Good afternoon,

On Friday, April 18, 2008, the Jury in the case of Mammoth Lakes Land Acquisition (also known as Hot Creek) vs. the Town of Mammoth Lakes has ruled that the Town breached a development agreement between the two parties when the Town responded to directives from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2004.  The Jury also awarded damages to Mammoth Lakes Land Acquisition in the amount of $30 million.

This was a very complex case, and the decision was based on both the findings of the Jury and rulings by the Judge.  The Town appreciates that the jury did its best to make a fair and reasonable decision within the context of the directions provided to it by the court.  Both the rulings of the Judge and the decision of the Jury are subject to appeal.  The Town and its legal team believe that the Town's actions with respect to the Hot Creek matter and the FAA directives were legal, ethical and proper, and that they will be upheld at the appellant court level.

The damages in this case are automatically set aside while the decision goes through the appeal process.  In a separate matter, the Town is proceeding with an administrative process relating to the availability of insurance coverage for this claim. 

Town Council has scheduled a Special Meeting on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 in the Town Council Chambers - Suite Z of the Minaret Village Shopping Center commencing at 6:00 p.m., to receive a staff report and attend a closed session regarding the recent verdict.

Stu

Take pride in your neighborhood and volunteer to help clean up our Town! The annual Town Clean-Up Day is Saturday, May 17, 2008 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Participants are invited to attend a volunteer barbecue and raffle extravaganza at Mammoth Creek Park immediately following the clean-up. This annual event is sponsored by the Town of Mammoth Lakes and its many community partners. For those individuals who cannot participate on Town Clean-Up Day or are motivated to get a head start on cleaning up our Town, we encourage you to collect your orange trash bags which are available starting on Monday, April 21, 2008 from the Town offices, the new Welcome Center, Mammoth Disposal (59 Commerce Drive), and REMAX on Old Mammoth Road. The Town would like to remind all volunteers that only the Town supplied orange bags will be collected for disposal. If you would like to volunteer as an area supervisor for Town Clean-Up Day or would like to sponsor or contribute to the event, please contact Michael Grossblatt, Town of Mammoth Lakes Human Resource and Risk Management Director at (760) 934 8989 ext. 266.