theSheetNews.com

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.

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.

Welcome to our … town ??? industrial park ??? What do you think? (Photo courtesy TOML)

The town’s new proposed welcome sign, has of late sparked a lot of water cooler and coffee house debate. As with most art, what you see in it depends on who you are and your point of view. Some see art, others see a monicker for an industrial park, and still others see only the dollar signs associated with its cost.

Take, for instance, the members of the Public Arts Commission, who all had slightly differing opinions on the Janice Kabala-designed piece that is the finalist to supplant the current welcome sign on Hwy 203 at the entrance to town. Town Council asked the commission to pull together public and commission opinion and make a recommendation as to whether it should go ahead, go back to the drawing board or be put on hold. Commissioners took up the subject during their Tuesday morning regular meeting.

At the outset, Commissioners Bea Beyer and Kendra Knight expressed reservations. Beyer had a problem with the overall design and, even though she came in late to the discussion and applauded the work done to this point, would have a problem supporting the expense of the project.

“I know I’m something of a lone voice, but the existing sign has not been defaced and seems to reflect well the spirit of the town,” Beyer stated.

“The new concept does sort of scream, ‘Irvine.’ If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Beyer said. “I’m really concerned with our throwaway society.”

She did, however, allow, “To be fair change involves risk.”

Price tag for removing the old sign, creating the new one and having it installed: $150,000. That’s where Knight said she was somewhat torn. “Early on, it was different and cost much less, around $50,000 was what we estimated the initial cost to be.” Chair Noelle Deinken pointed out that there was no real, hard and fast initial cost, but took her point that in any event it’s now higher.

“On the other hand, art is a form of communication and won’t necessarily communicate with everyone the same way,” Knight added. “It’s modern art, which by definition is ahead of its time.”

Since the process started, she added, the commission has been “confronted by the public on numerous occasions and weighed a lot of factors.” The new sign proposal was, Deinken related, one part of the Town’s branding study that was started about two years ago.

Commissioner Nick Holst surmised, and Town Senior Planner Sandra Moberly confirmed, that the additional cost was due to a certain amount of permitting and the estimated costs of removing the current sign and its footer, and installing the new welcome sign. Moberly said those figures weren’t included as part of the original sign’s cost, but would have to be included as part of any new sign, no matter what it was. She did, however, say the numbers pushing the cost that high are “very conservative” and that staff “expects it will probably be less.”

Deinken said she thought the sign was elegant. “It shows that Mammoth is with the times, and riding the wave of the future,” she commented.

Kabala, defending the merits of her work, said the sign was designed with rustic colors, recalling the area’s mining history, which she said we are bound to, like it or not. “There’s no sign like it anywhere in the world, including Irvine,” Kabala said. “It’s truly one of a kind.”

During public comment, Elizabeth Tenney said she approved of having art as a welcome sign, but had reservations. In a down economy, she said, it was important to “keep Mammoth up to snuff.”

“We need to give visitors a sense of warmth along with that welcome, and the sign’s concrete doesn’t convey that,” she opined. “It also doesn’t show the ‘best of Mammoth’.”

“It’s interesting, a well designed piece of sculpture, but not it,” she concluded.

Alan Blumer said he thinks the sign should include more elements associated with the town, such as more wood and stone, and be more representative of the Town’s stated “Village in the Trees” objective. “[The new concept] looks like something you’d see in a business park.”

Justin Everson wasn’t so hard on the concept. “My initial response was, ‘It’s a name tag.’ It’s hard to ‘get’ until you see the colors and textures. It’s not the same old thing.”

Holst agreed, indicating that the sign, which features letters lit from the inside and metal rosettes to catch and throw outside light, breaks with the tradition of aligning Mammoth with U.S. 395.

“Making a seamless transition from 395 to town isn’t practical or necessary,” he stated. “Doing that in itself would seem manufactured.”

“You [the Public Arts Commission and Kabala] have labored long and hard on this sign and I support it,” said Mayor Neil McCarroll said. “My term ends on June 8 and I would like to see something done by then.”

“I wanted to see something not homogeneous,” remarked Commissioner Michael Bornfeld. “Parts of the town are almost cookie-cutter, Disney-esque in terms of colors and sameness. This new sign adds some spice, some freshness.”

Sara Pfeiffer said she thought it might be better to try to blend some old with the new. “People have strong ties with the past they knew and grew up with,” she posited. “Integrate materials that speak to the recent past.”

Councilmember Skip Harvey wasn’t as critical of the piece itself as he was the whole new sign effort. “Our focus right now should be to enhance our guests experience in town, a la what Trail of the Trout did,” Harvey said. “I think it’s more important to have smaller displays of art throughout town versus one big sign.”

Moberly said that installation of the new sign would have to go out for public bidding, which Beyer pointed out could be problematic for local contrators, who are often outbid by outside companies. Kabala said, however, that if she has her way, the metal work for the sign will be done by a local artist. The concrete work, however, may have to come from out of state. Kabala said there are only two companies in the country that do the kind of work that incorporates integrated fiber-optic lighting.

The Commission voted 4-1 (with Beyer abstaining) to move the new sign plan to its next (and presumably final) step, recommend Kabala’s concept as is to Council for funding.

The concept renderings and color/texture samples for public viewing in the Town offices on the second floor of the Minaret Mall above Giovanni’s.