Roughly 60 Copperopolis
residents gathered in the Gold Hall of the Saddle Creek Resort Wednesday night
to address their concerns over the future of
One in a series of meetings on updating the county's general plan, the meeting
was kicked off by Community Development Director Stephanie Moreno, Supervisor
Russ Thomas, and Larry Mintier of Mintier
and Associates, the consulting firm hired to oversee the first two phases of
the general plan update process.
Eleven tables were available in the room and nearly every one was full, a
noticeable change from the first meeting held in San Andreas when many in
attendance complained that public notice was not sufficiently advertised.
Thomas helped generate
interest in the Copperopolis meeting by putting organizing a telephone tree,
what he calls a "reverse 911 system." Thomas used the same system
earlier this month when an item was brought before the Board of Supervisors to
adopt an emergency broadcast system.
A message was sent out to 1,200 households the day before the meeting. It went
out at
At the beginning of Wednesday meeting, Thomas asked who came because of the
phone message; about three-quarters of those in the room raised their hands.
"I really appreciated
it," Copperopolis resident Donna Evans said.
"If I hadn't got that phone call I'd never have heard of it (the
meeting)," Ted Mustill said.
To get the meeting underway, Mintier briefed
residents on the general plan update process that should be complete in 2009.
The county's current General Plan was originally drafted in 1986 and later
revised in 1996.
"We're sort of taking
the community pulse," Mintier said about the
meeting.
Groups at each table were then tasked with listing the assets and problems in
Copperopolis as well as the county as a whole.
When each group presented their top three assets and problems one issue was
raised almost unanimously:
Additionally, some groups
included Tulloch as both an asset and a problem. The common view that residents
expressed is that the county is failing to keep up with growth surrounding the
reservoir. They were concerned over the increased traffic on the lake, which
has been largely unsupervised due to a lack of police force, according to
residents.
Aside from the dangers that come with lake overcrowding, nearly all the
residents believed that too much development had been allowed and that it is
ruining the rural and open character of Copperopolis, something many listed as
an asset to the town and the county.
Other common problems brought up were poor response time from emergency
services, lack of jobs and shopping, lack of public transit, and poor road
conditions.
Dede Mustill said that potholes
were one of the largest problems with roads in Copperopolis. She referred to
the road conditions as "ridiculous," saying that roads and highways
in the area should be "redone."
Many also listed the new town square, a development at Highway 4 and Little
John Road, as an asset to the town that would hopefully bring in more business
and jobs. The town square is scheduled to be completed this summer, and some
residents said they hope a Starbucks or other large business would be included
in the project.
As for public transit, Copperopolis is currently not included in the county bus
routes, although the Public Works Department is working on expanding services
there sometime next year.
Overall, attendants seemed
happy to give their input, and even happier to have the opportunity.
"I'm really positive that we can address some of these issues (in the
general plan)," Evans said.
Ted Mustill compared the meeting to voting for
president, saying that it is difficult to say just how much impact an
individual can have on such a massive process, but it is still best to
participate.
"Are they ever going to
finish this plan? I don't know, probably not in my lifetime," he said,
then added, "It's a good thing to have it here. We appreciate the fact
that they even want our input."
After each meeting the results are compiled and placed on the
Contact Colin Rigley at crigley@calaverasenterprise.com.