Tom
Wednesday, 21 April 2010 18:00
Sutter Creek, AWA Work Around Sinkhole
Amador County – Work continued this week to repair an 8-foot by 10-foot sinkhole on Spanish Street at Key Street in Sutter Creek, with the city and the Amador Water Agency sharing part of the costs. The Sutter Creek City Council declared an emergency April 5th to get work started, and last week the AWA board authorized paying $4,000 as its share of repairing the sinkhole. The board also authorized up to $20,000 in work by its construction crew to relocate water lines. Sutter Creek Assistant City Manager Sean Rabe attended the AWA meeting last week and got reassurance from the board on repairs. The hole exposed a Knight Foundry water line, an AWA city water line, a gas line and other utilities at the intersection. At the April 5th meeting, the highest concern was the high-pressure natural gas line. The Sutter Creek council voted to declare the sinkhole “a danger to the public health, safety and welfare, due to the exposed” gas line and also due to “disruption of vehicular movement on this major city street.” The location was under construction this week. The emergency declaration allowed the city to proceed with repairs without bidding out the work. Rabe said he would approach AWA about cost sharing, because it was suspected a leaking water line may have created the problem. Amador Mechanical estimated repair costs at $55,000, for a concrete box culvert. The cost was to be paid from the city “street and road fund,” and Rabe would check into the possibility of using FEMA funds from the Broad Street repair project. The council authorized Mayor Gary Wooten to execute a contract with Amador Mechanical for the repair, and also possibly with AWA for construction service or monetary contributions. AWA Interim General Manager Gene Mancebo said the cost split for repairing where the sinkhole occurred was based on the leak. He said when digging into Spanish Street, crews found that the whole portion of the ground “across the road was ready to cave in at any minute,” and had nothing to do with the leak. Mancebo said PG&E will relocate its gas line, and AWA’s water line will go underneath a city storm drain system also at the location. The location had 2 other lines owned by AWA, including a raw water line to the Ione Canal, and an old 6-inch line that is abandoned. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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News Archive
Thursday, 22 April 2010 06:19
Wall Upper - School Budget Cuts 4-22-10
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News Interview Videos
Wednesday, 21 April 2010 18:00
Amador County News TSPN TV with Alex Lane 4-22-10
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News Broadcast Videos
Wednesday, 21 April 2010 18:00
Sutter Creek, AWA Work Around Sinkhole
Amador County – Work continued this week to repair an 8-foot by 10-foot sinkhole on Spanish Street at Key Street in Sutter Creek, with the city and the Amador Water Agency sharing part of the costs. The Sutter Creek City Council declared an emergency April 5th to get work started, and last week the AWA board authorized paying $4,000 as its share of repairing the sinkhole. The board also authorized up to $20,000 in work by its construction crew to relocate water lines. Sutter Creek Assistant City Manager Sean Rabe attended the AWA meeting last week and got reassurance from the board on repairs. The hole exposed a Knight Foundry water line, an AWA city water line, a gas line and other utilities at the intersection. At the April 5th meeting, the highest concern was the high-pressure natural gas line. The Sutter Creek council voted to declare the sinkhole “a danger to the public health, safety and welfare, due to the exposed” gas line and also due to “disruption of vehicular movement on this major city street.” The location was under construction this week. The emergency declaration allowed the city to proceed with repairs without bidding out the work. Rabe said he would approach AWA about cost sharing, because it was suspected a leaking water line may have created the problem. Amador Mechanical estimated repair costs at $55,000, for a concrete box culvert. The cost was to be paid from the city “street and road fund,” and Rabe would check into the possibility of using FEMA funds from the Broad Street repair project. The council authorized Mayor Gary Wooten to execute a contract with Amador Mechanical for the repair, and also possibly with AWA for construction service or monetary contributions. AWA Interim General Manager Gene Mancebo said the cost split for repairing where the sinkhole occurred was based on the leak. He said when digging into Spanish Street, crews found that the whole portion of the ground “across the road was ready to cave in at any minute,” and had nothing to do with the leak. Mancebo said PG&E will relocate its gas line, and AWA’s water line will go underneath a city storm drain system also at the location. The location had 2 other lines owned by AWA, including a raw water line to the Ione Canal, and an old 6-inch line that is abandoned. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Local
Wednesday, 21 April 2010 18:00
Assembly Bill Allows Rural Hospitals to Hire Direct
Amador County – The California Legislature is considering an assembly bill that would overturn current law and allow rural hospitals the freedom to directly hire employees. Public Health Officer Dr. Bob Hartmann says this would be a great benefit in helping to attract doctors to Sutter Amador hospital in Jackson. Assembly Bills 646 and 648, currently being reviewed as companion legislation, will allow publicly run hospitals to hire doctors and rural hospitals to become direct employers of their own physicians, respectively. Both are being pushed by the California Hospital Association. AB 648 would also require a rural hospital to develop and implement a policy regarding the independent medical judgment of the physician. Under current California law, rural hospitals are banned from making direct hires. Sutter Amador currently relies on contract arrangements with private-practice physicians to assist in its servicing needs. Under the current structure, Sutter Amador doctors practice as consultants. Hartmann previously told the Sacramento Bee that “physicians in rural areas make significantly less money than doctors in the urban areas.” He hopes the new legislation will allow Sutter Amador the flexibility to attract doctors with the promise of a steady income. “Physicians coming out of medical school are hesitant about the risks of operating their own business,” said Sutter Amador Hospital CEO Anne Platt, before the Board of Supervisors last year. “If a hospital is able to employ a physician, it can provide security and health insurance that would be difficult to obtain otherwise,” she added. The Amador County Commission on Aging told TSPN that attracting quality care to our area is all the more important because we have one of the highest county populations over age 65. But the California Medical Association (CMA) is arguing that this legislation will give hospitals the power to control doctors’ medical decisions. Platt said she has “never seen that situation” and “if there were a situation where a physician were being dictated to, the physician would leave.” Hartmann said the “concern is finding younger doctors to replace us.” He said 90 percent go into larger, more established groups like Kaiser Permanente. AB 646 is currently before the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee, while AB 648 is expected to be discussed shortly. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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State
Wednesday, 21 April 2010 18:00
Ione Places Howard Properties Letter on May 4 Agenda
Amador County – The Ione City Council on Tuesday discussed a letter from Howard Properties that stopped a 107-acre business project application, pending possible action by the council. The council also discussed an e-mail request by Howard Properties Resource Manager Tim Smith to postpone council discussion until he could attend. The city council obliged, placing the issue on its May 4th agenda. City Manager Kim Kerr said the e-mail sought a more productive dialog on the related issues. Kerr received the e-mail, addressed to Mayor Skip Schaufel, who was out of the office. Kerr responded that she would share the e-mail with the council. She also advised Smith that staff practice is to place correspondence on the agenda, which she did with Smith’s April 14th letter to the city council. The letter said Howard Properties had discontinued its 107-acre project application for Ione Business Park, asking the city for a partnership on environmental costs. Councilman Lee Ard said the $300 million company acts as though the city should be glad it wants to do a project, but he thought the company “should follow the law.” Ard called the issue a “sore spot for the majority of the city.” City Planner Christopher Jordan said staff asked Howard Properties for application information, and gave the company 3 pages of comments. Howard Properties also wanted a cost estimate on all work. That included city and state requirements, including California Environmental Quality Act. Area agencies reviewed the information, including Amador Water Agency, ACTC and Caltrans. Vice Mayor David Plank said: “Our process isn’t any different than any other cities.” He said “there shouldn’t be any surprises for him. It’s all spelled out.” Councilwoman Andrea Bonham said: “I think the surprise was the cost.” She said she could see Smith’s point on some of his comments. Jordan said the Howard Properties project could be compared with permitting costs of Wildflower and Castle Oaks. Councilman Jim Ulm wanted the council “to sit on it for another meeting and let Tim comment.” In public comment, one man urged support, saying the city gets a lot more money on industrial projects than it gets on housing projects. Debbie Timmins of Howard Properties asked the council to table the issue to May, so Smith could speak. Kerr said she would analyze Smith’s, addressing the issues in a staff report, which she “will share with Tim.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Amador County Board of Supervisors Reports
Wednesday, 21 April 2010 18:00
Jackson Rancheria Donates $16,525 to Dameron Hospital Foundation
Amador County - Jackson Rancheria Casino & Hotel has donated $16,525 to the Dameron Hospital Foundation through Strike Out for Charities in conjunction with the Stockton Ports baseball team, class A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. Each time the Ports struck out an opposing batter during a home game last season the donation pool increased $25. Ports pitchers recorded 661 strikeouts for a total donation of $16,525. The funds go to Dameron Hospital Foundation’s Sweet Success Program which focuses on diabetes and pregnant women. Taking part in the presentation were, from left, Diane Vigil, Dameron Foundation Executive Director; Ron Olivero, Jackson Rancheria Vice President of Marketing; Pat Filippone, Stockton Ports President, Carolyn Sanders, Dameron Community Relations; and Ports mascot Splash. Jackson Rancheria Casino & Hotel is located at 12222 New York Ranch Road, Jackson, CA 95642. For more information, call 800-822-WINN or visit JacksonCasino.com. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Wednesday, 21 April 2010 18:00
Winemaker Dolan to Speak On Environmental, Economic Issues
Amador County – Paul Dolan of Paul Dolan Vineyards will be the keynote speaker at an upcoming Motherlode Wineries & Vineyards seminar. The event takes place April 28 from 8:45 am to 5 pm at the Amador County Fairgrounds in Plymouth. Dolan’s presentation is titled “Legal, Environmental & Economic Challenges for Facility & Land Management.” The seminar will guide winery and vineyard owners and operators through cost-effective strategies to
address current environmental, legal and technical challenges, including sustainable practices, planning for water supply and wastewater discharge and permitting, local land use permitting issues in the Motherlode, and permit obligations related to ongoing operations and expansion. Faculty also includes principals and associates from Abbott & Kindermann, LLP; Morton & Pitalo, Inc.; and UC Davis Extension. The registration fee for this event is $35, plus a bottle of wine to share at reception. The fee includes Continental Breakfast, Lunch & Wine Reception to follow. To register, contact Abbott & Kindermann, LLP at (916) 456-9595 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Make checks payable to Abbott & Kindermann, LLP and mail to 2100 21st Street, Sacramento, California 95818. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Wednesday, 21 April 2010 18:00
Caltrans, State Plan Highway Cleanup Day Thursday
Amador County – Caltrans maintenance field crews on Thursday will participate in a statewide Litter Removal and Enforcement Day. Spokeswoman Chantel Miller said District 10 will also participate, with crews cleaning along the freeways and roadways in the district’s 8 counties. Miller said: “Caltrans is partnering with Keep California Beautiful and the California Highway Patrol in a statewide Litter Removal and Enforcement Day by removing litter along the highways and roadways.” She said activity is meant “to enhance public awareness of the volume and cost associated with removing litter, trash and debris.” Thursday (April 22nd) is also the 40th anniversary of the first Earth Day. Miller said Caltrans spent approximately $60 million to pick up and dispose of litter and debris and in fiscal year 2008-2009, cleaning more than 304,000 “shoulder miles” along California’s highways and roads. District 10 crews will be cleaning shoulders in Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Mariposa, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Tuolumne Counties throughout the day Thursday. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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