Mammoth Lakes, CA (June 15, 2007) - The ground breaking ceremony for student housing at the Mammoth Campus of Cerro Coso Community College took place today, June 15, 2007. Mammoth Lakes Foundation CEO, Evan Russell, welcomed the crowd and acknowledged the many partners that have made this project possible. Foundation board member and town manager, Rob Clark was present, as well as Dr. Mary Retterer, president of Cerro Coso Community College and Deanna Campbell, director of the Mammoth and Bishop campuses. Dave McCoy, the man whose inspirations led us to dream along with him, spoke with sincerity to the community assembled. In the college parking lot, as the sun shone, a champagne toast was raised to commemorate this milestone.
The much anticipated project has been in the planning stages since 1999. Dave and Roma McCoy took it a giant step forward when they gifted $3,000,000 to the Mammoth Lakes Foundation at the Friends of the Foundation dinner in December, 2005. This generous gift, combined with the efforts of the Foundation’s Board, diamond partners, and numerous other donors and volunteers has made the student housing a reality.
The first building is approximately 24,000 sq. ft. and will include 59 beds - 10 singles and 25 one bedroom apartments. The units will be fully furnished with private baths, convenience kitchens and televisions. There will be laundry facilities on each floor. An exercise/fitness room, outdoor BBQ and bocce court are all planned for the development. Cox Construction (also the contractor for the new fire station) is the contractor for the project which is anticipated to be completed by fall 2008.
The Mammoth Lakes Foundation and community partners are creating a campus community which enhances Mammoth Lakes as a vibrant place to live, learn, work and visit.
For additional information or to make a tax deductible donation, please contact the Foundation at (760) 934-3781 or log onto: Mammoth Lakes Foundation
Mammoth Hillside is in the process of getting the grading permit, which should be issued this summer. Their new partner on the project is Roger Staubach’s real estate development team, Cypress Equities, who will be controlling the project, owning the land and directing the development starting in June.
The project is still a Ritz, the difference will be that it will be Ritz Residences, not a condo-hotel product. As a result there are likely to be fewer “hotel room” suites and more villas. Those who made reservations will still receive first priority selection and preferred pricing, although the pricing is likely to go up a little bit due to construction cost increases.
Ritz-Carlton is very sensitive to making the formal announcement until everything is completed as having a Ritz Carlton in Mammoth is a big deal for the town and a big deal for Ritz’s Southern California clients.
More formal announcements will come later this summer once the grading permit is achieved.
Update from Christina Soloski, Mammoth Hillside - 6/6/2007
The Airport Project Team meets weekly and is advisory to the Town and MMSA. The airport project team is also intended to assure an open and transparent public process. Members of the team are: Rob Clark, Town Manager; Karen Johnston, Assistant Town Manager; Bill Manning, Airport and Transportation Director; Pam Murphy, MMSA; and John Walter, Advocates for Mammoth. The following is a report on the May activities of the Team.
EIS Status: The FAA is reviewing preliminary results of the noise analysis section of the EIS. This review is taking longer than expected because of the technical nature of the model and need to assure that it is highly accurate. The next step will be for the FAA to consult with the National Park Service. It is expected that these consultations will occur during the month of June. The EIS consultant will also be able to draft chapters of the EIS that are related to the noise analysis.
TSA Consultations: The team is working with TSA to address security needs both within the airport terminal and on the airport property in general. In addition, staffing options are under consideration to address the limited number of flights and remote location. TSA is expected to make a site visit during the month of June.
FAA Funding: The FAA has advised the Town that it will provide funding during the current year for the AWOS (automated weather observation system), replacement beacons, and engineering for runway resurfacing for a total of $450,000. They are giving high priority to fund a $6.8 million resurfacing project the following year. The project does not in anyway expand the runway or change its configuration. The pavement has exceeded its expected useful life and is becoming impractical to maintain. The project will provide a new lift of asphalt on the existing runway to provide an additional 20 years of useful life.
For more information on Mammoth Yosemit Airport, visit the Town of Mammoth CA Website at http://www.ci.mammoth-lakes.ca.us/airport/awos.htm
The Town Council will consider reducing the Development Impact Fees at their June 6 regular meeting at 6:00 p.m. in Suite Z. Kirk Stapp and Neil McCarroll were appointed by Council to meet with some members of the Development Community and staff to work out a possible temporary reduction in DIF to provide an incentive to “jump-start” development. Everyone felt that judiciously paced development has the opportunity to maintain the quality of life in Mammoth Lakes because it is only with development that Development Impact Fees get paid and capital projects get financed. Several options were considered but the one that is preferred is a temporary reduction in fees that would expire after development returns to an average pace. The reduction could take many forms so the Council will be discussing how to provide the reduction and to which land uses the reduction will apply.
For more info: http://www.ci.mammoth-lakes.ca.us/TMFridayupdates/Updates/2007/06-01-07.pdf