Letter to the Editor What changes have we seen that show Sierra County is prospering? There are letters that readers send in stating they were born in Loyalton and then they go on to want to “save” Sierra County with easements. Does Sierra County have a plan to be saved? We sure pay a planner plenty, $185,000.00 a year with benefits, for that we should have a great plan. One wonders how Sierra County plans to pay the planner as property values go down and more and more ground is “saved” by conservation easements. We have empty buildings, lost services and now lost Post Offices. This is all from the no growth plan that has been used in Sierra County for years. The evidence is County wide. With no private jobs that pay benefits and only tax paid jobs, where is the hope that we need to hang on to. Our Board of Supervisors has a list of reasons that their hands are tied. We need to elect a Board that will not have tied hands and will care for Sierra County’s future along with the future of our graduating classes. For years we have heard the environmentalist say they are saving America for the children. Now the children are the needy as America is crashed into third world status to save the environment. There are many that blame companies for taking jobs to foreign countries. Jobs are being driven out of America by the out of control environmental laws that pushed the jobs out of California and America. We have saved the world enough, now we need to “save” our jobs, food and families and the world will do just fine. Thomas Dotta Rural Loyalton An Open Letter to Laurie Oberholtzer, Sierra County Land Trust Dear Laurie, This is an approximation of the remarks that I gave to the assemblage at Sardine Lake Lodge yesterday. Please excuse me if I prettify and expand them them a little bit. Thank you, Laurie. Thank you for your work with the Sierra County Land Trust, with the Trust for Public Land, and with the State of California for bringing us to this wonderful day. Today we celebrate your acheivement, our achievement, in making sure that these magnificent Sierra Buttes are open to our children and grandchildren, to all people forever. This beautiful day, in this spectacular setting, we celebrate an accomplishment that people will remember with pride and gratitude. Laurie, thank you for your kind words about my father, Winslow Christian, and my sister and brother-in-law, Megan and Ken Wright. My father, and after him Megan and Ken, believed in you and your project. You honor Dad's memory in this achievement, and my sisters Megan and Sidonie share my gratitude for this honor. I would like to share some memories about the traditions of conservation in Sierra County, to reflect a little on the present, and to look forward from this vantage. In particular, I want to recognize some of the individuals in this county who have worked over the years to protect our beautiful home, to recognize that this wonderful project is part of a long history here, and to celebrate, on this momentous occasion, other work in our program that needs remembering. We have with us today a woman who is if not the oldest, then perhaps the longest serving volunteer in our campaign. When Joy Punchard was a freshman at Loyalton High School, in 1969, she typed the envelopes for the letters that Jim Lonergan had started sending out, alerting the friends and defenders of the Sierra Nevada to the enormous all-year resort complex that the Disney Corporation proposed to build around Independence Lake in Sierra and Nevada Counties. It was a David and Goliath struggle, one man on a public school salary in a working class community against a rich and powerful corporation. But Jim's letters eventually roused a coalition of hunters and fishermen in the mountain communities and the conservationists in the urban centers of California, and after public hearings around this region and debate in the newspapers Disney abandoned its plans. Jim Lonergan's victory, our victory, came at a tremendous cost to Jim and his family. Of course there were then, as there are today, differences of interest and opinion on the directions that we should take in this area, especially as everybody knew then that the timber industry, long-time mainstay of the economy of the Sierra-Plumas region, was on its way out. Childhood friends of Jim (a native of Loyalton) turned against him, his personal and professional life disintegrated, and he left us too soon. But my hero Jim Lonergan taught me, as he taught others, that there come times when one must stand up, even when standing up comes at enormous cost. We still owe Jim an enormous thank you, it is way overdue. Jim's son Greg Lonergan has come over from Loyalton to join in this celebration, and it is our honor and pleasure to thank Greg and his family for his dad's sacrifices and contributions that, I believe, helped make this day possible. I did not give Ann Genasci Eastwood enough notice to come here today. It is not true that I wanted Ann to come because I had a crush on her in the first grade. What is true is that her father, Attilio Genasci, with the support of the children, honored their wife and mother Angie (a Loyalton schoolteacher) by helping launch the protection of the ranching traditions of Sierra Valley by giving up the development rights to the 700-acre Gensasci Ranch. Today some 30,000 acres (and counting!) in Sierra Valley are protected from residential development, and will continue to provide habitat and watershed values forever. Sierra Valley is a place of both beauty and environmental importance, the stop on the great Pacific Flyway that gave Plumas County and the great Feather River their names. We thank the Genasci family, and their many neighbors in the ranching communities of Sierra Valley, for their stewardship, responsibility, and generosity in delivering this treasure to our descendants. We celebrate today, then, a big step in a long journey, which we hope will continue into the future. This step has, like the earlier steps, come with pain and difficulty. I know that Laurie and others here have been the subjects of harsh personal attacks. I regret those very much, and am very glad to see the smiles on everybodies' faces here. I know there are others, not here today, who have also heard hurtful comments. On this day of celebration, we do not linger on the pain; rather we remember that we must act with respect for our neighbors, especially when there are differences, work to understand and resolve those differences, and look forward to better days ahead. In looking forward from today, I want to mention my friend Tom Dines, and his wife Miriam Hill Dines. Tommy, yet another native of Loyalton, has the snowmobile shop in Sierra City. Those snowmobiles have opened the wonderland of the wintertime Lakes Basin to countless people who could never otherwise share the magic. I have occasionally grumbled at the noise of the high-markers in the Upper Salmon Lake Basin...but I also know and appreciate that Tommy, Richard, and many other members of the snowmobile community, both local and visiting, have developed and taught, and when necessary enforced, the codes of good mountain manners that allow us all to share this wonderful place. Perhaps we can find ways that many of the people who today celebrate the Sierra Buttes in the summer sun can share as well their sublime grandeur in the deep snow and sunshine of March. Tommy and Miriam, and Greg, and many other families have worked hard and made sacrifices in order to raise their children in these small communities in the mountains, breathing the clean air, and enjoying the neighborliness that they, we, love. It is not easy. These are not rich communities (except in their surroundings!) and today, as before, it takes hard work and perseverence, and above all a deep love of place, to make it happen. I admire these people, my friends, for the fortitude and wisdom to give their children this gift, a gift that our parents gave us, a childhood and home in this wonderful place. It is strange to me to say that Miriam and Tommy are grandparents, of John Lucchesi. John is a child of Sierra County, with ancestors from Loyalton, Sierra City and Allegheny. He and his peers, your children and their children and grandchildren, can come to these places. What my parents, and the parents of Joy and Ann and Greg and Tommy and Miriam, gave to their children is something that all of our children and grandchildren, and the many beautiful descendants of the other people gathered in the Sierran sun, and the offspring of our friends and neighbors, can share for the years to come. This is a day of happiness and great good fortune in this magnificent place, for us and everybody else who love the Sierra Nevada mountains, Sierra County, California. Thank you, friends and neighbors near and far, for this wonderful gift to our offspring. Jason Christian Upper Salmon Lake Hi Jan, I am writing this letter to clarify details regarding the delivery of concrete by White Cap Ready Mix, Inc. (WCRM) to the curb and gutter project attempted by Michael Paul Construction earlier this summer. The mixer truck delivering the concrete that morning was not held up for an extended period of time. It arrived at the project 49 minutes after leaving the batch plant in Delleker. On any day, we anticipate a 40 minute trip plus or minus 5 minutes, to travel to Loyalton in a loaded mixer. There was road work on Highway 70 that day as new pavement was placed…I figure the delay was about 9 minutes maximum to stop, then travel through the work zone. The contractor originally placed an order for a July 9, 2011 delivery…a typical 6 sack concrete mix. One business day before the delivery was to take place, we received a call from a person on behalf of the City of Loyalton, changing the mix design to one more appropriate for curb and gutter concrete. This request was noted and mix CT675SC currently in use on other Caltrans projects was chosen. This last minute change created confusion among the contractor and other entities due to the higher cost of the CT mix. Ultimately the contractor was responsible for payment so WCRM advised that he confirm the order. The order was eventually cancelled and moved to the following Monday. The scheduled delivery time was changed at least 4 times prior to the final confirmation on that Monday morning. White Cap Ready Mix finally received the OK to batch and send the perishable product. Pouring concrete in an arid climate can catch “out of towners” off guard if they are not prepared and apparently the easiest excuse for the job going bad, was to throw us under the bus. Regarding the statement that The City hopes to hire local contractors to complete the project, it would not have to look far to find a qualified contractor. There are at least three in Loyalton and numerous others nearby (including myself) who are licensed to do commercial concrete work. I was not contacted originally, or since to negotiate a price and neither were several of the contractors I have spoken with. Who negotiates these projects and why would they not look to their own community first? If you have any questions, please contact us. Respectfully, Dixie Lee Higgins General Manager Dear Sierra Valley community and Sierra Booster, We Sierraville Fire & Rescue volunteers want to thank all of you for your support of our third annual Tour de Manure bicycle ride. The Tour's purpose is to raise funds for fire and rescue training and showcase the Sierra Valley and its businesses. We thought you’d enjoy the online comments on www.active.com as much as we have, so here are some excerpts. For Tour news next year, please “like” us on Facebook or check out www.sierravillefireandrescue.com/biketour.html. If you have suggestions or want to volunteer next year, please let us know at tourdemanure@gmail.com. Active.com excerpts: "Quiet country roads, beautiful mountain and Great Basin scenery, totally friendly volunteers (who put their heart and soul into this event, you can feel it!), and delicious after-ride food and fun music. One feels very comfortable here being a part of the community. Keep up the great job!” “The organization is super, the food is great, and the course is one of the prettiest I've been on. Nice work, Tour de Manure, and thank you for a great time!” “I love the "vibe" of this Tour. It's friendly and low key. The venue is beautiful and the volunteer support is the greatest. There is no comparison to the party food that's provided, served by cheerful volunteers.” “The quiet roads, beautiful scenery would have been enough for us to enjoy the day, but to have such great support on the ride and the amazing meal afterward really made the day special.” “My husband and I completed this ride on Saturday. It was our first event ever and it was a blast. The scenery was beautiful with the snow in the back mountains. The lunch and entertainment was wonderful. We plan on coming back again next year. Thanks again for a great time.” “The volunteers were great...especially some of the friendly ladies (at the rest stop) who are quite some characters!” “This is a perfect course for tandems. An incredible lunch, live band and t-shirt included are a bargain. Anyone with access to tandem club contact information should really get the word out! Thanks to all the volunteers for a great time.” “It was fun to see the kayaks in the marsh/wetlands - to say nothing of the birds. The Tour de Manure is going to become one of those annual events for us. Thank you for all of the hard work, planning, fine music, and great volunteers!!! Thanks to the courteous vehicle drivers who put up with bicyclists, including the bicyclists who forget to share the road. See you next year! Thanks again, Sierra Valley! Sierraville Fire & Rescue volunteers Hi, I am a parent of one of Miss Schofields second grade students. His name is Louis Siqueido. We just recently found out the hard way, that the school might be making some big cuts to his school. My son was in town with me and over heard some adults talking, saying the school was going to let his beloved teacher go. When we got in the car to head home my son burst into tears. I told him instead of crying use your energy to do something about it. We only discussed the matter a little bit more before bed time, That night when most 8 year old boys should be asleep, mine was awake alone in his room trying to figure out a way to save his teacher's job! The next morning I didn't think twice about his swollen little eyes and pale face, I just figured he spent the night crying. After he caught the bus I went into his bed room and found that he had spent the whole night making fliers to hand out to save his teacher's job!! I scanned a few of those flyer's and decided to share them with all of you. Miss Shofield is a huge asset to our community! I agree with my son that loosing Miss Schofield would be a huge mistake! Both of my children were born in Sierraville. Shortly after our second one was born we moved to Sparks, NV. My son Louis attended kindergarten and 1st grade in Nevada. This last year we decided to move back. We were very unhappy with the school district there. We felt every day was a struggle, he hated school, was having trouble reading. The teachers were old and tired and just didn't care. Second grade with Miss Schofield has been the most amazing experience! Suddenly he loves to go to school! His improvement in reading has been the difference between night and day! He now reads with the enthusiasm and expression that I have seen Miss Schofield express while reading to the students! She saw Louis's academic weaknesses and did something about it! She truly cares about each and every one of those kids and makes it her mission to help them to succeed! This is only her first year as a teacher, I can only imagine what greatness she will bring to her future students. My little girl goes into Kindergarten this fall. I only want the best for my kids! I want to know that Miss Schofield will be there for her when the time comes! My husband and myself have felt it has been a huge privilege to have Miss Schoflied as our sons educator! Her energy and enthusiasm is refreshing! She is hard worker and very dedicated! Some people where born to be teachers and Alicia Shofield is no doubt one of those people! I just wanted to speak up and let you know that loosing her would be a huge injustice to our children! I hope that you all can use your energy as my son did to save his teacher's job!! Thank You! Annie Siqueido I am proud to come from such a small community that has so many people who are "involved" with what is going on in our local government. I always say, "If we can't control what is going on locally, how can we control what is going on in our state or federal government".  This is what the words "grass roots" means...After reading a couple of letters-to-the editor in the last issue of the Booster....I have to support what both Janet McHenry and Mike McKee had to say. Both issues they brought up has to do with how our tax dollars are being spent, mostly foolishly.  Mike brought up a good point about Loyalton's business park being a great sight for the new court house.  Anyone who has had to travel to Downieville to the court house, know its very inconvient, especially the parking.  The business park has more than enough room, and plenty of parking and easy to get too.  We all need to let our supervisors know our concerns and hopfully they will do what is right for all of Sierra County and not just the West side of the mountain. Lets use our tax dollars wisely.  Why is so much money being spent on a Court house when the State of California is broke ? Just wondering.........Thank you, Annie Terrasas Dear Editor; Can it be true that three Sierra County Supervisors, Lee Adams, Dave Goicoechea and Peter Huebner all voted for three people from the Downieville Courthouse group, Heather Foster, Laura Marshall and Tim Beals to draw the Supervisors District lines that will be in place for the next 10 years? Heather and Laura are elected and that can make sense, but to put the planner in with no one from the east side of the county makes no sense. What about the Mayor of Loyalton, or any of the City Council, if you can have the planner on the panel, you can have anyone on the panel? The east side has the most people and 3 Supervisors felt it was much more important to have their planner from the west side on to further his agenda than give the east side a voice. The Supervisor from District four, Dave Goicoechea voted to have the planner from Downieville be his choice over getting at least one person to represent his voters interest. It should be no surprise that he would vote for the planner after the planner stood by him to rush his Farm Security Zone thru so Dave could save his Ranch from being taken by the massive amount of development in Loyalton. Do the voters still think he is taking care of their interest? After a couple years with him what has Loyalton gained? Dave did not support the Loyalton Swimming Pool. It would appear like he couldn't even keep the Co-gen going to get his free irrigation water. District two which has the south side of 49 west of Loyalton has Peter Huebner to look after their interest. He did not vote for anyone from the east side either, the planner was his choice. Why should he change, he said he would support the Loyalton Swimming Pool and he did not. He said he had someone to finance the pool as he was trying to get votes and to this day the pool is not open. The area has new rest rooms though. District one's Lee Adams from Downieville, supported his District to the fullest. We can thank two Supervisors that objected and wanted representation from the east side, Scott Schlefstein District five and Bill Nunes District three. We owe them a lot of gratitude from all around the county. It is only fair that the largest populated area is at least represented as the new districts lines are drawn. They voted for fairness. With the schools losing enrollment numbers and now suggesting 20% reductions, unemployment out the roof and the cost of running the County far more than the tax revenue, how much more no job and no growth are the voters going to penalize themselves with by allowing the planner to have his way? Please contact the Board of Supervisors and demand that the east side has representation for redistricting. Thomas A. Dotta Rural Loyalton Letter to the Editor: Entrepreneur: a person who organizes and manages a business undertaking, assuming the risk for the sake of profit. Webster’s Is anyone else alarmed at the rate at which true entrepreneurship is being replaced by dependency on grant money?! Supervisors in several counties have even said to me, “Well, you gotta go after the grants!” Really? What about going instead after the “environmentalists” (another word being mangled by new definition) who go after massive amounts of government grants, do not account to the people for their expenditures, use the money purchasing/developing public lands, then restrict or close these public lands for public use. If the environmental group(s) have purchased the lands with tax dollars, are they not therefore, still public lands? These groups then go about lobbying to restrict logging, fishing, boating, recreating and private enterprise in the name of “forest management,” “watershed and wetlands and wildlife protection,” etc. Supervisors look at it as “free money” without considering the hoops, rules, permits, regulations, matching funds and the fact that usually between 85% and 95% goes for administration! Much is without oversight and the projects we’ve seen are very poorly executed! Add in the fact that so many private property and private water rights have been violated in the process that BOS’ now have to pass resolutions to protect the citizens rights against these illegal intrusions. In recent months, we’ve lost access to Independence Lake, we’re losing access to forest lands and soon Webber Lake, too. Now the enviros at Plumas Corp’s many departments define the economically unsound Bio-mass program and endless grant seeking as “the new entrepreneurship!” That’s repugnant! Sherry Halverson Plumas County Watchdogs Committee, Portola To the Editor: I recently attended a Loyalton City Council meeting to make my plea about not increasing the speed limit on Main Street. Prior to my presentation Sierra County’s Superior Court Presiding Judge John P. Kennelly explained to the council and audience that the new regional courthouse in Portola was open for business. It has been many years that the courts shifted to management by the state of California, and folks, we are now paying for this dearly. Some 50 projects are underway to the pricetag of $6.5 billion. The Plumas-Sierra courthouse at the end of Gulling Street near the Little League fields is the first of those--at $4.7 million in construction fees. It’s a beautiful, state-of-the-art facility. You can take a peek at it at this website--http://www.courts.ca.gov/2780.htm--or make the short drive to Portola to view for yourself the award-winning structure. After doing a little online research, this gave me a great idea, especially since a similar new courthouse apparently is going to be built in Sierra County. Since the state of California’s priorities seem completely screwed up, let’s play the funding game…but make our own rules after the building is delivered. We could CALL it the Sierra County Courthouse, but instead of conducting court there, we could conduct school. Instead of filling the building with filing cabinets and paperwork, let’s bring in desks and SmartBoards…and most importantly, children. Perhaps then we wouldn’t have to worry about whether or not there would be power in the building that day or whether the boiler would continue to provide heat or whether the wind would blow dirt through the windows or whether the roof would leak again and ruin students’ work and textbooks in their lockers. For the last several years I’ve had the privilege of mentoring teachers in the district, and I’ve been visiting Downieville to work with teachers there every quarter. I’ve come to know its staff to be hard working and compassionate with its students--just as are the teachers in Loyalton. Your Sierra County teachers are delivering quality instruction. We just need a few financial breaks to provide facilities that meet the basic needs for our students. It’s time that we all started advocating for our children and our schools. Since the state of California is throwing money in the wrong direction, I would urge you to write to your state representatives and explain that rural schools need a break to provide facilities, instructional materials, and teaching staff--so that our students can have warm schools and up-to-date textbooks and art classes. The state obviously has funds--but its representatives apparently don’t know how to spend the money appropriately. Here’s where you can write: The Hon. Dan Logue California Assembly State Capitol Sacramento, CA 95814 The Hon. Ted Gaines California State Senate State Capitol, Room 3056 Sacramento, CA 95814 The Hon. Jerry Brown Governor of California State Capitol, Suite 1173 Sacramento, CA 95814 The Hon. Tom Torlakson California Department of Education 1430 N Street, Suite 5602 Sacramento, CA 95814-5901 Years ago 20 of my seniors wrote letters to Caltrans and other state officials and got much-needed highway improvements on Highway 49 between Loyalton and Vinton. It simply took some education to point out that priorities were misplaced. It’s time for public officials to restructure finances and programs so that we are investing in our future--the coming generations. Respectfully, Janet Holm McHenry OK,OK! You win. WOW---Quincy courthouse---38,283 sq.ft. at $51,767,000 or $644/sq.ft. Downieville courthouse---14,950 sq.ft. at $23,145,000 OR $721/sq.ft. That's 2 to 3 times the cost per sq.ft. that a luxury home costs. (I haven't checked for many years---but schools used to cost a multiple per sq.ft. of what it cost to build a house. We felt safe with our kids in our homes--but had a different standard for schools?) Phil Cammack, Sierra City Janice: On the 18th you ran an article about court houses entitled WITH A FIVE YEAR EXTENSION. I've seen the Plumas/Sierra courthouse in Portola, and it seems quite elaborate, and a "work of art". It said the cost was $4.7 million. It went on to say that another one proposed for Quincy was priced at almost $52 million. And, further, that yet another one was being looked at for Sierra County (didn't say in what town), and it would cost somebody over $23 million. Are those misprints, or could the proposed Houses of Justice actually cost that many more times the cost of the one in Portola? We read your paper every week. You have the best paper in the area. Too bad the other local papers aren't as good and as thorough as yours. Best Regards, Tom Nolte Editor: What is going to happen to Marble Hot Springs, now that Carmichael is gone?  One would hope that heirs would clear out the spring and reactivate it.  Would almost be funny if the spring erupted and belched out the huge tree roots.  Could happen!   That spring has seen human use for centuries.  On the other side of the road was a pool that hunters used to clean game.  In our time, people still thought that the spring had healing powers.  In 1962 or '63, we met a man who came from Massachusetts every year to spend a month there, as he said, "Getting rid of my winter aches and pains."  There were two rather ramshackle buildings for private bathing, built by the Marble Family, and some open pools. He parked his trailer on the road, and spent his days soaking in the spring, basking in the sun and fishing at the Steel Bridge.  He had been coming there for years, and each year he mended the buildings and keep the area clean.    People came to the spring from all over the West, drawn by word of mouth, and took bottles of the water home to drink.  Last summer we were hailed by some women in a car, who asked what happened to the "wonderful" spring.  They had driven their mother up from Roseville for a last visit.  There is still hot water around the tree roots, but it doesn't flow as it once did.  They got a small bottle of water for her, which she had clutched in hands as they drove off.   The spring has its own history, which should be recorded before all the old ones in the Valley are gone.    'Til later ... Jean Myles Letter to the Editor, Many thanks to the Plumas County Board of Supervisors, Corky Lazzarino of Sierra Access Coalition, California Off-Road Vehicle Association (CORVA), Recreation Outdoor Coalition, Butte County Supervisor, Kim Yamaguchi, and all others who helped with the timely filing of the appeal to prevent the USFS from its planned closure of miles of trails and major restrictions to use of public lands. There has been a concerted effort by the USFS to incrementally accomplish this massive land grab nationwide. In California, the Plumas National Forest which is included within the five counties of Plumas, Lassen, Sierra, Butte, and Yuba, was the last forest to have to deal with this attempted illegal seizure of land and power not conveyed to it by the Constitution. Note that the appeal deadline was December 27th, right during the holidays. With the exception of Lassen County, the other counties were cooperative in filing appeal(s) thanks to the huge effort of the aforementioned, and this without pleas for financial assistance although, donations would undoubtedly be welcome and helpful. CORVA found so much merit to Sierra Access Coalition’s appeal that it donated $1,000 for legal fees. Those of us, who honor the Constitution, enjoy the natural beauty of the Plumas National Forest, and who are fervent about tourism and outdoor sports here champion this cause and are thankful to everyone, agency, and group within the USA who are striving to keep “big brother” within his prescribed bounds. For more information or to donate, see the following websites or email addresses: www.sierraaccess.com sierraaccess@yahoo.com www.corva.org kyamaguchi@buttecounty.net smilligan4732@sbcglobal.net (Recreation Outdoor Coalition) Sincerely, Sherry Halverson Plumas County Watchdogs Dear Editor; Now we start 2011 and look back at the last year to see how we made Sierra County a better place. Our leaders, the Board of Supervisors are the ones that we can ask, are we doing better, they have been elected to look after our best interest. Do we have more jobs than we had last year? If we do I have not heard where they are. I could be wrong though, we have not seen the Board of Supervisors (BOS) publish in local papers how many employees work for Sierra County and what the payroll cost is. If you care to look at the Sierra County payroll by position here is the internet link in case you don't have it, I encourage everyone to review where their money is going: lgcr.sco.ca.gov/ then go down to county salaries. This is one area, which despite the economy, can do as it pleases. What is the cost of county cars, what is the cost of the fuel, and how many miles do the county vehicles drive? Have you ever paid attention that rule after rule is passed to make projects so expensive that they are impossible in Sierra County? This is the best way for the no growth agenda to be played out. When have you heard of an emergency meeting of the BOS being held to help a tax payer build a new home or business? What we have is a Green environmental group in Sierra County that is headed by a person that Sierra County's Planner trained. So it appears if the no growth Green agenda is slipping and something might be built, the Environmental extremist step in, threaten the supervisors and that ends that project, the Supervisors fold, if this is not so, please show where the growth is in Sierra County. We have many hard working business people and their supporters who push hard for local shopping. We have many that say agriculture is the backbone of the county. If you want to buy a pair of pants, the thrift store is your answer, if you need a tractor, tuff luck, if you need a tractor part, tuff luck. If the BOS is the leader, why are they not solving problems like this? In 2007 Loyalton decided, with the help of the no growth extremist Greens, that Loyalton did not need to grow. Just as soon as they won their point the City Council voted in a 5 million dollar sewer project. Now the empty lots stay empty three years later and the residents are forced to buy many of their supplies out of the county or state. Why is the BOS not working with the City to provide property that can accommodate business and jobs? We have a new City council and the time is right for the County BOS to show leadership and work with the city to provide incentives to get business and jobs in Loyalton. This would be private jobs, not more tax burden. This could be a new way to think: the BOS could be the leader and give direction instead of taking direction from one of their department heads. It will be great to see Loyalton rise above the cloud of destruction the no growth agenda has held over Loyalton the past 30 years. Please support saving Loyalton, Sierra County's only City. Thomas Dotta, Rural Loyalton

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