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– Weekend Edition – VOLUME 173 • ISSUE 114 | $1.00
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Santa Claus, community groups, local bands and more will make their way down Broadway and Main Street Placerville during the annual Hangtown Christmas Parade on Dec. 8.
Santa Claus Refurbished bikes on the move (and a parade) is coming to town Mountain Democrat photo by Andrew Vonderschmitt
Bike shop employees William Wilson and Robert Farmer hand off a bike to Cameron Park Rotary’s Joe Ryan. The refurbished bicycles will go to children in El Dorado County.
Andrew Vonderschmitt Staff writer
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Upward of 250 refurbished bikes for kids and adults have been donated to be distributed to families in need over the holiday season. For nearly 40 years Folsom State Prison inmates, in collaboration with the Cameron Park Rotary Club, have refurbished bicycles for donation to local children who might not otherwise have a bike. Having and riding a bike is practically obligatory for kids all over the world. Learning to ride without training wheels, how to jump a curb or skid to a halt are all rights of passage. Owning a bike represents adventure, belonging and freedom. This program has assured that many kids in the surrounding area have had that all important asset for all their exploration needs.
In partnership with the Cameron Park Rotary, Folsom State Prison’s annual Christmas bike donation program has gifted upward of 200 bikes annually to disadvantaged children throughout El Dorado and Sacramento counties since 1986. Bicycles are donated throughout the year and delivered to Folsom where inmates work year round refurbishing and repairing each bike with careful detail and personal commitment. “So there’s two (inmates) that are working on it currently that have produced all these bikes,” said Acting Warden Joseph Tuggle. “They’ve worked for several months on these bikes; there’s, I think, about 250 here.” One is Robert Farmer, an inmate working on the program seven days a week for the last four months. “I love it,” he exclaimed. “It’s like, it’s not even
like being in prison.” His time in the bike shop has afforded him not only a feeling of freedom, but he has acquired a new set of skills. “My co-worker knows everything about bikes and he’s taught me everything I know,” Farmer shared. “It’s been amazing.” Farmer said he can empathize with the recipients of the program. “Well, it’s amazing,” he mused. “I was born and raised in the projects in Richmond, California, and I identify with all those poor kids, you know.” He said there’s nothing like getting a new bike under the tree on Christmas. “That’s why I do as much as I can for every single bike that comes in here.” Farmer’s cohort, William Wilson, said he has a fervor for
Odin Rasco Senior staff writer
A tradition in Placerville for more than four decades, the Hangtown Christmas Parade will wind its way along Broadway and Main Street in Placerville once again on Sunday, Dec. 8. Not only a festive part of the Christmas season, the parade is also a celebration of Placerville’s community at large, with floats, marching bands, carolers, dancers and more leading the way before Santa and his helpers close out the celebration. This year, the parade’s Grand Marshal is Stacie Walls, local campaign organizer for Toys for Tots. Walls’ dedication to Toys for Tots started 29 years ago, when her sons Brandon and Allen became involved in the Marine cadets program. For the last nine years, Walls has been the lead coordinator for the local civilian ■ See PARADE, page A9
■ See BIKES, page A5
Supervisors move forward with traffic fee update Chris Daley Staff writer
The Dec. 3 El Dorado County Board of Supervisors meeting was one for the transportation acronym crowd. Department of Transportation Director Rafael Martinez recommended the board consider a resolution adopting the department’s updated Traffic Impact Fee Nexus Study which, he explained,
“completes the 2024 major update to the Traffic Impact Fee Program.” Martinez further pointed out that the proposed resolution “is not a project for purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act.” Thus, the resolution may be adopted under the authority of board Chair Wendy Thomas’ signature. Martinez explained, while “it is very complex, we wanted to bring you a program that is
both adequate and fair.” DOT staff have been developing the TIF update study, as required by the county’s five-year plan, for a year and a half. The TIF system has been in place for years and is based on eight different fee zones. Zones have generally been identified with respect to the known or estimated levels of current and future housing and commercial development. District 2 Supervisor George Turnboo and District
4 Supervisor Lori Parlin expressed concerns the eight fee zones may be more unwieldy than necessary and suggested the board and staff “analyze and consider combining zones in the next program update.” Several speakers representing local and area homebuilders and developers, officially described as “stakeholders,“ challenged ■ See UPDATE, page A9
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