Mammoth Lakes Tourism Board

Minutes of Regular Meeting

Wednesday, January 05, 2022 at 1:00 P.m. - 3:30 P.m.

437 Old Mammoth Road, Suite Z, Mammoth Lakes

Members Present:

• Chair Jeremy Goico,
• Vice Chair Pat Foster,
• Treasurer John Morris,
• Board Member Eric Clark,
• Board Member John Mendel,
• Board Member Larry Crabb,
• Board Member Deb Radcliff,
• and Board Member Bill Sauser

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1.

CALL TO ORDER

Chair Jeremy Goico called the meeting to order at 1:01 p.m. in the Council Chambers located at 437 Old Mammoth Road. Members of the Board attended the meeting via videoconference. 

2.

ASSEMBLY BILL 361 (AB 361) FINDINGS

2.1

Approve Resolution to allow for virtual Board meetings to continue during the Covid-19 pandemic declared emergency

Chair Jeremy Goico announced the item.

Town of Mammoth Lakes Assistant Clerk Angela Plaisted explained why this item was being presented separate from the Consent Agenda this month.

• Resolution:
  Moved by Board Member Bill Sauser
  Seconded by Board Member John Mendel

  Approve Resolution to allow for virtual board meetings to continue during the Covid-19 pandemic declared emergency.

  For (8)

  Chair Jeremy Goico, Vice Chair Pat Foster, Treasurer John Morris, Board Member Eric Clark, Board Member John Mendel, Board Member Larry Crabb, Board Member Deb Radcliff, and Board Member Bill Sauser

  Carried (8 to 0)

3.

BOARD MEMBER REPORTS

Treasurer John Morris reported that interviews for the Lodging Representative seat on the Board would be held this month and said that he would bring the Lodging Association's nomination to the February 2nd meeting. Mr. Morris gave an update on the number of people leaving the hospitality industry and said that his focus, and his plan for the Lodging Association's focus, for the rest of winter would be on taking care of staff by working on wages, bonuses and perks such as gift cards, free Personal Time Off (PTO) days and other incentives in addition to trying to reduce stress. He reported that Snowcreek had added blocks between stays to allow staff more time to do their job properly and with less pressure. Mr. Morris said that he refused to steal staff from other lodging companies in Town and reiterated the fact that the Town needed more housing.

Vice Chair Pat Foster agreed with Mr. Morris with regard to caring for staff members and reported that he faced the same staffing challenges in addition to challenges related to the recent amount of snow. Mr. Foster welcomed new Board Member Bill Sauser.

Board Member Deb Radcliff agreed with Mr. Morris and said that she would connect with members of the Restaurant Association to discuss perks such as bonuses and ski passes.

Board Member Larry Crabb spoke about the amount of recent snowfall and narrowing of the roads, and asked if there had been a study done in the past to subsidize bus service to reduce traffic in Town.

Board Member Bill Sauser said that Town staff did a great job over the holidays especially given the fact that they were short several people and said that he had helped several locals get their cars out of the snow and encouraged everyone to use chains when necessary.  Mr. Sauser  said that there used to be bus service to and from Southern California and if it was financially viable it could happen again. He spoke about housing frustrations related to the amount of time it took for approvals and construction to start and gave an update on the Joaquin property. Mr. Sauser gave a COVID update and reported that Mono County had the worst numbers in the State. 

Chair Jeremy Goico discussed challenges that COVID had caused for his business over the holidays and suggested that local businesses encourage their employees to get boosted. Chair Goico said that he had raised prices, created a three-day minimum and went to a reservation only program which helped operations at his business to be more manageable. 

Executive Director John Urdi announced that there was a Vaccination Clinic scheduled to be held on Friday from 2:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. at Mammoth High School. Mr. Urdi reported that nationally, boosters had been approved for ages 12-15, however, Mono County worked off State rules which had not approved that age group yet, so no boosters would be available for that group unless they went to Vons or Rite Aid.

There was discussion between Executive Director John Urdi and members of the Board.

4.

PUBLIC COMMENTS

There were no comments given at this time.

5.

CONSENT AGENDA

• Resolution:
  Moved by Treasurer John Morris
  Seconded by Board Member John Mendel

  Approve the Consent Agenda.

  For (8)

  Chair Jeremy Goico, Vice Chair Pat Foster, Treasurer John Morris, Board Member Eric Clark, Board Member John Mendel, Board Member Larry Crabb, Board Member Deb Radcliff, and Board Member Bill Sauser

  Carried (8 to 0)

5.1

Approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting of December 1, 2021

6.

POLICY MATTERS

6.1

Welcome Town of Mammoth Lakes (TOML) Town Councilmember Bill Sauser to the MLT Board of Directors

Chair Jeremy Goico welcomed new Board Member Bill Sauser to the Board and thanked former Board Member Lynda Salcido for her service.

There was discussion among members of the Board.

6.2

Appointment of new Board Secretary to replace outgoing Board Member Jess Karell

Board nomination, discussion, and VOTE to approve new Board Secretary. Incoming Secretary will serve out remainder of Jess Karell’s one-year term through June 2022. Secretary can be any member of the Board regardless of tenure. Please refer to Article V Responsibilities of Officers section 5.04 in the Bylaws for details.

Chair Jeremy Goico discussed the duties and remaining term of the vacant Secretary position on the Board and asked for nominations.

Treasurer John Morris nominated Board Member John Mendel for the position.

There was discussion between Executive Director John Urdi and members of the Board.  

• Resolution:
  Moved by Treasurer John Morris
  Seconded by Chair Jeremy Goico

  Appoint Board Member John Mendel as the Mammoth Lakes Tourism Board Secretary to finish out former Secretary Jess Karell's term which would end in June 2022.

  For (8)

  Chair Jeremy Goico, Vice Chair Pat Foster, Treasurer John Morris, Board Member Eric Clark, Board Member John Mendel, Board Member Larry Crabb, Board Member Deb Radcliff, and Board Member Bill Sauser

  Carried (8 to 0)

6.3

Board and Staff Ethics Training – Wednesday, January 19, 2022 - 9:00-11:00am

Chair Jeremey Goico reminded members of the Board that TOML Town Attorney Andy Morris would hold a virtual Ethics training on January 19th at 9:00 a.m. 

TOML Assistant Clerk Angela Plaisted provided additional information about the training.

There was discussion between Executive Director John Urdi, Ms. Plaisted, and member of the Board. 

6.4

MLT Joint Meeting with Town Council – Set for January 26, 2022, at 4:00pm

First of our ongoing quarterly meetings with the Town Council focused on MLT’s scope of services, funding discussions and planning for the 2022-23 fiscal year.

Chair Jeremy Goico announced that the first quarterly joint meeting between MLT and the Town Council was scheduled to be held on January 26th at 4:00 p.m.

Executive Director Urdi said that the meeting would be MLT's opportunity to discuss their Scope of Services with the Town Council and to ensure that everyone was on the same page. Mr. Urdi said that he hoped to set a date for the next quarterly meeting at that time.

There was discussion between Mr. Urdi and members of the Board.

6.5

MLT High Altitude Training Crib Update – Lara Kaylor 

Director of Communications Lara Kaylor gave an update on the athletes scheduled to utilize the Crib and outlined the information in the MLT High Altitude Training Crib presentation. Ms. Kaylor also presented a video featuring two time Olympic Marathoner Desiree Linden training in Mammoth for the Boston Marathon. https://youtu.be/k9sXHdddZNo

Mammoth Track Club (MTC) Coach Andrew Kastor spoke about his background over the past twenty years with the MTC and said that they had partnered with TOML and MLT, and thanked both for their support. Mr. Kastor said the Crib had been helpful for MTC athletes over the years and that he had received positive feedback from those that had utilized it. He discussed the current COVID protocols for the athletes. Mr. Kastor said that he had been the head coach for over eight years and reported that in 2021 MTC had three athletes, Nico Montanez, Grace Barnett and Reid Buchanan, that had ranked in the top ten in the Nation in their events. He also discussed recruiting efforts and housing challenges the athletes faced.

Executive Director John Urdi thanked Mr. Kastor and Deena Kastor for their volunteer efforts at the food bank and the vaccine clinics.

There was discussion between Mr. Kastor, Mr. Urdi and members of the Board.

6.6

Official Visitor Guide Revision and Update - Presentation of adjustments made to the Official Mammoth Lakes Visitor Guide to be more environmentally friendly and to drive visitation to www.VisitMammoth.com 

Digital files can be viewed at https://bluetoad.com/publication/?i=732643

Executive Director John Urdi announced that Senior Content Manager Meghan Miranda had been offered a great opportunity to work with Outside Publications and would leave MLT at the end of next week, and thanked her for her efforts while on the MLT Team.

Ms. Miranda outlined the information in the digital version of the updated 2022 Official Visitor Guide and discussed the desire to move to a more environmentally friendly paper for the print version this year, however, due to supply shortages they were unable to get what they wanted and would pursue it again in the future.

There was discussion between staff and members of the Board.

6.7

Approve the audited Mammoth Lakes Tourism Fiscal Year 2020-21 Financials

MLT staff recently completed our annual financial audit with accounting firm Eide-Bailly out of Reno, NV. As part of our planning calendar with TOML, the financial audit is due to TOML in January of each year.

Executive Director John Urdi reported that the audited Mammoth Lakes Tourism Fiscal Year 2020-21 Financials were ready to be submitted to the Town upon approval by the Board.

There was discussion between Mr. Urdi and members of the Board.

• Resolution:
  Moved by Board Member John Mendel
  Seconded by Treasurer John Morris

  Approve the audited Mammoth Lakes Tourism Fiscal Year 2020-21 Financials.

  For (8)

  Board Member Bill Sauser, Treasurer John Morris, Chair Jeremy Goico, Board Member Eric Clark, Vice Chair Pat Foster, Board Member John Mendel, Board Member Larry Crabb, and Board Member Deb Radcliff

  Carried (8 to 0)

6.8

Air Service Update

Update on air service start-up and booking pace for both Mammoth Yosemite Airport (MMH) and the Eastern Sierra Regional Airport (BIH a.k.a. Bishop Airport) plus a recap of the December 19^th “First Flight” celebration at Eastern Sierra Regional Airport in Bishop.  Recap of the challenging weather week of the holidays as well as the announcement of summer service to MMH with Advanced Airlines.

Executive Director John Urdi gave an update on air service and spoke about the First Flight Celebration in November at Mammoth Yosemite Airport (MMH) and the First Flight Celebration at the Eastern Sierra Regional Airport (BIH) in December. Mr. Urdi discussed the success of commercial flights landing in Bishop rather than Mammoth during the recent storm. He spoke about the road closures and thanked Vice Chair Pat Foster and his staff for their help coordinating taxis and shuttles during the storm, and the lack of available rooms for people in Bishop while Highway 395 was closed. Mr. Urdi said that members of the air service working group had spoken to staff at the Tri-City Fairgrounds about potentially setting something up there in the future if roads were closed and there were no rooms available since they have heated space, kitchens and other facilities.

Board Member Pat Foster thanked the local taxi companies for their efforts during the storm, Board Member Eric Clark for having Mammoth Mountain Ski Area (MMSA) send a bus to the airport to assist with transportation, Advanced Airlines for being flexible with their service and the BIH crew for their assistance.

Board Member Eric Clark acknowledged the efforts of all involved during the storm and noted that it showed the proof of concept that BIH was reliable and a positive option for commercial flights.

There was discussion between Mr. Urdi and members of the Board.

6.9

Financial Reports - Receive an update regarding the financial health of Mammoth Lakes Tourism and the results of the previous month for Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT), Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) and current account balances.

Request for three member TBID appeal panel for a retail business.

Executive Director John Urdi outlined the information in the Financial Reports and noted a correction to the November TOT information and stated that it had come in 40% above last year's record, not 18%. Mr. Urdi said that he did not have the TBID numbers until this afternoon and reported that November TBID came in at $423,960 which was 132% over budget and brought the total TBID year to date to $536,000 ahead of estimates.

There was discussion between Mr. Urdi and members of the Board.

7.

DEPARTMENT UPDATES - A brief recap of past, current, and future efforts of each department. – 5 minutes each

7.1

International Sales

This report was tabled until the next meeting.

7.2

Communications

Director of Communications Lara Kaylor gave an update on recent public relations activities.

There was discussion between Ms. Kaylor and members of the Board.

7.3

Marketing

This report was tabled until the next meeting.

7.4

Digital Marketing

Senior Content Marketing Manager Meghan Miranda gave an update on recent website activity.

There was discussion between Ms. Miranda and members of the Board.

7.5

Special Events

Special Events Manager Dakota Snider gave an update on recent special events activity and COVID. Mr. Snider announced that the 2022 Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain would start this weekend and reported that the Special Events Forum scheduled for January 26th had been postponed due to COVID. He said that the Special Events Funding Committee would meet next week and additional information would be available after that. He said that there was a new poster and brochure that went out and that a second set would be sent out with updated dates. Mr. Snider said that the Winter Trails Challenge would start on February 1st and would run through February 28th and said that he was looking for businesses to sponsor the event, and announced that the Town had accepted the application for the Digital Sign Monument on the Footloose corner. He said that Elevation Mammoth Gay Ski Week and the Mammoth Film Festival would take place in the Spring.

There was discussion between Mr. Snider and members of the Board.

7.6

Local Marketing

Local Marketing Manager Rebecca Davison gave an update on recent marketing activities. Ms. Davison reported that the Yiftee Mammoth Lakes Gift Card Buy One Get One (BOGO) offer was a success and said that the MMSA retail stores would be joining the Yiftee Program. She said that she was able to get a new banner to use as a filler at the Footloose corner.

There was discussion between Ms. Davison and members of the Board.

7.7

Social Media

Social Media Coordinator Sarah Wallock gave an update on marketing events and activities.

There was discussion between Ms. Wallock  and members of the Board.

8.

OTHER STANDING UPDATES

8.1

Mammoth Resorts Update - Eric Clark 5 minutes

Board Member Eric Clark gave an update on Mammoth Mountains Ski Area (MMSA) events and activities. Mr. Clark reported that all businesses had reopened since the storms and said that Moon Bikes would be available toward the Spring. He spoke about several avalanches that had occurred during the recent storms, and the frustrations guests had voiced regarding closures due to weather conditions. He said that the upcoming 2022 Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain would include some nighttime activities and gave an outline of the schedule of events including the announcement of the U.S. Olympic Team Nomination Ceremony. Mr. Clark announced that the Full Moon Tours at Tamarack would take place January 14-17th, the HomeLight U.S. Revolution (Rev) Tour would be later in the month, Early Ups was scheduled for January 23rd and Après Ski would take place mid-Jan if COVID lets up.

There was discussion between Mr. Clark and members of the Board. 

8.2

Mammoth Lakes Chamber of Commerce Update - Jeremy Goico 5 minutes

Chair Jeremy Goico gave an update on recent Chamber events and activities. Chair Goico announced that there was a Power Lunch scheduled to be held on January 18th at Roberto's, however, he said that it may be changed to a virtual meeting due to COVID. He said that the Chamber was going to introduce text alerts to its members and said that the next Chamber Board meeting would be held next week.

There was discussion between Mr. Goico and members of the Board.

8.3

Town Council Update - Bill Sauser 5 minutes

Board Member Bill Sauser gave an update on recent Town Council events and activities. Mr. Sauser thanked Town Administrative Staff that had gone out with a Four-wheel drive (4WD) to assist people that were stuck in the snow during the recent storm. 

There was discussion between Ms. Salcido and members of the Board.

9.

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting was adjourned at 3:06 p.m. to the next regular meeting scheduled to be held on February 2, 2022.