The $250,000 from the public arts fund does not make up the entire budget for the project which exceeds $500,000.

I have heard similar comments regarding the lack of artist participation in the sign, and I assume that this is part of what effected the Public Arts Commission members decisions to resign.

Your observations regarding parking, traffic impacts, and snow removal are all very interesting and have not yet been raised, to my knowledge; however, the permitting process through the Forest Service requires a period of public comment, at which time these issues may arise along with other issues including the size of the signs, materials, etc. I do agree with your comment that it should be more of an “interpretative” experience… but with our long winters, perhaps that was overlooked.

Last night at the regular Town Council meeting, it was announced that groundbreaking should take place early in July.

We’ll see.

Mammoth Lakes deserves more than just a “Gateway experience” with a big city price tag. I’m not confident that people would even be able to read a sign like that after several feet of snow fall around it. Will snow removal be part of the project? As far as it appearing in souvenir photos, access and parking near the sign must be considered. Will traffic be impacted? Is there adequate space for visitors to safely pull over?

Lastly, people have to WANT to take their pictures in front of this gateway. If this is going to happen, maybe it would be better to allocate the Public Art Fund money to acquire art to install to make the gateway more of an interpretive experience. If it were me, I would stand behind the sign, use the mountains as the background for my photo, and simply ‘tag’ Mammoth Lakes as my location. The amount of ‘free’ marketing opportunities that will arise from this gateway project have been grossly overestimated in my opinion.