Mammoth Lakes Tourism Board

Minutes of Regular Meeting

Wednesday, July 07, 2021 at 1:00 P.m. - 4:00 P.m.

437 Old Mammoth Road, Suite Z, Mammoth Lakes

Members Present:

• Chair John Morris,
• Vice Chair Jeremy Goico,
• Board Member Lynda Salcido,
• Board Member Eric Clark,
• Board Member Jess Karell,
• Board Member Pat Foster,
• Board Member John Mendel,
• and Board Member Larry Crabb

Members Absent:

• Secretary Michael Ledesma

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1.

CALL TO ORDER

Chair John Morris called the meeting to order at 1:03 p.m. in the Council Chamber at 437 Old Mammoth Road, Mammoth Lakes, CA. Board Members Lynda Salcido and Larry Crabb attended the meeting via videoconference. 

2.

BOARD MEMBER REPORTS

Vice Chair Jeremy Goico reported on behalf of the Mammoth Lakes Chamber of Commerce (the Chamber) that the 4th of July parade was a success and said that the Chamber had received a lot of positive feedback. Mr. Goico said that he was happy to see that events had started back up in Mammoth.

Board Member Jess Karell reported that the 4th of July parade was a success. Ms. Karell said that Sierra Nevada Resort had worked with the Chamber at the VIP Beer Booth and said that they had sold 150 tickets and that it was a great day.

Board Member Pat Foster welcomed Larry Crabb to the Board. Mr. Foster said that it was nice to have events going on again and said that Mammoth Motocross was a huge success. He reported that Airport Road was brand new, included bikes lines and was really nice. He said that half of the General Aviation (GA) ramp at the airport would be torn out next week and that a new half ramp would come in this winter. He said that he anticipated a rough fire year and that there had already been a lot of fire activity in the area. Mr. Foster reported that there were aviation industry-wide challenges due to a shortage of fuel and truck drivers which had caused delivery issues for some of the large companies in our region.

Board Member John Mendel said that he was happy that he did not hear any illegal fireworks in his neighborhood this year.

Chair John Morris reported that things were getting back to normal regarding lodging and that there were some variations in the way that different companies were handling length of stays, back to back stays and pricing. Chair Morris said that the Lodging Association was working with the lodging groups in Town with regard to trying to control the number of visitors in Town during peak periods in order to protect our environment, maintain a good quality of life for our residents, and to create a positive guest experience. He reported that although not all lodging companies had sold out over the 4th of July weekend business was good and guests were happy. He said that he had returned from vacation yesterday and had noticed that in both Colorado and Utah, he had seen a lot of responsible recreation messaging along the roads as well as in the hotels he had stayed in. Chair Morris reported that this was his last meeting as Chair and thanked everyone on the Board for all they had done.  

3.

PUBLIC COMMENTS

There were no comments given at this time.

4.

CONSENT AGENDA

• Resolution:
  Moved by Board Member John Mendel
  Seconded by Board Member Jess Karell

  Approve the Consent Agenda

  For (8)	Chair John Morris, Vice Chair Jeremy Goico, Board Member Larry Crabb, Board Member John Mendel, Board Member Pat Foster, Board Member Jess Karell, Board Member Eric Clark, and Board Member Lynda Salcido
  Absent (1)	Secretary Michael Ledesma

  Carried (8 to 0)

4.1

Approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting of June 2, 2021

5.

POLICY MATTERS

5.1

Presentation – Sustainable Recreation and Tourism Initiative - John Wentworth

John Wentworth spoke about the Eastern Sierra Sustainable Recreation Partnership (ESSRP) and the Sustainable Recreation and Tourism Initiative (SRTI) and outlined the information in the SRTI PowerPoint presentation.

Mr. Wentworth announced that United States Forest Service (USFS) Pacific Southwest Regional Forester Randy Moore had been named as the Chief of the USFS effective the end of July.

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

5.2

Welcome New Board Member Larry Crab

Chair John Morris welcomed new Board Member Larry Crabb to the Board.

Board Member Crabb said that it was on honor to be appointed to the Board and gave background information about himself.

There was discussion among members of the Board.

5.3

MLT Board Executive Committee Selections– John Morris

Chair John Morris discussed the process required for selecting new Executive Officers and announced that he had completed his maximum two-year term as the Chair.

There was discussion among members of the Board.

• Resolution:
  Moved by Vice Chair Jeremy Goico
  Seconded by Board Member Pat Foster

  Appoint Board Member Jeremy Goico to the position of Chair of the Mammoth Lakes Tourism Board.

  For (8)	Chair John Morris, Vice Chair Jeremy Goico, Board Member Lynda Salcido, Board Member Eric Clark, Board Member Jess Karell, Board Member Pat Foster, Board Member John Mendel, and Board Member Larry Crabb
  Absent (1)	Secretary Michael Ledesma

  Carried (8 to 0)
• Resolution:
  Moved by Board Member Pat Foster
  Seconded by Vice Chair Jeremy Goico

  Appoint Board Member Pat Foster to the position of Vice Chair of the Mammoth Lakes Tourism Board.

  For (8)	Chair John Morris, Vice Chair Jeremy Goico, Board Member Lynda Salcido, Board Member Eric Clark, Board Member Jess Karell, Board Member Pat Foster, Board Member John Mendel, and Board Member Larry Crabb
  Absent (1)	Secretary Michael Ledesma

  Carried (8 to 0)
• Resolution:
  Moved by Chair John Morris
  Seconded by Board Member John Mendel

  Appoint Board Member John Morris to the position of Treasurer of the Mammoth Lakes Tourism Board.

  For (8)	Board Member Larry Crabb, Board Member Lynda Salcido, Chair John Morris, Vice Chair Jeremy Goico, Board Member Eric Clark, Board Member Jess Karell, Board Member Pat Foster, and Board Member John Mendel
  Absent (1)	Secretary Michael Ledesma

  Carried (8 to 0)
• Resolution:
  Moved by Chair John Morris
  Seconded by Vice Chair Jeremy Goico

  Appoint Board Member Jess Karell to the position of Secretary of the Mammoth Lakes Tourism Board.

  For (8)	Chair John Morris, Vice Chair Jeremy Goico, Board Member Lynda Salcido, Board Member Eric Clark, Board Member Jess Karell, Board Member Pat Foster, Board Member John Mendel, and Board Member Larry Crabb
  Absent (1)	Secretary Michael Ledesma

  Carried (8 to 0)

5.4

Marketing Presentation – Meghan Miranda, Molly Horner & Dakota Snider

Senior Content Marketing Manager Meghan Miranda, Local Marketing Manager Molly Horner & Digital Marketing Coordinator/Special Events Manager Dakota Snider outlined the information in the Marketing Update PowerPoint Presentation.

Ms. Miranda announced that Ms. Horner would be leaving MLT.

Mr. Snider played an audio clip of MLT's Don't Be a Bleephole marketing piece.

There was discussion between staff and members of the Board.

5.5

Budget Discussion – John Morris

Treasurer John Morris spoke about an email that he and Executive Director John Urdi had received from Town Manager Dan Holler regarding a potential reduction of $334k to the Measure A Funds that the Town had previously said would be allocated toward MLT's 2021/22 Fiscal Year Budget. Mr. Morris voiced his concerns about the process and late timing of the notification regarding this proposed change to MLT's contract with the Town and said that he and Mr. Urdi would make a public comment at today's Town Council meeting. 

Mr. Holler spoke about the email he had sent to Mr. Morris and Mr. Urdi regarding the proposed reduction to the Measure A Funds to be allocated to MLT for the 2021/22 Fiscal Year and the basis for the potential change. He discussed other aspects of MLT's contract which would be discussed at the July 21st Town Council meeting.

Board Member Lynda Salcido gave her thoughts on the proposed change to MLT's contract from her perspective as a member of both the Board and the Town Council.

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

5.6

Financial Reports - John Urdi

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

5.7

Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) Appeal Panel Request

Chair Jeremy Goico requested that three Board Members volunteer to assist with an ad hoc TBID appeal for a retail business. 

Vice Chair Pat Foster, Secretary Jess Karell and Board Member John Mendel agreed to participate on the appeals panel. 

 

6.

DEPARTMENT UPDATES

6.1

International Sales

Director of Sales and International Marketing Michael Vanderhurst gave an update on international sales activities. Mr. Vanderhurst reported that some international travel had opened up and spoke about international vaccination rates. He reported that the United States Government was under a great deal of pressure to open our borders to fully vaccinated travelers by the 15th.

Board Member Lynda Salcido left the meeting at 3:01 p.m.

6.2

Communications

Director of Communications Lara Kaylor gave an update on recent public relations activities. Ms. Kaylor reported that the New York Times and NBC Palm Springs had both recently published pieces about Mammoth Lakes and responsible recreation. She said that MLT's current focus was on fall and summer educational messaging.

6.3

Digital Marketing

This item was combined with Item 5.4.

6.4

Local Marketing

This item was combined with Item 5.4.

6.5

Social Media/Events

This item was combined with Item 5.4.

7.

OTHER STANDING UPDATES

7.1

Mammoth Resorts Update - Eric Clark 5 minutes

Board Member Eric Clark reported that the Mammoth Motocross event was a success and said that he was proud of the team and the hard work that went into creating the event. Mr. Clark thanked the community for their support.

7.2

Mammoth Lakes Chamber of Commerce Update - Jeremy Goico 5 minutes

Chair Jeremy Goico reported that the Mammoth Lakes Chamber of Commerce held their strategy session last month, said that they were recruiting for their Workforce Housing Coordinator position, and said that he felt there was a need in the community for a Workforce Housing Director to coordinate the activities of the various housing organizations in our community. He said that the Chamber would work on the job description and funding for the Workforce Housing Director position. 

7.3

Town Council Update - Lynda Salcido 5 minutes

There was no Town Council update given.

 

8.

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting was adjourned at 3:11 p.m.to the next regular meeting scheduled to be held on August 4, 2021.