I've attended many meetings before the Board of Supervisors and the Planning Commission over the last 25 years .

March 13, 2006

Board of Supervisors Study Session

San Andreas Town Hall

Over the last 30 years, I've attended many meetings before the Board of Supervisors and the Planning Commission. Repeatedly, the projects were given negative declarations, meaning "no impact", therefore the questions regarding cumulative impact for traffic, roads, schools, etc., were not addressed adequately. Now the county, especially the west side of the county, is experiencing dramatic growth and addressing cumulative impacts has become critical.

The twenty year old Calaveras General Plan was updated in 1996 and the changes were minimal. I was a participant in that process..

Thirty years ago, when I moved here, the population of the county was 12,500. Today the population is 44,000+. The General Plan, as written, allows the growth that is occurring. The citizens and elected officials of Calaveras County must come together and update the General Plan to cope with the development pressures that we are experiencing and do it in such a way that we preserve the natural beauty of the area, provide a range of housing and maintain the safety of our citizens. In addition we must develop needed infrastructure and appropriate businesses to establish a healthy economy.

There will be necessary compromises involved as we go thru the update process. The development tsunami will not wait and must be addressed. There is much work to be done.

Thank you.

Joyce Techel