News Briefs from the July 9, 2024 Inyo County Board of Supervisors Meeting

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 11, 2024

News Briefs from the July 9, 2024 Board of Supervisors Meeting 

STAY COOL AT COUNTY FACILITIES 

With record temps hitting the region and an Excessive Heat Warning in effect through this evening, Health & Human  Services Director Anna Scott reported on Tuesday that HHS is working to refine a policy for activation of cooling  centers from Bishop to Furnace Creek when dangerously high temperatures exist.

The National Weather Service forecast highs on Friday of 105-111 in the Owens Valley and 122-129 at Furnace  Creek in Death Valley National Park. Temperatures will drop down to the mid- to high 90s by Monday, and creep  back up to triple digits by week’s end.

While staff works to finalize the cooling center policy – which will determine various triggers and thresholds for opening  the centers – the public is reminded that Inyo County’s libraries and senior centers are good places to seek out air  conditioning during the summer months, especially during heat waves.

The following facilities can provide some reprieve from the heat during business hours:

Furnace Creek 

• Library, 201 Nevares (take Cow Creek Rd. to Old Ghost Rd.): Wednesday, 2-8 p.m.; Thursday, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.

Lone Pine 

• Library, 127 Bush St.: Tuesday-Friday, 12-6 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
• Senior Center, 138 Jackson St.: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.

Independence 

• Library, 168 N. Edwards St.: Tuesday-Friday, 12-5 p.m.

Big Pine 

• Library, 500 S. Main St: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 12-5 p.m.; Wednesday, 2-7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-1  p.m.
• Senior Center, 150 Dewey St: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, 11:30 a.m.- 1 p.m.

Bishop 

• Library, 210 Academy Ave.: Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. • Senior Center, 682 Spruce St., Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.

WHITNEY PORTAL PROJECT PROGRESS 

After some delay, the Federal Highway Administration Central Federal Lands (CFL) Highway Division has selected  a contractor for the Whitney Portal Road Repair Project, Public Works Director Mike Errante told the Board of  Supervisors on Tuesday.

Steelhead Constructors of Redding, CA joined the CFL and stakeholders such as LADWP, USFS, BLM, Caltrans,  and Inyo County on Monday for a pre-construction meeting where timelines were discussed. According to Errante,  surveyors were expected to begin staking the construction area that day. He said the work should take about two weeks, after which actual construction can begin. The current, preliminary project schedule has paving starting  around October, with the end of project construction by December 31.

The Badwater Ultramarathon, a grueling 135-mile footrace from Badwater in Death Valley to the trailhead at  Whitney Portal, is still scheduled to take place July 22-24. Errante said participants will have will run adjacent to  project area and no disruptions are expected.

Errante also announced that future project updates will come biweekly from the CFL and the County will distribute  them to the public.

The heavily traveled Whitney Portal Road sustained $10 million in damage from Tropical Storm Hilary, on top of  existing damage from record runoff and atmospheric rivers earlier in the year. The Board of Supervisors authorized  the CFL to take over responsibility for the repair project last October to take advantage of resources the County  simply does not have.

Detour maps and images of the road damage can be found online on Inyo County’s Whitney Portal Road story  map, accessed on the home page of the County website (www.inyocounty.us), through the Ready Inyo site  (https://ready.inyocounty.us/), or directly here: https://t.ly/tNZyS.

ANIMAL SHELTER AT CAPACITY 

Inyo County Sheriff’s Lt. Mike Atkins put out a call-to-action Tuesday in the hopes of helping cats and dogs housed at the  Inyo County Animal Shelter get permanent homes.

According to Atkins, the shelter is currently at full capacity with 30 dogs and 23 cats, and another 20 or so kittens in foster  care. He encouraged residents to attend any of the three upcoming adoption events, or to simply stop by the shelter during  business hours: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Sheriff’s Office Community Relations Liaison/Public Information Officer Lindsey Stine said the first of the adoption events  will be held this Sunday, July 14, from 9-11 a.m. at Eastern Sierra Grooming Company, 115 E. Line St., Bishop.

Updates on future adoption events can be found at the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook and Instagram pages, as  well as from local radio stations.

INTERNET SPEED CHALLENGE PERIOD UNDERWAY 

Eastern Sierra Regional Broadband Coordinator Scott Armstrong announced Tuesday that as of July 8, consumers  can challenge how the State may have designated their level of Internet service. The designations were made as part  of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program and can be found on the following a map  released June 17: https://register.challenge.cpuc.ca.gov/register/bead/map.

The three designation categories – which will ultimately determine will determine whether certain areas are  eligible for BEAD-funded projects – include:

• Unserved: speeds slower than 25Mbps for downloads or 3Mbps for uploads
• Underserved: speeds of at least 25Mbps for downloads or 3Mbps for uploads and slower than 100Mbps for downloads or 20Mbps for uploads
• Served: speeds of at least 100Mbps for downloads or 20Mbps for uploads

Scott urges residents to confirm their “served” status matches what they’re paying for and if it doesn’t, to  file a challenge at the link above or through the QR Code below by August 6.

COMMITTEE COMMITMENT 

The Inyo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday took steps to secure and support numerous commissions and advisory  groups by appointing or reappointing a total of 11 residents to their boards.

In addition to approving new bylaws for the Southern Inyo Airport Advisory Committee (SIAAC) that reduce the number of  members from 8 to 5 and create an alternate position, the Board made the following appointments/reappointments throughout the County: Neil Woodruff (reappointment), Joe Cappello, Travis Powell, Don Bright (reappointment), and Paul  Lamos (reappointment) to the SIAAC; Rebecca Manross to the Eastern Sierra Area Agency on Aging Advisory Council (reappointment); Doug Brown and Steve Ivey to the Inyo County Fish and Wildlife Commission (reappointment); Dr. Aaron  Steinwand to the Bishop Rural Fire Protection District Board of Commissioners (reappointment); and Tom Talbot to the  Agriculture Advisory Committee in the Tom Talbot in the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Lessee position  and Scott Kemp in the Inyo-Mono Cattleman’s Association President position (reappointments).

The appointments were made following the expiration of terms on the above-mentioned entities, the creation of  unexpected vacancies, or to fill long-standing vacancies. Per County policy, the vacancies were publicly advertised.

News Staff