Ledger-Dispatch

By Jerry Budrick (jbudrick@ledger-dispatch.com= )=20

The Plymouth pool will reopen Thursday = thanks to=20 the efforts of residents, city staff and elected = officials.

Photo by: Jerry = Budrick

Beginning Thursday, visitors won't have = to worry=20 about trespassing at the Plymouth pool.

Photo by: Jerry=20 Budrick
The Plymouth pool will open this = Thursday=20 at 1 p.m., thanks to the combined efforts of concerned residents, city = staff,=20 various government agencies, Plymouth Councilwoman Pat Shackleton and = District 5=20 Supervisor Brian Oneto.

Oneto is donating $10,000 of the = anticipated=20 $15,000 expense from his county account. Another $3,000 is expected to = come from=20 user fees. Efforts will begin immediately to raise additional money from = donations, advertising or fund-raisers to avoid fiscal impact to the = city's=20 budget.

Following the initial elation at Thursday night's meeting = of the=20 Plymouth City Council, Councilman Greg Baldwin introduced a dampening = dose of=20 financial reality. "I think the numbers are not reflective of reality," = he said.=20 "We spend $1,500, or at least $1,200, per month on chemicals and=20 electricity."

Baldwin went on to hint at the possibility that he = could=20 oppose a motion to open the pool. "It's a parent's responsibility to = provide=20 recreation," he said, "not the government's."

Plymouth City = Attorney=20 Heather Kenney caught City Manager H. Dixon Flynn's ear with a word of = warning=20 that Flynn announced to the council. Due to the fact that only three = council=20 members were present, authorization to open the pool would require a = unanimous=20 vote of the members.

Baldwin quickly said, "I'll support this, = but only=20 if we promise to take a serious look at this."

That said, the = motion was=20 made and passed unanimously to open the pool on Thursday.

Six = developers=20 with plans to build projects in and around Plymouth are going to be = reimbursing=20 the city for costs incurred by hiring Nolte Associates Inc. to prepare a = "conceptual plan for wastewater treatment and disposal." The city paid = Nolte=20 $68,000, which will be repaid, along with a 5 percent administrative = overhead=20 charge, for a total of $71,400.

Work will begin soon on projects = funded=20 by the Proposition 1 Local Streets and Roads Funding Plan. With $400,000 = in=20 funding available, likely projects include drainage at the intersection = of Mill=20 and Poplar, FEMA storm damage repair, the Hatchett drain and a = reconstruction of=20 Main Street.

When discussion came around to how much more than = $400,000=20 may be necessary to complete the Main Street project, Plymouth Mayor Jon = Colburn=20 said, "We'll pave until the money runs out."

Flynn announced that = last=20 Friday was the scheduled date for the first meeting of the 2x2 = committee,=20 comprising of two Plymouth City Council members and two Amador County=20 supervisors. The committee's mission is to talk about the city = communicating=20 with the Ione Band of Miwok Indians, concerning the tribe's plan to = construct a=20 casino in and adjacent to the city.

As the council meeting drew = to a=20 close, Councilman Mike O'Meara expressed his personal feelings about the = events=20 surrounding the recent Motorcycle Expo at the Amador County Fairgrounds, = which=20 he attended.

"I think the police presence at the motorcycle event = bordered on harassment," O'Meara said. "They told me they had 21 DUI = arrests. I=20 have no idea what it cost, but it must have been a chunk of change. It's = one=20 thing to have police protection, but living in a police state for two = days is=20 something else."

Mayor Colburn concurred, saying, "It looked like = a war=20 zone. It absolutely was an overkill." Colburn brought a chuckle from the = gathering with, "They had so many officers out there, they had to = justify their=20 presence, so they arrested all the locals."

Baldwin offered a = different=20 perspective. "My dad was a CHP in the '70s," he said, "when the Hell's = Angels=20 were wild and woolly. The force may have been a bit overzealous, but I=20 appreciate the police presence."

Former council member Gary = Colburn had=20 the last word. "The volunteers in the fire department are finishing the = paint=20 job at the fire station, even though they are no longer allowed to go = out on=20 calls, even though they are experts."

Jerry = Budrick