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C a l i f o r n i a ’ s O l d e s t N e w s pa p e r – E s t. 18 51
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Volume 170 • Issue 50 | 75¢
mtdemocrat.com
Wednesday, April 28, 2021
Man killed in Broadway hit-and-run
Down to Earth
Mountain Democrat staff Ronald Ameral, 64, who police say was a transient living in the Placerville area, was fatally struck in a hit-and-run Friday night on upper Broadway in Placerville. Driving what witnesses reported as a darkcolored sedan, the hit-and-run suspect was traveling eastbound on Broadway at about 8:30 p.m. when the vehicle hit Ameral. Ameral had been walking along the stretch of Broadway near Airport Road and one of the city’s larger homeless encampments. Witnesses told investigators the driver initially stopped the vehicle but sped away, continuing to drive east, according to a press release from the Placerville Police Department. Police say Ameral suffered major injuries and despite life-saving efforts on scene and at the local hospital he died. Investigators are now following leads coming from the community to help locate the driver of the sedan. Anyone with information regarding the investigation is asked to contact the Placerville Police Department at (530) 642-5210.
Photos by Cecilia Clark
FUN IN THE SUN — The community gathered to celebrate Earth Day at Forebay Community Park in Pollock Pines Saturday. The event had live music, arts and activities for youngsters, informational booths on community resources and fire preparedness and more. Jimi and Evangeline Scheid, 3, of Pollock Pines take a break from the Earth Day fun for a little one-on-one time beneath a pine.
Earthquakes hit beneath Lake Tahoe Tahoe Daily Tribune SOUTH LAKE TAHOE — Earthquakes have been shaking Lake Tahoe. At about 8:33 a.m. Sunday the U.S. Geological Survey reported a 3.8 magnitude earthquake about 4.3 miles east of Dollar Point near Lake Tahoe’s north shore. Another earthquake 5.2 miles west of Dollar Point hit early Monday at 5:37 a.m., measuring at a magnitude of 3.2. The quakes’ epicenters are beneath the lake at a depth of 1.2 and 1.3 miles. Sunday’s quake was followed two minutes later by a 2.8 aftershock about 5.5 miles east of Dollar Point. That was followed nine minutes later by a 2.7 aftershock. About 1,500 people reported feeling Sunday’s quake to USGS and more than 100 reported feeling Monday’s quake. It was felt as far north as Portola and Grass Valley to the west and as far as Fallon and Walker Lake to the east/southeast. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Showing how to assemble a compost system is Kaley Nickles, center, joined by Kimmi Schrader and Joline Davison with El Dorado County Environmental Management, left photo. The compost system was one of the many Earth-friendly items available for free at their booth. On hand to give tips on fire safety and defensible space were firefighters and defensible space inspectors with the Cal Fire Amador-El Dorado Unit, from left, Cathy Hopkins, Sarah Barth, Diana Swart, Blake Rayback, Jesse Williams and Bob McMillen. Pollock Pines resident Shalene Evans, left, helps fellow Pollock Pines residents the Koker siblings, Logan, 5, Jorja, 1, and Charlotte, 7, from right, paint rocks. Kids could also have their faces painted as part of the festivities.
Shaped by a quake Several thousand years ago Tahoe had an earthquake large enough to trigger a tsunami. Dr. Richard Schweickert, a retired professor n
See earthquakes, page A3
EDH Fire to streamline building permit review Noel Stack Managing editor Hoping to cut down plan review time, ease customer frustration and lessen staff ’s burden, the El Dorado Hills Fire Board unanimously approved the purchase of a new electronic client portal software system. El Dorado Hills Fire Department staff must review every building permit coming through the community — from a home addition to a four-story apartment complex. Initial plan reviews done by the department’s Community Risk Reduction Division can currently take as long as eight weeks, according to EDH Fire Chief Maurice Johnson. With the unanimously approved purchase of idtPlans software, that
initial review time could be cut down to 15 days, which, Johnson noted, “is better than industry standards.” Calling the current development in El Dorado Hills “historic,” staff reports that the current construction and upcoming projects in El Dorado Hills have “placed a tremendous strain on the division.” To help offset some of the workload, the department utilizes third-party consultants. “However, this is extremely expensive and often requires additional quality review by our internal staff,” the staff report notes. The most recent Community Risk Reduction Report released at the April 15 fire board meeting states that in the last 30 days CRRD staff: Completed 83 site, building and fire protection plan reviews and 185 construction inspections.
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Completed two fire and life safety inspections of residential and commercial occupancies. Assisted El Dorado County Fire Prevention Officers Association on a number of Fire Protection Standards updates and agreements. “The IDT electronic client portal software program will allow residents and developers to access this portal to receive important information related to their projects,” notes a staff report given to the board. “This information includes permit issuance, forms, standards and plan revision notes. This program also provides several administrative elements that will assist with more efficient management of the division. These efficiencies include data analytics, scheduling, data management, project tracking and decreased impact on staff.”
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Calling the purchase a “great value,” Fire Board Vice President Bobbi Bennett said during her time as a consultant she saw customer satisfaction go “straight up” after municipalities implemented similar software. Director John Giraudo made the motion to purchase the software. Director Greg Durante seconded the motion, which was also supported by Directors Bennett, Tim White and Jim Hartley. Initial, first-year implementation costs are not to exceed $50,000 and annual maintenance, service and subscription costs are set at $21,500. Implementation of the cloud-based system is expected to take 60 to 90 days. n
See EDH Fire, page A3
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