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(Photo: KICP/Daniel Luong-Van)

The new South Pole Telescope helps explore dark energy that may be causing the universe to accelerate. 

“The number to remember from tonight: 100 billion,” he said. “That’s the rough number of individual stars in each galaxy, and there are, we estimate, about 100 billion galaxies in the known universe. And it’s about 100 billion years old in dog years, which is about 14 billion years old in human years, or the equivalent in Apple’s cash reserves if you’re measuring it in dollars.”

Even astrophysicists can have a sense of humor.

Lots of space, he went on to detail, is wide open. “But telescopes are essentially time machines, and we’re looking back into the past to a time before many galaxies were formed, in some cases 10 billion years ago or more. There might be galaxies there now, but light hasn’t arrived here from them yet, and we can’t see them.”

Starlight, star bright 

Starlight, which is visible to the eye, is great, but microwave light is all around and essentially glowing all the time, providing a lit backdrop against which galaxy clusters could be observed and tracked.

That’s where the SPT comes into play. A collaboration of nine U.S. and Canadian institutions, the SPT is a 10-meter telescope at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole research station. (Robert Scott’s original 1912 tent house is still standing and open to visits, if you can make it down there.)

Constructed between November 2006 and February 2007, the SPT is by far the largest telescope ever deployed at the South Pole. This telescope provides astronomers a powerful new tool to explore dark energy, the mysterious phenomena that may be causing the universe to accelerate, rather than slow down its rate of inflation, as has been previously theorized. Back home here in the Eastern Sierra, the Hooker Telescope at Mt. Whitney helped reveal that the universe was expanding.

Professor John Carlstrom

Taking advantage of the exceptionally clear, dry, and stable atmosphere at the South Pole, the SPT maps large areas of the sky with high sensitivity at millimeter and sub-millimeter wavelengths. “We’ve found new classes of galaxies never before seen,” Carlstrom told the audience.

The 700,000-pound telescope is comprised of 960 detectors, and is so heavy that a foundation for the telescope had to be excavated and reinforced, even though it sits on a snow and ice pack two miles deep. Pieces of the facility had to be flown in by US Air Force planes from New Zealand and assembled on site. The facility has to withstand winter temperatures that can reach -80°F, and uses carbon fiber epoxy structural components, as opposed to conventional materials. (The temperature of dry ice, for reference, is typically about -100°F.)

About 5,000 structural bolts, some measuring 37 inches, hold the telescope together. And, as Carlstrom noted, are too cold to even be touched by bare hands. “When we were raising the main dish assembly up to the platform, the entire staff ran outside, and we asked, ‘What’s going on?’ They said, ‘Well, if you drop it, we don’t want to miss it; we’ll never get to see that again,’” he quipped.

The 208 panels containing the detectors all had to be calibrated within 2 microns of precision tolerance. Of course, the South Pole is actually moving at about 8 meters a year, which has to be accounted for in the calculations.

The SPT project’s “five-year mission” is to explore the nature of dark energy, an unexplained phenomenon responsible for the observed acceleration in the expansion of the universe. The SPT will search for massive clusters of galaxies by looking for spectral distortions in the cosmic microwave background. Dark energy inhibits the growth of galaxy clusters, so studying the population of clusters through cosmic time will influence future models of dark energy.

At the most fundamental level, the universe is made up of gas and sound waves resulting from compression caused by particle interaction. The universe has a specific “tone” and harmonics, not unlike music, and microwave analysis of those harmonics allows mapping to very detailed resolution. Distortions of the CMB spectrum are used to measure the density of the universe, and using the Sunyaev–Zel’dovich (SZ) effect, similar to the Doppler effect associated with sound, and whether waves are coming at you or going away, dense galaxy clusters have been observed.

According to recent estimates, all known matter constitutes only about 5% of the universe, dark matter makes up another 23% and the rest is assumed to be dark energy. The most widely accepted property of dark energy is that it leads to a pervasive force acting everywhere and at all times in the universe. This force could be the manifestation of Albert Einstein’s 1917 cosmological constant, which implies that empty space has energy, even when it is free of matter and radiation.

Einstein added the cosmological constant to his theory of general relativity (remember E=mc²?) to accommodate a stationary universe, the dominant idea of his day. He later considered it to be his greatest blunder, after the discovery of an expanding universe. Physicists now think that Einstein’s constant accounts for all that remaining dark energy, though Carlstrom acknowledged they still don’t know how to calculate it exactly.

“Maybe his theory of relativity was wrong,” Carlstrom posited. Is the universe expanding and accelerating, essentially running away with itself to some climactic, catastrophic end millions or billions of years from now? Carlstrom said science wants to find out, even if some of its hypotheses are proven wrong. “Scientists love to proven wrong,” he quipped. “We’ll be examining relativity and other concepts with this new SPT project, using what we learn about the formations of galaxy clusters to trace a history of dark matter versus dark energy back through time. The vacuum of space contains energy, Carlstrom pointed out. So far, even though he did happen on it via a “blunder,” it appears Einstein was right.

A few things we do know: there is no speed limit to the rate at which the universe can expand. There is only a limit on the speed at which an object can be propagated through it. And science also asserts there is no “center” to the universe, that viewpoint is based on perspective. “What we see looking out in any given direction is basically the same thing you’d see if you were on the other side of the known universe looking back at Earth,” Carlstrom related, adding that cosmological physicists don’t know what else might lie beyond that 14 billion time curtain. For now, that’s as far back as we can see.

Carlstrom said another important goal is to ultimately rule out various competing ideas for the origin of the universe. One thing’s for certain, the new telescope is yielding results much quicker than its predecessors. The SPT is capable of mapping one square degree of the sky every 20 minutes, as opposed to previous equipment, which could take up to one year to map the same space.

Answers to many of man’s scientific and other more philosophical questions are still out there in the cosmos.

It’s at least something for mere mortals to ponder as we gaze up in wonder at the light show we are treated to by the universe, its deepest secrets tucked into cosmic riddles and wrapped in celestial enigmas, waiting for Carlstrom and his colleagues to discover in good time.

The next OVRO lecture will be held Wednesday, Oct. 10, at 7 p.m. at Cerro Coso College in Bishop.

It’s official. The Bristlecone Pine Forest Visitor Center located in the White Mountains of the Inyo National Forest is now open. The forest held a grand opening celebration Sept. 1 with 400 people in attendance.

Serving as Master of Ceremonies was John Louth, Manager of the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. Louth has been nominated by the Pacific Southwest Region of the U.S. Forest Service for the national Gifford Pinchot Excellence in Interpretation and Conservation Education award for his work in the development of the new visitor center exhibits. The nomination also recognizes Louth’s 20 years of work in interpretation and conservation education and his contributions and assistance to many local communities, non-profits, tribes and other organizations in the development and delivery of interpretive services in the Eastern Sierra region.

Located at 10,000 feet elevation in the congressionally designated Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, the new visitor center interprets to an international audience the significance of the oldest living trees on earth. The new building is entirely solar powered and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified and was built to replace the old log cabin visitor center that was destroyed by arson fire in 2008.

The 2,500-square-foot visitor center, which was designed by Shah Kawasaki Architects from Oakland, Calif., features a high-beamed ceiling and is a rustic wood and stone design, reminiscent of some national park lodges. Inside the building visitors are treated to a 28-seat theater (where the film Living History is shown), a bookstore operated by the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association, an art gallery of Bristlecone art and interpretive exhibits that tell the story of the natural history of the ancient trees. Patio exhibits outside the building help after-hours visitors to understand how these trees live for so long and in such environmentally harsh conditions.

The grand opening celebration, hosted by the Inyo National Forest and the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association, honored the many volunteers, donors, and supporters who contributed resources, time and energy in helping to make the reconstruction project possible. Artists and the Interpretive Association were recognized during the ceremony for all they have contributed over the past four years.

For more information about the Bristlecone Pine Forest Visitor Center please go to the Inyo National Forest website at www.fs.usda.gov/inyo or call 760.873.2500.

A few weeks ago The Sheet highlighted ultrarunners Jenn Shelton and Ryan Ghelfi as they geared up for an attempt to run the John Muir Trail in record time (click here for previous article).

Shelton and Ghelfi have said it’s likely they’ll make another attempt next summer.

(Photo: Geisel)

Shelton, already a star in the world of ultrarunning, which typically involves 50-mile routes on varying terrain, and Ghelfi are sort of birds of a feather when it comes to a shared pragmatic viewpoint on running and competition. Both have run marathons, but are also interested in pushing boundaries and exploring other avenues within the genre.

The two have been training and gearing up for the 219-mile trek, and last weekend ran the Chart House/Footloose 5K/10K, even though the two acknowledged that road racing isn’t their focus at the moment. “I like switching it up,” Ghelfi said. “Jenn said she wanted to do the Muir and I didn’t even think about it. I was in.”

Shelton added that the JMT has been a preoccupation for her especially. “I tried to do it last year, and didn’t make it,” she explained. “My partner [runner Connie Gardner] was fabulous, but she was puking by hour four … NOT the way you want to start!”

She and Ghelfi, both Ashland, Ore., residents at the moment, haven’t even known each other that long, only having just met at a Sacramento road marathon last year. Originally from Redding, Calif., Ghelfi was a high school runner, whose parents also ran, but didn’t get addicted until college. “I was a college runner, and we had strict rules, and were sort of contained in our own college bubbles,” recalled Ghelfi, 23. “You build aspirations in college; in high school, most of the time you don’t really get it yet.” A Mt. Shasta trail guide, these days Ghelfi said he’s better at road racing, but really likes trails.

Shelton, 28, hails from Virginia, and prior to setting records in several of the most demanding American ultramarathons, attended the University of North Carolina, where she also played on the rugby team. In 2006, she gained more notariety traveling with Scott Jurek, Christopher McDougall and several other ultrarunners in McDougall’s well-known book on the sport, “Born to Run.”

She says that she finds marathons more challenging to run than ultramarathons, but still runs them, qualifying this year for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. “I was psyched to do it, even though I didn’t have a chance in hell,” she quipped. She holds the record for the fastest female 100-mile trail race. “I’m not a snob … I like all kinds of running.”

Ultramarathon is still in its infancy, according to Shelton. “There’s no real, hard training ethic yet,” she said. “As soon as you prove something, someone does something else that works.”

As for their run on the JMT, Ghelfi thinks that type of run is even more undefined. “No one knows how to train for 220 miles,” he stated. “I don’t think anyone cares,” Shelton added with a laugh.

Still, both say they’d rather run the JMT than any other event they can think of. “Running on a hot road in the middle of summer isn’t logical,” Shelton said. “Running the ridgeline in the prettiest part of the Eastern Sierra, that’s rad.”

Will they set any records? “Maybe … it would be nice to hold a record, even if it gets broken later, which it probably will,” acknowledged Ghelfi, who at one time held the record for the run up Yosemite’s Half Dome. “If we can advance some knowledge and influence training, that would be aweseome.”

The pair plan to run the 219 miles ideally in 72 hours (3 days) or less. The record so far: 3 days, 7 hours. Shelton has her sights on the women’s record, which is 3 days, 23 hours and was previously the overall record. “It started out at about 7 days, so it’s come a long way,” she noted.

“With trails, you don’t have race fees and you set your own calendar,” Ghefli explained, adding that getting a permit for Mt. Whitney (the run’s starting point) is a requirement. “We’re not doing it on a full moon, but at least we’re not doing during my [colorful expletive] period,” Shelton joked.

They’ll have support teams at about five different points along the way, and Ghelfi said water bottles will likely have to be refilled at least 100 times.

The two estimate they’ll make that goal if they average 3 miles per hour consistently, with only minimal time to rest, and about 1 hour of sleep each day. “In ultra it’s called RFP: relentless forward progress,” Shelton related. They will also rely on their team chemistry for emotional support during the highs and lows they expect during the run. “Alone, there’s a lot of temptation to quit, so having a partner is a plus,” Shelton indicated. “If you’re bitter or frustrated, leave it on the trail.”

What are their strengths?

“I’m great at climbing,” Ghelfi opined.

“I’ll be holding up the bus on that part, but I can’t run slow; I’ll have to work on pacing myself,” Shelton confessed. What’s their biggest challenge? “Not getting hurt,” according to Ghelfi and Shelton. “That’s a deal breaker.”

Shelton and Ghelfi plan to start on Aug. 14. Follow their progress via tweets from Shelton on Twitter @SheltonJenn.

Pictured: John Dittli holds his winning photo of Twin Lakes Falls, now the image of the 2012 Sierra Summer Festival poster. Contact Mammoth Gallery for information on this year’s poster contest.

Local photographer featured in 2012 rendition

What’s old is made new again in this year’s Sierra Summer Festival poster. Local photographer John Dittli, of John Dittli Photography, shot the poster’s image on film in the early 90s, but it wasn’t until last year that Mammoth Gallery Manager, Joel St. Marie, who knew of the image, suggested that he enter the photo into the annual SSF Poster Contest.

Each year, the Sierra Summer Festival holds a competition to choose the image that will be used in the following year’s promotional poster. These posters have great clout and have become collector’s items for many. The choice of medium is open to watercolor, oil, acrylic, pastel, pencil, photography, or printmaking.

Dittli was living at Tamarack at the time he took the shot of the well-known location at the top of Twin Lakes looking down.

“I came to Mammoth in 1981 and worked at Tamarack, running the cross-country ski program for 15 years,” Dittli explained. In the summers he worked in Washington State.

Dittli and his wife, Leslie decided to stay year-round in Mammoth in 1995. His goal was to focus more on his photography.

“I took photography in high school and minored in it at Humboldt State,” he explained. He enjoys landscape photography and currently shoots a lot of preservation photography for local non-profits such as Friends of the Inyo and the Eastern Sierra Land Trust.

Dittli captured the shot with a long shutter speed and described the look as “fuzzy water.”

“I knew the shot and I knew with the right evening it would work,” he explained.

Describing himself as a moody photograph, he strove to capture the mood on that fateful evening. Apparently the mood struck home last year with SSF poster voters because Dittli’s photo stole the show and the title of 2012 Poster Winner.

His was the eighth poster image chosen through a creative competition. Each year artists submit their works and more than 300 concert attendees vote for their favorite. The field is narrowed down to the top three entries through this attendee voting process from which a panel of judges then chooses the winner. The winning entry is then used for the following year’s poster.

But the poster contest has an even longer history spanning back to when the Sierra Summer Festival began in 1978.

Previously the general public was allowed to vote on contest submissions, but the process became too political with friends of the artists simply stuffing the ballot to ensure their buddies would come out on top.

Mammoth Gallery started the series back in the day, and even though the former Edisto Gallery in Mammoth ran it for a few years, has always been involved in the contest. Today, Mammoth Gallery is co-sponsoring the competition with SSF.

Today, St. Marie is in charge of the contest and can answer questions or supply applications. Artists may also download applications and contest rules from the Sierra Summer Festival website, www.sierrasummerfestival.org. Contest entries must be submitted to the gallery between July 30 and Aug. 3, only.

Mammoth Gallery is also the exclusive local outlet for Sierra Summer Festival concert tickets and posters. Concert tickets may also be purchased online at the SSF website.

Prior year’s posters are also available at the Gallery, but some years are no longer available.

This year’s Sierra Summer Festival takes place Aug. 9-11 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Mammoth.

Updated May 21, 4:59 p.m. John Paul Chaufan Field, the missing hiker in Yosemite National Park, has been found safe and in good condition. He was spotted by the park’s contract helicopter at approximately 3:15 p.m. this afternoon near Edith Lake, approximately five miles east of Kibbie Lake, the point where he was last seen.

Once Chaufan Field was spotted by the helicopter, Yosemite National Park Rangers contacted him and found him to be unharmed and in good health. He is currently being transported from the backcountry to the Hetch Hetchy Ranger Station.

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John Paul Chaufan Field

Yosemite National Park is searching for John Paul Chaufan Field, 22, a college student at the University of California at Santa Cruz (UCSC). Chaufan Field was last seen near Kibbie Lake in the Hetch Hetchy area of northwestern Yosemite National Park on Saturday, May 19. He was on a backpacking trip with a group of fellow students from UCSC, who were conducting an outdoor recreation trip.

The UCSC group began their backpacking trip from Cherry Lake on Friday, May 18, and set up camp near Kibbie Lake that evening.  At approximately 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 19, it was noticed that Chaufan Field was not present during a headcount. When the group reassembled approximately one hour later after a short day hike, he was still unaccounted for.

Yosemite National Park is asking anyone who was in the area of Kibbie Lake over the weekend to call the Yosemite Emergency Communication Center at 209-379-1992. Phones will be answered 24-hours a day, 7-days per week.

Chaufan Field is 5’ 5” tall, weighs 120 pounds, and has black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing eyeglasses, an earth colored baggy plaid button-up long-sleeve shirt, an olive/brown undershirt, cut-off denim shorts, and Vibram Five-Finger shoes.

Approximately 50 personnel are assisting in the ground search, including Search and Rescue teams from Yosemite National Park Search and Rescue, Contra Costa County, Marin County, Monterey County, and the Bay Area Mountain Rescue Unit (BAMRU).  Additionally, the park helicopter and a California Highway Patrol (CHP) helicopter are assisting ground teams in the search for Chaufan Field. Search dogs are also being utilized in the area. -Press Release

Paradise residents’ concerns shift in regard to Hooper project

The public still has issues with John Hooper’s Rock Creek Canyon Project located in the community of Paradise, and the Mono County Board of Supervisors will need more information before it can resolve everything.

At a special Mono County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, April 17, the Board, minus Larry Johnston who had to recuse himself because he owns property close to the project, met at the Paradise Fire Station to review the project’s specific plan amendments and some issues the public had found within an encroachment permit the County had issued Hooper, as well as Hooper’s proposed trails plan.

Local resident Jeff Vaughn summed up the public’s concerns. “Anything iconic [in the project area] is gone. We’re concerned about public access and safety now.”

With the issuance of the encroachment permit, Hooper built some split rail fencing in front of his project, which lies at the on the hairpin turn where the Paradise Lodge once operated.

Described by the public as a “cattle shoot” and giving a “squeeze shoot” effect, the rails were touted as a public safety hazard, which pushes the public into a compromised position between the guardrail and the motoring public.

“The fence is fragile,” said Paradise resident Mike O’Sullivan. “It already impaired snow removal significantly during the one storm we had this year, and it was a very dry year.”

It was also pointed out that the fences remove the option to pull over and chain up in that segment.

“We need to put public safety and snow removal first,” added Liz O’Sullivan. “We don’t want to get sued. Let’s be proactive rather than reactive.”

Mono County Assistant Public Works Director Jeff Walters pointed out that the County had not approved the part of the fence closest to the building.

Hooper defended his split rail by explaining that he had good reason to put it there.

“It gives direction to the trailhead,” he explained. “I got the idea from national parks. Hearing that this is riskier is almost unbelievable. It’s a much safer situation.” Hooper cited the absence of cars backing out into traffic as one example.

Supervisor Hap Hazard felt that pedestrians should be kept off the road and some type of passage should be developed behind the guardrail.

“The split rail looks like channeling for rides at Disneyland, I want to see something different in the long run,” he added.

Supervisor Byng Hunt offered a different perspective when he explained that the split rail fence had actually come in quite handy when he and his wife had been biking in the area recently. He did agree, however, that the pedestrian walkway should be moved behind the guardrail.

“The split rail fence is kind of rinky dink,” voiced Supervisor Tim Hansen. “We can kid ourselves and talk about it, but it is what it is. The County should put in a bridge. It’s the safest option.”

Supervisor Vikki Bauer wasn’t ready to make a decision on the split rail fencing and ask that staff come back with more options. The supervisors agreed to leave the split rail where it is until they determine what will take its place.

Another big community concern was the alleged proposal to use Glen Court as a trail. This reference in Hooper’s Trail Plan alarmed residents who fear that eventually the homeowners of the Rock Creek Canyon project would seek to close off the Rock Creek trailhead from Lower Rock Creek Road and try to use Glen Court instead.

Mono County Principal Planner Gerry LeFrancois said that Glen Court was never meant to be a user trail.

Supervisor Hazard suggested that the road be designated as a utility easement in order to protect it from ever being called a trail. He explained that it would most likely need to be used to tie the area into Digital 395, anyway.

Also discussed Tuesday evening: removing excess signage in the area and the installation of a restroom rather than the re-installment of an old fishing cabin that had been removed from the property.

Supervisors, the public and even Hooper agreed that the amount of signage was overwhelming.

As one member of the audience shouted out, “it seems as though they’re breeding!”

As for the restroom, supervisors felt having it on the property was a good idea, but needed to further discuss if the County should be responsible for maintaining the facility.

So, the Board voted 4-0 to remove Glen Court from the Trails Plan, to remove unnecessary signage, and to adopt Option C, which includes having Hooper put in the restroom.

They asked staff to bring back more information on the split rails, a pedestrian bridge, parking, and maintenance of the restroom facility.

Mammoth’s Town Council effectively ended a lawsuit between property owner John Vereuck and Mammoth Lakes Housing over a potential default on a loan for MLH’s office space at 587 Old Mammoth Rd. Council voted unanimously to grant up to $93,000 from Housing Fund/Measure A account to repay the loan, which Vereuck made in 2004.

Mayor Jo Bacon said her only reservation was the amount, which if spent in its entirety would only leave about $14,000 in the Housing Fund. “Is it possible to negotiate a lower amount?” Bacon asked staff. Town Manager Dave Wilbrecht responded that the MLH Board has reportedly reached an amount lower than that, and Council will be keep in the loop on how much as Town staff works with MLH and Vereuck to execute payment of the note.

MLH Director Pam Hennarty “humbly” requested the funds for what she called a very difficult situation. “When times were good, we expanded staff and space, but now we need to reduce our overhead … and we need to settle this lawsuit.”

Councilmember Rick Wood, who is also the Council delegate to the MLH Board, reminded the room that MLH was created by the Town with specific voter-approved funding, which he said was the right thing to do. “MLH’s core structure is an extension of the Town,” Wood opined. He added that the effect of a judgment if [MLH] loses would be detrimental to MLH, and also unfair to Vereuck.

Yes, The Sheet is susceptible to shameless acts of self-promotion. “Two Weddings, A Funeral and a Festival: How We At One Horse, Two Cows and One Sheep,” stories of travels in Kyrgyzstan, by John Walter and Nancy Petersen Walter, is the next Sierra Club evening program, set for March 20.

Join the Sierra Club for “Two Weddings, A Funeral and A Festival: How We Ate One Horse, Two Cows and One Sheet,”with pictures and stories of travels in Kyrgyzstan, presented by by John Walter and Nancy Petersen Walter, this Tuesday evening, March 20, at 7 p.m. in the Crowley Lake Community Center.

John and Nancy Petersen Walter, both Mammoth Lakes residents, have a love affair with the Central Asian country of Krygyzstan, dating back to 1990 at the University of Wisconsin where Nancy met Dinara Chochunbaeva while participating in a conference on Central Asian Studies at which Dinara was presenting a paper on Chinese Krygyzstan. Soon Dinara invited the Walters to visit her in Krygyzstan.

During the ensuing 22 years the Walters have made numerous visits, traveling extensively in Central Asia, staying in local homes, teaching English and world culture at institutions of learning, sipping lots of tea and enjoying the warm hospitality of Dinara and her family and friends.

In Mammoth, John and Nancy hosted three of Dinara’s children, Iskendar, Bakai and Altynai, while they attended Mammoth schools for one year each.

Potluck at 6:15 p.m. Bring a dish to share and your own non-diposable dinnerware. Program at 7 p. m. All are welcome!

A glance at the legal notices this week will show that Property Owner John Vereuck is foreclosing on Mammoth Lakes Housing for defaulting on two loans connected with Suite 5 in the Sherwin III Plaza.

According to MLH’s Executive Director Pam Hennarty, MLH purchased Suite 5 from Vereuck for $266,000 in 2004. The purchase was owner-financed @ 8% interest.

A year later, MLH purchased the office suite next door (Suite 4) for approximately $270,000. While that purchase was majority-financed by Eastern Sierra Community Bank, Vereuck gave MLH a second mortgage on Suite 5 in the amount of $100,000 to help MLH make the downpayment on Suite 4.

This second loan was also pegged at 8% interest and required a balloon payment (approx. $93K) at the end of five years as payoff.

Mammoth Lakes Housing said it ultimately made $237,000 in payments to Vereuck over eight years. The old note/new note monthly payment on the 900 square-foot Suite 5 cost $3,500/month.

Hennarty said the economic downturn and concomitant reduction in MLH staff made the combined 1,800-square feet between the two suites unnecessary.

MLH formerly had a $650,000 annual operating budget and five employees in its heyday. It now has an approximate $520,000 operating budget, according to Hennarty’s lieutenant Jennifer Halferty, and two employees.

“We want to ensure that the organization can continue to operate the important programs that we offer for a long time to come, and unfortunately we are also facing difficult economic times. Cuts had to be made.”

Both sides claim they attempted to approach the other about a renegotiation of terms.

Vereuck, however, says MLH only asked to renegotiate after it had stopped making its payments, and he does not believe in negotiating with folks who are trying to intimidate him. To make a political analogy, he said he does not negotiate with terrorists.

“They [MLH] need to be exposed for what they are,” he continued. “They’re unethical.” Vereuck noted that a high percentage, perhaps more than 50%, of MLH’s deed-restricted affordable housing is no longer deed-restricted and went back on the open market.

Which means that the taxpayers ultimately footed the bill for what now may well be second homes for out-of-towners.