theSheetNews.com

All hail the snowmakers!

Dear Editor:

The Mammoth Lakes Chamber of Commerce, and its members, would like to send an especially huge “THANK YOU” to the snowmakers, who have dedicated long, tedious hours to make skiing & snowboarding holidays a possibility.

These folks are the original snow makers who started back in Oct 22. Some of these snow makers have been making snow for  over 10 winters. Some have transferred from other departments when no snow came. There are an additional 20+ persons, who have helped make this winter possible by shoveling the guns out when they were covered with snow.

Depending on the temperature & humidity, Mammoth Mountain Ski Area is able to operate up to 100 guns  a night. They have a total 240 guns. What does this mean to you? At 18 degrees (wet) they are able to blow 3,000 gallons per minute. That is  equal to 1 square acre foot of snow per hour. This  is providing us with more than 400 acres of skiable terrain! Way to go, Mammoth!

Quart Keyes
Mammoth Lakes Chamber 

Damn the torpedoes!

Dear Editor:

“Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!”

I want to acknowledge and thank Rusty Gregory and the snowmaking staff at Mammoth Mountain for the superb job they have done in keeping Mammoth up and running. There is a fair amount of acreage from main Lodge, Canyon and Juniper to ski on. This has undoubtedly been a herculean effort undertaken at some expense.

I have been here for a long time and this is the first winter in my memory in which the town of Mammoth lakes has survived because of snowmaking.

Corty Lawrence
Footloose Sports 

Knox so fast … 

Dear Editor: 

The letter titled “For the Nordic Record,” submitted by Brian Knox and published in your January 7, 2012, edition, contains factual inaccuracies that we would like to address here.

The Town of Mammoth Lakes — not MLTPA — has submitted a Measure R application for a multi-year funding commitment supporting a cooperative effort between the Town and the Inyo National Forest to establish and maintain the Mammoth Lakes Trail System (MLTS). If awarded, Measure R funds will be used to construct recommended projects from the Town’s recently adopted Trail System Master Plan. How these funds are allocated will be at the sole discretion of the Town, not MLTPA.

MLTPA is funded by a variety of sources including our supporters; state, federal, and local grants; private foundation grants; and contracts with public agencies that are awarded through transparent and publicly accountable procedures. MLTPA reports thoroughly and regularly on its Measure R awards and Town contracts. The public can access video presentations of quarterly reports given at public Recreation Commission meetings by visiting www.mltpa.org. We have also recently posted a detailed response to the opinions that Sandy Hogan has been sharing through her letters to the local papers.

Our community is facing historic challenges. With all of the facts in hand, and the determination and willingness to work together in times of adversity, we are convinced that the best days for outdoor recreation in Mammoth Lakes lie before us. We look forward to working with all of our partners to help see this vision realized.

Kim Stravers
Community Engagement Director
MLTPA Foundation

Flood Plan Mappinp

Dear Editor:

Mono County Planning Department and Public Works have been working with FEMA [Federal Emergency Managment Agency] in the Flood Plan Mapping Update process. This initiative is part of the federal government’s nationwide effort to update flood maps to more accurately reflect flood risk and impact areas for future disaster.

Mono County has been working with federal agencies to insure accurate maps are produced. In the past some maps were created in the early 1960s and 1970s, and were drawn using inaccurate topology maps. With today’s modern technology and more accurate mapping, we hope to have a higher quality map that reflects real life conditions during flood events.

The County has taken a proactive approach to working with and being involved in the required updating process. Over the last couple of years, County staff has reached out to community members to obtain photographs, insurance reports, and firsthand accounts of actual flood experience from the floods that have occurred in Mono County over the last 30 years. These real life experiences have helped to cross check the predicted reliability of the new maps.

Since these new maps appear to be impacting many previous properties that weren’t shown in flood areas the County is doing an aggressive outreach effort to inform people that they may be caught in new insurance requirements.

FEMA is currently moving forward with their formal process of adopting these maps as the official maps for future use. In the very near future there will be a public comment period for citizens to provide their views on these maps. However, we’ve been informed that the comments are only going to be allowed to address specific concerns that speak to a scientific related comment. For this reason the county staff is attempting to inform our citizens of these maps, provide as much time as possible for review, and allow significant time for property owners to reply with comments.

Also these maps, once adopted by FEMA, could have a very real impact on homeowner’s insurance prices. There will be a period of time to obtain lower cost insurance based on property that was once outside the flood map areas and are now inside the flood area. There will then be the ability to continue the flood coverage at a “Grandfathered” rate in the future. If property owners elect not to obtain insurance at these favorable rates the cost could be much higher later. The favorable rates can also be transferred with the sale of the property.

The County is actively working to get these changes out to our communities and explain the program, so that people can make informed decisions. County citizens should watch for dates and times for their respective area RPAC meetings. Additional information can be found at the following Mono County website: www.monocounty.ca.gov/departments/public_works/FEMAFloodMapsandPolicies.htm.

Duane “Hap” Hazard
Mono County Supervisor, District 2

The following letter was sent out this week to Mammoth Mountain employees by CEO Rusty Gregory.

A letter from Rusty

Dear Editor:

The company has completed its most successful Christmas and New Year holiday period in my 34 years on the mountain. Never in our history have we hosted so many guests with so little natural snow and produced such a high quality experience on and off the mountain.

I had the opportunity to talk to scores of guests over the last 2 weeks.  They were universally effusive about how much fun they were having and couldn’t believe that Mammoth had top-to-bottom skiing, the Unbound pipe and parks were going off, June was open, Woolly’s Adventure Summit had snow for the tubers, and that we even had cross country skiing up to Minaret Summit. They were wowed by the fireworks at Night of Lights and on New Year’s Eve, and had a blast at the concerts and DJ events. The Village rocked and they loved that we opened a day care and brought Sushi Rei back.

Many of our guests came to Mammoth from Northern California for the first time because the Tahoe resorts’ lower elevation and limited snowmaking capabilities only allowed the operation of a small fraction of the terrain and services Mammoth provided. A significant number chose Mammoth over their usual winter vacation spots in Colorado and Utah. You all worked very hard and performed wonderfully. From the bottom of my heart and on behalf of our guests and a grateful community, thank you very much.

But now, the crowds are returning home, the temperatures are warming and the weather is forecast to provide more sun than snow in the days to come. I know that all of you are wondering how the company intends to deal with the less than optimistic outlook going forward.

Here is what I know:

So far, this winter is the driest on record since the 1800s. I’ve talked to the heads of major resorts in California, Utah and Colorado. Each of them are cutting back on lifts, terrain and staffing to save money. Many think that the winter of 2011-12 will never really get started and the weeks and months to come will just bring more of the same.

Here is what I believe:

We operate the best mountain in the country and we run it better than other resorts run theirs. Skiers want to ski and boarders want to ride. This yearning and the demand it produces doesn’t go away just because Mother Nature isn’t cooperative. Mammoth is the skier and rider’s mountain.  When it snows, they will come. In my 34 years on the mountain, I’ve seen several severe drought years with little or no snow in October, November or December. It snowed by mid-January in each of those years.

Here is what we are going to do:

We are going to do the opposite of what other resorts are doing. We are not going to cut services to save money.  We are going to keep everything open – Eagle, Canyon, the Village, all the current lifts and all the terrain possible. If temperatures allow snowmaking, we will add more runs and lifts as soon as we can, even if it’s during the middle of the week when crowds are light. We are going to keep our seasonal and year-round employees. If hours of work get too thin for some, we will feed each of them every night to make it possible for them to stay in town. We will continue to operate all our shops and restaurants everyday on the regular winter schedule. Our rental shops will be renting all categories of skis and boards including demos, everyday.

We are going to do just what we did over the holiday, giving our guests way more than they expect, and way more than our competition. We will do it the Mammoth Way with big smiles, a positive vibe and the informal, authentically sincere service we are famous for.  Our guests will love us for it and they will come back.

I don’t want anyone to underestimate the company’s commitment to the quality of our guest’s experience or misunderstand their individual role in delivering it.

I wish each of you, your family and friends a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.

Rusty Gregory, CEO
Mammoth Mountain Ski Area

For the Nordic record

Dear Editor,

An article published in the Dec. 17 issue shed some bright, positive light on the steady evolution of the Nordic scene in our community.

Competitive Nordic programs developed and provided by Eastern Sierra Nordic Ski Association have garnered the attention of Mammoth Mountain’s Race Department and are benefiting greatly as a result of their involvement and support. The Mammoth Mountain Community Foundation is also providing scholarships to offset team fees, travel costs, and education expenses based on need and performance. This type of significant support is crucial to the present and future success of local programs geared towards raising the caliber of homegrown, competitive Nordic talent.

The article also inadvertently compared the work of Mammoth Nordic with MLTPA. Given the recent scrutiny initiated by Sandy Hogan regarding the Town’s administration of Measure R and MLTPA, I  believe it is important to note how distinctly different the missions and objectives of our respective non-profits are:

Mammoth Nordic supports, develops and promotes Nordic Recreation.  We are an all-volunteer, non-profit organization providing a high quality, groomed Nordic Trail System free to our locals and visitors alike. Our Club is funded by contributions from our members, local business owners, second homeowners and visitors who value the experience we provide.

MLTPA is a well-compensated, taxpayer-funded consultant to the Town that advocates for trails and public access, fosters stewardship, and convenes and facilitates community participation. MLTPA is currently seeking to secure their operational financial stability over the next five years with a guaranteed $1.5 million dollar commitment from taxpayer-funded Measure R. Suffice to say, Mammoth Nordic supports Ms. Hogan and others who believe the relationship between the Town, MLTPA and the administration of Measure R is in need of an open and transparent review.

Brian Knox
Mammoth Nordic

Photos: Sue Morning/Mammoth Memories

Finish 1-2 in first Nordic race of season

By Diane Eagle Kataoka

Mother and daughter Nordic ski racers Nancy and Laurel Fiddler not only ski, train and race together, but Sunday they finished one/two in the 2011 Tannenbaum Classic.

The even bigger news is that they blew the doors off everyone else’s time in the 10K: making it twice around the Minaret Mile course up on Mammoth Mountain in a sizzling 20 minutes.

At the completion of the first loop, Laurel’s skis were almost scraping Nancy’s in front of her, and Laurel finished a scant 43 seconds behind her Olympian mom.

In many ways, the 2011 Tannenbaum Nordic ski race was a family affair. Everybody got into the act. Skiers raced. Parents ran the timing, handled registration, manned the course, gathered goodies for the fundraising bake sale. They also coached, cheered and supported their kids on the Nordic Junior ski teams.

Take for instance, the Thompson family. Dad Marty grew up in Mammoth, is a police officer and Mammoth High School football coach. Mom Heidi teaches at the elementary school. They came to cheer on their kids Martin, Carson, Meaghan and Ella, who were entered in each junior division of Sunday’s race.

Then there are Isabel and Scott Kusamoto, who did the timing for the race. Their son Connor (15:28) finished in fourth place in the Junior Boys Division.

But back to the race.

Usually held at Tamarack, lack of December snow moved the race up to the Minaret Mile at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, between Mammoth Mountain Inn and Minaret Summit. Race director Ueli Luthi waved the first classic skiers out of the start at 10 a.m. The adults ran a two-loop 10K. It was a short race and tough, more like a sprint.

“To think that Nancy and Laurel Fiddler did the two laps in 20 minutes is amazing,” said Middle School Nordic Coach Robin Morning.

Mammoth’s Jonathon Bourne won the men’s division (24:29). His brother Andy was on the sidelines. “Go Jon, push. Feel the burn, you can catch her (third place finisher Carolyn Tiernan of Bishop),” he shouted.

The kids take off at last weekend’s Tannenbaum Classic.

Next came a 3K for the junior skiers, both Mammoth High School’s nine members and the Middle School’s 24 racers. Coached respectively by Alana Levin and Robin Morning, the spirit and verve of these Nordic athletes is inspiring. “This year’s (MHS) team is an incredible group of individuals who make up an even more outstanding team,” Levin said. “I am so enthusiastic about the season ahead and seeing the potential of this team unfold.”

In addition, according to Morning, 18 of the Mammoth Chargers and Alpine J 4s and 5s entered the race. “It is great to have this crossover and joining together of the different teams from the Mountain programs,” she said. While waiting for their start the juniors sprinted up and down the side of the course. After their event, they went back up the course to cheer on the 13 little kids for their race.

Amanda Kirkeby (11:43) handily won the girls division, followed two and three minutes later by Patty Hensley (13:53) and Katherine Janisse (15:06).

The junior boys really kicked it, with Nick Damico (11:28) leading a close field of Jack Roten (11:45), Carson Bold (11:47) and Philip Oxford (11:57).

Twelve elementary school kids raced with gusto on a 1K course to the cheers and whistles of parents and other racers. Seth Gacho won the boys division and Kendall Lach won the girls. Perhaps the girl who gave it her absolute all was Cecilia Bassler, who brought up the rear, in superb future Nordic style.

Although the majority of entrants were Eastsiders, there was a smattering of people from SoCal, which is appropriate, since the Tannenbaum race started back in the mid-1950s as a club and league race. It has long been part of a week’s training at Mammoth Mountain every December.

As the season begins, Levin believes all the components are in place for a significant development of a Nordic community. “Roy Moyer and Ueli Luthi at Tamarack Lodge and Cross Country Ski Center, Eastern Sierra Nordic Ski Association, Brian Ellison at Brian’s Bicycles & Cross-Country Skis, Mammoth Mountain Ski Area and the Mammoth Mountain Community Foundation have been an extraordinary support,” she said.

“Programs that Brian Knox at Mammoth Nordic and John Wentworth of Mammoth Lakes Trails and Public Access are developing feeders into the Nordic programs we are building by developing Nordic trails in the community for public use. I feel really fortunate to be leading the team at this time in Mammoth history. It’s an exciting time.”

The Tannenbaum Classic was staged by Tamarack Cross Country Ski Center and Ueli Luthi. Mammoth Mountain Ski Race Team and Race Department provided Slopeside for registration and race headquarters, team parents and volunteers coordinated the work, publicity, registration, results and a big bake sale. All proceeds went to the Eastern Sierra Nordic Ski Association in support of Mammoth youth Nordic teams.

Restaurant Skadi hosted the awards and provided a luncheon. Owner Ian Algeroen told the crowd that his grandmother had been a nomadic reindeer herder – a natural reason to support Nordic skiing.

For complete Tannenbaum Classic results, go to ESNSA.org.

Slipping through our fingers

Dear Editor,

I am saddened by the fact that we (the Town of Mammoth) have an opportunity to create a world class municipal Nordic trail system and it is slipping through our fingers. Our peer resorts such as Vail and Sun Valley have demonstrated the value of such a system, yet we continue to put it at the bottom of our list.

A story in last week’s paper [Ed. note: Fifty Center] suggested that Mammoth Nordic’s Founder Brian Knox may have intentionally waited until the middle of winter to pull the plug on the support their organization has provided to groom the trail system.

In fact, Brian sent a letter to Town staff, Recreation Commissioners and Town Council the first week of November 2010 explaining that due to the amount of funding they were awarded from Measure R and the low priority rating in the RecStrats Strategic Plan document (which would delay funding for 4-6 years) Mammoth Nordic would not be able to provide grooming services for the upcoming season and were hoping to find a way to work with the Town to maintain the trail system. Thirteen weeks later (the end of January 2011) Brian finally received an offer from the Town. Unfortunately the offer was just too little too late. Mammoth Nordic will continue to work toward its goal of having a free municipal Nordic trail system but for the time being it just isn’t financially possible to maintain the high level of grooming they were able to produce last year.

I am not questioning the allocation of Measure R funds by the Recreation Commission; it is an extremely difficult task to make the most of limited funding for all of the requests the Commission receives. But it is important that we stay focused on exploring all of our options for funding the various recreational activities that enhance our Town and keep any and all comments that question an individual’s integrity or intent out of the equation. We will only reach our goals if we work together as a community.

Mayor Skip Harvey
Mammoth Lakes

Wrong lineage

Dear Editor,

In response to Wolf’s article, “Turns of the Decade,” he said, “Snowboarding (perhaps unknowingly) “Mr. Miyagi‘d” freeskiing by creating a rubric for the labeling of tricks that skiers later adapted and made their own.” Let him be reminded that snowboarding took those terms to define their tricks from skateboarding. The first snowboarders imitated skate tricks in the snow and naturally used the same nomenclature. Few snowboarders understand this, and even fewer skiers, as evidenced by Wolf.

The term “switch,” short for “switch-stance,” originated with skateboarders and describes when someone rides a board in the opposite stance. For instance, a regular footer (left foot forward) would ride his board in the forward direction with his right foot forward, or “goofy.”

In skiing, there is no regular or goofy stance, and as such no true “switch” maneuver. What is called switch by snowboarders refers more correctly to someone riding backwards (known as a “fakie” in skateboard parlance), since their is no reorientation of stance on the snowboard itself. Additionally, all the grabs define themselves according to the placement of the hand in relation to either the toe side or heel side of the board. Front hand/toe side: mute. Back hand/heel side: stale-fish.  The heel or toe side of a ski would more normally be referred to as the tip or tail. Skateboards also have trucks (the metal things connecting the wheels to the board), and tricks such as 50/50s (both trucks on the rail) and 5-0s (back truck only) refer to which truck is grinding the rail on the skater’s decent. Of course, skis and snowboards have no trucks, but use the same terms to describe their sliding across boxes, etc.

It’s popular knowledge that modern skateboarding was borne out of surf culture and imported moves and style from the waves to the pavement. Snowboarding grew from skating much in this way. As a skateboarder, I’ve always found some of these adopted uses of skateboard terms in skiing a little awkward, but I guess imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Eh?

So, if Wolf’s right, maybe it’d be fitting if he’d come down the the skatepark when it melts out and shake a skater’s hand for helping him suck a little less. After all, if it weren’t for us, he’d still be doing double-daffy’s in a neon one-piece!

Scott Hoffer
Mammoth Lakes

In a move that stunned the Mammoth Lakes nordic community, trail setting and grooming organization Mammoth Nordic, a fixture on the nordic scene since 2002, has effectively shut down all of its operations. Mammoth Nordic’s Brian Knox made the announcement to the group’s general membership last week.

The announcement that grooming wouldn’t continue this winter put the Town’s Recreation Department into damage control mode, as it endeavored to find a stopgap solution.

The organization was at the center of controversy last fall when Mammoth’s Recreation Commission announced (and Town Council subsequently approved) its Measure R funding distribution recommendations. Mammoth Nordic was granted just $5,000 during the fall funding cycle.

That, Knox indicated, was the last straw, and likely solidified Knox’s decision to shut down Mammoth Nordic’s operations, for now, and possibly for good.

Mammoth Nordic had submitted an application for $355,000 in Measure R funds during the fall cycle.

Mammoth Nordic’s request included more than $120,000 for a new grooming machine, as well as paid staff and other overhead expenses. The Commission concluded the item needed to be studied more as to ownership and maintenance issues, as well as whether a “new” groomer was a good idea, versus a “pre-owned” one.

The Recreation Commission also expressed its wishes that the Town’s Recreation Department form a committee to see if Mammoth Nordic could be paired up with John Wentworth’s Mammoth Lakes Trails and Public Access Foundation (MLTPA), which was granted $200,520 (and another $46,000 in the upcoming Spring cycle) out of the $620,000 available in the fall cycle.

Up until the decision was made to shelve the project, Mammoth Nordic had worked with the U.S. Forest Service and volunteers in grooming roughly nine miles of cross-country ski trails for the public. Many town leaders and civic supporters consider Mammoth Nordic’s grooming program an important town amenity. Earlier last year, the group had outlined plans to expand its grooming and track setting operation, almost doubling its number of miles of trails. “We did our level best to bring this forward, and we feel this is something the town deserves,” Knox told The Sheet. “We want it to succeed, but we can’t do it at the level of service it needs all by ourselves.”

Knox said the decision was effective immediately, but added that should the climate change between the organization and the Town, he’d be more than willing to work with them and pull Mammoth Nordic out of mothballs. But even if things turned around tomorrow, Mammoth Nordic is done for the season.

Part of the letter to members on the Mammoth Nordic website takes a dim view of the new and still-evolving RECSTRATS document, the Town’s “visioning and implementation” plan for recreation, which according to Knox, puts “Community Nordic Trails four years out from further consideration for development.” Recreation Chairman Bill Sauser disputes Knox’s assessment, pointing out that RECSTRATS is just getting underway, has established no definitive position whatsoever on nordic or any other specific topics, and has yet to hold its first of at least 7 planned public meetings.”

“As a Council-approved Vision for Recreation and Strategic Plan for Implementation, the Plan clearly does identify a wide variety of potential recreation amenities and opportunities, along with proposed time lines for their pursuit,” Knox countered via e-mail.?“These timelines will be the starting point for each of the seven recommended Core Strategies yet to be implemented. Continued development of the Nordic System is on a 4-6 year time line, with a number of other activities [backcountry, snowplay areas, snowmobiling and biathlon development] at a higher priority.” An administrator note on the Mammoth Nordic’s site summary of the time lines goes on to posit that, “A community Nordic Trail System is not due to be pursued until 2014, at the earliest.”

[Note: Regarding Mr. Knox’s use of the word “priority,” in the RECSTRATS Final Draft (page 21), there are no numerical “rankings” as such, though Nordic appears as the fifth bullet point on the list of five major winter categories, which are listed in descending order according to “proposed” timelines.]

Sauser also indicated that part of the problem the Commission faced with Mammoth Nordic’s application stemmed not only from the large request submitted during the past fall and spring funding cycles, but also what the Commission seems to have collectively concluded would amount to year-to-year funding of at least $80,000 (after factoring out the initial cost of the groomer and ancillary parts) for salaries, office space, marketing, et al. (Some Commissioners estimated the amount to be “significantly higher,” Sauser recalled.)

Higher or not, in Mammoth Nordic’s Project Concept Plan, which Knox wrote “outlines our budgeted costs to provide the hight Level of Service we have established,” he goes on to state: “The total cost, $85,394, is also reflected in our reply to Application Section 2, question 3c: Maintenance/Operation (anticipated annual costs).”

That figure, Sauser said, doesn’t address any back end amortization, and isn’t clearly delineated in the proposal’s budget.

“If it isn’t year-to-year, [Knox] needed to let us know that, and if it’s not [year-to-year] how he’s planning to continue the program without coming back to Measure R,” Sauser said.

According to Town Recreation Manager Stu Brown, his department was notified on Nov. 9 that Mammoth Nordic would not be continuing. In an e-mail to The Sheet, Brown said, “We are [the Town, U.S. Forest Service and Mammoth Lakes Tourism] are now trying to create a temporary program for this season to offer grooming and track setting at Shady Rest.?It will come down to Mammoth Nordic and their willingness to lease the equipment to the town.”

Sheet sources say the Recreation Department is reportedly attempting to hammer out an option agreement with Mammoth Nordic to see if the group would be amenable to having the Town use the groomer to finish out the season, even at somewhat abbreviated levels of service. Brown said the Town should hopefully know by the end of the month “if we can make it work.”

In a move that surprised some in the Mammoth Lakes Nordic community, trail setting and grooming organization Mammoth Nordic, a fixture on the Nordic scene since 2002, effectively shut down its Community Nordic Trail System program. The action was explained to the general membership on Jan. 21 over the group’s website in a statement from Brian Knox, Founder of Mammoth Nordic.

Up until the decision was made to shelve the project, Mammoth Nordic had worked with the U.S. Forest Service and volunteers in grooming roughly nine miles of cross-country ski trails for the public. A service considered to be an important amenity during the winter. Earlier last year, the group had outlined plans to expand its grooming and track setting operation, almost doubling its number of miles of trails.

“We did our level best to bring this forward, and we feel this is something the town deserves,” Knox told The Sheet. “We want it to succeed, but we can’t do it at the level of service it needs all by ourselves.”

The organization ended up the center of some controversy when Mammoth’s Recreation Commission announced (and Town Council subsequently approved) its Measure R funding distribution recommendations. That, Knox indicated, was the last straw, and likely solidified Knox’s decision to shut down Mammoth Nordic’s operations, for now, and possibly for good.

Mammoth Nordic had submitted an application for $355,000 Measure R funds during the fall cycle, but commissioners only approved $5,440, the same amount as last year, which Knox called a “huge disappointment.” Mammoth Nordic’s request included more than $120,000 for a new grooming machine, as well as paid staff and other overhead expenses. The Commission concluded the item needed to be studied more as to ownership and maintenance issues, as well as whether a “new” groomer was a good idea, versus a “pre-owned” one.

The Recreation Commission also expressed its wishes that the Town’s Recreation Department form a committee to see if Mammoth Nordic could be paired up with John Wentworth’s Mammoth Lakes Trails and Public Access Foundation (MLTPA), which received $200,520 (and another $46,000 in the upcoming spring cycle) out of the $620,000 available in the fall cycle.

Knox said the decision to shut down the program was effective immediately, but added that should the climate change between the organization and the Town, he’d be more than willing to work with them and pull Mammoth Nordic out of mothballs. In any case, don’t expect any change in the near future at least. This deep into January, Knox said even if things turned around tomorrow, Mammoth Nordic is well past the point of no return on this winter season.

Part of the letter to members on the Mammoth Nordic web site takes a dim view of the new and still-evolving RECSTRATS document, the Town’s “visioning and implementation” plan for recreation, which according to Knox, puts “Community Nordic Trails four years out from further consideration for development.” Recreation Chairman Bill Sauser disputes Knox’s assessment, pointing out that RECSTRATS is just getting underway, has no position whatsoever on Nordic or any other specific topics, and has yet to hold its first of at least seven planned public meetings.

Sauser also said that part of the problem the Commission faced with Mammoth Nordic’s application stemmed not only from the large request submitted during the past fall and spring funding cycles, but also a request for continued annual funding of roughly $140,000, which Sauser said Measure R was not designed to provide. He also views the Town as the best owner of a new groomer, which he added should be a “multi-use” piece of equipment. Sauser said it should able to do cross-country trails, but also be available to snowmobile user groups, cutting toboggan runs and even safety and Search and Rescue training and missions, should those arise.

According to Town Recreation Manager Stu Brown, his department was notified on Nov. 9, 2010 that Mammoth Nordic would not be continuing. In an e-mail to The Sheet, Brown said, “We [the Town, U.S. Forest Service and Mammoth Lakes Tourism] are now trying to create a temporary program for this season to offer grooming and track setting at Shady Rest. It will come down to Mammoth Nordic and their willingness to lease the equipment to the town.”

Sauser added that the Recreation Department is attempting to hammer out an option agreement with Mammoth Nordic to see if the group would be amenable to having the Town use the groomer to finish out the season, even at somewhat abbreviated levels of service. Brown said the Town should hopefully know by the end of the month “if we can make it work.”

Sauser said if a deal is reached to use the Nordini groomer, the plan at that point at least, is to resume grooming three to four days per week, as opposed to the daily grooming previously done by Mammoth Nordic. “We believe it’s still a worthwhile program and think volunteers can be found to make it work,” Sauser said.

Tourism Commission rebuts Town Council, stands by Measure R funding recommendations

“Really? You’re questioning OUR process? Seriously?” That was the underlying subtext during a special meeting of Mammoth’s Tourism & Recreation Commission to rehash a package of Measure R funding requests commissioners thought they were done with. Apparently not, as last Wednesday the Mammoth Lakes Town Council sent the whole lot back to the Commission for reconsideration, along with a group of issues Council members wanted addressed.

The funding requests were vetoed by Council largely as a result of a Measure R funding request submitted in the by Mammoth Nordic’s Brian Knox for $350,000.

During last Wednesday’s Town Council meeting, Knox lobbied Council to have his request reconsidered. This led to a subsequent discussion of how the Tourism Commission’s decision not to fund the request this time around was arrived at.

Mammoth Nordic’s $350,000 request included one $150,000 line item, that being for a new, second grooming machine. The proposal would double Mammoth Nordic’s grooming program.

No one has called the request unreasonable, in that Knox’s plan to expand the Town’s nordic skiing and snowshoeing trail system will create significant local benefit. It did, however, raise issues based upon the size of the request and what implications that may have on future Measure R disbursements. In other words, a big commitment to Mammoth Nordic may result in having less money around for future requests by different organizations.

Knox said he has no expectation Measure R will fund nordic operational costs year after year. As Knox told The Sheet, “Mammoth Nordic will continue to raise money, apply for additional grant funding and encourage other stakeholders to partner with us.”

Council sent back the Measure R package asking the Tourism and Recreation Commission to address four areas: the funding process, the definition of “town managed” versus “town owned,” leveraging opportunities and perception, particularly as concerns conflicts of interest.

Councilmember Wendy Sugimura voted to send the requests back with an expectation that the T&R Commission would develop a “point system” to quantify the value of competing projects.

Councilmember Skip Harvey suggested that Commissioner Knud Svendsen should not have participated in deliberation on Mammoth Nordic’s request due to a conflict of interest. Would Svendsen, whose employer (Mammoth Mountain Ski Area) owns Tamarack Ski Center, wish to support a competing Nordic recreational opportunity?

All these quibbles didn’t sit well with the Commission, which did its diplomatic best to form a response, one not involving any familiar hand gestures.

Tourism Chair Bill Sauser fired first. Starting with Harvey’s Svendsen remark, Sauser said,  “We’ve dealt with conflictive issues before. The money [conflict] isn’t there and the employers aren’t part of the equation. The point is moot.” The Mountain, he added, has already said that Svendsen isn’t directly involved in Tamarack and authorized him to pursue other nordic ventures as he saw fit.

(Author’s note: Proving such conflicts is difficult at best, in that T&R is an advisory commission, and doesn’t have the authority to spend money; that power rests solely with Town Council, which makes the final decision.)

Sauser said he thinks the only mistake the Commission made was “to justify not giving money.” The Commission picks the top candidates and makes awards accordingly, he went on to say. “If a candidate doesn’t meet the standard, it’s not our job to justify why they weren’t awarded,” he stated firmly. “A group was unhappy with how the money was allotted and is now politicking council members … If Council wants a workshop with the Commission, we can explain to them why [Mammoth Nordic] didn’t make it to the top. We can’t afford to give Measure R dollars away to single-purpose applications.” Sauser flatly rejected what he perceived to be Council’s inference that T&R write a report on everything they do, saying if that’s the case they should watch the TV replays or sit in on public process.

Commissioner Tony Colasardo didn’t dismiss the idea of single-purpose applications, but indicated they should be carefully evaluated.

The Sugimura-suggested point system didn’t chalk up any points itself, especially from Commissioner Teri Stehlik, who posited that a points system is ultimately no more objective than the current Measure R tool’s methodology. “A point system is no more objective than what we’ve done,” she said. “Perhaps if it’s a tight race between two projects, then we could use points, but putting a point on each project is not going to make it more applicable.” Svendsen agreed, saying it could be construed as being “equally subjective.”

T&R members also circled their wagons when it came to leveraging, agreeing they already seriously consider projects with matching funds or private backing. Big-ticket projects, however, were one point Commissioners decided needed further vetting. Colasardo suggested perhaps there should be a higher threshold established for upcoming projects such as Mammoth Nordic, tennis courts and others that will require hundreds of thousands of dollars in Measure R funds.

“We’re not here to put Measure R dollars out to fund a business, but we should look at that between now and the fall funding cycle,” said Sauser. “There are questions to be considered, such as what should the public-private partnerships look like, and so on.”

One point that the Town’s Recreation Director Danna Stroud thinks will need more clarification, however, is the Commission’s meaning when it uses phrases such as “town owned” and “town managed.” As Stroud explained, the Town “manages” a lot through special use permits, but doesn’t actually “own” much itself, with the exception of equipment and some other resources. “No one would have voted for Measure R without ‘town owned’ as part of the language,” Sauser said, adding his thought that the terms are clear and good ideas. Stroud said more clarity could be critical in the future as the paradigm of what Measure R funds changes and evolves.

The Commission decided those and other issues should be taken up by the Measure R Steering Committee. Members came to easy consensus that it would be a good idea to have the Steering Committee re-form every couple of years to review the system for any problems or opportunities to improve it.

Going back to the current funding requests, Svendsen said three meetings had been held on the requests (one in May and two more in June), and submitted that enough thought (and advice to non-awardees) had been given. Commissioners held their ground, voting 7-0 to send the entire package back to Council as originally recommended. An amendment was added that a workshop with Council should be held to let Councilmembers voice their concerns to the Steering Committee.

The new Council will take up the funding requests (again) during its July 7 meeting, at which time new members Matthew Lehman and Rick Wood, as well as re-elected member John Eastman will be seated.

All through the recent political campaign, the candidates kept telling me how important it was to comprehensively address the Town’s budget situation.

So naturally, I waited with breathless anticipation for Council to begin its budget discussion at its June 16 meeting.

The Snowcreek Development Agreement got in the way, and the budget discussion was postponed until this past Wednesday evening, June 23.

Council puttered about for another five hours Wednesday, miraculously managing to avoid a meaningful conversation about the budget yet again.

The discussion was rescheduled for June 30.

During the five o’clock hour, when the smart money’s on Jimmy Buffett, Council did hold a “Workshop to discuss priorities and goals” where the budget was addressed generally.

Incoming Council member Rick Wood described the workshop as “completely unproductive … We didn’t move the ball forward one yard.”

“Matthew [fellow Council member-elect Lehman] asked me afterward, ‘So when do we start talking about things?’”

Next week, apparently. Wood promises Council will “get into the meat of it” on the 30th. “It won’t be a make-nice week next week,” he said. “I’m not afraid to say no.”

What Council danced around but never tackled on Wednesday was a simple starting point.

While Council member Bacon says she’s comfortable working off this year’s actuals (projecting the same $17.5 million in revenue for FY 2010-2011 that the Town anticipates collecting in 2009-2010), Council member John Eastman wishes to budget more conservatively than that and continue to use whatever surplus remains at the end of the year to replenish the Town’s REU (Reserve for Economic Uncertainty).

Eastman’s position was supported by Wood.

Which is fine, but without a defined revenue projection to work from (other than the $17.8 million number he and Finance Director Brad Koehn developed for the draft budget), how is Town Manager Rob Clark supposed to contemplate any real changes to the draft he’s already created?

I guess it just amounts to waiting around for another week.

I asked Clark at one point during the meeting while we were sugaring up at the cookie tray, “Were you blown away by the lack of direction [by Council]?”

Clark replied in his typically subtle fashion, where he doesn’t let on whether he’s joking or not, “It’s better that way. I can make up my own [direction].”

Ah, leadership.

The most telling exchange of the night occurred when Council member Suginomora, who is still operating under the illusion that someone gives a damn about what a lame duck Council member thinks, expressed confidence that Bacon would carry on their work [transitioning the Town to a performance-based budget] after she’s gone.

“It’ll only last a couple of hours,” quipped Bacon in reply.

If that. As Wood said during a break afterward, “We’re gonna throw those two years of work out.”

So what did Council talk about?

Council spent approximately one hour and 45 minutes on Wednesday discussing the approval of 2010 spring funding recommendations for Measure R.

That’s right, Council glossed over the $17.5 million budget in order to talk about $114,000 in potential Measure R funding awards.

Which represents approximately 7/10ths of 1 percent of the budget.

And Council couldn’t approve the expenditure! Measure R funding requests were bounced back to the Tourism and Recreation Commission for further review.

Just to give you an idea, some of the R spring funding awards sent to Council for approval Wednesday included: $24,000 to the Town for tennis court rehab and design; $10,800 to the Eastern Sierra Nordic Ski Assn. for biathlon equipment; $20,000 to the Town for Community Center park playground equipment; $17,500 to MLTPA to fund the completion of its wayfinding and standards manual for the trail system.

You get the idea.

However, one request not funded was a $355,000 request from Mammoth Nordic for expanding the Nordic system here in Town.

The request included $150,000 for a new trail grooming machine.

The Commission, in its denial, asked Mammoth Nordic to reapply during the Fall 2010 funding cycle.

The Fall cycle, said Tourism and Recreation Director Danna Stroud, is when larger projects are evaluated. The spring funding cycle, according to Stroud’s staff report, “is intended to cover unanticipated emergency or maintenance/administration costs of projects already awarded funds during the fall process, but can also include funding for new awards/projects. Preference would be given for previously awarded projects and ‘once in a lifetime’ or time-limited opportunities.”

Knox believes his application is time-limited because, although he doesn’t need the funding this cycle, he needs a future commitment to fund in order to get delivery of a new trail grooming machine in time for next winter.

But then things got a little sideways.

Councilman Skip Harvey suggested that a member of the Tourism and Recreation Commission (Knud Svendsen) should not have participated in deliberation on Mammoth Nordic’s request because Svendsen had a conflict of interest.

Would Svendsen, whose employer (Mammoth Mountain Ski Area) owns Tamarack Ski Center, wish to support a competing Nordic recreational opportunity in town?

This led to a larger discussion about “process,” and as any professional train wreck watcher can attest, mere mention of the word process can give Council member Suginomora a contact high.

Among other things, Suginomora wished to send the funding requests back to the T&R Commission so it could develop a “point system” to quantify the value of competing projects.

T&R Commissioner Teri Stehlik was at the meeting Wednesday. We caught up with her the next day to ask a few questions.

Sheet: Do you have any idea what you are being tasked to do?

Stehlik: No.

Stehlik then elaborated, saying she was aware the Commission needed to figure out some sort of point system and that they would look at the conflict of interest issue raised, but it was her initial, blunt reply which spoke volumes. Certainly, she felt the Commission had done its due diligence to ensure application approvals reflected Measure R principles and priorities.

What’s somewhat mystifying is Mammoth Nordic’s push for reconsideration. On the one hand, one can admire Mr. Knox’s passion for his cause and the expansion of Nordic opportunities promises great potential economic value to the community. A second grooming machine (Mammoth Nordic already owns one) will also allow the group to expand its service coverage outside Town limits.

On the other hand, Mr. Svendsen is probably none too thrilled about having his integrity called into question, Mr. Knox has had a long running and well-known feud with T&R Commission Chair Bill Sauser, and now you’ve got Teri Stehlik who appears less than pleased at having to spend more time on something she thought she’d already finished

Then there are the obvious long-term implications of Mr. Knox’s request. If he’s asking for $200,000 to fund operations in year one, does that promise to be a future, permanent fixed cost? That would be a significant annual commitment of Measure R dollars, approximately 25 percent of Measure R revenues.

But how would you not spend that money for ongoing operations when you’ve already laid out $150,000 for a rather expensive grooming machine?

The guess here is that the Commission will still table the request until fall, pending the provision of additional data which will demonstrate positive economic impact.

What was ultimately gained Wednesday is difficult to figure at the moment.

Batista brings its Latin Rock Experience to the Village at Mammoth’s Events Plaza for Cinco de Mayo! The boys in the band are … Joe Batista-Band Leader-Keys/Timbales-Percussion, Lead vocal; Jesse Batista-Guitar,vocal; Ronnie R-Timbales-Percussions vocal; Cisco M-Sax; Patrick-Congas; Mario C.-Bass, vocal; and Ronnie C.-drums. Pictured: Jesse Batista rocks Mammoth Lakes. (Photo courtesy Batista)

Batista at Cinco de Mayo

For locals who may have shied away from the crowds this winter in the Village, this Wednesday’s Cinco de Mayo party may be “the best excuse you could possibly have to come up to the Village,” says Russ Squier, co-owner of Gomez’s.

“We’ll be pulling out all the stops,” says Squier.

One of those stops is Santana cover band Batista, a band brought in by Mike Hoover and Cathleen Calderon, which wowed audiences at Villagefest three summers ago.

Batista will perform its “Latin rock experience” show from 4-7 p.m. in the Village Events Plaza, the centerpiece of a daylong fiesta, featuring a partnership between the Village at Mammoth and the Mono Council for the Arts.

The theme: “Mammoth Coming Together as a Community.”

What that means to you: Great music, great food at giveaway prices, roving mariachi bands, kid-friendly activities, and then, once the kiddies have gone to bed, adult-friendly activities.

And the Village parking garage will be open if you don’t feel like walking any more than you have to.

Sheet: Russ, I notice your business card indicates you are a semi-pro tequila drinker. Can we expect you to declare for the pro draft on Wednesday?

Russ: Absolutely.

Gomez’s and Lakanuki are the Village’s designated late-night hotspots for Cinco de Mayo. Squier notes that Gomez’s will not close at all during the spring shoulder season.

Anyone can race!

All Mammoth Mountain Ski Team & Race Dept. Alumni, Coaches, Parents, Friends, etc. are welcome to race in the 2010 3rd Annual Ski Challenge and Alumni Race. Organizers say the race is basically open to anyone who likes to ski fast, so come on in, the snow’s fine!

Events kick off Friday, April 30, at 6 p.m. with a no-host Cocktail Party at Tamarack Lodge. Meet up with old friends and share stories.  Then, make sure you’re ready Saturday, May 1, at 10 a.m. Fun Race; registration from 7:30-9 a.m. at the Race Department Office. Specially priced race tickets are available at registration.

Format: Village Championship Dual Slalom with handicaps. Award Ceremony after the Race: $300 cash prize to fastest competitor, plus the fastest alumnus’ name will be engraved on perpetual trophy! Entry is $30. Proceeds benefit the Mammoth Ski and Snowboard Education Foundation (MSSEF). More info: contact: Connie Lizza Moyer, 760.934.6554.

Local ski patrollers take Gold

Ski patrollers went head to head at Squaw Valley USA last weekend for the first ever nation-wide Professional Ski Patrol Olympics. Patrol teams from North America competed in insane sled races, bamboo throws, avalanche transceiver searches and a giant slalom race down some of Squaw Valley’s steepest terrain.

After two days of close competition, the Mammoth/June Mountain patrol team claimed the Gold Medal and the title of the 2010 North American Patrol Champions. Squaw Valley USA took the Silver Medal and Alpine Meadows claimed the Bronze.

Knox, Nordic “feels snow good”

After a busy nordic sports season, Mammoth Nordic’s Brian Knox is stoked. He and the non-profit Nordic volunteer crew just shut down their free facility located alongside and behind the Mammoth Lakes Welcome Center off Hwy 203, and are already at work putting plans in place for next season.

Knox told the Mono County Tourism Commission earlier this week that the U.S. Forest Service recently approved a proposal to “significantly expand” the course beyond its current 8 miles of trail, which starts at the Welcome Center nordic trailhead and extending to Shady Rest Park. Knox said the goal is to potentially double the amount, but acknowledged that the final figure will be dependent on the U.S.F.S. “I can’t say for sure it will be double. They have parameters we have to work in and we respect that,” Knox said.

In addition to that work, the Nordic team is working on a proposal to provide groomed trails on the Mammoth Middle School campus next winter.

“We’ve got a lot to do to get ready for next season,” Knox said. “We won’t get to enjoy our break much I’m afraid, but that’s okay. We love what we do, and I think it shows.”

More info: www.mammothnordic.com or call 760.914.2637.

Hospital hires Aukee

The Northern Inyo Hospital executive staff announced earlier this month the have hired Angenette Aukee as new Director of Marketing & Community Health and Education. Aukee will be responsible for obtaining grants to enhance the services NIH provides to the community, increasing public awareness of the services currently offered, and will oversee the Community Health and Education committee.

Prior to her new position, Aukee was Financial Controller/Operations Manager for the J. Rousek Toy Company in Bishop. She will be responsible for developing and executing a marketing strategy to “improve patient, staff, physician, and customer satisfaction.”

AYSO soccer registration

Register your child as a player and volunteer as a team parent, coach or referee for Mammoth AYSO Soccer on Tuesday, May 4, in the Mammoth Lakes Library from 4–6:30 p.m.

Fees: $55 per child, $45 for siblings.

Speed the process this year and apply online. Log on to www.eayso.org, create a profile, select the NEW* Player or Volunteer application and bring the completed form on May 4 with payment. Birth certificates required for new players; photo IDs required for volunteers.

Players who register before June 1 are guaranteed placement on a team, provided there are sufficient coaches.

Info: Commissioner Stuart Brown at 760.914.0699 or America Hernandez at 760.934.4450. Web: www.mammothayso.com.

ICARE dinner a huge success

ICARE scored another big hit with its 14th annual fundraising dinner on Saturday, April 17. Animal-loving attendees (about 700 of them) enjoyed a delicious dinner catered by Whiskey Creek, sponsored by Union Bank of California and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) and served by the hardworking 4-H member volunteers.

Proceeds from the fundraiser totaled $30,000, which partially funds our Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Program for the next year.

More info on ICARE: 760.872.3802.

Bishop’s “Taste of the Sierra”

The Bishop Area Chamber of Commerce invites the public to “The Taste of the Sierra” this Friday, April 30, from 6-9 p.m. in the Charles Brown Auditorium at the Tri-County Fairgrounds in Bishop in conjunction with the of the popular Home Show.

Proceeds benefit the Bishop Chamber’s projects. Info: April at 760.873.8405.

MHS Senior Class fundraiser

Mammoth High School’s Class of 2010 will host its Senior Dinner Fundraiser at Whiskey Creek Restaurant on May10-13. Choice of entrees include Grilled Teriyaki Salmon, Angus Filet Mignon, Peanut-Ginger Chicken or Artichoke Cannelloni, TIx are just $25 per person

To purchase tickets talk to any Mammoth High School senior or call Scott Luke 760.934.8541, ext. 220.