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In additional action on March 21, Mammoth’s Town Council canceled the June 5 Town Council election, due to only two candidates running for two open seats. The move means a savings of $17,000 and that incumbent Jo Bacon and candidate Michael Raimondo will be appointed to office. They’ll be sworn in during the second regular meeting in June.

The Council rejected two bids for the Mammoth Police Station remodel, both of which came in well over the $75,000 budgeted amount . Staff must rework the project to conform to the budget and send it out to be rebid.

Council approved the following: a USA Football grant application for the Whitmore Track and Field Project; the 2012 Measure R Spring Award timeline and associated application materials; and the Measure U Steering/Application Committee goals and priorities for the spring “test” award cycle.

Councilman John Eastman requested a future agenda item on whether or not to allow a potential applicant for the Town’s second, currently open permit for a medical marijuana dispensary to submit an application.

And Town Wildlife Specialist Steve Searles briefed Council on the state of the bear population. Searles said about 10 bears are awake in our area, which is about two months early. Due to changing weather and drought conditions, their normal, natural food sources aren’t readily available yet. A dumpster has already been hit and a car was recently broken into. “This is shaping up to be a challenging summer season,” Searles warned. “We need to do more and do it early.”

The good news is that given Mammoth’s recent bear-proofing improvements and local awareness, there’s “no place better than to accommodate the bears and help them than here,” Searles said. He added, however, the mortality rate for new cubs is expected to be very high.

So, you only have two candidates running for two open Town Council seats in the municipal election on June 5. Why bother holding that part of the election? At least, that’s the thinking from the Town of Mammoth Lakes. Earlier this week the Town issued a notice stating that, as of the close of nominations on March 14, only incumbent Council member Jo Bacon, who is also currently serving as Mayor, and businessman Michael Raimondo are nominees for the open seats. Of the two seats, one is a vacancy. Councilmember Skip Harvey has decided not to run for re-election.

The Town notices said that, according to Section 10229 of the Elections Code, the situation allows the Town Council to “appoint to the office the person(s) who has/have been nominated.”

Bacon told The Sheet an appointment “gives us the opportunity to focus on our bigger issues.” She also indicated the Town would save approximately $17,000 by not holding a Council election in June. “I kept my remaining campaign funds from the 2008 election, and plan to donate it to a local food bank,” she told The Sheet. An option when a candidate closes out a campaign account is to donate the money to a non-profit entity.

“I think I’ve got enough votes to get onto Council, but it’s too early to claim victory,” quipped Raimondo. “Seriously, though, I think there’s a lot of ‘why get involved now’ mentality, which is exactly the reason I wanted to get involved. It’s a critical time and we need to make progress telling the world we’re open for business or we’re going to sink in the quicksand.

Raimondo, who owns the Old New York Deli in the Village, opined the Town needs more business-minded people making decisions. “I’d thought about running in the past and didn’t. When Skip decided to withdraw, I was a little surprised. But the timing’s good, and I’m looking forward to getting my views out,” he said.

Having no campaign, however, doesn’t mean Raimondo has no platform. One of his top priorities is getting the bankruptcy over and done with, and then turning attention the investment community. “We need to ask them, ‘What do we need to do to entice you to set up shop and put people to work?’” he said. “I’m for survivability and stayability. We need to incentivize …  concentrate on growth and making sure people know we’re open for business.”

Other priorities include sprucing up eyesores, and addressing the need for more parking and sidewalks.

“I’m a great listener and I talk to a lot of people. I have a business in the Village, but I own a home here and have my family here. I want to help out town-wide, and tear down this Berlin Wall between the Village and the rest of the town. We have to work our way out of this mess that history’s made for us together,” he summarized.

During its next regular meeting on March 21, the Town Council will consider whether to make the appointments or allow the “election” process to go forward as normal. Persons appointed would essentially take office and serve exactly as if they had been elected via a standard vote. Council has until 75 days before the election to make the appointments, after which the election will be triggered and proceed on June 5 by default.

How feasible is a permanent events venue site, and where would its location be? That question could be answered via a $25,000 feasibility study that might be recommended to Mammoth’s Town Council by the Economic Stimulus Council (ESC). During a joint meeting with the Mammoth Lakes Events Coalition (MLEC) on Dec. 15 Recreation Commissioner Sean Turner raised the issue of the study and how it would be funded, in addition to other concerns surrounding such a venue.

Formed in 2011 by Town Council member Matthew Lehman, the ESC was established to complement the MLEC, a largely private-sector effort which came into existence about two years ago.

Turner said he considers the study, part of a Measure R application request that will eventually come before the Recreation Commission from the Town’s Planning Department, “of timely importance.” The events venue issue has been a topic of discussion since at least 2007. In his remarks to the group, Turner said he doesn’t want to see another litany of studies being done without anything happening on/in the ground, but did acknowledge, “It’s imperative that the appropriate studies be done first, especially so we don’t end up with another ice rink situation … believe me, I more than most need a large events site for Bluesapalooza immediately!”

That need has been further enhanced by the recent real estate listing of the Bluesapalooza’s current venue, Sam’s Wood Site, which is also home to other summer events, and the notice from the U.S. Forest Service that areas in and around Shady Rest Park will not be on the list of sites for consideration.

Turner said he isn’t sure [the Recreation Commission] had been clear enough with Town Senior Planner Ellen Clark on exactly what needs to be studied. Initially, a $60,000 figure was put forward, but that was later reduced  to “up to $25,000.” Turner suggested the study should be expanded in scope to cover more marketing feasibility as much as actual environmental, mobility and other logistic questions of the potential event sites.

Serious questions still remain, according to Turner, such as: should the study be funded via Measure U instead, how big should the study be and is $25,000 enough … should it be $60,000 and if so is that enough? He suggested starting with an inventory of what events Mammoth Lakes can support, and what the town can grow that’s already here versus what can be targeted elsewhere that could be brought here.

Fellow Recreation Commissioner Teri Stehlik advocated a comprehensive study that answers all questions, but wouldn’t start until more information was available. “Who’s going to program the venue and make sure it’s booked,” she queried. “We’re not looking to waste time, but why spend $25,000 on a technical study until we know what we’re doing.”

Local businessman John Vereuck pointed to Mammoth Lakes Tourism as a touchstone point. “Who died and made the Recreation Commission God?” he asked rhetorically. “This should start with [Mammoth Lakes Tourism Director] John Urdi; that’s what we’re paying him to do. We have lots of event coordinators, but no real event planners … we need one of those,” Vereuck observed. Turner supported the idea of hiring an “events czar.”

Vereuck went on to say that the site should be approached from what’s available. “There are roughly six viable sites, but we already have heard that three to four are going to be eliminated by the Forest Service,” he told the group. “Let’s look at those remaining two before we start spending money.” Apart from the uptick in events that have sprung up at Sam’s, he also cited the debut of the Mud Run at the Village this summer, which he said was an added success by having Mammoth Rocks located there as well.

Also an option that isn’t necessarily off the table: buying Sam’s Wood Site, though whether it would be a final option and how that sale would be accomplished are both unknowns.

Urdi said he does have 25 years of experience in the events world. “The Chamber is in a resurgence mode, and this could be done through MLT,” Urdi said. “I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes, but I agree we need an events planner.” He pointed to date overlaps and other scheduling conflicts that have potentially worked against several local events in years past. “Obviously there’s room to improve.”

Stehlik said she was worried about pulling Urdi in too many different directions, and funding an event planner position would be an issue. MLT, she noted, was set up for marketing, not event producing. Vereuck took her point, suggesting that money be added to the MLT budget, and Urdi could delegate an events planner.

An “objective” person should fill the events planner role, Stehlik thought, and in any event the site needs to be selected first before a planner is considered.

Mammoth Unified School District Superintendent Rich Boccia spoke to the site problem, pointing out that MUSD has two 12-acre parcels, and a football field. “I can envision a ‘Huskies Dome,’” Boccia quipped, adding that his parcels come without some of the complications or other entanglements that encumber other potential sites.

At the end of the meeting, Lehman indicated the likelihood that some form of the $25,000 feasibility study will ultimately be recommended to Town Council. “I say let’s just do the studies, if they haven’t already been done, and get rubber on the road,” Turner urged.

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.

Economic Stimulus Council (ESC) members had event locations on the brain as they began their Oct. 20 meeting, giving up a number of agenda items in favor of discussing how to move forward with a new events site at Mammoth Creek Park. As The Sheet reported in September, the ESC believes this is the most attractive site for a new 8,000-10,000-person venue. That opinion ruffled the feathers of Recreation Commissioners who felt they should have been kept in the loop. Recreation Commissioner Sean Turner was on hand at Thursday’s ESC meeting to explain his position: “I wouldn’t want to move my established event [Bluesapalooza] to that site, but I’d certainly be willing to invest in a new event there. You just have to make sure you’re winning over the right advocates.”

ESC members appreciated Commissioner Turner’s feedback, but voiced their concern about a proposed $60,000 event feasibility study that is expected to come forward as a Town Measure R fall application. The ESC worried that a feasibility study would drain much-needed funds from the town, and slow down the site selection process. “I voted on that [application],” Commissioner Turner said, maintaining its necessity, “but I’d like to have that study for a hell of a lot less.”

Planning Commissioner Rhonda Duggan suggested that, rather than rely initially on a costly feasibility study the town should reference previous studies and do their own homework “before we send [a project] to anyone to be analyzed.”

As a way to move forward with that idea, Mayor Pro Tem Matthew Lehman suggested that “this group should pull together a meeting with the Recreation Commission and the Events Coalition” to discuss the Mammoth Creek Park and other event venue locations. Commissioner Turner, also a part of the Events Coalition, said, “Heck, just brief the Rec Commission. Then just take our input from the Events Coalition. You don’t want too many chefs in the kitchen to push this forward.” ESC members agreed that an information sharing session among all interested groups was necessary, and after that, a special use permit application to the Forest Service via the Town.

In order to get that permit application submitted, Community Development Director Mark Wardlaw observed, “Maybe the call to action is we want to hold a new event next year and we need a venue for that event.” So ESC members will be brainstorming a possible new event, with a narrow window to push it forward for spring 2012.

Commissioner Duggan emphasized at the end of the meeting that the ESC is still committed to advancing projects that will generate revenue, not “passion projects.” “Passion is not a revenue,” referring in part to a presentation from Wildlife Specialist Steve Searles at the beginning of the meeting on the status of the Lakes Basin. Searles’ opinion was that the Town should take over Forest Service duties like campground and bathroom maintenance. “To my frustration, the toilets are locked with a month left of fishing season, and people can’t get into any of the campgrounds because they’re barricaded shut,” he said. “There could be a big chunk of change in inviting people here and making them feel comfortable.”

However, Commissioner Duggan saw the Town taking over Forest Service responsibilities as a non revenue-generating burden. “We may be unpopular in this [view],” she said, “but we’ve got to find some issues to have a consensus on.”

The Economic Stimulus Council will be reaching out to the Events Coalition for a meeting in the coming two weeks. The next ESC meeting will be Nov. 14. 

You know, in the spirit of the Occupy Wall Street movement, we thought about heading over to occupy Eric Wasserman’s local Edward Jones office, but then, Geisel pointed out that they’ve got a pretty good candy bowl over there and we were all likely to fall into diabetic comas if we stayed too long, so … we figured Suite Z is actually a better target.

After all, Suite Z is where $40 million legal judgments are born, where raids on supposedly-designated tax revenues (Measures R and U) are perpetrated, and where our beloved local taxeaters spend every other Wednesday playing Three Card Monte.

But then … those Occupying Wall Street are at least occupying an area which, though morally bankrupt, appears financially solvent. In Mammoth, we’ve got it the other way around.

As is often the case, by the time the paper was out last weekend, I was dissatisfied with my editorial. I felt the message wasn’t succinct.

My frustration with local government is that we practice “checklist democracy.” Staff and consultants tell our Town Council what protocol needs to be followed to get certain things done. That we need to write district plans and update zoning codes and dot a mess of i’s and cross a bunch of t’s. And the work never ceases, just as the work is never actually read … except by Attorney Mark Carney. That’s how Old Mammoth Place got approved. But I digress.

The point is, everything we do is so staff-driven, so staid, so formulaic. If a public meeting is held where there is public dissension, we continue to schedule public meetings until the dissenters finally have a conflict or get tired or go on vacation … freeing Community Development Director Wardlaw to ultimately write whatever the hell suits him.

Council generally finds the documents it’s presented with discombobulating, discouraging and indigestible.

As Councilman Skip Harvey commented at Council Wednesday night (as Council approved the scope of work for the Town’s Economic Development Program, “I don’t feel like we’re making progress. We form committees to form documents that say we should form more committees to form more documents. Instead of a planning department we need an action department. Let’s consolidate and get something done.”

Proving Harvey’s point, Mayor Jo Bacon and Councilman Rick Wood couldn’t even remember the name of a current committee that they both sit on.

So this is what I think. We have five smart, well-informed Councilmembers who, when you sit down with them on a one-on-one basis, can articulate the issues with deftness and insight.

But when Staff serves Council its special brand of scrambled egghead salad, it’s like they’re all lobotomized by the sheer volume of minutiae placed before them.

“I do not like green egghead salad and ham. I do not like it, Sam I am.”

Suggestion: Commission less reports. Make more decisions. Councilman Harvey, it’s not about wishing for an action department. It’s about being an action council.

Braydon Hyland

Mammoth Firebirds Hockey Team is sending their condolences out to fellow teamate Bill Hyland and his family. Bill’s son, Braydon, passed away last week.

Mammoth’s Economic Stimulus Council members met this Thursday on the east side of the Mammoth Creek Park to tour a new potential venue site. Before the tour, Mammoth Lakes Tourism Executive Director John Urdi noted that the town can do much more to capture bands passing from San Francisco to Las Vegas, and from Reno to L.A., relating that just a few days prior, Houston-based rock band Blue October stopped by for a beer, but not a show, at the Mammoth Brewing Company.

The proposed venue site stretches from Old Mammoth Road south to the last dirt parking lot along the east side of Mammoth Creek. Urdi suggested a VIP parking area, vendor space, or secondary venue closer to the road, with an amphitheater space to the south. “The thing that’s most impressive about this site are the Sherwins,” he said, gesturing to the view from the south end of the site. “And if we took off 100 feet or more of the hill” that sits between the park and the college, “we could easily host 6-10,000 people here.”

The amphitheater space hasn’t been discussed with the Forest Service yet, and “would obviously take some work,” according to Mayor Pro-Tem Matthew Lehman. But Community Development Director Mark Wardlaw reported that Deputy District Ranger Mike Schlafmann “told us he thinks it’d be relatively simple to modify the town permit” for the northernmost area “to allow for events.”

The group thinks the venue has much to offer that other proposed venues, including the Snow Pit and Canyon Lodge, do not, like proximity to town businesses, and scenic views.

The next step: hosting a discussion about the site, with another possible tour, and “finding a way to host an event that pushes on the permit process,” said Wardlaw.

New Planning Commissioner

On Wednesday afternoon, Mammoth Town Councilmembers interviewed five candidates for the vacancy on the Planning Commission. Six people had applied for the position, but Chris Thomason did not appear for the interview portion. Out of Anita Hatter, Mickey Brown, John Vereuck, Tom Moody, and Robert Calvert, Council selected Brown. Her term will expire July 31, 2014.

No exceptions for Searles

Mammoth Lakes Police Chief Dan Watson reported on Wednesday evening that he had received word that the U.S. Forest Service would not be granting an exception to its rule that only sworn officers can use firearms on Forest Service land. Watson had requested the exception months ago in order to allow Wildlife Specialist Steve Searles to do his work in the Lakes Basin and at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area.

“I’m frustrated because we are running out of options,” Watson explained. The next avenues he will explore will be reactivating the police reserve program, which means if there are any retired police officers living in the area, the police department could have these officers work with Searles on Forest Service lands.

Watson will also be seeking support from Congressman Buck McKeon on the issue of allowing Searles to do his work on Forest Service lands. He did not believe, however, that there would be anything specific in place this season.

Something that is in place, however, is a working relationship between Mammoth Disposal and Searles.

“Steve checks the dumpsters in town every morning,” Watson explained. “If he finds one that has been broken into he calls Mammoth Disposal. They come out and clean up the mess and can then charge the property owner for the extra pickup.”

Lastly, Searles noted that cars have killed four of the seven large bucks that live on the Bell Shaped Parcel recently. He reminded the community to watch its speed around Meridian and Minaret.

HSEF needs projects

High Sierra Energy Foundation Exec. Director Rick Phelps presented an update to Council on recent happenings at the Foundation, including the resignation of his old board and the challenge of forming a new one.

In response to Councilman John Eastman’s recent request for an audit of HSEF, Phelps presented the follow figures: once at a budget of $300,000, HSEF has cut back since early 2009 and is currently operating on a budget of $116,000, which includes $14,500 from the Town. The remaining 88 percent is fee-for-service revenue from the partnership with Southern California Edison. Fee-for-service revenue, however, is very dependent on the energy efficiency activities of the jurisdictions in the partnership (Inyo and Mono counties, Bishop, and Mammoth).

“If government efficiency retrofits aren’t completed due to budgetary concerns that directly impacts our fee for service revenue,” Phelps explained. “The Edison funding is stable, but we have to have work to do.”

Mimi Kurz urges you to move beyond Chips Ahoy! (Photo: krypstilledge.com)

The keys to maintaining a healthy figure are exercise, a good diet, and lots of cookies … that last part is something I picked up on recently while sitting between two petite, athletic snowboarders on the verge of opening Mammoth’s first cookie bar.

The idea is simple. “It’s like Cold Stone for cookies,” explained cookie baker and co-owner Mimi Kurz. “You don’t have to settle for standard cookies anymore.” At Mimi’s Cookie Bar, you get to create your own.

“I was brought up with the mindset that if you go somewhere, you bring something,” Kurz explained. “So I started bringing cookies, often my dad’s favorite, coconut chocolate chip (the cookie that started it all) to barbecues and parties.”

Her friends loved the tasty treats and told her she should sell them. So in November 2009 the wheels started turning, and by September 2010, Mimi’s Cookie Bar was selling cookies online at www.mimiscookiebar.com. The Mammoth store, opening Sept. 2 next to Salsa’s on Old Mammoth Road, will be the first storefront for the operation. The website will continue to run as well.

How it’s going to work: “Online the minimum order is three dozen cookies because we don’t want to waste anything when we make a batch,” Kurz explained. But in the store there will be other options. Three cookies of the day will be offered and customers can purchase however many they want, be it one or 20. These cookies will be pre-made and waiting for hungry cookie lovers to just stop in and pick up.

Another option will be the daily dough. Come in each day and see what dough is waiting for your cookie creation. This is the chance for those who love fresh, hot cookies right out of the oven to get their fix. Choose up to three ingredients to add to the daily dough and make a custom cookie. Wait approximately 7 and a half minutes (the time it takes to bake a cookie in Mammoth, according to Kurz), and voila! You get a handful of tasty cookies baked to order.

“We limit the number of items that you can add to a cookie to three in order to get the full flavor into the cookie,” Kurz explained. But don’t worry; those three ingredients are really packed into each mouthful. “You never get a bite of just dough with our cookies … I hate cookies like that.” You can also order larger quantities of cookies at the store.

A little help from her friends

Kurz, who grew up snowboarding competitively, originally moved to Mammoth when she first arrived in California from Chicago. She left the ski town about seven years ago to take a job in Southern California with Roxy, but recently, her boyfriend and co-owner of the cookie bar, Delaney Council, landed a job in the marketing department at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area. So it was back to Mammoth for Kurz.

Upon arriving, she hooked up with friends and pro athletes, Kimmy Fasani and Chris Benchetler, who were looking for a good investment and found Kurz to be the perfect fit.

“Chris and I have a crazy sweet tooth,” Fasani explained of herself and her fiancé. “We like dessert after every meal.” But as athletes, they were looking for a unique, healthy option in Mammoth. Kurz’s organic and all natural, zero preservative approach to baking turned out to be the answer.

“When Mimi approached us, a light bulb went off,” Fasani said, and she and Benchetler became co-owners with Kurz and Council.

During the years when the cookie bar was taking shape, Kurz asked other friends from the snowboard industry to create signature cookies as a way to market the business.

“Our market is everyone, I’m just using the people I know [as the faces],” Kurz explained, likening it to the way Gatorade sponsors athletes, but with food.

“It’s [the Friends signature cookie page on the website] also a place to get inspired with ideas for your own cookies; a good starter,” she added.

For example, Jack Mitrani’s PB and J-ack, or Pat Lynch’s Caramel Patted Coconut Chocolate Chip could be just what you need to kick start your taste buds and help you formulate your own cookie creation.

Open Sunday-Thursday 11 a.m.-7 p.m., and Friday-Saturday 11 a.m.-8 p.m. beginning Sept. 2, Mimi’s will also serve frozen yogurt (all of the cookie ingredients can be transferred into a yogurt flavor), black coffee, tea, milk and almond milk. Wi-Fi will also be available.

Updated: Aug. 17, 11:50 a.m. The Aug. 18 meeting of the ESC will be held at the Westin at 1 p.m.

Economic Stimulus Council wants results, not studies

“A lot of people think this is a real estate meeting,” said Mayor Pro Tem Matthew Lehman at last Thursday’s second Economic Stimulus Council (ESC) meeting at the Westin; “it’s not. It’s focused toward business, focused toward the entire community.”

The ESC met for the first time on Aug. 4 in Rafter’s Wine Room to discuss strategies for the economic salvation of Mammoth Lakes. The group was a diverse one, composed of members from the Town Council, Planning and Mobility commissions, as well as developers, contractors, stakeholders, and the media. By the end of the two-hour meeting, the ESC had come up with a first draft of its purpose statement:

“Take leadership and action to help promote economic recovery through the creation of jobs; attraction and retention of new business; and stimulation of economic activity and investment in Mammoth Lakes.”

At the second meeting, local environmental programs specialist, Lisa Isaacs, asked, half joking, whether “action” could be placed in all caps. She wasn’t alone in wanting to put emphasis on action. Community Development Director Mark Wardlaw led both discussions, and defined the group as “action and results oriented, not the source of a long, drawn out study.” Lehman added, “The town is about studied out. We don’t want this to be another case where we end up with a pretty brochure at the end of a couple months, and then it just sits there and no one does anything with it. My hope is that this will be different.”

When it was time for comments from the group, Mobility Commissioner John Vereuck gestured wryly to the large, three ring binders that each attendee had received and said, “I’m hoping not to just have another book on the bookshelf. At this point I’m going to have to build another bookshelf for all these books.”

But the atmosphere in the room at both meetings was energized, even hopeful. The discussion ranged from proposals for special events to marketing and promotion, and from attracting investment to creating business assistance, diversification, and retention.

One thing ESC members were excited about was the Town Council’s recent ruling to eliminate Development Impact Fees (DIF) for small projects. Tim Flynn and Dan O’Connell pointed out, however, that unless the DIF elimination was extended through next year at least, it wouldn’t do much good.  A “second summer” fishing event in the fall backed by Mammoth Lakes Tourism Executive Director John Urdi was also noted as a positive during the meeting.

Some of the things ESC members were excited to propose: efforts to reach out with special events and package deals to bicyclists, runners, and soccer clubs; a “shop local” program; a new visitor’s booth in town, not just in the “well hidden” Visitors Center; a conference center; hospitality training for town employees; detailed quarterly economic reports; and a new site for an events venue.

These and more ideas flew thick and fast, but it was the concepts of growing events and creating an events facility that really stuck. These “hot spots” as well as the other suggestions will be discussed by two ESC subgroups Thursday, Aug. 18 from 1-3 p.m., location TBD.

The ESC isn’t looking to the Town Council for monetary support, but is hoping to use the considerable “horsepower” of the group members, as Wardlaw put it; their “influence, experience, and knowledge,” to form cooperative partnerships. “It’s time to work together rather than throwing our elbows around,” Wardlaw said.