Last Call For Yosemite Gardens
Sonora, CA — The Tuolumne County Supervisors reluctantly gave the Yosemite Gardens group an additional month to come up with the 379 thousand dollars agreed upon to purchase the Jamestown Mine property.
Developer Vincent Estell made the request, and sent a letter to the county stating that one of the financial partners unexpectedly became ill, creating a need for the extension. The Supervisors had already extended an earlier deadline to July 31st. Estell was not in attendance today, and Board Chair Randy Hanvelt said it was disappointing he was not on hand to defend his project. Supervisor Evan Royce floated the idea of requiring a $5,000 non-refundable payment to prove that the group was serious about buying the land.
Supervisors John Gray, Sherri Brennan and Karl Rodefer all spoke adamantly that this would be the final extension.
The vote was 5-0 to extend the deadline to August 30. If the payment is not made, the county would look for new suitors for the property. If the property sale is finalized, Tuolumne County would be off the hook when it comes to future water monitoring costs associated with the land, estimated to total $1.4 million over the next 13 years.
