The Pine Grove Civic Improvement Club meets on the first Wednesday of the month starting at 6:30 p.m. Prior to this, the Pine Grove Council meets at 5:30 p.m. Due to renovations that will be occurring at the Pine Grove Town Hall, we will be meeting at the Pine Grove Mobile Home Estates on Irishtown Road starting in July. Meetings are open to anyone who wishes to attend and we welcome visitors and new members of the community.
The following overview and update of the Pine Grove Corridor Project was provided by ATCT on September 1, 2010:
Pine Grove/SR 88 Improvements Project
Summer 2010 – Newsletter #1
Project Overview
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), in cooperation with the Amador County Transportation Commission (ACTC), proposes to modify State Route 88 (SR 88) through the Town of Pine Grove in order to reduce congestion, improve operations, and enhance safety between the intersections at Climax Road and Mount Zion Road. SR 88 is the principal arterial connecting the San Joaquin Valley with the State of Nevada and is part of the National Highway System which passes through Pine Grove and serves as the main street to this established foothill community.
SR 88 through Pine Grove is a two-lane facility with a center turn lane to facilitate left turn movements. Current and projected traffic volumes exceed acceptable service levels for this type of facility, as defined by Caltrans and the ACTC. Local residents have also expressed concern that current traffic is causing significant congestion and safety problems.
Project components currently being evaluated include widening SR 88 through Pine Grove and/or construction of either a southerly or northerly two-lane by-pass route.
Caltrans has previously prepared a Project Study Report (PSR) for this project which examines various alternatives to determine the basic needs and preferences of the Pine Grove community. The current phase of the project is the preparation of the Project Approval and Environmental Document (PA/ED). During this phase, stakeholders will assist Caltrans and ACTC in the further evaluation and refinement of potential solutions. The recommended range of feasible and acceptable alternatives will be analyzed following the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to formally identify the preferred alternative and determine the potential environmental impacts and costs associated with the preferred alternative.
Public scoping meeting; valuable input received!
On April 7, 2010, Caltrans and the ACTC held a public scoping meeting to provide members of the Pine Grove community with a project update and to get community input on any potential concerns that should be addressed in the process. Project representatives were on-hand to answer questions and attendees were encouraged to provide valuable feedback through either written comments or during the open question and answer period.
Caltrans and the ACTC would like to thank everyone who attended for helping to make this first public meeting a great success! We look forward to your continuing involvement as the project moves forward.
Introducing your Stakeholder Working Group
As part of the alternatives analysis process, and in order to maintain compliance with CEQA/NEPA requirements, Caltrans and ACTC have recruited volunteers from various community organizations and local businesses to serve as representatives on the project Stakeholder Working Group (SWG). This group of volunteers will meet with Caltrans, ACTC and their consultants on a monthly basis and serve as the “voice of the community,” providing valuable insight on the needs and values of the community throughout the alternatives analysis process. This advisory committee will play an integral part in assisting the Project Development Team (PDT) in the following areas:
Correctly characterizing the key issues
Identifying creative alternatives
Resolving competing agency missions and goals
Refining, screening, and recommending the alternative that best reflects the full range of stakeholder values
Community members may contact the SWG representatives with questions and comments through the various groups they represent.
Stakeholder Working Group Membership
Donna Custdio, Pine Grove Elementary
Doris Abad, Pine Grove Mobile Home Parks
Gary Reinoehl, Upcountry Community Council
Jan Houghton, Pine Grove Civic Improvement Club
John Carlson, Pine Grove Town Council
Bruce Kynaston, California Highway Patrol
Marie Schulter, Upcountry Community Center
Paul Molinelli, Sr., Ace’s Waste Services
Ray Blankenheim, Amador Fire Protection District
Roy Ragan, Pine Grove Community Services District
Ruth Gottstein, Volcano Community Council
Sharon Lundgren, Volcano Communications
Stew Munnerlyn, Munnerlyn’s Ice Creamery
Jay Ollig, Pine Grove Community Services District
For General Project Information, please contact:
Neil Peacock, Associate Transportation Planner/Program Manager Amador County Transportation Commission
Phone: (209) 267-2282, Email:neil@actc-amador.org
Grace Magsayo, Project Manager Caltrans
Phone: (209) 948-7976, Email: grace_magsayo@dot.ca.gov
To submit comments to be included in the public record, please contact:
Gail Miller, Acting Environmental Office Chief, Central Region Environmental North Office Caltrans
Phone: (209) 243-8274, Email: gail_miller@dot.ca.gov
Staying Informed & Getting Involved
Community involvement and feedback is vital to the success of the process. Caltrans and ACTC are providing several avenues by which you can stay informed on the project’s progress and questions and comments from the public are encouraged. Open communication throughout the process will help ensure that the recommended alternative meets the technical objectives while reflecting the values of the community that the project will ultimately serve. Some of the ways you can stay informed include:
Public Meetings: Public meetings will be scheduled at major milestones during the PA/ED process to keep the public informed and provide an opportunity for you to speak with project representatives.
Project Newsletter: A project newsletter will be distributed regularly to keep you informed of the project’s progress.
Websites: The Caltrans and ACTC websites will be updated on a regular basis with maps, exhibits, meeting summaries and general project updates.
Caltrans: www.dot.ca.gov ACTC: www.actc-amador.org
Stakeholder Working Group (SWG): You are encouraged to contact SWG members with comments and questions that they can then share and discuss during SWG meetings.
Project Development Team (PDT): You are also encouraged to contact PDT members from Caltrans and ACTC directly if you have project related questions or comments you would like included in the formal public record.
Schedule subject to change without notice. We do send out meeting notices via email; if you would like to receive notices and are not already on our email list, please let me know. Just click here.
