Fixes to Lode Hotel going according to plan

Lode Hotel owner Tim Ashlock is on schedule to fix the sagging structure’s safety issues within two weeks.

At the Nov. 17 Angels Camp City Council meeting, Ashlock was given a “drop-dead” date of Dec. 15 to fix the issues at the building.
 

Repairs at the hotel were, at that point, several months behind a schedule first set in December 2008, when the City Council unanimously began an abatement process to address the building’s safety problems.

Ashlock appears to have taken advantage of the final extension.

Progress is being made on an engineered plan laying out what must be corrected at the structure, said Steve Flaigg, building inspector.

“The hope is they will make the building safe by the 15th,” Mayor Jack Lynch announced at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

In other business, the council on Tuesday unanimously approved the Americans with Disabilities Act Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan.

The 100-plus-page document surveyed all the city’s public buildings, identified possible physical barriers, created possible improvements, prioritized those improvements and made cost estimates.

Councilman Craig Turco wanted to know whether the plan would protect against lawsuits.

“You know you’ve done as much as you can,” said Tim Gilbert, a consultant from planning group MIG, which prepared the city’s plan. “This has proven to be the most risk-positive method of reducing the risk of a lawsuit.”

Gail Bunge, a Hathaway Pines resident whose son has a disability, praised the work.

"It’s clear, it’s easy to follow and I think you’re taking a step ahead of a lot of communities,” she said.

There is also a seat open on the Angels Camp Planning Commission, due to the resignation of Joe Darby, who has moved to Murphys and therefore must give up his seat.

Commissioners must attend one meeting each month. Each usually lasts between one to two hours and requires about two hours of preparatory reading. There is a $50 per meeting stipend.

Meetings are held on the second Thursday at 6 p.m. The only requirement is to be a city resident.