BASS LAKE - With little fanfare and following a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony, the Chepo Saddle project along Bass Lake Road [222] was officially open Monday.
    On hand were Supervisor Gary Gilbert [Mountain Area-District 5]; Sheriff-Coroner John Anderson; John Youngquist, Bass Lake Chamber president; project foreman, Phil Jordan; and a team from The Pines Resort, led by Executive Vice President Steve Welch.
    Improvements to the approximately 2.1 miles of roadway began in October 1997.
    Bad rains, attributed to El Niño, delayed the project, which had a completion date of May 1999.
    "With the cooler temperatures and not much rain this year, says Mr. Jordan, of W. Jaxon Baker, the road contractor, "we made up for lost time. We should be done by the end of June.
    The final step in this project is the placement of a few remaining dikes to control the roadway water.
    The dirt and underground work, done by Butte Construction, of Marysville, was the first stage of the project and took the bulk of the time to complete.

    COARSEGOLD - A new citizens planning group, officially dubbed "Coarsegold Area Planning Association, was established here Thursday during a meeting at the historical restoration site, Willow Glen Museum.
    Guiding the group in its organization efforts were county Supervisor Gary Gilbert [Mountain Area-District 5] and county Planning Commissioner Tony Ward.
    This meeting, a follow-up to the first organizational meeting held at the Coarsegold Community Center on May 27, was attended by a standing-room-only crowd.
    The number of residents who volunteered to serve as a Board of Directors was established at 20. The original volunteers were augmented by two people - Bill Hillerman and Luigi Guadagnini.
    The Chukchansi Tribal Council has also been invited to be represented, says Claude Rust, who served as chairman of the meeting.
    Marjorie Jackson, one of the seven co-founders of the Coarsegold Historical Society, hosted the meeting and offered the museum as a site for future meetings to be held the third Wednesday of every month, starting at 7 p.m.

    Eleven courses will be offered during a six-week summer session at the Oakhurst College Center.
    The session begins June 28 at the facility, operated by State Center Community College District.
    Morning classes will include computer concepts, contemporary math, political science, psychology and food services management.
    Evening classes are college writing skills, U.S. history, word processing, spreadsheet, elementary algebra and speech.
    The course fees remain at $12 per unit.
    "The summer session is an excellent opportunity for students to acquire needed units, thereby saving valuable time in the pursuit of programs and degrees, says Dr. Richard Hoffman, center coordinator.
    Registration is now in progress for summer and fall sessions at the center, located along Civic Circle Drive.
    Summer business hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
    Information: 683-3940.