We are a bit puzzled by a half-page advertisement paid for by a group of citizens of Amador County that ran in Wednesday’s edition of the Ledger Dispatch. In case you missed it, the advertisement opens by stating Amador County is one of the fastest growing counties in California, then points out that some growth is necessary for our county to prosper but too much growth has a negative effect on our quality of life. No one could dispute that fact. Obviously, growth that is unplanned and that occurs without proper citizen input is a bad thing for our community.

But our concerned citizens then jump to the Gold Rush Golf Course and Resort developers, citing what the project will allegedly bring to Amador County: Congested traffic, overcrowded schools and increased crime. The ad then continues by inviting the public to stay informed.

We’ve already had one Sutter Creek citizen group go before the Sutter Creek City Council and make demands on a business, in this case Home Depot, before the company ever announced they were even coming to Sutter Creek. But the Gold Rush developers have provided a myriad of opportunities for citizen input, throughout the development process.

For example, the developers held three public meetings last year to allow residents to give their thoughts on the project. The Ledger Dispatch attended one of those forums and we found that there were specific concerns the citizens spoke to, including issues related to fire protection, schools, parks and architectural features to make sure the development fits in with the rest of Sutter Creek.

And so, we revisit our concerned citizens’ advertisement to show how the developers have incorporated those concerns into the project.

The advertisement states that the Gold Rush development means overcrowded schools. A closer look at the project suggests otherwise - no more than 450 new students would come into the Amador County Unified School District from the development, according to projections. Yes, this seems like a large influx of new students - but the advertisement doesn’t tell the whole story.

The developers have been working with the school district to build a new school from the school impact fees generated by the project. A projected $7 million to $9 million in fees will be pumped into the school district as a result of the Gold Rush development. The school district has said that it needs a school capable of handling 1,100 new students - at a cost of $16 million. Using the revenue generated by the project and matching funds from the state, the school district could, conceivably, get its new school with very little to no capital outlay from its coffers. Gold Rush could be the catalyst in turning the district’s new school dream into a reality.

Project developer Bill Bunce has also said that his development group is more than willing to secure a potential site for the school and contract to build it, rather than the school district doing all of that itself, then turn the facility over to the district once it is finished. Why is this important? Because private companies can finish large projects in a much more cost efficient and timely manner than the bureaucracies of governments. We’ve already got overcrowded schools. Seeing children attend class in portable trailers is fairly common these days in Amador County, but it still leaves us wondering what happened to the priority of educating our youth in top notch facilities.

To put it in perspective, it is amazing that millions of dollars can be spent on a new animal shelter or a courthouse, but when it comes time to update our schools we can’t seem to find the money. We scoff and talk politics about how upset we are with the school administration, teachers and other groups from today and from years past. We need to stop the politics and start doing right by our youth. Adequate school facilities and the education of our children should be a priority. And if you think the schools are just fine as they are we would invite you to visit the various classrooms and then see how you feel.

The advertisement also speaks to increased crime coming to the county as a result of this project. But it doesn’t talk about the Sutter Creek Police Department substation that the project is including in its development plan. How can there be increased crime with a new police substation on the premises? Additionally, the developers have agreed that each parcel in the development will pay a public safety fee of possibly $300 (with an annual inflator) - on top of regular property taxes - to provide a new revenue source for the Sutter Creek police. Sutter Creek Chief of Police Rob Duke estimated this fee alone could provide two or three new officers to the department.

Additionally, the development has agreed to an increased assessment from the Sutter Creek Fire Protection District that could pave the way for paid firefighters in Sutter Creek. And never mind the fact that the proposed golf course is an excellent way to deal with the treated wastewater problems that have been plaguing the city for several years. Or that the project would offer a number of desperately-needed features like parks, trails and tennis courts.

As for increased traffic, Amador County is raising developer fees considerably to deal with that issue - and the Gold Rush resort will be paying those fees just like any other development in the county. Increased traffic stemming from the project is almost a non- issue, because with the development on all sides of Amador County, increased traffic is a reality that is out of the city’s (and county’s) control. There will be increased traffic in Amador County regardless of whether we develop within the county or not. The question becomes do we want increased traffic with attractions and developments that benefit Amador County’s residents or do we want that traffic caused by people passing through to neighboring areas? Either way, the traffic will be here.

If you are really concerned about these issues - as we all should be - work on getting the facts before you start chastising projects that just could benefit our community. Or just keep hammering at and screaming at anyone thinking of moving into OUR county. You’ve got your piece of the pie and don’t let anyone else have theirs.

Growth is coming. We need to get used to that fact and support projects that are planned well and provide benefits and not burdens. And the Gold Rush project is one that seems to be on the right track.

Our only hope is Gold Rush’s developers put in some deep sand traps so some citizens can bury their heads a little deeper.