Stakeholders are set to meet Wednesday to discuss issues related to the soon to be created Destination Marketing Organization for Mammoth Lakes.

The Town is currently in the process of turning the Tourism portion of the Tourism and Recreation Department over to a non-profit Destination Marketing Organization. The recreation portion is set to remain with the Town. How to ensure a smooth transition to the new organization, and details about who will be responsible for what are on the agenda at the meeting Wednesday.

Town Manager Rob Clark explained that the marketing and sales portion of the Tourism and Recreation Department, along with the operation of the Mammoth Welcome Center, is set to be handled by the new Destination Marketing Organization. Parks, sports leagues, and classes will stay with the town. The non-profit Mammoth Lake Trails and Public Access is expected to take on the trails program.

One issue that has yet to be formally resolved is how to spend the roughly $1.8 million a year in TOT bed tax money slated for marketing under the voter approved Measure A. Town Manager Rob Clark reports that currently there is a strong sentiment that the Measure A money should go to the Destination Marketing Organization.

What happens to the current employees of the Tourism and Recreation Department remains unsettled as well. A recruiter has been hired to find a director for the new organization. Interviews with candidates are scheduled for April, Clark reports. How many employees are hired on at the new organization is yet to be seen, but Clark explained that board of the DMO wants continuity between the old and the new.

The reconciliation meeting of the Tourism and Recreation Department is scheduled to start at 2:00 pm Wednesday at the Mammoth Lakes Community Center.

Discover more from Sierra Wave: Eastern Sierra News

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading