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C ALI FORN IA’S OLDE ST NE W SPAPER
– E S T. 18 51
VOLUME 173 • ISSUE 51 | $1.00
mtdemocrat.com
FRIDAY, MAY 3, 2024
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RISING TO THE OCCASION
Marshall rethinks mental health emergency care Odin Rasco Staff writer
Photo by Laurie Edwards
Saturday morning volunteers spread out in Placerville to clean up litter, cut back weeds, put on a fresh coat of paint and more at Lions Park and along Hangtown Creek as part of the annual Rise & Shine Community Day of Service. Working tirelessly to plant a garden at Lions Park are Rolling Hills Middle School eighth-graders Shradha Kaja, Laura Ganry-Mangematin and Dyuthi Thella, from left. The El Dorado Hills teens described the work as very hard but fun. Around 100 volunteers joined in sprucing up city property. The day concluded with volunteers enjoying a well-deserved lunch at Gold Bug Park. ■ SEE MORE PHOTOS INSIDE
In light of the continuing rise in mental health cases across the nation, leaders at Marshall are working to implement a new, needs-focused approach to how mental health-related visits to the emergency room are handled. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, health professionals have witnessed an uptick in mental health emergencies and individuals reporting mental illness. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates mental healthrelated emergency room visits for adolescents aged 12-17 jumped by 31% between 2019 and 2021. Though the data comes from a point in time when the pandemic was at a peak and lockdowns, distance learning and other issues likely played roles in the rise in reported mental crises, statistics show the nation is still struggling, with one in five U.S. adults experiencing mental illness each year, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. “There’s concerns across the nation for our mental health crisis,” Nicole Lamm, a registered nurse at Marshall Hospital, explained. “More people are going to the ER for mental health, looking for help and support. As we all know, the ■ See MARSHALL, page A8
EDHCSD gets a jump Under the rainbow on bike park projects Noel Stack Managing editor
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Not keen to hit the brakes on two highly anticipated projects, the El Dorado Hills Community Services District Board of Directors awarded professional services contracts for the Powerline Park Bike Trails and Silver Dove Bike Park. Directors approved a $73,255 contract with HELIX Environmental Planning for environmental analysis related to the Powerline trails and pursuing a
conditional use permit from El Dorado County to start construction. The board also agreed to a contract with Stantec for construction drawings to supplement the Silver Dove Bike Park design being provided by Hilride. The combined total of Hilride and Stantec’s proposals is $391,780, according to a CSD staff report. Funding for all contracts comes from the district’s Park Impact Fees. Powerline Park Bike Trails cover 1.46 miles of bike and multiuse trails and trail improvements on the utility transmission corridor adjacent to El Dorado Hills Boulevard. The project includes a rotary connection to four bike trails, which includes three flow trails with cross-over connections (beginning, intermediate and advanced) and a cross country trail (with optional skills features) that connects to a pump track to the east and a loop trail to the west, viewing areas and necessary signage, according to the CSD’s project description. The district has
scheduled a community clean-up event at the trail site, 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 11. Volunteers 12 and older are welcome. Sign up at edhcsd.volunteerhub. com/vv2. Silver Dove Bike Park is proposed on Bass Lake Road adjacent to El Dorado Hills Fire Station. No. 86. The proposal includes approximately 3 acres of freeride area, 1 acre of pump track, 1 acre of community area, 2.3 acres of nature trails with a community orchard, and a .25-mile firefighter fitness loop across 9.79 acres of the project area. The park’s entrance road would lead to parking areas for approximately 80 vehicles and hook-ups for food vendors. A restroom and shade canopies are also included in the design. “I’ve heard from number of (people in the bike community) on a regular basis,” Director Mike Martinelli shared. “They’re all excited and happy that it to see that it’s progressing and advancing and moving forward.” Both contracts were unanimously approved.
Photo courtesy of Wendy Thorne
Pollock Pines resident Wendy Thorne shared this photo with the Mountain Democrat that she captured Friday evening in downtown Placerville as a double rainbow appeared over a rain-soaked Main Street. Lic # 559305
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