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The Inyo National Forest, Mammoth Ranger District is soliciting comments on a  proposal from the Town of Mammoth Lakes to obtain a special use permit to contruct and maintain the northern half of the “Mammoth Gateway Project.”  The location of the “Gateway Monument” is on the north side of Hwy 203 between the Mammoth Welcome Center and Sawmill Cutoff Road.

The North Gateway monument sign is a component of a larger citizen initiated project, the Mammoth Gateway Community Project (Gateway Project), to construct two gateway entrance monuments on Hwy 203, one on the south side (South Gateway) and one on the north side (North Gateway) of Main Street, opposite each other.

The Forest Service has made a preliminary assessment that this proposal falls within a category of actions listed in the Forest Service NEPA Handbook that are excluded from documentation in an Environmental Assessment (EA) or Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and that there are no extraordinary circumstances that would preclude use of the category regarding Construction and Reconstruction of Trails.

A draft memorandum detailing the proposal is now available on the Inyo National Forest website,  www.fs.usda.gov/projects/inyo/landmanagement/projects. Additional information may also be obtained from the Project Leader, Jon Kazmierski, at 760.924.5503.

How to Comment and Timeframe

This project is subject to the notice and comment provisions of 36CFR 215.3. The public comment period will end 30 days following the date of publication of the legal notice in The Inyo Register, which was expected to be June 2. Those wishing to comment on this proposal should not rely upon dates or timeframes provided by any other source. Only those who provide comment or otherwise express interest in the proposed action during the comment period will be eligible to appeal the decision.

Written comments must be submitted to Jon Kazmierski, District Recreation Officer, Inyo National Forest, P.O. Box 148, Mammoth Lakes, CA  93546. Electronic comments may be sent to jkazmierski@fs.fed.us in the following acceptable formats: plain text (.txt), rich text (.rtf), Adobe (.pdf), or Word (.doc). Written comments may also be submitted by fax (760.924.5537) or by hand-delivery to the Mammoth Ranger Station at 2500 Highway 203, during normal business hours, excluding holidays (Monday -Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.)

Mammoth Lakes Town Council voted Wednesday to give Elizabeth Tenney’s Gateway Project $250,000 out of the Public Arts Fund, effectively overruling its own Public Arts Commission.

In a letter to Council submitted prior to Wednesday’s regular meetng, Arts Commission Chairman Nick Holst said he did not support Tenney’s request. “My response is still, ‘this is not public art,’” he wrote.

In fact, he added, “by duplicating the sign on both sides of the road it appears more monolithic  and intrusive and resembles much more a park entrance where one expects to pay an entrance fee. All it needs is a kiosk in the middle of the road where the town can collect money. That is not an image the town should promote.”

Those who stuck around for Wednesday’s 10 p.m. discussion, however, appeared to have a few more guns in their holsters.

Supporters of the project included Snowcreek’s Chuck Lande, MMSA’s Vice President of Real Estate Jim Smith and Mammoth Lakes Chamber of Commerce President Brent Truax.

Lande said the Gateway project lies within the parameters of what the people who wrote the ordinance intended. He also noted that the Main Street District Plan calls for an entrance marker of some kind.

Smith challenged the Arts Commission’s assertion that the monument is not art. Smith said he knows Larry Walker (the project’s designer) and that it’s offensive to categorize his work as otherwise.

Lunch’s aside: At least that’s what I think he said. Once he casually threw out the word “vernacular” in a sentence, I may have been too stunned to think clearly. 

Truax observed that in the hospitality industry, first contact and last contact are tremendously important and that’s what this sign represents.

Councilman Skip Harvey wasn’t too thrilled about overriding the Arts Commission, but said he was willing to be convinced otherwise, and ultimately was.

The dissenting voice on Council was Mayor Jo Bacon, who said the project sounded more like marketing than public art and should be funded by another mechanism.

She also noted that the project was rejected for Measure R funding consideration and that the petition before Council just seemed like the next best and most convenient follow-up money grab.

The Arts Commission may not have done itself any favors with its staunch support of a Steven and Janice Kabala-designed entrance sign which the PAC initially wanted to place on Highway 203 where a current entrance sign is located (just as you’re heading up the hill on the right after turning off 395).

However, the United States Forest Service rejected this replacement sign.

In response, the Arts Commission identified a new proposed location on Meridian Blvd.

Begging the obvious question as to who the hell would want to spend $138,000 for a sign on an arterial road that the vast majority of visitors would never see?

That sign is now permanently mothballed.

Domo Arigato Mr. Ribaudo

Consultant Carl Ribaudo was on hand Wednesday to present the findings of the Measure U Steering Committee, which had been entrusted with the task of setting up ground rules as to how Measure U monies will be administered.

Council accepted the committee’s recommendation that a three-person application committee be established, consisting of a Mobility Commissioner, a Recreation Commissioner and one at-large member who is affiliated with the local arts community.

However, this three-person committe will not be put in place until after the initial, test-drive spring funding cycle. The initial Measure U funding process will be vetted by the Steering Committee.

Steering Committee member Jim Smith argued persuasively that it was best for the committee to handle the initial awards to ensure the timeliness of getting some projects in the ground this summer.

Let’s stick together

The start of the meeting was dominated by discussion of the airport litigation.

As John Vereuck said, “I think we’re here tonight because of the P.R. that came out from the other side. I think it’s a ploy to divide us. No one in this room is the opposition.”

The ultimate conflict between the Town and Mammoth Lakes Land Acquisition is over the term “basic services.”

Obviously, MLLA thinks the Town can do with a lot less than the Town thinks it can do without.

But as Teri Stehlik said, if the Town’s not viable, there won’t be any money to pay off the judgment anyway.

In addition to the $42 million judgment the Town currently owes, Town Manager David Wilbrecht said the Town expects to spend $400,000 this fiscal year on legal expenses related to the ongoing litigation.

Local resident Leigh Gaasch said she would object to any settlement which suggests a property tax levy.

Public Arts Commission puts Tenney, sign project on hold

Elizabeth Tenney’s Mammoth Gateway Community Project met with what architect, Bruce Woodward, described as “the worst possible outcome” on Thursday, when the Public Arts Commission took no action and tabled the agenda item, in effect sending it to a sort of legal purgatory.

Tenney went before the Commission asking for a reconsideration of a January 2011 funding request, which was denied two months later. Since that time, however, certain aspects of both the project and the merits of the funding request have changed.

According to staff’s report, Tenney’s project, originally intended as a two-sided single sign for the side of Hwy 203 leaving Mammoth Lakes, has since “evolved” to two signs, one each on both the north and south side (one entrance, one exit) and has undergone some design changes. As a result, the cost has doubled to $548,500; Tenney’s request from the Commission was for $250,000.

Perhaps the biggest change, though, involves how the sign and its artistic component meet the Town’s Public Arts standards. As she described in her presentation, Tenney based her renewed request on a document adopted in June 2011, “TOML Public Art Plan: Policies and Criteria,” and outlined how, if it didn’t qualify before, the project does now conform to the new guidelines as set forth in the document.

In addition to citing the Town’s 2007 General Plan, which calls a gateway a “high priority action item,” her overview detailed how artist Larry Walker’s Gateway vision meets the six goals and design criteria, as set forth in the Public Art Plan: 1.) it’s a community benefit visually and economically, 2.) it’s representative of the community’s connection to the mountains (Walker’s artwork was inspired by Crystal Crag), 3.) it’s unique 4.) it’s located in the most public of places, in this case the entrance and exit to town 5.) it’s designed to last a century or more and 6.) the design, materials and installation will be of the highest quality.

“The goal … is to help kickstart the local economy,” Tenney said. “We need to announce that we’re open for business, we’re moving forward, that we’re not just surviving, we’re thriving.” Tenney called the Gateway project “an opportunity to leverage a partnership that doesn’t happen very often.”

The Gateway project, as she pointed out, has a broad mix of government and private sector involvement. In addition to private stakeholders who have contributed more than $50,000 in cash and pledges, the project has backing from U.S. Forest Service, Mammoth Community Water District (which is sponsoring the pocket park aspect), the Town of Mammoth Lakes and Mono County. The Administrative Office of the Courts has agreed to supply irrigation on its side of the Gateway, and developer Chuck Lande’s Chadmar Group and Mammoth Mountain Ski Area have both pledged in-kind support and materials.

Walker, a 40-year local who was raised as an artist, said the sign’s art comes “from the heart, from the peaks … from our history.” The Gateway, he said, belongs here. “It’s like it came up from out of the ground, not just a sign we threw up.”

As soon as her presentation stopped, however, the music stopped and Tenney found herself without a chair to sit in, as the Commission decided it “didn’t want to shortchange Ms. Tenney on time” and had “several questions” to ask of Tenney, Walker and Woodward to pursue the item at length. The Commission said it had a long afternoon of prioritizing other Public Arts projects and recommending dollar amounts out of its remaining Unencumbered Balance of $233,000. Those include trout sculptures at the Mammoth-Yosemite Airport, kinetic art at Mammoth Creek Park and public art at the Waterford Bridge multi-use path.

According to the staff report, the Commission already has an Encumbered Expense of $138,000 dedicated to the Janice Kabala-designed Gateway Entry Marker, which isn’t actually to be located anywhere near the town entrance. After the Forest Service rejected the marker, which the staff report redefined as being “impractical,” consensus of the Commission was that it would be located along Meridian Boulevard, adjacent to Trails End Park, just east of the Volcom Brothers Skatepark, which staff called “an important secondary gateway to the town.”

Tenney, along with Walker, Woodward and supporter Jim Smith of MMSA, were taken aback at the Commission’s decision to table the project and NOT, according to Chair Nick Holst, include it for prioritization along with the other projects. Holst said it will be brought back at the next Commission meeting, whether there’s any money to recommend for it or not at that point.

Mammoth Lakes is getting a new entrance this summer, a gateway worthy of a national park. The Mammoth Gateway Community Project started over coffee a year ago. Artist Larry Walker had thought about a gateway entrance to Mammoth since he arrived 40 years ago. Community organizer and long-time planning commissioner Elizabeth Tenney was ready for a sticks-in-the-ground project. Together they launched a community-wide effort.

Walker designed the rugged Gateway, inspired by Crystal Crag high above Lake Mary. Architect Bruce Woodward figured out how to build it. The Board of Supervisors agreed to the use of Mono County land for the south monument. U.S. Forest Service encouraged applying for a permit to build the north monument on Forest Service land. Mammoth Lakes Lions Club, which built the original “Welcome” monument sign, approved an even bigger replacement version. The Town waived fees and donated staff support. Engineering was donated. Mammoth Community Water District agreed to install and maintain a wildflower/native plant demonstration garden with pathways and bench east of the south monument. Adjacent California Superior Court will supply irrigation through its dedicated meter. And all this came together in nine months.

Essential to the Gateway Project’s success is generous in-kind support (labor, heavy equipment, metal fabrication, etc.) from Rusty Gregory and Mammoth Mountain and Snowcreek’s Chuck Lande. The Gateway is no small project. Its monuments are big because this is “Mammoth” and because it flanks 135-foot-wide Hwy 203.

Not covered by in-kind support though is a great quantity of granite block, yards of concrete and  specialized labor. Before construction can begin, $100,000 has to be raised to buy materials. $20,000 has already been raised and Gateway volunteer organizer Tenney has applied for a $25,000 grant from Measure R 2011 Fall Funding Cycle to help as well. Visit www.mammothgateway.org for to donate and to learn more. -ET

IMAGE COURTESY BRUCE WOODWARD

By Elizabeth Tenney

Let’s leave a proud legacy for Mammoth. Cast your vote for best arrival and departure statements for the Mammoth Gateway monument signs.

For those visitors not in the know, Elizabeth has spearheaded a project to build rather Rushmore-sized monuments to adorn either side of 395 as you enter/exit Mammoth.

As visitors arrive, they will see the winning arrival message on the north Gateway monument directly opposite the south monument’s “MAMMOTH LAKES” in oversize letters. Winning departure message will be on town side of south monument, visible after passing McDonalds. Town side of north monument remains blank. (Caltrans regs.)

From more than 100 entries, the Gateway Steering Committee chose the following based on length, suitability, timelessness, and not being already trademarked:

ARRIVAL MESSAGE:

1)   Welcome

2)   Gateway to the Heart of the High Sierra

3)   “The mountains are calling…” –John Muir

4)   Unofficial Sheet Selection: “Please Spend Lots of Money”

DEPARTURE MESSAGE:

A)   We will be known forever by the tracks we leave. — Native American Proverb

B)   Smile. You’ll be returning soon!

C)  “Going to the mountains is going home.” –John Muir / See you again soon.

D)  Unofficial Sheet Selection: “We Broke It, You Bought It!” -Mammoth Lakes Town Council

To vote, go to www.mammothgateway.org and click on “Gateway Contest.” At the bottom of “Contest” page, click on link, “Vote for your favorite arrival and departure statement.”

Voting closes midnight, Sunday, Nov. 27. Results announced in The Sheet Dec. 3 and earlier online at www.mammothgateway.org  or  www.thesheetnews.com. Winners receive a laser-inscribed brick paver honoring their important contribution to the Mammoth Gateway Community Project. Winners’ pavers will be placed first on the pathway in front of the south Gateway monument.

If you’re good at coming up with catchy phrases and you’d like to have your words etched into Mammoth’s history, you might want to consider entering the Mammoth Gateway Monument Message Contest. Elizabeth Tenney and the rest of the Gateway gang are looking for two catchy phrases. One for the entrance side of the monument and one for the departure side. According to www.mammothgateway.org, “The planned Mammoth Gateway is worthy of a national park entrance. It’s been designed to last 100 years and more, so the arrival message has to be timeless. In a few words, it sums up the very essence of Mammoth–both community and spectacular surroundings.  Suggestions [for the Welcome side] so far are simply ‘Welcome’ or ‘Welcome home’ or no message at all or ‘Pure Mountain Fun’ or ‘California’s Mountain Playground’ or ‘Life’s bigger here.’ or ‘Small town. Big fun.’”

You can also send in your ideas for the departure side of the monument, but you have to do it soon, the contest ends at midnight on Nov. 20.

Entries should be brief with words that genuinely represent Mammoth and will wear well over the decades. Send your entries to  mammothgateway@gmail.com. You can also follow the Mammoth Gateway Project on Facebook for updates on the contest and the project.

After the community submits message suggestions, the Project’s stakeholders will review all entries submitted 1) for appropriateness of message, 2) that it will fit on the sign and 3) that it’s not already trademarked.

The stakeholders group will narrow down the group of entries to the top choices for both arrival and departure messages, most likely the best three or four entries for each, and then the community will be able to vote on those top choices online. A link to the voting site will be posted at www.mammothgateway.org just prior to the start of the voting period. Authors of the arrival and departure messages that receive the most votes will win. Mammoth Lakes Town Council will then confirm.

Winners receive a three-line personal paver on the south monument pathway, acknowledging their contribution to the gateway project.

In addition to a Gateway Monument sign on the south side of Hwy 203 coming into the Town of Mammoth, local citizens are now also pressing to have a sign on the north side of the road as well.

“We need to do the north and the south together,” said Mammoth Lakes Tourism Executive Director John Urdi to the Town Council on Wednesday night. “Graceland doesn’t have one post on the side of the gate. It would make a nice bookend entrance.”

Elizabeth Tenney has been leading the charge on the south sign, and Jim Smith, VP of Real Estate for MMSA jumped in on Wednesday night and committed to fundraising until both signs can be built.

“The Town doesn’t have to pay anything, just throw in some staff time,” Smith pressed. “The north and the south are one in the same and are part of all the placemaking we’re trying to shoot for.

“Plus, Elizabeth has been an absolute bulldog about this project. Just help us out so she’ll stop calling,” he added, jokingly.

The north side sign would be on Forest Service land, so Council directed staff to file for a special use permit with the agency to get the ball rolling.

Since the design for the north sign is similar to the south, and the south side design has been completed, Wardlaw did not believe much staff time would be necessary to support the project. Council came to consensus to move forward with both sides.

Rendering by Larry Walker/Bruce Woodward

By Elizabeth Tenney

Join me in helping to create a memorable and permanent entrance gateway for Mammoth Lakes.

More than a sign, more than a new front door, we’re building a truly worthy entrance for Mammoth, the portal to an unparalleled natural treasure — the most accessible high country in the Eastern Sierra. The Gateway will announce to visitors we’re investing in our future up here.

The Neighborhood  District Planning effort, which shows where we as a community want to go, is complete. Our Zoning Code has been updated to match the new General Plan. Paint and polish are happening all over town. New wayfinding and messaging signage is in the works, and the volunteer/private/public partnership that is the Mammoth Gateway Community Project kicked off its fundraising campaign Sept. 1. Mammoth is moving forward.

The Gateway Project’s success depends on in-kind support and private funding through tax-deductible donations. While most support for the Gateway Project is in-kind (labor, heavy equipment, metal fabrication, etc), funds must be raised by March 31, 2012 to cover the cost of building materials including the quarried granite, cement block, concrete and lumber as well as some necessary specialized labor.

Gateway fundraising events are planned for this fall and winter. Other ways to donate are:

Direct Contribution 

During fundraising and construction, the Mammoth Gateway Community Project’s sponsor is Mammoth Community Foundation, the 501(c)3 non-profit arm of Mammoth Lakes Chamber of Commerce.  Checks for tax-deductible donations may be written to “Mammoth Community Foundation” with “Gateway” on the memo line. Send to: Elizabeth Tenney, Gateway Project organizer, P.O. Box 2428, Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546.

“Band of bronze” plaques

An important design element wrapping the bottom of the sign will be a grid of permanent cast bronze legacy plaques naming major donors.

Personal Pavers Pathway 

The path to the Gateway’s south monument will be paved with laser-engraved 4×8-inch brick pavers. Available for $175 each installed, pavers can recognize local businesses, sports teams, service clubs, special achievements, longtime residents, or second homeowners.  Pavers may also be inscribed in memory of family members, friends or beloved pets. See www.mammothgateway.org for details.

Host a “Gateway Dinner” 

Hosting dinners for friends is a fun way to contribute. Each guest’s “check” (minimum: $50/person) will be a tax-deductible donation to Mammoth Community Foundation for the Gateway Project.

For more information, contact Elizabeth Tenney at mammothgateway@gmail.com.

The Tenney vision (not to be confused with tunnel vision). RENDERING COURTESY LARRY WALKER

By Elizabeth Tenney

The Mammoth Gateway Community Project would provide a truly worthy entrance to this town and its spectacular surroundings, the most accessible high country in the Sierra.

Early Gateway Project supporter Steve Horman recently sent me some national park entrance photos from the Web. Forgive my bias, but the proposed Mammoth Gateway design has them all beat!

Imagine visitors turning off 395, headed for Mammoth. Shoulders relax. Frame of mind shifts in the clear alpine air. At last, they’re here. They’ve arrived at the gateway to Mammoth and likely will celebrate with a photo op in front of the handsome monument with Mammoth Mountain in the background. Images will be sent via social media with “wish you were here” messages to friends and family around the world. Thousands of Mammoth marketing moments and all free! What an economic shot in the arm for the entire East Side.

Juggling

Mammoth specializes in good volunteers, and they all qualify for advanced degrees in juggling now that I’ve seen what it takes to keep numerous balls in the air.

Working out the logistical and legal details of the Gateway Project with seven different government entities, one non-profit, and three private stakeholders has been more involved and complicated than I ever dreamed possible when I began the project last December. Construction industry friends tell me, “Welcome to the world of project development!”

Project doubled

Further complication, but a welcome one. In March, a better idea doubled the project’s size. When I asked for significant Mammoth Mountain support, CEO Rusty Gregory told me, “This is great, Elizabeth, but it’s not grand enough.” He suggested a monument like this on both sides.

More logistics

North of 203 is U.S. Forest Service land, another agency. Together with the Town, USFS is currently reassessing signage on Highway 203 with the goal of reducing visual clutter. Issuance of new sign permits on Forest Service land is suspended until a comprehensive sign strategy is developed.

Also, on the site where the north monument would be built is an existing entrance monument, built by Mammoth Lakes Lions Club ten years ago. It includes service organization and church logos. The Lions Club Board of Directors agreed last week to having their monument rebuilt either in place–bigger and better–or elsewhere, pending agreement on the appropriate location. Most critical to the Lions Club is that the logos remain on 203 and visible to our visitors.

Current status

Design work (Larry Walker), construction drawings (Bruce Woodward), engineering (Ashley & Vance Engineering, Inc.) and grading permit soil analysis (Sierra Geotechnical Services) have been donated for the south monument. It’s ready for permit application. The north monument’s conceptual design is nearing completion.

Snowcreek Resort’s Chuck Lande donated the estimating services of his two long-time project managers, Dan McGregor and Steve Fitts. They determined a “retail” construction cost $250,000 for the south monument. However, only about 20% of that amount will have to be raised for materials and some labor, because of the enthusiastic offers of help from locals and significant in-kind support.

After all materials are obtained and on site, it will take ten weeks to build the south monument. Before breaking ground, adequate funds have to be raised and contracts signed. My original goal, completing the south monument before next winter, was overly optimistic. However, barring any unanticipated calamities, building the entire Gateway Project –both sides—in summer 2012 will result in an even better outcome.

While the Gateway’s value is “priceless”, its completion will depend solely on in-kind support and private donations. Stay tuned.

Elizabeth Tenney is volunteer organizer of the Mammoth Gateway Project

Mammoth Lakes Town Council held a study session with the Public Arts Commission prior to its regular meeting on Wednesday night. At the session, PAC presented its draft “Public Art Plan: Policies and Criteria,” which will be used to guide those wishing to install public art in the Town of Mammoth.

As with anything surrounding art, subjectivity came into play when Elizabeth Tenney came back to Council with her Gateway Monument project later in the evening, again requesting that the Town waive permit fees.

According to the draft Art Plan, the first design criteria for the identification, selection and acceptance of public art is that the art tells a story about the community and its surroundings.

However, during the study session discussion, Mayor Skip Harvey specifically pointed out that the PAC should not overlook art that is just fun. “It shouldn’t always have to tell a story,” he said.

When it came to Tenney’s Gateway Monument, one of the things the Council had asked her to do when she first came before it on March 16 was to take the project to the PAC to see if the Public Art Fund should cover the cost of the fees, as well as support the other in-kind requests Tenney was asking of staff time and grading operations. The PAC has used Public Art Funding to commission another entrance sign further down Hwy 203, near U.S. 395.

According to the April 6 staff report, PAC “came to consensus not to recommend funding portions of the [Gateway Monument] project through the Public Art Fund.”

The group’s rationale for this included its determination that the Gateway Monument is not “uniquely designed” as required in the context of the Municipal Code. Additionally, the group stated that it did not want to fund a similar project to the one it is commissioning just down the road.

At Wednesday’s Council meeting, PAC Chair Nick Holst added that the Gateway Monument “did not tell a story,” as PAC was suggesting be a requirement of public art in its Public Art Plan presented during the study session. He claimed the sign further down on Hwy 203 that PAC is funding will have a story that will relate to the mining history of Mammoth. The Gateway project does seem to conform to all of the other design criteria in the plan; again, however, the requirements are left open to subjectivity.

The monument sign, which may or may not include a sculpture someday, (the cost is too prohibitive at this time) will be made from granite and according to Tenney will give Mammoth a sense of place. Tenney showed slides of different national park signs across the country where people had stopped to take a picture in front of the sign. She believes the Gateway Monument project will inspire visitors to do the same in Mammoth. Inspiring people to stop and take a picture is part of the uniqueness requirement in the Public Art Plan.

The other design criteria in the plan are that the project should be located in a truly public place (Gateway Monument will be at the entrance to town in front of the public courthouse); long lasting, and made of highest quality.

When asked whether or not she thought it was odd that PAC was using Public Art Fund money for a sign just down the road from her Gateway Monument, Tenney said “I have no comment on that.” She did however point out that her project was not initially put forward as a piece of art, but as an entrance sign.

The Town Council followed the Commission’s advice and voted to use General Fund money rather than the Public Art Funds to support Tenney’s in-kind requests, approving the waiver of $2,807 in permit fees. According to Tenney, Mammoth Mountain is also providing significant support to the project, as are many others such as designer Larry Walker and architect Bruce Woodward.

“Rusty was flabbergasted with how great the mountain looks at that angle,” gushed Tenney, who is looking for volunteer support throughout the community. For information on how you can join in with contributions of help, expertise and funds, please contact Elizabeth Tenney at 760.709.6969 or e10ney@npgcable.com  (Donations will be tax-deductible through the Mammoth Community Foundation.)

In other Council news …

The Mammoth Lakes Town Council approved the framework for the Sierra Valley Sites Neighborhood District Study with direction to staff to pay special attention to the area’s storm drainage issues and all mobility issues.

Council also approved a letter that will be sent to Mono County requesting the County follow its own consultant’s advice and completely deal with the inequitable amount that the Town is paying in solid waste fees versus the rest of the County. “The Town receives 40 percent of the service but pays 60 percent of the fees,” explained Town Manager Marianna Marysheva-Martinez. The County’s consultant stated that the County would need to add $500,000 to the budget each year to correct this inequity. The County is proposing to add $288,000. The letter encourages the Supervisors to bump up to the full $500,000 before they take a vote on the issue next week.