Mammoth Lakes Tourism Board

Minutes of Regular Meeting

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437 Old Mammoth Road, Suite Z, Mammoth Lakes
Members Present:
  • Chair Jeremy Goico, 
  • Vice Chair Pat Foster, 
  • Secretary John Mendel, 
  • Board Member Eric Clark, 
  • Board Member Deb Radcliff, 
  • and Board Member Bill Sauser 
Members Absent:
  • Treasurer John Morris 
  • and Board Member Darlene Magner 

1.
CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL

 

Board Member Eric Clark will attend the meeting remotely from the following address:  The lobby of the St. Regis, 29 Tanglin Road, Singapore 249711.

Chair Jeremy Goico called the meeting to order at 1:04 p.m. in the Council Chambers located at 437 Old Mammoth Road.

Board Member Eric Clark attended the meeting remotely from the following address:  The lobby of the St. Regis, 29 Tanglin Road, Singapore 249711.

2.
BOARD MEMBER REPORTS

 

Board Member Deb Radcliff said that she was excited for the upcoming Feel Good Festival.

Chair Jeremy Goico announced that this was his last meeting serving on the MLT Board. He thanked MLT staff and members of the Board for all they had accomplished over the past few years and spoke about many of their accomplishments and contributions to our community. Chair Goico also announced that he would step down from his position on the Mammoth Lakes Chamber of Commerce Board and thanked Chamber Executive Director Ken Brengle for all the organization had done for the Town, and said that he would run for Town Council at some point in the future.

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

3.
PUBLIC COMMENTS

 

Public Comments may be sent via email to the Town of Mammoth Lakes Assistant Clerk before or during the meeting at [email protected] or may be made via Zoom or in person during the meeting in Suite Z. All comments will be limited to a speaking time of three minutes.

Sandy Hogan said that she would miss Chair Jeremy Goico on the MLT Board. Ms. Hogan gave an update on the Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (YARTS) and announced that they had been awarded approximately $500k from a Section 5311 Caltrans Grant for operating funds, and spoke about the importance of the service YARTS provided.

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

4.
CONSENT AGENDA

 
  • Moved bySecretary John Mendel
    Seconded byBoard Member Bill Sauser

    Approve the Consent Agenda.

    For (6)Chair Jeremy Goico, Vice Chair Pat Foster, Secretary John Mendel, Board Member Eric Clark, Board Member Deb Radcliff, and Board Member Bill Sauser
    Absent (2)Treasurer John Morris, and Board Member Darlene Magner
    Carried (6 to 0)

5.
POLICY MATTERS

 

5.1
MLT Board Seat Nominations Update

 

The Mammoth Lakes Chamber of Commerce (MLCC) has appointed Jess Karell to their standing seat. The Nominating Committee is still meeting with potential candidates and a slate of nominations should be presented at the July meeting for approval.

Executive Director John Urdi announced that the Chamber had appointed Jess Karell as their new representative on the MLT Board, reported that the Nominating Committee was still working on potential candidates for the open At Large and Restaurant seats, and thanked Board Member Deb Radcliff for her time on the Board. Mr. Urdi said there had been conversations around moving back to a seven member Board, and that option may be discussed at a later date.

5.2
TBID Renewal Update - Report on TBID renewal process and Resolution of Formation June 14, 2023

 

Executive Director John Urdi reported that the Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) Resolution of Formation would be presented at the June 14th Town Council meeting and spoke about the importance of the TBID.

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

5.3
Budget and Strategic Plan Presentation

This item has attachments. 
1.Attachment 5.3.1 - FY 2023-24 DRAFT TBID Budget.pdf
2.Attachment 5.3.2 - FY 2023-24 DRAFT Measure A Budget (ALL).pdf
3.Attachment 5.3.3 - FY 2023-24 DRAFT Strategic Plan.pdf
4.Attachment 5.3.4 - YOYOY Budget Comparison.pdf

Presentation from staff on budget and strategic plans for FY 2023-24. Board discussion and vote to approve budget and plans contingent on final town council funding recommendations and TBID renewal.

Executive Director John Urdi, Director of Marketing Brian Wright, Marketing Manager Emily Bryant, Director of Content, Communications and Domestic Public Relations Lara Kaylor, Senior Manager of Marketing and Events Dakota Snider, and Director of Sales and International Marketing Michael Vanderhurst outlined the information in the Fiscal Year 2023/24 Strategic Plan presentation.

Mr. Urdi announced that Mammoth would host the Spartan Obstacle Course Race (OCR) Event October 5-9, 2023 which could bring an additional twelve thousand visitors. 

SPEAKING FROM THE FLOOR:

Chamber Executive Director Ken Brengle spoke about the number of letters and petitions in favor of a potential ten year TBID renewal versus the number of letters submitted in opposition.

Board Member Deb Radcliff left the meeting at 3:04 p.m.

There was discussion between staff, Mr. Brengle and members of the Board.

  • Moved byChair Jeremy Goico
    Seconded bySecretary John Mendel

    Conditionally approve the budget as presented by Mr. Urdi and staff, subject to final budget decisions by Town Council that would be known in July.

    For (6)Chair Jeremy Goico, Vice Chair Pat Foster, Secretary John Mendel, Board Member Eric Clark, Board Member Deb Radcliff, and Board Member Bill Sauser
    Absent (2)Treasurer John Morris, and Board Member Darlene Magner
    Carried (6 to 0)

5.4
Financial Reports

This item has attachments. 
1.Attachment 5.4.1 - MLT Financial Report 6-7-23.pdf
2.Attachment 5.4.2 - TOT thru April 2023.pdf
3.Attachment 5.4.3 - TBID thru April 2023.pdf

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

Executive Director John Urdi outlined the information in the Financial Reports.

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

5.5
Contract Renewals

 

MLT contract renewal with TOML and MLT Executive Director will be on our July agenda as Town Council will discuss the MLT contract at their June 21st meeting.

Executive Director John Urdi reported that the term of the MLT Contract with the Town would expire on June 21, 2023 and said that he would like support at the June 21st Town Council meeting. Mr. Urid said that his contract with MLT would expire on June 30, 2023 and reported that the Executive Director Performance Review Committee was working on it.

5.6
MLT Staffing Update - Executive Director update on staffing

 

Executive Direct John Urdi reported that Senior Manager of Marketing and Events Dakota Snider would be leaving MLT to take on new opportunities, and said that Director of Marketing Brian Wright would be moving on as well. Additionally, Mr. Urdi announced that Director of Content Communication and Public Relations Lara Kaylor would be on maternity leave July 1st through October 23rd, and said that MLT was looking to fill the part-time Public Relations Coordinator person as soon as possible to cover Ms. Kaylor's duties while she was out, and discussed staffing goals and restructuring of the Marketing Department moving forward. He said that MLT may need to temporarily convert the Crib to an employee housing unit in order to house a potential new employee until they could secure housing.

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

5.7
Board Discussion Regarding Possible Rescheduling of the July 5th Regular Meeting

 

Executive Director John Urdi discussed potentially moving the July 5th Board meeting to July 10th.

There was discussion between Mr. Urdi, Assistant Clerk Angela Plaisted and members of the Board.

6.
DEPARTMENT UPDATES

 

Department Updates were tabled until the July meeting.

6.1
International Sales

 

Receive an update on international efforts from Director of Sales and International Marketing Michael Vanderhurst. 

6.2
Communications

 

Receive an update on communications activities from Director of Content, Communications and Public Relations Lara Kaylor. 

6.3
Marketing

 

Receive an update on marketing activities from Director of Marketing Brian Wright.

6.4
Special Events, Content and Social Media

 

Receive an update regarding special events, content and social media from Senior Manager of Marketing and Events Dakota Snider.

6.5
Local Marketing

 

Receive an update regarding local marketing efforts from Marketing Manager Emily Bryant. 

7.
OTHER STANDING UPDATES

 

7.1
Mammoth Resorts Update - Eric Clark

 

Brief update on Mammoth Mountain news, activity, and operations.

Board Member Eric Clark thanked MLT staff for the well designed Strategic Plan, and congratulated and thanked Senior Manager of Marketing and Events Dakota Snider and Director of Marketing Brian Wright for their hard work and accomplishments during their employment with MLT. Mr. Clark thanked Chair Jeremy Goico for his service and volunteerism in the community. He said that the opening date for mountain biking at the Mountain was unsure at this time and said that the Sierra Star Golf Course should open on June 16th. He announced that the Summer Sunset Party would take place on July 2nd, The Village Celebration would take place on July 3rd and the fireworks at Crowley Lake would take place on July 4th.

7.2
Mammoth Lakes Chamber of Commerce Update - Jeremy Goico 

 

Brief update on Mammoth Lakes Chamber of Commerce news, activity, and operations.

Chair Jeremy Goico reported that the nonprofit Chamber Members happy hour last night was a success. Mr. Goico announced that the Town of Mammoth Lakes Business Recovery Program and Grant Applications closed today at midnight, the Small Business Administration (SBA) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) deadlines for physical damage were extended until July 20th, the 4th of July Parade registration deadline was June 20th. He said that the 4th of July VIP party would be sponsored by Limelight, Sierra Nevada Resort and U.S. Foods, and would take place between 10:30 a.m-1:30 p.m., and said that tickets were available on the Chamber's website.

7.3
Town Council Update - Bill Sauser 

 

Brief update on Town Council news, activity, and operations.

Board Member Bill Sauser reported that the League of California Cities Desert Mountain Division recently held their conference in Mammoth, and spoke about Senate Bill 584 and the negative affects it would have on our community if it passed. Mr. Sauser said that there was an item on tonight's Town Council agenda which would propose that the Town purchase a lot to build additional affordable housing units. He spoke about his disappointment with some local members of the business community with regard to the TBID renewal, and his desire to have a member of the business community appointed to the Town Council in the future.

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

8.
CLOSED SESSION

 

There was no Closed Session held.

9.
ANNOUNCEMENT OF ACTION TAKEN IN CLOSED SESSION

 

10.
ADJOURNMENT

 

The next regular meeting is scheduled to be held on Wednesday, July 5, 2023. 

The meeting was adjourned at 3:23 p.m.

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