered action to sanitize the areas.

AWA was required to notify people in the vicinity of the sewage leak in Martell, discovered December 1st, but no sanitizing occurred. He said if rain occurs, the wastewater either becomes very diluted or it is carried a far distance. The agencies believe the water did not escape the swell ditch in which it leaked.

Both leaks were found after the storms before Thanksgiving. The sewer leak was near Wal-Mart, and a raw water spill occurred on Mace Meadow Golf Course, possibly two weeks before its discovery, November 29th.

Mancebo did not know if there would be fines, but the agency submitted reports and took immediate action when the spills were found. He said the state takes into consideration how well you try to avoid leaks before they give fines, and the “AWA has had a pretty good track record of trying to maintain its systems.”

The Mace Meadow spill prompted staff to purchase a used filter to cleanse the backwash from the Buckhorn water treatment plant. Operations Manager Chris McKeage reported the plan to the AWA board of directors December 9th, saying that staff was driving to pick up the 15-year-old filter as the meeting was under way.

McKeage said with the filter, they would be able to put the raw backwash water back into the creek from which it is taken. He said it would “reduce by about 90 percent the raw water we send to the golf course,” where it is stored in the winter, and sprayed in the summer for irrigation.

McKeage said: “This is a half-a-million-dollar project we’re going to try to do in-house for $60,000. We’re trying to pull a rabbit out of a hat.” He said the process would need state approval, and they were trying to get it operational by February, and permanently operational by summer. The agency can have no run-off in winter at the golf course storage ponds.

Mancebo said filtering the backwash likely would lead to a need to alter the discharge permit at the golf course, as the sludge would be more concentrated.

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Amador County – Sutter Creek City Council discussed sewer needs December 6th and set staff working on wastewater planning, as they discussed the future of the Amador Regional Sanitation Authority and its partners around the county.

City Manager Sean Rabe told the council: “Me trying to play wastewater planner is not a good idea.” Rabe was directed to explore wastewater planning services and he will “bring back a kind of outline for what I’m looking for” in some kind of consultant.

Rabe said he met in Ione recently to discuss ARSA, with staff from Ione, Mule Creek and the Amador Water Agency, and potential changes ahead.

He said “everybody is open to looking at potential avenues of what ARSA is, and how it interacts with Sutter Creek, Ione and other members,” and partners.

Planning Commissioner Robin Peters asked why the city would not use city staff wastewater engineers, Grant Reynolds and Gene Weatherby. Rabe said: “We don’t need an engineer, we need an infrastructure planner, to get someone herding all the cats at one time.” He thought they might want a “third party” to see the issue from a different perspective.

In public comment, Mimi Arata said she shudders at the thought of hiring another “upper-echelon” consultant. She also asked about $2 million the city spent on wastewater plant upgrades that did not work, as reported by the Grand Jury.

Mayor Gary Wooten said they were talking about whether to repair Henderson Reservoir, and wastewater partnerships in the region. He said the city wastewater treatment plant previously was not compliant, but the city’s new consultant reported that it was now compliant. That issue was handled earlier in the meeting, when the council approved a consent item with an updated comment on the Grand Jury report, which in part said the plant was now compliant, though more work needs to be done.

Murphy said 12 months after resolution of a lawsuit against Gold Rush by Ken Berry, the city must tell Gold Rush what it wants for a wastewater system, as the developers must pay for it. Murphy said “we’re responsible for telling them what we need, and Gold Rush is responsible for designing and building it.”

Commissioner Mike Kirkley said the information they give Gold Rush would be a “technical report,” and it would be billable to Gold Rush.” Kirkley suggested they revisit the ARSA Master Plan to “see if this plan still makes sense in this bigger picture.”

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Amador County – Three regional groups with concerns about the future of the Mokelumne River have filed their opening brief in a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) lawsuit challenging the East Bay Municipal Utility District’s (EBMUD) 2040 water plan.

The Foothill Conservancy, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance and Friends of the River originally filed suit in November 2009 following EBMUD’s adoption of the plan, which includes an option to expand the Pardee Reservoir and flood portions of the Mokelumne River in order to provide more water to customers in the East Bay.

In a release, the Foothill Conservancy said the brief, filed in November, “details five causes of action describing how EBMUD violated the state’s leading environmental law.” These include an alleged “failure to adequately evaluate the damage the dam would cause to the Mokelumne’s fish populations” and a failure to properly analyze water supplies in EBMUD’s “own backyard” in the East Bay. The Foothill Conservancy said there was also a “failure to analyze the impacts of eliminating a portion of the Mokelumne from eligibility and protection of its ‘outstandingly remarkable values’ as a National Wild and Scenic River.”

A number of organizations and government bodies have united in opposition to the mammoth power company’s proposal, including the Amador County Board of Supervisors, the Amador Water Agency, Sierra Club California and 3rd District Congressman Dan Lungren.

These bodies have cited concerns over potential damage to the river’s ecosystem, the destruction of historic sites like the Middle Bar Bridge and irreversible damage to a river considered important to Native Americans.

“We’re especially concerned about protecting the Mokelumne River from EBMUD’s proposed Pardee Dam expansion, which would destroy nearly two miles of beautiful, free-flowing river,” said Chris Wright, Foothill Conservancy executive director. “The river is important to local residents as a place to fish and teach our kids about nature, to the native Miwuk people for its sacred cultural sites, to the state’s people for its historic and public trust resources, and to visitors as one of the best places in the state to whitewater kayak.”

The Foothill Conservancy anticipates the case will be heard by Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Timothy Frawley in February 2011.

“We believe we have a very strong case,” said Wright, “And we’re glad to see it heading toward objective legal analysis by a judge instead of a vote by an absentee East Bay board whose majority clearly doesn’t care what happens to the Mokelumne, our community, or downstream resources.”

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