Decision Coming On Jamestown Mine
Jamestown, CA — Tuolumne County will accept project proposals for the Jamestown Mine site through the end of this month.
The county acquired 300 acres of the site in 1996 and is hoping to see the property used to spur local economic development.
“We’ll need to review those proposals and then develop a recommendation for the Board of Supervisors on which to proceed with,” says CAO Craig Pedro. “That will either come during the second meeting in August or perhaps the first meeting in September.”
Pedro says that no proposals have been submitted as of today, but says it’s common for firms to wait until the final days in situations like this.
The most publicized idea has been to construct a “Gold Rush Gardens” project, similar to Butchart Gardens in British Columbia. The Board of Supervisors heard a presentation about the proposal back in November of 2008 and is one of the reasons the County started accepting project requests.
EDA Director Larry Cope has stated that he has spoken with parties interested in the property, but declined to comment further.
The mine site totals 670 acres, as a combined 370 acres are owned by two private citizens. The application allows for a cooperative approval process so that the county’s land and the private land can be used for a single project.
Written by bjhansen@mlode.com.
