Copper holds town hall meeting with a twist

Nestled inside the Copperopolis Armory beneath paintings of Table Mountain and the historic schoolhouse, staff members of 25 local government departments set up folding display boards, laid out handouts and pamphlets and stood expectantly beside their displays, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of a school science fair. It wasn’t a science fair, though; it was District 4 Supervisor Debbie Ponte’s Copperopolis twist on a town hall meeting, and... Read More

Small dam on Stanislaus floated

By Dana M. Nichols Record Staff Writer April 23, 2013 SAN ANDREAS – The age of massive hydroelectric dam construction ended several decades ago in the United States, but it could be that an era of building small hydro projects is just beginning. The U.S. House of Representatives last week approved a bill that would eliminate environmental hurdles for at least some small hydro projects – those on canals or pipelines operated by the U.S.... Read More

Fire district report suggests that fewer might be better

By Dana M. Nichols Record Staff Writer April 23, 2013 SAN ANDREAS – Calaveras County’s 10 fire districts should consider consolidating into as few as four optimal districts, according to a new report written for the county Local Agency Formation Commission. The report found that many county fire districts operate on shoestring budgets and don’t have the necessary funds to replace aging equipment or make needed repairs to fire stations. Those... Read More

Builders constructing environmental agreements

By Alex Breitler Record Staff Writer April 23, 2013 Near the peak of last decade’s building boom, air quality officials approved an innovative yet controversial rule holding developers accountable for new pollution caused by growth. But before long, there was no growth. Today, as construction activity resumes in south San Joaquin County and all along the Valley, builders are faced with the challenge of designing cleaner neighborhoods or paying... Read More

TUD wants promised NM water

Written by Chris Caskey, The Union Democrat April 10, 2013 http://www.uniondemocrat.com/News/Local-News/TUD-wants-promised-NM-water   Some Tuolumne Utilities District leaders want to see water from New Melones in local hands. The district Board of Directors on Tuesday discussed water allocations at the federally managed reservoir and a decades-old agreement that was supposed to allow Tuolumne County to purchase up to 9,000 acre-feet of water... Read More

Colleges’ promises unkept, critics say

By Alicia Castro | Posted: Friday, April 12, 2013 Residents pay taxes, get little in  return Many Calaveras County residents interested in community  college offerings are fed up with nearly $4.5 million in property taxes and bond  measure payments being funneled into two nearby college districts with few local  services offered in return. Valley Springs business owner Dave Tanner, who ran last  year for a seat on the Delta college district board,... Read More

What’s happening with Columbia College bond money?

Written by Brenna Swift, The Union Democrat April 12, 2013 When the Yosemite Community College District passed a  $326 million bond measure in 2004, one of the largest school bond  measures in California that year, Columbia College culinary students  hoped to get new digs out of the deal. Nine years later, the college plans to spend $9.2  million in bond money renovating the top floor of the building where the hospitality management program is... Read More

County lags in building rebound

Posted on April 16, 2013 By Kristine Williams Construction in Calaveras County has been slowly picking up over the past few months, though the increase in activity mostly has been in relation to small repair and addition projects – like this structure in San Andreas – as compared to single-family homes. A Bureau of Labor Statistics report released earlier this month noted a single bright spot for March’s Employment Report – construction-related... Read More

Modest Housing Recovery

“Housing is back,” according to Valerie Moon of the Calaveras County Association of Realtors. More than five years after the housing bubble burst and prices collapsed, Calaveras County housing prices are rising. Between rising demand and limited supply, home prices are making real gains for the first time since 2006, Moon said. First-quarter sales for Calaveras showed an increase in median property values by 17.5 percent over the last quarter... Read More

Work set for 2018 on winding Highway 4

Written by Sean Janssen, The Union Democrat April 11, 2013 http://www.uniondemocrat.com/News/Local-News/Work-set-for-2018-on-winding-Highway-4 Most of the winding Highway 4 between Angels Camp and Copperopolis is in line to be straightened, with construction planned for 2018. About 100 people attended an open house with project planners and engineers Wednesday night to hear and see the latest on the project estimated at $56 million to complete. The... Read More