It only took Planning Commission Chair Tony Barrett one instance of having to pull out of a driveway onto Old Mammoth Road in the Old Mammoth district for him to see (or not, as the case may be), how bad residents there have it while trying to get into traffic around massive snow berms. Barrett told his fellow commissioners he found the berms alarmingly hazardous. “If you’re pulling out of a driveway or road, you have to put your car out pretty far into the street. On either side, you’re having to look around snow banks of 15- to 20-feet high or more,” Barrett said.

OMR locals have recently groused about speeding through the area. Barrett said he found the signage to be inconsistent. “I thought the speed limit was changed to 25, but some signs say 35,” he pointed out. Heading away from town, the speed limit changes to 40 past Mammoth Creek Park until just past St. Joseph’s Church, in front of SAC, at which point it’s posted 25.

This may be about snow storage, but “it’s not a small issue,” Barrett stated. Commissioner Rhonda Duggan suggested it may end up becoming a snow removal issue. Commissioner Elizabeth Tenney, who has a home in Old Mammoth, agreed, “It’s very dense out there.”

Barrett asked for the topic to be agendized for further exploration. “With all the new development [in Old Mammoth], it’s something we should look at,” he added.