Parking lot to nowhere?

A picture on the front page of The Sheet last week raised the question, “Why are they spending money on a useless parking lot?” Maybe if it was near the Village …

Plenty of well-paid employees of the Town of Mammoth Lakes and the Forest Service, a few in matching jackets, found time on a Wednesday afternoon to go to the ribbon cutting for the new lot on Sherwin Creek Road.

People don’t stick around here long enough to remember, but the public agreed to the lot back in 2009, part of the Sherwin Area Recreation Plan (SHARP). Town Manager Dan Holler said the plan had been on the table for years, but the stars aligned this fall, allowing for quick work well below budget.

The estimated $160,000-$200,000 project cost less than $100,000, all paid for by the Town. Spiess Construction and its equipment were already here reconstructing Sherwin Creek Road this summer, and the contract was amended to include the new lot, Holler explained, so no bid was required. At the same time, the Forest Service had a pile of road grindings it needed to get rid of and gave it to the Town at no cost. National Environmental Protection Act reports and a Forest Service Use Permit were ready and no additional environmental reports were needed at the already disturbed site.

The lot was Phase One of SHARP, which also calls for five to seven new trails for both winter and summer use in the Sherwin area. For more information about SHARP, go to ca-mammothlakes.civicplus.com/documentcenter/view/575, or to townofmammothlakes.com and search for “SHARP.”

It sounds like a good idea, but I haven’t seen too many people out at the propane tanks doing much but letting their dogs out to pinch a loaf. Speaking of which, did you see the picture on the front page of The Sheet last week?