Letters to the Editor

Hazard applauds ESUSD

Dear Board Members and Staff:

I am grateful for the opportunity to write this letter of appreciation to the board members of the Eastern Sierra Unified School District, Superintendent Don Clark, and your staff. I would request this letter be read aloud at your next meeting so that it could be incorporated into the record.

While each of you have experienced personal and professional stresses from the budget challenges and endured public criticism and attacks, you have made a great effort to reach out to our communities. You have sought out ways to find the best solutions to a budget problem that doesn’t have any good answers.

I have been afforded the time and patience of your board to speak for my communities and more specifically the High Desert Academy. Your ability to find a solution to keep this small, but vital school open is a credit to your understanding of the issues facing my district’s citizens. Thank you for your exceptional efforts.

Duane “Hap” Hazard
Mono County Supervisor, District 2
Town sends Cleanup Day thanks

Dear Editor:

Another successful Town Cleanup Day was held on Saturday, June 5. Blue skies and warm weather created a positive vibe, which carried over to the community picnic at Mammoth Creek Park. Several changes were implemented this year, focusing more effort on cleaning up our town and reflecting the fact that the level of resources utilized in previous years was not sustainable. I appreciate everyone’s cooperation and patience with the new procedures. As a result, approximately 73 tons of litter, refuse, pine needles and slash were picked up, representing a 40% drop from last year’s record of 123 tons. Thank you all for using the orange trash bags this year — more than 7,000 trash bags were distributed to the community!

I’d like to thank the support of our many businesses, non-profit organizations, and volunteers, including:
All the volunteers and citizens who picked up trash and cleaned up their properties!
The TCUP Day Organizing Committee: Paul Oster, Tony Fryer, Stuart Brown and Pamela Stayden.
All of our area coordinators: Sandy Hogan, Dawn Vereuck, Mark Deeds, Matthew Lehman, Disabled Sports Eastern Sierra, Leigh Gaasch, Jonathon Sebrandt, Alan Blumer, CERT, Tony Barrett, John Eastman, Larry Johnston, Dick Baggett, Wendy Sugimura, Roy Moyer and Sharon Clark.
Brian Robinette and the Sierra Conservation Project for helping pick up recyclable materials and pine needles.
Mammoth Lakes Lions Club for keeping Hwy 203 clean in the weeks preceding Cleanup Day.
Mammoth High School honor students.
The Sheet for donating advertising space in its publication.
The Chamber of Commerce and business community for the HUGE amount of raffle prizes!
Our generous and delicious food and beverage providers: Mammoth Brewing Company, who brought root beer for thirsty volunteers; Mammoth restaurants Angels and Giovanni’s, as well as VONS Bakery for feeding the hungry helpers. And Sue Ebersold for those delicious cupcakes!
Brian Knowles and Eastern Sierra Audio for donating the sound equipment for the picnic festivities and raffle. Debbie Bailey and Stuart Brown for MCing the lunch picnic and raffle. And Lava Moon, which provided the musical entertainment.
Mammoth Disposal General Manager Michelle Erwin and her staff. The entire crew was at the transfer station on Saturday collecting drop offs of bulky items free of charge, and then worked hard picking up all those orange trash bags the following week.
Mono County Board of Supervisors for waiving the tipping fees at the Benton Crossing Landfill. The County waives the fees every year … it is truly appreciated! And the Forest Service and Mammoth Fire Department for organizing the concurrent chipping event at the Transfer Station.
Town of Mammoth Lakes staff Peter and Kathleen Bernasconi, Pam Kobylarz, Jen Daughtery, Steve Speidel, Noreen Wilbur, Robin Picken, and the Parks & Recreation crew for all their help. Special thanks to former Town employees Jeff Mitchell and Steve Mercer for helping out as well.
If you have slash/tree limb piles on your property, call the Fire Department to make chipping arrangements at your property. They also have free coupons to bring these materials down to the Benton Crossing Landfill free of charge. If anyone has suggestions on how we can continue improving this significant community event, don’t hesitate to contact me at 760.934.8989, ext. 266.

Michael Grossblatt
Town of Mammoth Lakes