Serving the communities of Valley Springs, Burson and Wallace

July 30

Election attention turns to special district races

By Nick Baptista

   The race to determine who will occupy the White House is not the only issue on this November’s General Election ballot.

   In addition, West Calaveras residents will decide who will represent District 1 on the county Board of Supervisors and the filing period is open for seats on the Calaveras Unified School District Board of Trustees, the county Board of Education, the San Joaquin Delta Community College Board of Trustees and the Mark Twain Health Care District Board of Directors.

   Candidates for the District 1Supervisorial race were decided in June. Zerrall McDaniel and Gary Tofanelli are in a run-off to replace Bill Claudino on the board.

   The filing period for the school boards and the health care district closes at 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8. If the incumbent for the seat up for election does not file, the filing period is extended to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 13.

   The four-year terms for Sherri Reusche and John Yerman are expiring on the CUSD board. Both have filed to seek re-election and no challengers had filed as of 9 a.m. Tuesday.

   Reusche is the representative from District Area 1, Valley Springs, while Yerman is the representative from District 3, Burson.

   Although the board seats are configured to represent areas within the school district and candidates must reside within those areas, the election is at-large, meaning voters within the entire school district cast votes in each race, said County Elections Coordinator Christine Fouts.

   Three seats are open on the county Board of Education. The terms of Kathy Huebert, District 2, Patrick Stephens, District 4, and Lou Bointano, District 5, are expiring. The Board of Education districts are identical the county supervisorial districts.

   District 2 includes Mokelumne Hill, Mountain Ranch and West Point, District 4 has the communities of Angels Camp and Murphys, while District 5 encompasses Copperopolis, Jenny Lind and Rancho Calaveras.

   Bointano and Huebert have filed to seek re-election. Stephens had not filed as of Tuesday morning and so far there are no challengers in these three races, which are also elected at-large.

   Calaveras County resident Steve Castellanos has filed to run for the Trustee Area 5 seat on the Delta College board. Area 5 covers the northern portion of the community college district and includes Calaveras.

   Trustee Area 1 and 2 seats, covering the Stockton area, are also up for election. C.Jennet Stebbins is the lone candidate so far for the Trustee Area 1 seat, while Mary Ann Cox and Montecuzma Patrick Sanchez have filed to run for the Area 2 seat.

   Races for the Delta College board come just several weeks after the San Joaquin County Civil Grand Jury issued a report accusing the board of wasting millions of dollars in Measure L funds and college faculty overwhelmingly supported a vote of No Confidence of the trustees because of Measure L woes and management of the campus.

   The college had to trim or eliminate several specific projects – including a satellite campus near Valley Springs – because of escalating costs to place a campus at Mountain House near Tracy.

   Incumbents Kenneth McInturf and Colleen Smart have filed to seek re-election to their seats on the Mark Twain Health Care District’s board of directors. The race had not attracted any challengers as of Tuesday morning.

   Declaration of Candidacy papers can be obtained in the Election Department at the county clerk’s office in San Andreas. The special district races do not require the circulation of nomination papers and a required number of signatures. In addition, there is no filing fee unless the candidate wants to submit a candidate’s statement for printing on the sample ballots. The fee is $250 for a 200-word statement.

   Prospective candidates can obtain additional election information at the county website, www.co.calaveras.ca.us, at the clerk-recorder page.

   Nov. 4 is Election Day.  

July 25

Tim Garrison is the new principal at Valley Springs Elementary School.

VSE begins school year with a new principal

By Nick Baptista

   Valley Springs Elementary School greeted plenty of new students and a new principal when the 2008-09 school year began on Monday. 

   Tim Garrison, who has been the principal and a teacher at West Point Elementary School for the past two years, has transferred to Valley Springs Elementary where he will serve as the full-time principal.

   He succeeds Jan Matson who retired at the end of the past school year.

   A graduate of Washington State University, Garrison has been in the education field for 10 years. He taught in the Seattle area for a pair of years before moving to Southern California where he was in the classroom for six years. The past two years he has been with the Calaveras Unified School District as principal and intervention teacher at West Point. As West Point’s intervention teacher, taught students who needed extra help in language arts.

    The move to Valley Springs “is an exciting step in my career,” Garrison said, since the school is larger than West Point and he will be a full-time principal. “The school board and Superintendent Jim Frost must have had confidence I did a good job at West Point in bringing me to Valley Springs.”

   After having a class the past 10 years, Garrison acknowledged the transition might be a little difficult for him at the beginning of the school year, but he plans to offset that by interacting heavily with the entire student body.

   He does not plan any immediate changes at the school unless absolutely necessary. Garrison attributed that to the fine job Matson did at the campus and his belief that he needs to spend time getting to know the staff, students and parents before making any adjustments to the school’s routine.

   However, change is inevitable, he said.

   The board and administration want constant improvement at their schools, no matter whether they are at a high level, and he will work to improve Valley Springs Elementary, he added.

   Garrison said a clean and attractive school environment, both inside and outside of the classroom, are important to him.

   Those first impressions of the physical condition of the school and the classroom last with a student and contribute to their achievement, he said, so clean and attractive facilities are a priority on his list.

   A major expansion project was recently completed at the school, although landscaping and a playground improvement project are still in the works.

   “There will be some disruption, but the worst is behind us,” he said.

  Garrison is also looking forward toward working with the school’s Parent-Teacher Organization.

   “The PTO is amazing in the amount of time and resources they’ve devoted to the school,” Garrison said. “They’ve really been helpful and I will take advantage of that as much as I can.”

   Enrollment is projected to be up 10 percent this school year at Valley Springs Elementary from approximately 500 the past school year to 550. He attributed much of the increase to the boundary shift between Valley Springs and Jenny Lind Elementary.

   The school will also have two new teachers, Celeste Bitler-Garamendi in the fourth grade and Laura Stickles in this sixth grade.  

July 23

More billboards such as these on the west side of Valley Springs could be in the offing if the Calaveras County Planning Commission approve a new proposal.

Request for more billboards near Valley Springs postponed for a month

   Calaveras County Planning Commission consideration of whether to grant approval for the placement of three new billboards along Highway 12 has been delayed.

   The item was on last Thursday’s planning commission agenda, but was continued to an Aug. 21 meeting.

   Rogers Media is seeking a conditional use permit to erect the billboards at 1201 Highway 12, approximately 1.5 miles west of downtown Valley Springs.

   The Valley Springs Area Business Association has voiced opposition to approval of the signs because they will clutter the entrance to town. The ABA board has asked its membership to email the county to express their concerns with the proposal.

   The proposed sign faces would measure 16 feet wide by 8 feet high for a total of 128 square feet each. The base of the signs would be 14.5 feet above grade, with an overall height of 25 feet to the top of each.

   In other area business at Thursday’s meeting the panel did not act on New Hogan Community Investors request for a planned development permit for a nearly 14-acre shopping center on the south side of Highway 26, approximately a half mile from the downtown intersection of Highways 12 and 26.

   Caltrans expressed concern about expected road impacts and realignment of a section of Highway 26.  

July 18

Frances Schabram, left, talks about the sorry state of Gillam Road during a meeting on Wednesday with area residents and representatives of U.S. Rep. Dan Lungren’s office. 

Gillam Road disrepair draws ire of residents

By Nick Baptista

   Enough is enough, according to residents who live along or use Gillam Road.

   Nearly 20 of them met Wednesday to talk to a pair of staff members from U.S. Rep. Dan Lungren’s office about their frustrations in getting Gillam Road fixed.

   The road has been in disrepair for at least two years with a number of deep potholes, ruts and near washouts.

   The road is in such bad shape, Foothill Fire Chief Mike Siligo has written a letter saying his department’s larger structural firefighting equipment is unable to negotiate the route.

   Although the road is maintained by Calaveras County, county officials say their hands have been tied at the federal level.

   Before ordinary repairs can begin, the county needs a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the process also includes reviews by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service and California’s Regional Water Quality Control Board.

   The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ jurisdiction falls under the Federal Clean Water Act, according to Kathy Norton, senior project manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers out of Sacramento.

   Water flows over part of the road and there are springs under it, she said.

   To make matters more complicated, several years ago a California red-legged frog reportedly was observed under a bridge the road crosses and the frog is listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act.

   Area residents dispute the sighting, but Norton says a specialist from Fish and Wildlife verified the presence of the frog near the road.

   County officials have applied for the permit, but Norton said the application is incomplete and needs to be clarified.

   County officials at Wednesday’s gathering said they are doing what they can, but Norton and the other agencies are not receptive to meeting with them in person at the site to reach solutions.

   Congressman Lungren’s staff member for intergovernmental affairs, Alexandra Snyder, was at Wednesday’s meeting and said she was “appalled by the conditions” of the roadway and the fact that emergency vehicles don’t have access to the area.

   She was also upset that the permit process now has taken several years to work its way through the Army Corps of Engineers.

   She encouraged the residents to continue to pressure the Congressman’s office, the county Board of Supervisors and the federal agencies to get the work done.

   Gillam Road resident Frances Schabram said she and her cattle are the real endangered species. The road is in such disrepair it is nearly impossible to deliver hay and that is threatening her cattle business and her livelihood.

   She and other residents complained of broken axles and the everyday fear that emergency personnel will be unable to respond in the event of a fire or medical condition.

   Snyder and Gillam Road residents would like to see repairs under way before steady rains begin in the fall.

   Norton said the permit process could be completed before the rainy season begins.  

July 16

Randy Kilgore, 14, of Valley Springs has plans to break the record for handling the world's largest hula-hoop. Photo by Sharlea Nisbet.

Valley Springs lad plans to master largest hula-hoop

By Sharlea Nisbet 

     While most teens use their summer break to on go vacation or hang out with peers Randy Kilgore, 14, of Valley Springs is spending some of his time trying to beat The Guinness Book of World Records in hula hoops. 

      Kilgore was filling his time weeding and general garden work for extra money, but one day while he was at his grandparents, Randy and Judy Johnston of Valley Springs, he came up with an idea.  He took some P.V.C. pipe his grandfather uses in his business, and formed a circle. 

     That first hula-hoop was about five feet in diameter and Kilgore mastered it in a matter of minutes. But the idea continued and the hula-hoops got bigger until Kilgore made one 12 feet in diameter.

     According to Guinness, the record was set in 2002 by a man who could rotate a 16-foot diameter hula-hoop three times. The feat has now become a challenge for Kilgore and he hopes to set a new record by the end of summer vacation.

     Kilgore will be a freshman when the school year begins and also loves skateboarding, riding dirt bikes and weightlifting with his dad, Mike Kilgore.

   It’s a good thing he lifts weights as the 16-foot hula-hoop may end up weighing about 20 pounds.  

July 11

Calaveras County Sheriff’s Volunteer Unit member Sylvia Susoeff Thursday morning begins packing stationary from the Sheriff’s Valley Springs Substation for moving to the Mokelumne Hill Substation.

Valley Springs' Sheriff's substation closed in budget cut

By Nick Baptista

   The Valley Springs Sheriff’s Substation is one of the first casualties of lean budget times for Calaveras County and the sheriff’s department.

   Calaveras County Sheriff Dennis Downum last month announced the Valley Springs and Copperopolis substations would have to close to help his department reach mandated cost reductions and word came down Wednesday to begin closing the Valley Springs office located in the Valley Oaks Center.

   The Valley Springs Substation is scheduled for closure on Tuesday, July 15, but sheriff’s volunteers were in the office Thursday morning beginning to move supplies to the Mokelumne Hill substation.

   With the closure due to budget constraints, citizens in the Valley Springs area will be referred to the sheriff’s main station in San Andreas. There is also a substation in the west county area at South Shore Camanche.

   Capt. Jim Macedo, the operations bureau commander, said the sheriff’s department pays rental for the Valley Springs and Copperopolis stations and that was why they were identified for closure. The Copperopolis substation remains open and negotiations are under way that could allow that office to remain in operation.

   The Valley Springs substation was one of the department’s busiest and it was a difficult decision to close the facility, Capt. Macedo said. In addition to the sheriff’s department, Child Protective Services and the probation department used the office at times. The sheriff’s volunteer unit provided staffing for the substation.

   A substation in the Valley Springs area could re-open if the department receives additional funding or space is donated for an office, Capt. Macedo added.

   In budget meetings last month, the Board of Supervisors delayed the elimination of 16 extra-hire deputy sheriffs for at least the first quarter of the new budget year.

   The 16 extra-hire deputies are assigned to court security, inmate transportation, patrol functions in disaster and special event incidents, civil process service, background investigations on new employees and Off Highway Vehicle grant patrols.

   Elimination of the extra-hire deputies in court security would have required three patrol deputies to be pulled from street patrol and assigned to work as bailiffs in the courts.  

July 9

CalFire’s Copter 404 out of Columbia drops a load of water on Sunday afternoon’s fire near the Valley Springs Sports and Fitness Center. Photo by Stacey Hebrard.

Close call

Arson determined as cause of Sunday's fire

By Nick Baptista

   Quick action by firefighters and a shift in the wind Sunday afternoon is attributed to Valley Springs avoiding a repeat of the 2004 Pattison Fire that destroyed 13 residences.

   Sunday’s fire in Valley Springs between Highways 12 and 26 began at approximately 1:30 p.m. and charred 74 acres of vegetation. No dollar damage has been reported and arson is suspected as the cause.

   Foothill Fire Protection District Chief Michael Siligo said the fire started on the roadside along Highway 12 and all agencies are looking for the person or persons involved.

   Chief Siligo asked the public to report anyone or anything that looks suspicious especially now in a period of high heat and humidity. 

   Highway 26 served as the main firebreak, although a portion of the blaze managed to cross the road at the proposed site for a new shopping center at the highway and Hogan Dam Road.

   The Valley Springs Sports and Fitness Center and Jitters were evacuated and the sheriff’s department was preparing to evacuate Gold Creek Estates.

   “The firefighters did an awesome job and were quick to respond,” said Jitters owner Valerie Latt.

   She was not at her drive-thru espresso bar at corner of Highway 26 and Mangili Drive when the blaze broke out, but arrived at the scene after being alerted by employees.

   “It’s comforting to see a fire engine parked beside your building,” she added.

   In addition to the Foothill Fire Protection District, units from CalFire and Jenny Lind Fire responded to the call. CalFire’s response included aerial units from it air attack base in Columbia.

   CalFire crews remained at the scene through Monday mopping up.

   One Foothill firefighter was taken from fire-line with heat exhaustion, Chief Siligo reported. He recovered at scene and was sent home after an assessment.

   “He is fine and is currently working normal shifts,” the chief added.

   Jenny Lind Fire Chief Brian Chavez-Ochoa said a shift in the wind helped firefighters get an upper hand on the blaze just as it was beginning to cross Highway 26.

   In addition to the Pattison Fire, the blaze was reminiscent of a Sept. 22, 2006, incident that started west of Valley Springs on Highway 12 and raced through roughly the same area toward Highway 26 and charred 27 acres of vegetation.

   Latt saw a silver lining in the blackened earth surrounding her shop.

   “It’s comfortable to know we’re not going to be threatened here with another fire the rest of the year and we got ride of some snakes,” she said.  

July 4

Rita Lunden and Don Hunt have opened A-D & R Sports in the Valley Oaks Center.

New sports shop listening to customers' requests

By Nick Baptista

   The loss of a son’s sporting gear has served as the inspiration for one Valley Springs couple to start a new sports equipment shop in town.

   Don Hunt and Rita Lunden have opened A-D & R Sports in the Valley Oaks Center next to the post office.

   They have been Valley Springs area residents the past 13 years and it was the loss of their son’s baseball gear, which fell out of a school bus storage compartment enroute to Linden one day, and the subsequent trip out of town to replace the equipment that convinced them Valley Springs needed a sports shop.

   “After traveling to Jackson and not finding everything we needed, we decided Valley Springs needed its own sporting good store,” Rita said.

   Don worked as a registered nurse at Mark Twain St. Joseph’s Hospital and Rita worked at the Jackson Rancheria Casino before embarking on their new venture.

   Don had owned businesses in the past, but had never started one from scratch.

   “This is a work in progress,” he said about the new sports shop.

   Customer requests are driving the way they stock the store, and the area’s fishermen are vocal about their needs.

   To meet the demand from the fishing community, A-D & R Sports has expanded its fishing inventory, has made an application to sell fishing licenses and soon will carry live bait. They plan to make an announcement when they begin offering live bait, such as crawdads, crickets and minnows, along with worms and anchovy.

   The avalanche of requests from the local fishing community “surprised the heck out of me,” Don said.

   The store generally is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays. When they begin selling live bait, they will open earlier upon request.

   The store also offers equipment for baseball, basketball, football, soccer, softball and volleyball. Stock and selection will expand when the sport is in season. They also have archery equipment and it is another line of goods that is being expanded by customers’ requests.

   There is also a corner with recreational and yard-type of games including badminton and crochet, along with replacement equipment such as ping-pong balls.

   A-D & R Sports also plans to have a wide variety of sports shoes, sporting and even dance apparel.

   Rita added they eventually would like to have a section set aside with party goods, another item that most people have to go out of town to find.

   The phone number for A-D & R Sports is 772-9529.