County Purchases Jamestown Parking Lot

Sonora, CA — Tuolumne County has agreed to purchase the parking lot next to Rocca Park in Jamestown.

Funding has been included in the budget for next fiscal year, and the county will pay $193,000 for the land. County Administrator Craig Pedro says the price reflects a negotiated amount based on two appraisals and a reconciliation performed by the County Assessor. He notes that the purchase is consistent with the Board’s highest priority, economic development.

The land purchase was approved with a 3-2 vote, with Supervisors Randy Hanvelt and Evan Royce in opposition. The owners are Ernest and John Viglienzoni.

A vote on whether to buy the property was voted down earlier in the year, but at that time it required a 4/5 vote. Hanvelt and Royce were the two against. At that time the Supervisors were going to amend the already adopted budget and use money from contingency funds, requiring a 4/5 majority. When adopting the new budget for fiscal year 2011/12, the Board could allocate funding from the start and use a line-item approach, requiring a 3/5 majority.

The parking lot is often used by tourists and locals that visit Jamestown. In years past the county had entered into a lease agreement with the Viglienzoni’s so that 28 of the 35 parking spots would be available to the public.