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Business Improvement District to fund air service still being mulled

The concept of creating a Business Improvement District to help sustain air service subsidies isn’t a new one. This paper reported on the idea when Mammoth’s Airport Commission previously batted it around in December 2011. “ESAA [Eastern Sierra Air Alliance] hopes to bring the local business and homeowner community into the air subsidy mix. It will ask the community to support air service along with Mammoth Mountain [Ski Area], [Town of Mammoth Lakes] and Mono County. The idea has been thrown around in the past but has never been organized,” we wrote.

Given the Town’s rock-and-a-hard place financial situation, Mammoth Lakes Tourism Director John Urdi has revived the idea, though it’s still just an idea at this point. If a BID is ever formed, it would encompass a defined section of the town’s lodging and businesses community, adding a surcharge (i.e. 0.5% or some other amount) on a variety of transactions, including food and retail, that would be put toward air service, and ideally end Urdi’s need to scrounge for subsidy funding from a cash-strapped Town and a tight-fisted Mono County.

After weeks of lobbying for commitments, he was happy to get $85,000 of a $100,000 ask from the county’s Board of Supervisors, but is admittedly exhausted at the energy and time poured into the effort. “After it was over, I thought, ‘I really hope I never have to go through that again,” he recollected.

Don’t look for a charge of that kind appearing on receipts anytime soon, though. At the moment, Urdi said MLT’s legal representation has sent a draft proposal to the MLT Board of Directors for input and comments. One topic is whether a BID should have a steering committee formed to help organize it, one that would include representation from MMSA, and the lodging and business communities, which would be directly affected by implementation of a BID.

A clear BID benefit is what could be a sustained commitment to air service, derived from the roughly $1.2 million the BID might be capable of generating annually. Any remainder would likely be applied to marketing, though it might also be put aside for “rainy day” applications in the case of low snow years or other economic slow times. “We need sustainability, but also consistency in the funding structure, which we’ve never really had when it comes to air service,” Urdi pointed out.

On the other hand, what if any impact it would have on businesses is also a consideration. Creating a BID takes a simple majority of businesses that collectively generate at least 50 plus one percent of the community’s revenue. Obnviously, the bigger the businesses on board, the faster one gets to that figure. Once enough support has been mustered to create one, however, typically BIDs do not afford dissenting businesses a way to opt out. Any surcharge adopted would be mandatory across the board within the BID’s borders.

Currently, Urdi said there is no fixed surcharge rate and no particular delineation of boundaries, or even what types of businesses would be involved. “Our take on it right now is, ‘Don’t speculate on what it’s going to look like until we know what it’s going to look like,’” he advised the public. “It’s still in discovery mode, and there are lots of questions, lots of ideas to go through, including many we haven’t even though of yet.” He stressed that the business community and related stakeholder also haven’t yet had their say.

Mammoth Lakes Chamber of Commerce President Brent Truax said he thinks the business community would be “cautions when it comes to looking at any type of BID proposal.” Truax added that a lot depends on the mediation [and MLLA settlement agreement] and how the result will play into a BID and impact the business community.

“Parts of the business community already contribute a lot of tax revenue, and if we are to consider a BID, we would want to make sure it’s equitable for everyone,” he said, pointing out that Mammoth is already one of the heaviest taxed municipalties in the state. Truax also expressed concerns as to how BID surcharges might affect visitors, and whether it would be the best idea to use a BID to make up for revenue that could be found elsewhere.

Urdi is expected to mention the BID during a presentation to the Airport Commission on Sept. 25, though he’s uncertain whether or not he’ll have new or updated information.

Rudder won’t bid
By Lunch 

In response to the story on page six regarding a proposed Business Improvement District (BID) to help subsidize commercial air service, I called Mall magnate Paul Rudder and asked him what he thought about the idea.

“That’s a terrific idea, Ted,” he said. “I’m sure the entire local business community will be very supportive.”

There was a pause on the line. I know Paul well enough so as to listen for the other shoe.

Drop.

I paraphrase the following, because Paul got a little amped up and started speaking more quickly. It went something like this. Ted, who in their right mind in this town would vote to tax themselves again, knowing that there is absolutely no guarantee, and in fact ample case history to suggest the money won’t be spent on what the Town promises it’s supposed to be used for. Any further tax increase proposed by this town is D.O.A.

A business owner along Old Mammoth Road who wished not to be identified said, and again I paraphrase: Why would I be in favor of taxing myself to support air service when 90% of that business will go to the Mountain and the Village? I’d rather spend my money trying to animate Old Mammoth Road … the ski and snowboard industry has been contracting for the past decade. One of the biggest ski and snowboard markets around is Southern California. Let’s allocate our resources marketing to/shoring up our base rather than wasting money chasing the elusive customers every other resort is chasing.

Urdi makes little headway with Mono County Supes on air service subsidy 

“We’re looking for $100,000 from the Board, any questions,” Mammoth Lakes Tourism’s Executive Director and Eastern Sierra Air Alliance representative John Urdi asked the Mono County Board of Supervisors, jokingly, at the start of his air service subsidy presentation on Tuesday.

Urdi’s jovial attitude turned dour, however, by the end of the discussion when the majority of Board members were still unconvinced that an air service subsidy was the best use of County dollars.

“I feel like I’ve failed,” Urdi told the Board.

The biggest blow came from Supervisor Hap Hazard who stated that, while he hadn’t committed to any position yet, he would be carefully reviewing (during next week’s budget discussions) whether or not the subsidy dollars the County committed to air service last year should instead be used for June Lake this year.

“There’s only so much water in our bucket and June Lake is the priority,” Hazard said. “There’s still a strong sentiment in the County that we shouldn’t be involved in air service. Some people don’t even want to discuss the airport, let alone subsidies. It’s a huge hurdle to overcome.”

Urdi tried his best to sell the benefits of air service, pointing out that it brought $5.3 million of direct spending to Mono County (with $4.6 million being spent in Mammoth), but Supervisors Hazard, Larry Johnston and Tim Hansen remained skeptical.

“What’s your argument for County support even though Mammoth Mountain closed June Mountain,” Johnston asked.

“Summer air service is not a MMSA program,” Urdi stated. “When the subsidy is shared during the summer, MMSA only gets about 27 percent of the benefit. In winter, MMSA is paying 100 percent of the subsidy, and even then they aren’t capturing all that revenue.”

Urdi also pointed out that Mammoth is the economic engine of the County.

“[Air service] is a disproportionate benefit to Mammoth but property taxes in Mammoth float out to the rest of the county,” Urdi said.

“That’s a hard sell,” Johnston responded. “Property taxes are going down, why isn’t air service helping?”

“Property values are going down,” Urdi said. “Seventy-six people a day isn’t going to change that. The decline in property values here is less than the rest of the state.”

In reference to an earlier agenda item that the Board had reviewed (see story in this week’s paper), Urdi stated, “Air service brings in more than dog sledding.”

“You’re mixing apples and oranges,” replied Johnston.

“No, it’s dollars,” Urdi argued. “Air service brings you a seven time return on your dollars. Thirty-three percent of visitors would not be here without air service [would otherwise not come or be able to come unless they can fly].”

Johnston then questioned Urdi about the order in which the subsidy dollars were spent in the past.

“You used the County money first,” he questioned.

“In the first year, yes,” Urdi replied. This year, if the County commits dollars, Urdi said that money would be used to pay back a portion of the Town of Mammoth’s $325,000 loan against Measure U.

Board Chair Vikki Bauer said she was in support of the air subsidy if the County had the money.

“We’ll have to look at the budget,” Bauer said. (The Board reviews its entire budget next week.)

Ultimately, Urdi would like to see a consistent funding source for the air service subsidy in the form of a business development district so that he does not have to come back to different agencies and ask for money each year.

He also pointed out that educating the public on the benefits of air service for the entire County was a critical component of continuing to get air service off the ground.

Limited drive market

Following Urdi’s presentation, Mono County’s Economic Development Manager Alicia Vennos made a presentation on the County’s tourism highlights, successes and opportunities.

She kicked things off with a plug for air service.

“We are really limited by our drive market,” she explained. “They don’t stay as long or spend as international visitors.”

Vennos claimed that a visitor from China spends on average $6,000 per person, per trip.

“We need air service; it’s a great return on our investment,” she said.

Vennos went on to discuss other tourism aspects such as marketing.

“Our marketing is working,” she said. “For every dollar spent in print marketing we see $8.85 in return. For every dollar spent in web and social media marketing, we see $137 in return.”

Ed. note: These numbers were provided by an outside consultant … who must work for Facebook.

The Economic Development department is working on improving the County’ website including its mobile site.

“Our mobile device visits are up 386 percent, but our bounce rate is 73 percent so we need to work on that,” Vennos said. “Forty-three percent of visitors will go directly to a competitor’s mobile site if yours doesn’t work well.”

Another area of marketing that Vennos felt it was critical the County pursue was the film industry.

The recent filming of Tom Cruise’s “Oblivion” brought in $1 million in local expenditure, according to Vennos, and the average economic impact of a commercial made in the area is $25,000.

“We have to go after this,” Vennos said.

Council taps Measure U for air subsidy 

The definition of bankruptcy found on the Investopedia website is as follows: A legal proceeding involving a person or business that is unable to repay outstanding debts.

Apparently, however, bankruptcy can’t prevent the Town of Mammoth Lakes from incurring new debt.

Mammoth’s Town Council voted unanimously at a special meeting Wednesday night to borrow money in order to pay for this year’s summer/fall air service subsidy to Alaska Airlines.

Who will lend the Town the money for this purpose?

Well, um, we’re gonna loan ourselves the money. Out of Measure U funds we’re gonna collect between now and the time the payment’s due to Alaska in February. Then we’re gonna pay ourselves back sometime next summer once the 2013-2014 budget cycle begins.

But as Councilman Rick Wood said Wednesday, this isn’t another one of those phony loans of the past (see the Town’s history of General Fund loans to the Airport Enterprise Fund), but rather, a real loan.

Really.

And, he insisted, this is a “non precedent-setting action.”

Hey bartender, how about a sudsiby? 

The traditional partners in the summer/fall air subsidy program have been the Town, Mono County and Mammoth Mountain.

Mammoth Mountain has been solely responsible for the winter subsidy.

The following represent the shares each partner paid in 2010 and 2011, according to Mammoth Lakes Tourism Executive Director John Urdi:

2010 2011

Town $272K $340K

MMSA $274K $424K

County $45K $85K

This year, the proposed dollar amounts Urdi had listed for each partner were as follows:

This letter was emailed to the Mammoth Lakes Town Council and Staff, as well as the Measure U Committee members by Mammoth Lakes Foundation President and CEO Evan Russell in anticipation of the Town Council meeting tonight to further discuss using Measure U funds to subsidize air service. See previous story by clicking here. Tonight’s meeting will begin at 5 p.m. in Suite Z.

To the Measure U Committee and Town Council:

I am a big supporter of air service to our community and understand the need for future business. The issue you are addressing is not about air service, it’s about public TRUST. We asked the voters to trust us and tax themselves for very specific purposes (see the Argument in Favor of Measure U below). This argument appeared on the ballot. Air service was taken off the table for Measure U consideration at one of the early town council meetings or workshops. It was never discussed again as being part of Measure U.

As a member of the Measure U Campaign Committee, I have recently been contacted or stopped in the grocery store numerous times by angry people in the community whom we encouraged to vote for Measure U. The general comments go along the lines of I would not have voted for Measure U if I knew it was  going to be used for a different purpose; I told you the town would take it over; and your committee lied to the voters.

We asked the community to TRUST us when we proposed Measure U and asked for a tax that would support local initiatives like parks, trails, local transit, arts and cultural programs, better pedestrian use, etc. AIR SERVICE WAS NEVER MENTION AS AN OPTION IN ANY PUBLIC MEETING WE ATTENDED. Staff had ample opportunity to suggest this be included. The staff report submitted on July 3^rd for a July 4^th meeting is unconscionable, has absolutely no transparency, was done in secret (Measure U committee had many public meetings where this could have been discussed ), and borders on public corruption.

Over the years, the Town has received a lot of well-meaning bad advice which have led to the problems we have today. If you approve the staff recommendation to take Measure U funds for air service subsidy, it will be the biggest tax fraud the voters and tax payers have ever seen. If you want to bring a tax initiative forward for air service, do it in full open and public view, not behind closed doors. To write a seventeen page report you spring on the community at the last minute has obviously been in the works for a long time. I have no idea what recourse the community has, but here’s what I have heard and been threatened by:

-Another law suit (if you remember a very angry LA attorney/2^nd homeowner wrote many letters criticizing Measure U as an unfair tax).

-Repeal of Measure U so it goes away completely

-A Grand Jury investigation

-More bad national coverage, this may have more impact than the law suit and water issue

-Impact on future bond issues or tax initiatives; it will be extremely difficult to pass any school bonds or parcel taxes where you need the voters’ approval

ARGUMENT IN FAVOR OF MEASURE U

This is what the voters thought they were voting for

Measure U will fund year-round mobility infrastructure such as enhanced trolley service, winter maintenance of pedestrian walk-ways, and enhanced bus shelters; partner in the construction and operation of the Mammoth Track project and implementation of Mammoth’s Trail System Master Plan; and serve as a critical component supporting culture and performing arts in Mammoth Lakes.

Measure U will fund these critical efforts without raising taxes. Because Measure U requires a two-thirds vote to pass, Measure U funds can only be used for specific purposes detailed in this initiative. Measure U is for US, the people who live and work in the Town of Mammoth-That’s why so many local organizations, businesses, and community leaders are strongly supporting Measure U.

Revenue from Measure U

• ·         Will be spent specifically on mobility, recreation, and arts and culture projects;
• ·         Will require annual audits to ensure Measure U funds are being used appropriately;
• ·         Will maintain year round pedestrian infrastructure, enhance local transit opportunities, build enhanced bus shelters, and fund public transit for special events;
• ·         Will help fund the Mammoth Track project;
• ·         Will help fund the implementation of SHARP (Sherwins Area Recreation Plan);
• ·         Will help fund additional signage to enhance the Mammoth Lakes Trail system;
• ·         Will help fund on-going operations and maintenance of cultural & performing arts facilities;
• ·         Will only be used to benefit the Town of Mammoth Lakes;
• ·         Will not supplant Town funding already committed to Mobility, Recreation and Arts and Culture;
• ·         Will not go into the General Fund;
• ·         Will not raise taxes;

Unlike other communities throughout California, we have an opportunity to fund local Mobility, Recreation, and Arts & Cultural projects without raising taxes. Please join us in Voting YES on Mammoth’s Measure U.

Thank You for listening,
Evan Russell

Photo: http://capp.gbuapcd.org

Local communities will soon see a restored alkali meadow in Lone Pine, an electric tractor and new community gardens in Bishop, a PM₁₀  street sweeper in Mammoth, and new snowplows in Alpine County that will help open local roads much faster following winter snowfall. These are just a few of the projects to be funded across Inyo, Mono and Alpine counties through the Clean Air Projects Program, a joint effort of the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

$4.8 million in CAPP funds provided by the LADWP has been approved to help pay for 22 air quality improvement projects in the Great Basin Air District. As proposed by local applicants, these projects will provide a multitude of benefits throughout the area and beyond.

At its May 24 meeting in Bridgeport, the Air District’s Governing Board unanimously approved funding for the 22 projects as recommended by the District’s Control Officer, Ted Schade, and the Clean Air Projects Program’s selection panel. About 50 project proposals were originally submitted and reviewed, in total requesting more than three times the available amount. Two additional projects were also previously approved last September.

The funding is designated to pay for clean air projects within the Air District with an emphasis on the Owens Lake region. ‘Clean air projects’ are defined as projects that will or could measurably reduce targeted air pollutants, including smoke, dust, and other harmful airborne compounds currently being emitted within the Air District’s boundaries, encompassing Inyo, Mono and Alpine counties.

“Great Basin is very excited to be working with the LADWP and all the funded applicants on these projects to benefit air quality in Alpine, Mono and Inyo Counties,” said Schade. “The projects will provide local air quality improvements where people live, work and play in the District,” he continued. “We appreciate the effort all the applicants put into their proposals. It was certainly a difficult decision getting down to 22 projects.”

Ron Nichols, LADWP General Manager, stated, “We are very pleased that more than $4.8 million of the $6.5 million provided by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has been awarded to 22 different programs to reduce air pollution in Inyo, Mono and Alpine counties. We felt strongly that the funding should go to programs that directly benefit the communities. We were pleasantly surprised by the level of interest shown in this type of program.”

Throughout the Great Basin Air District, supported projects include 12 that are generally located in Inyo County and its preferred “Owens Valley Planning Area,” four around the Bishop area, two in Mammoth Lakes, one in Bridgeport, two in greater Mono County, and one in Alpine County. Of particular note is the Inyo Mono Advocates for Community Action’s approved “Home Heating Emissions Reduction Program,” which will span across and benefit the entire Air District by providing residential weatherization services and heating system upgrades for fireplaces and non-EPA compliant wood stoves.

Several other compelling projects provide immediate dust control through ground cover and paving measures on property surrounding health and educational facilities, athletic fields and visitor centers. Water trucks and a rail-top rodeo area watering system will also provide immediate improvements in local air quality whenever the ground surface is stirred by wind, tires or hooves.

In addition to approved CAPP funds, project proponents are providing more than $850,000 toward their projects through direct cost shares and in-kind materials and activities. “We were really looking for solid projects that had some type of cost sharing element to help us spread our limited funds as far as possible,” explained Lisa Isaacs, CAPP Administrator. “We only wish we could have supported everyone.”

All CAPP project funds are planned to be paid out by the end of 2013. Once in place, however, most of the funded projects will live on for years, continuing to provide benefits for many through ongoing air quality protections.

For more information about the Clean Air Projects Program, including a list of the approved projects with funding amounts and project details, go to the CAPP weblink:  http://capp.gbuapcd.org. -Press Release

Book now … Winter Air Service to Mammoth Yosemite Airport flies off into the friendly skies on Sunday, April 15. (Photo: Geisel)

The Clean Air Projects Program (CAPP) recently announced that it received 49 proposals requesting $16.5 million (more than triple the funding available) in funding for ‘clean air projects’ throughout the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District, with includes Alpine, Inyo and Mono counties.

With a budget of $5 million, CAPP administration and the Air District’s proposal review committee undeniably have their work cut out as they cull a majority of the requests and select the best of the proposal crop. “The competition is fierce,” noted Lisa Isaacs, CAPP Administrator, in a letter dated Feb. 25. “Given the large numbers all the way around, most will not be selected,” she wrote matter-of-factly to all applicants.

Proposals were due by Feb. 15 and all are now undergoing initial reviews. Final evaluations and project approvals will take place by mid spring.

CAPP funding was provided to Great Basin by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and the funds are designated to pay for clean air projects within the District, emphasizing projects within and surrounding the Owens Lake area. ‘Clean air projects’ are defined as projects that will or could measurably reduce targeted air pollutants, including smoke, dust, and other harmful airborne compounds currently emitted within the Air District’s boundaries.

According to Air Pollution Control Officer Ted Schade, “The CAPP projects will reduce air pollution from sources in our communities that traditionally do not receive funding, even though they impact our health. Although most of the funded projects will be those that provide the largest amount of air pollution reduction per dollar spent, we realize that there are other projects, such as educational efforts, that are investments in the future. Great Basin appreciates the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s funding for the program and we are excited about the CAPP’s benefits to our health and environment.”

For more information about the Clean Air Projects Program, go to http://capp.gbuapcd.org or call 760.914.0388. -Press Release

Mono County wants to shrink its carbon footprint, especially when it comes to air quality, but given economic uncertainties these days, it only follows that the County would rather not use any of its uncommitted reserves to do it.

During the Board of Supervisors’ Jan. 17 meeting in Mammoth, the lawmakers took up an item about submitting a grant application for some of the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District’s (GBUAPCD) “Clean Air” $5 million funding pool. The money was part of a court dust and particulate matter mitigation judgment against the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power involving diverting too much water out of the Owens Valley lakebed.

With a Feb. 15 deadline to apply, the County decided to narrow its focus to three priority items in order to try and stay relevant in what is likely to be a competitive race for funding. Mono County Analyst Wendy Sugimura walked the Board through several of the top-ranked items, as assembled by staff, for consideration.

One item the Board seemed to key on was related to vehicle emission standards requirements. The County is committed to replace several outdated and non-efficient engines by 2020. According to County Director of Roads, Jeff Walters, an estimate of the cost is about $108,000 to replace nine diesel engines, not including filters, which he added would make sense if it’s a recent vehicle, but not if it’s an older one.

Propane burning reductions were brought up, since some sources burn dirtier than others, such as older boilers, but it was determined that would require more examination of County buildings to identify the most egregious offenders.

One topic that received lots of traction, particularly with Supervisor Larry Johnston: natural gas conversions of much of the County’s fleet of vehicles. Natural gas runs about $1.80/gallon less than gasoline, currently selling for $2 – $2.50/gallon, which would be about one-third of what the County pays for gasoline. According Johnston’s research, there is some reduction in power versus diesel (about 10%), but its higher octane tends to make up for any power loss in lighter duty vehicles.

The question: is there enough critical mass in the Eastern Sierra to justify creating compressed natural gas filling stations. An inventory of fleets has been conducted, including those of the County, Town of Mammoth Lakes, Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, Eastern Sierra Transit Authority, Waste Management, and Inyo County’s motor pool. Walters said the County is only waiting on figures from Mammoth Unified School District, City of Bishop and Mammoth Disposal.

Just with those who have responded so far, about 1 million gallons of usage have been accounted for, including 400,000 gallons of diesel and 600,000 gallons of gasoline.

Those figures look impressive on the surface, but as Walters pointed out they could pale in comparison to larger metropolitan areas with massive vehicle fleets. He also added that those areas typically use pipeline-driven supply chains, whereas Mono and Inyo counties would need to transport the compressed natural gas (in liquid form) up here, essentially adding to the air quality footprint the plan would be seeking to reduce. Boron is the closest processing and delivery operation that could facilitate supplying the area.

According to Johnston, Inyo County called it a no-brainer, but wanted the entire $5 million from the funding pool to make the conversion, which Johnston said wasn’t realistic. A more sensible plan, he suggested, would be to shoot for $1 million for Mono County and $1.5 million for Inyo County to make conversions.

Sugimura said the California Clean Cities committee is reviewing the collected data and will render its decision to the counties shortly. The federal government is anxious to facilitate such conversions, which could weigh in Inyo’s and Mono’s favor. “I don’t know if our fleet is standardized enough or not to make this type of conversion, but I do agree it’s worth looking into,” noted Supervisor Vikki Bauer.

Another small project that Sugimura suggested has a good chance of getting approved is a $100,000 Road Shop exhaust upgrade, in part due to employee health and safety concerns that would be addressed.

“One thing’s for certain, it’s going to be very competitive. Everyone’s got a hand out,” Supervisor Tim Hansen observed. “But part of the lawsuit against LADWP involved Mono Lake, so [the County has] every right to ask for some of the money, too. We just have to focus on clean air, and what affects the air the most.”

The GBUAPCD is, he posited, focusing on air quality in both the Owens Valley and to a lesser extent the Mono Basin, though in seems Valley projects will be addressed first.

IMACA, the Inyo Mono Advocates for Community Action, for example, has already been granted about $500,000 to replace wood stoves in the Owens Valley.

The Board opted to prioritize diesel engine replacement and the road shop exhaust projects, and left it up to County staff to add an assortment of other lesser priorities to the application mix, time and resources permitting.

In addition to the GBUAPCD application, also in the works is possible pursuit of a $70,000 block grant from the GBUAPCD for various County air quality improvement projects.

Determine how best to submit your project proposal

The Clean Air Projects Program (CAPP) is offering three upcoming workshops to assist anyone interested in funding proposals for “clean air projects” within the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District. Those with questions or who want advice on the proposal process are encouraged to attend a workshop this week. All three are open to the public and will follow the same presentation outline covering proposal components and frequently asked questions. Additional discussion will be guided by participants.

On Tuesday, Jan. 24, a Mono County workshop will be held from 1-3 p.m. at the Mammoth Lakes Library across from the high school. On Wednesday, Jan. 25, an Inyo County workshop will be held from 1-3 p.m. at the Lions Club in Lone Pine, behind McDonald’s, next to Veterans (VFW) building. The final workshop will be held in Alpine County on Thursday, Jan. 26, from 1-3 p.m. in Markleeville at the County Administration Building, 99 Water Street, off Hwy 89.

Anyone who is interested in a CAPP project, whether attending a workshop or not, is advised to review the “CAPP Frequently Asked Questions” document online at http://capp.gbuapcd.org. Additional program background, as well as CAPP’s “Notice of Funding Availability and Request for Proposals” is also available at this website. The deadline for proposal submission is Feb. 15. Further questions should be directed to Lisa Isaacs, CAPP Administrator, at 760.914.0388. -Press Release

Calling all clean air projects

At Wednesday’s regular Mammoth Lakes Town Council meeting, Clean Air Projects Program Administrator Lisa Isaacs announced that the Request for Proposals for clean air projects in the Eastern Sierra would be available to the general public on Monday, Dec. 12. Those interested will be able to access the RFP at http://capp.gbuapcd.org. Proposals will be due Feb. 15. The CAPP program will award a total of $5 million to qualifying projects.

Sierra Valley Sites gets trashed

Town Public Works Director Ray Jarvis said that illegal dumping is becoming a big issue in Sierra Valley Sites. He estimated that the Town has picked up 150 random pieces of furniture since Town Cleanup Day at the beginning of summer. The extra trash is a strain on Town staff as well as Mammoth Disposal’s budget. The disposal company is not being compensated for many of the extra pickups. “We need to mitigate the problem,” Jarvis explained. He added that staff believes at least 25 percent of the illegal trash to be from “dump-and- run” scenarios. “People are bringing it into Sierra Valley Sites and leaving it. This could be because the dumpsters are close to the road and it’s easy to quickly dump something next to them and leave.” Moving dumpsters back from the streets may be one solution. Jarvis plans to come back to Council with further recommendations.

Lions lose Gateway argument

Gateway Monument Project Leader Elizabeth Tenney brought the winning entries for the monument’s arrival and departure messages before Council for approval. “Eat your heart out Big Sky, Montana, it looks great,” opened Tenney. The local Mammoth Lakes Lions Club, however, did not fully agree.

Lions representative Joe Joerger stated that the club, which has historically owned the entry sign to town under a Forest Service permit (however the permit has currently expired according to Gateway Monument architect Bruce Woodward), would prefer the entrance sign to read, “Welcome to Mammoth Lakes,” followed by the John Muir quote that was chosen by the voters rather than just “Welcome” plus the Muir quote as the Gateway Committee has planned.

“We like the new sign, but historically it has always said, ‘Welcome to Mammoth Lakes.’ It should tell you where you are,” Joerger said.

Council disagreed and felt that the sign should be allowed to change for the better. The sign on the left-hand side of the road as you enter town will read Mammoth Lakes. Council felt that between Welcome on the right and Mammoth Lakes on the left the message would be loud and clear. It voted unanimously to approve the verbiage as presented by the Gateway Monument committee.

Night of Lights traffic control

Mammoth Lakes Police Chief Dan Watson announced that Canyon Boulevard will be closed to inbound traffic from 5-7 p.m. on Dec. 17 during the Night of Lights in order to avoid traffic congestion. Cars will be diverted to Lakeview Boulevard. The public is encouraged to use public transportation since there will be plenty of it available.

Air service

Winter air service kicks off on Dec. 15. The Town will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new sprung structure on Dec. 14 at 2 p.m.

 Council’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Jan. 4, 2012 at 6 p.m. in Suite Z.