BOXED LUNCH
Breaking down the week in order of personal entertainment value …
My favorite moment of the week was Mammoth’s Council debating the draft recruitment letter for a new Town Manager.
Dan Holler, who celebrated his tenth anniversary in the post this week, is retiring next March.
The recruitment letter is replete with adjectives.
“The next Town Manager will be a visionary leader who is profoundly entrepreneurial and approaches all issues with a creative, inventive and ‘out of the box’ mindset.”
Excuse me while I go hurl …
Aside: If everyone approaches all issues with an ‘out of the box’ mindset, then doesn’t ‘out of the box’ kind of become ‘inside the box’ by default?
I mean, if everyone declares himself to be an agnostic, then being agnostic would become the de facto religion of choice. Which would then make Christianity ‘out of the box’ thinking. The circle is endless …
Aside #2: Would it not be considered oxymoronic for a “profoundly entrepreneurial” person to want to go work for the government?
Anyway … Wentworth said he had a problem with the recruitment letter because the verbiage used implies Council doesn’t really know what it’s doing, and he insisted the current Council is a strong one which simply needs a new Manager who can “fit in” and help push/realize the vision.
Wentworth also had an issue with various grammatical errors in the document. To wit: “The successful candidate will be a dynamic, hands-on on [sic] manager who is as comfortable negotiating with corporate business leaders as they are filling sandbags.”
Aside #3: I hope the Manager isn’t too hands-on. That might get us into trouble – see Tracy Fuller.
But then, Councilman Sauser somewhat disagreed, referring to outgoing Manager Holler as a “visionary.”
Whomever we get will cost between $191,000-$230,000 (not including benefits, perks, et. al.)
Makes you wonder why anyone would want to be an actual entrepreneur if you could just take this job and say you were.
Dennis Domaille called regarding last week’s front page story on the county housing issue. In particular, he laughed at the part where Supervisor Bob Gardner told The Sheet’s cub reporter Milender to do her homework.
Domaille suggested Gardner do his homework instead. He said his project at the Mobil Mart (rejected by the board) allowed for thirty workforce units to be built at the outset, with remainder of the units to be completed once the foundation for the hotel had been poured.
“The funny thing is, they reject my project,” said Domaille, “and then hire a housing consultant to identify parcels upon which housing can be built – and my property isn’t even included!”
Domaille also recalled Supervisor Rhonda Duggan saying she voted his project down because she couldn’t figure out how his project benefited Lee Vining.
From our December 10, 2022 issue. The headline: MLT IS SPARTAN/Spartan Race World Championships will bring a projected $5.5 million into the local economy.
The lead: While Mammoth Lakes Tourism as an organization doesn’t come across as thrifty or spartan, it’s committed to bringing Spartan to town.
Spartan Race, that is.
But as the saying goes, you’ve got to spend money to make money.
At MLT’s monthly board meeting … Marketing and Events Manager Dakota Snider announced that MLT will ink a deal to bring a Spartan Race to Mammoth starting October, 2023.
“So don’t shut down your business the first two weeks of October!” he exclaimed.
Spartan Race is an obstacle course event of varying distances, and Snider said Spartan wishes to hold its world championships in Mammoth.
Best part of hosting this event – “weather is not an issue for people who love to suffer,” added Snider.
The event is expected to draw at least 7,000 domestic and 2,000 international attendees, and book approximately 20,000 room nights over the four-day event.
Projected economic impact to the Town of Mammoth Lakes: $5.5 million
The cost to play for MLT; a five-year contract with Spartan guaranteeing the company $450,000/year.
MLT Board member John Morris said the event would increase October TOT revenue by 50% if the visitation projections proved accurate.
Fast forward to this weekend. The OCR (Obstacle Course Race) World Championships will indeed be here in Mammoth.
OCR was officially bought by Spartan last month.
According to obstacleracingmedia.com, “Last November, the two companies announced a collaboration to co-market and co-produce the once-a-year event.
Over the past ten months, collaboration has transformed into acquisition.
“Adrian Bijanada and his partners first put on the event, which came to be known as OCRWC in 2014 in Ohio. It has become one of the most beloved events in the industry. Many obstacle racers planned their entire year around it. It was known for several things including attracting the best obstacle racers from around the world, being one of the first to insist on mandatory obstacle completion, being one of the first to have drug testing, having an entire championship weekend of race distances, and a festival-like atmosphere from start to finish … “
Problem is, from November to September, it doesn’t seem like the co-production/co-marketing occurred.
Lunch visited spartan.com this week. The event simply doesn’t exist on the site. Despite an admonition stating, “Make sure to bookmark this page, because we’ll be adding new races and new information.”
Randomly quizzed Dawn Vereuck as to what the big event is this weekend in Mammoth. Her guesses as follows:
-“Steve Searles book signing?”
-“The ice rink is opening?”
-“Rusty is coming out of retirement?”
-“Wait. This is a trick question. It’s in Bishop. Ice Ice Baby and Color Me Badd.”
She then explained that she tends to ignore the MLT marketing emails because they’ve removed the year-over-year occupancy comps.
She dutifully went to her computer and opened this week’s missive. The OCR was mentioned. As well as projected occupancy of 32.3% on Thursday, 43.4% on Friday, 41.1% on Saturday.
That and some Forest Service permitting issues (USFS didn’t finalize permits until last month) and a lack of accessibility (no shoulder season air service) has hampered marketing and attendance – at least for this year.
I randomly quizzed Dawn Vereuck as to what the big event is this weekend in Mammoth. Her guesses as follows:
-“Steve Searles book signing?”
-“The ice rink is opening?”
-“Rusty is coming out of retirement?”
-“Wait. This is a trick question. It’s in Bishop. Ice Ice Baby and Color Me Badd!”
I finally spilled the beans. Obstacle Course Race World Championship.
She then explained that she tends to ignore the MLT marketing emails because they’ve removed the year-over-year occupancy comps.
That said, she dutifully went to her computer and opened this week’s marketing missive. The OCR was mentioned. As well as projected occupancy of 32.3% on Thursday, 43.4% on Friday, 41.1% on Saturday.
I imagine MLT was hoping for better numbers given it signed a five-year deal with OCR/Spartan and agreed to pay the event sponsor $450,000/year.
But next year should be better. MLT Executive Director John Urdi said a deal will be in place to fly charters from Hawthorne-Mammoth during the long weekend to improve accessibility.
He also noted that altitude acclimation will bring athletes into town earlier and for longer stays.
Libby Joyce
Despite logistical obstacles, 15-year-old racing prodigy Libby Joyce is set to compete in the OCR World Championships this weekend. She is registered to compete in the 3K, 15K, and the team race, in which she is the youngest member competing in the women’s pro division.
Our reporter Koetz caught up with her at Mammoth Mountain on Thursday.
Joyce is the only athlete here from the UK this week and hopes to represent her home country well.
“I am most excited for the 15K, that’s more my distance,” Libby said, adding she would probably do a longer race if they offered it.
“I started racing at age 8,” Libby said. Her mother described obstacle racing as her daughters dream sport. Libby agreed. She explained that her mother used to run ultras, and got into obstacle course racing just one year before Libby tried it out for herself.
“I just started going out with [my mom] running longer and longer distances.”
Now, at age 15, Libby has competed across the world stage. Libby and her mom flew internationally into San Francisco airport, and made the drive through Yosemite National Park to get to Mammoth.
“It was a really nice drive,” Libby said.
The events begin early Friday. Libby is especially excited for the rig, or hanging obstacles, racers will encounter on the course. She explained that she’s done some of the obstacles before, but some will be new and she will have to figure out how to get through them.
We asked Libby’s mom whether or not the smoke from the prescribed burns was impacting the athletes at Main Lodge. She said the weather has seemed fine and they are all set for Friday’s events.
And from Milender’s desk …
At the Mammoth Lakes Tourism Board meeting this past Wednesday, the big ticket item on the agenda was the annual review of Executive Director, John Urdi, and the subsequent bonus and salary recommendations for his position, as issued by the Ad Hoc Review Committee.
The recommendations are based off a few evaluation metrics.
Because the MLT Board praised Urdi’s performance insofar as the TBID renewal process was concerned, he maxed out his bonus eligibility, and will receive a payout of $9,867.25, based on TBID comparisons, alone. The Board’s overall evaluation of its director was strong. The committee recommended a 95% eligibility payout of $6,249.26. Where Urdi suffered most in the evaluation was his reviews from the staff, averaging a score of 7.3 on a 10 point scale. There, he’ll receive 50% of the eligible bonus—still a $3,289.08 payout.
A 3% salary increase was recommended. The highest salary increase eligible for Urdi’s position is 5%.
Urdi reflected on the outcomes, stating “There’s a lot of PTSD on our team … it was an incredibly difficult year.” Referencing the evaluations from his staff, Urdi said, “I am disappointed, myself, with some of the review.”
Board member Bill Sauser, who represents Town Council on the board, was also critical.
Sauser had issue with how bonuses are recommended and distributed.
“I understand the need to pay well, someone in John’s position. We have to compete with other organizations,” offered Sauser. “But this organization has to start looking at how it’s observed out in the community.”
Urdi pushed back at Sauser’s suggestion that Mammoth Lakes Tourism is a bloated organization, arguing that counterpart organizations across the state often have higher staffing rates.
“Attacks on me?” said Urdi, “I could care less. But the attacks on this organization are unfounded …[We’re] fairly lean and mean—maybe too lean and mean,” said Urdi.
Once the motion was put forth to approve the bonus recommendations as presented, all board members approved. Except one. Guess who.
It seems that Sauser didn’t buy the lean, mean, fighting machine rhetoric.
“This is tough. No personal malice—this organization does a great job,” said Sauser. “I have supported, since my youth, the marketing of this town. There’s just something that isn’t feeling right.”
Sauser voted against, but not without the promise of a consolation prize.
“I will buy you a drink, John. Better yet, it will cost me less—just come over to my house for a drink.”
