If plans currently being looked at by the Jackson building department are carried out, the original Buscaglia Boarding House and Restaurant building will be "remodeled" into a 10-car open-air parking area. Only the perimeter brick walls will be left standing, Jackson's version of Joni Mitchell's lyrics, "They paved paradise and put in a parking lot."
This issue was recently discussed at a Jackson City Council meeting, after several citizens expressed concern over the proposal. Information was provided to the council by the city planner and the public. Several questions were also asked about the protection of historic buildings in the city of Jackson.
After review, the general consensus of the council was that both the site plan review committee and the planning commission had done their jobs in looking at the proposed project. That appears to be a contradiction, in that two different conclusions were made. One involved further study; the other required none.
There seems to be no law or statute that would prohibit the council from revisiting this issue, based on the fact that most, if not all, of the historical information provided to the planning commission was presented by the applicant. Two recent books published by Arcadia Publishing, which specializes in books about local history, Deborah Coleen Cook's "Jackson" and Carolyn Fregulia's "Italians of the Gold Country," could have informed the planning commission more thoroughly. Maybe under the picture of Buscaglia's in Mrs. Fregulia's book on page 98 we can add a footnote, "torn down and made into a parking lot." Further information could also have been provided by Larry Cenotto, local historian and archivist.
Councilman Wayne Garibaldi asked the city planner if a building only 10 years old would need to go through the review process required for buildings with historical value. Her reply was, "probably not." The point is that the building is not ten years old. It is closer to 80. It housed miners who worked at the historic Argonaut and Kennedy Mines. It's mentioned in numerous books about local history. If the building was located in historic downtown Jackson, would there be more concern?
I don't want to be too harsh on Mr. Garibaldi. His forefathers unified Italy back in 1870 and founded what is today the Bank of America. His family also owns a building in downtown Jackson with the family name inscribed across the top.
Back in 1968, Jackson was given a "heart" by a group of enterprising local businessmen, but it was quickly taken away. Some 40 years later, a part of Jackson's soul awaits the same fate - will someone on the city council stand up and say no?