Letters to the Editor
Know your rights on propane taxes
Dear Editor,
I contacted Eastern Sierra Propane last Friday to inquire about their services in Mammoth. The phone was answered by a very pleasant and helpful woman who gave me the rundown of costs and explained the process to switch. I was most intrigued by the fact they do not charge State Sales Tax or any additional fees for that matter. She further explained that if propane is one’s primary heat source, you qualify for a tax exemption.
I immediately hung up and called Amerigas. The person was less helpful and seemingly had no knowledge of this exemption and she suggested I find it and get it to them. I explained my frustration in having been charged a tax for years that should have been waived. This fell on deaf ears.
The following Monday I received a phone call from Brian at Eastern Sierra Propane. He was following up from my inquiry the previous Friday. As it turns out, one of my neighbors was scheduled to switch companies the very next day and he said he could switch mine out at the same time. After recovering from the initial shock of the prompt follow up and service, I jumped online and filled out the application which included the LPG Sales Tax Exemption form. When I emailed my application, I made note that my concrete slab was severely cracked and assumed I would have to have that replaced prior to setting my new tank.
Tuesday morning, as promised, Brian and his crew were at my house with a brand spanking new shiny white tank with a lovely blue cap along with a new slab. WOW. I am so impressed with Eastern Sierra Propane.
And pooh pooh to the 2010 Town Council which voted to approve the sale of Turner Propane to Amerigas creating a virtual monopoly. Now it’s time to contact the Public Utilities Commission.
Dawn Vereuck
Mammoth Lakes
A different take on the numbers
Dear Editor:
The July 5 article in The Sheet “Different Points of View, New Mammoth Council gets off to a BAD start” did a nice job summarizing the discussion of the issue at Town Council, BUT the last paragraph might lead to confusion.
The implication was that only 12% of Viewpoint homeowners opposed the proposed Benefit Assessment District for Viewpoint Condominiums and the Mammoth View Project. Several local Mammoth residents, as well as Viewpoint HOA members, commented and asked for clarification. The following is the actual vote tally announced by Town Clerk Jamie Gray:
56 ballots mailed
27 ballots received
9 ballots in favor
18 in opposition
66% of Viewpoint homeowners were in opposition. However, since the Mammoth View developer holds 2/3 of the vote due to the way benefit assessment points were allocated (which Viewpoint challenged), the formal vote resulted in only 12% of the required majority. Even if Viewpoint voted as a block against the district formation, this would result in only 33% of the required majority. As Dave Harvey independently pointed out at the meeting, there are commercial properties using Mountain Blvd and many private homes benefiting from Alpine Circle and Mountain Blvd improvements, but they are not part of the district so also have no voice in the future.
Viewpoint requested Town Council to either readjust the boundaries of this district to what they were during initial discussions (Viewpoint and Summit area of Mammoth View) OR include others that actually get special benefit from this district. Members of Town Council “appeared amenable” to this but when the lawyer for the town indicated this would require amending the Engineer’s Report again and a re-vote (thus missing the deadline to place the new assessments on upcoming property tax bills), they were not willing to do so.
Viewpoint will have only 1/3 vote as a result of the addition of Mammoth View hotel and townhouses at the lower level (Mountain Blvd and Alpine Circle area) that do not use Viewpoint Road or the requested emergency access resulting in future decisions being biased toward Mammoth View desires. Viewpoint would like to proactively participate in the final design maturation process. Since there will be a yearly re-assessment, Viewpoint is hopeful that town staff and if necessary, Town Council, will be respectful of Viewpoint desires.
Andy Ott
Mammoth Lakes
Shame on Kirk, Jack
Dear Jack,
I understand the OP/ED is an opportunity for someone to give their opinion, but the part I don’t appreciate, is when the facts the opinion is based on are so skewed as to be ridiculous and inflammatory.
It is so discouraging that Mr. Stapp started his July 12 piece acting as if he was following the Supreme Court decision, when he obviously wasn’t. What happened to responsible journalism?
It used to be, someone who had the power of the pen would research and present the facts and then add their opinion. Sadly, Kirk Stapp is more interested in his own opinion than any facts. It’s no wonder people wander around spouting off ignorant comments.
Kirk Stapp’s ignorance is appalling. The first sentence in his second paragraph, that starts with “in other words” might as well say ‘I’m going to present this based on zero research and give you my opinion so you can go out and act like you are informed due to reading my column’.
The Supreme Court decision is for every person with religious beliefs and it in no way allows companies to “refuse to cover contraception for women in their health plans” (that is a blatant lie). The ruling allows companies to refuse to cover FOUR of the TWENTY available drugs and contraceptive devices. Let me say that again in case you missed it Kirk, Four of the TWENTY that are available. The reason Hobby Lobby and other Christian organizations don’t want to pay for those 4 is due to the fact that they are ABORTIFACIENTS (you know, abortion?) NOT CONTRACEPTION!! It doesn’t have anything to do with refusing contraception for women. Hobby Lobby’s employees still have access via their insurance to 16 other contraceptive options. Let me repeat Kirk – in case you missed it: they still have coverage for 16 contraceptive options; this obviously puts your whole premise in the toilet. If they want one of the four that aren’t covered they need to get it themselves (what a concept; I at one time had an IUD – I just paid for it! Like my all of my other personal care items! If I wanted my insurance to cover it I would get insurance that covers it).
There are many other things in your rambling, incoherent, blathering article that don’t make sense or follow any pattern of educated, researched reasoning. The second point I will take issue with is your stupid comment about a “religious sword” that somehow will trump other beliefs. This also is completely false and is diametrically opposed to the actual facts of the ruling.
The ruling protects ALL religions (you mentioned Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Satanism) from being forced to pay for something that is patently against their sincerely held religious beliefs. Not just Christians!
Talk about ignorant and misleading. The Religious Freedom Restoration Act protects all religions, not just Christianity. You may remember; this concept is one of the things that makes America great? There is not a single major religion that you mentioned (except Satanism, which you may know more about than I) that believes in abortion, so this ruling will protect all of them from having to pay for something they don’t believe in. Another example would be a Muslim Cab Driver being allowed to refuse service to someone who is drunk, or has a dog with them which apparently is against their religious beliefs.
There are so many egregious, erroneous claims in your article I am embarrassed for you. For instance what does Viagra and Vasectomy have to do with Abortion?
It is sad that you are allowed to have space in the paper for the unsuspecting public to treat as an informed source for an opinion.
Shame on you Kirk, and you Jack. You owe an apology to your readers.
Kathleen Snow
Fallbrook
Ormat/MCWD conflict
Dear Editor,
There is a serious and ongoing conflict between the Mammoth Community Water District (MCWD) and Ormat Technologies, but after reading the June 21 article in The Sheet, I suspect many in town think there really isn’t a problem, period. Well I wish it were just that easy. So let me start off with this simple statement, ”the MCWD and its Board of Directors duty is to provide you with a reliable and safe water supply, while Ormat Technologies is here to make money.”
Ormat has submitted a plan to greatly expand their production of geothermal fluids in order to expand their electricity production at their expanded plant, which they then sell to SCE.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) along with the US Forest Service has approved this project and if it were not for the efforts of the MCWD and Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District, this expansion would be underway.
Ormat in its statement printed in The Sheet makes statements which are less than accurate, actually most of the quoted statement is at odds with the facts. The MCWD has spent over $300,000 thus far in an effort to persuade the BLM, USFS, and Ormat to agree to a program that would provide specific monitoring and mitigation measures to safeguard our fresh water supply. No such plan is presently in place, nor has there been any agreement to provide such measures.
Our ability to effect changes to the already approved plan, which includes no monitoring efforts is extremely limited. We have had to resort to legal efforts and public pressure to attempt to amend this approved expansion. Fortunately the GBUAPCD has to date withheld its approval of the expansion plan while we continue our efforts to work out such a plan with Ormat.
Make no mistake, Ormat with the approvals in hand, would be moving ahead and drilling up to sixteen new deep geothermal wells around Shady Rest Recreational area and down basalt canyon then connecting them together with an aboveground maze of pipelines to move the superhot fluids to their plant. This would be accomplished without responding to the concerns expressed by MCWD, the town of Mammoth Lakes, The friends of the Inyo National Forest, and the GBUAPCD.
Gordon Alper, Director
Mammoth Community Water Dist.
Editor’s note: The latest news story on the Casa Diablo project appears this week story “Feinstein expresses doubts about Casa Diablo IV.”
Lionhearted
Dear Editor:
Mammoth Lakes Lions Club members would like to thank locals and guests who helped make our annual July 4th Pancake Breakfast a great success.
A special thanks to Blizzard Management, at the Mammoth Mall, for permitting the Lions to continue having the breakfast at its traditional location. To the other businesses within the mall, thank you for accommodating the event during your business hours.
The Lions Club expresses its gratitude to Chart House Restaurant, Farmer Bros., Mammoth Disposal, Sysco, Amerigas, Chuck Villar Construction and the Mammoth High School Cheerleaders for the many services all of you provided so generously.
The Pancake Breakfast is one of the many projects the Lions Club has each year. The participation, donations and assistance received make it possible for our Club to continue funding a number of High School scholarships and also enable our Club to provide donations to many people and organizations who ask for help throughout the year.
Your support also allows the Mammoth Lakes Lions Club to provide eye exams and glasses to families in need via the Lions Club International Sight First program.
Thanks again to all.
Mammoth Lakes Lions Club
