Local News Comments

There goes ANOTHER $250,000! Out of the county! At least this is a one time deal and our county will not be responsible for the property anymore. Dodge Ridge got a heck of a deal too! Got their whole parking lot for their business repaved all the way to Chair 5 at ZERO cost to them! What do the people of Tuolumne County get? A job? NO. Any benefits? NO. Unless you ski, then you get to use a nicely paved parking lot and road up to Chair 5.
Please don't try to say that we get tourist dollars because we don't get THAT much! What we DO get is the mess left behind on our highways from tourist trash from the fast food joints in the valley, broken snow toys, and lots of used diapers! We get their crappy attitudes and traffic delays, and the crime rate that climbs every winter from snowboard theft

You do realize that Tuolumne County's tourism revenue is around 169 million (excluding gaming revenue). If tourism in this county did not exist, hotels, many gas stations, hotels, restaurants, cleaning services, construction companies, etc. would not exist. It's unfortunate you let your opinion of one business and your narrow assumption of it's benefit for the county sway your comments. You do realize that the county paved the road all of the way to Chair 5 because it's a county OWNED road, although I do believe that Dodge Ridge assumed a portion of the cost. Think about it.

I agree with HML. We need it to make it easier for tourists to come up and enjoy our snow. I don't agree with LJW about tourist with crappy attitudes. Most of our tourists have great attitudes. They are on vacation and are having a good time. I have been in the construction business here since the 1970's. I have NEVER seen a tourists with a crappy attitude when I say..."Hi, my name is Hubert...Welcome to Tuolumne County." It's always nice to give correct directions if out of county folks ask for it. Be Happy!

LJW You really don't know what you're talking about. I know of several businesses that closed and several employees laid off from other businesses struggling from a sea of red ink from last year's short ski season. Those folks are spending less in the supermarkets and other local businesses, getting foreclosed on, etc. etc. Less money for all of us who live in the county.

The skate boarding and drift triking are going to be awesome on Dodge Ridge Road!

If I'm not mistaken, the parking lot and roads are now owned by Dodge Ridge, and the county is repaving it as part of the sale deal. It's a one time expenditure, and upkeep is no longer County concern. I don't think it was appropriate for the County to award the contract to a contractor outside of the County, but maybe they didn't have any local takers, or the estimates were just too high for the locals...

As for the trash, I've seen just as many locals "drop" trash out of their vehicles as I do the out of towners... we're all to blame for that one, and it's not the ski/snowboarders/recreationists that have the bad attitudes, it's the people from the valley who come up to cause trouble, knowing our police presence isn't as tight as it is in the valley

I do agree about the tourist with crappy attitudes, leaving their diapers and fast food bags along the highway. And don't forget the morons that BBQ on the side of the highway and play in the snow right on the road. Also the fools that park along little Sweden and allow their children to run in out of the cars onto the road.
A couple of years ago I awoke to a family of tourist sledding in my driveway (private property). And they were very indignant when I told them to leave.
Tourist money is needed and appreciated for the county but it does not mean we have to ignore the bad behavior of the disrespectful people that trash this county just because they spend money.
Tourist should enjoy the snow, spend their money, be respectful and then go home with all their trash!

miwukman

Look at me! I'm in the forest....(snaps pics of family at side of road, that only shows the trees).
Nebbishes, four toe'd representations of austropithicus modernus.

Now if they could just send a paving crew to our Twain Harte neighborhood where the paved roads are on their way to becoming dirt roads.

Too bad every one of these contracts seems to go to outside contractors. So much for local growth bringing prosperity. It might cost a little more to hire locally, but the money will stay here, which is better for us all in the end. Lowest bid also means the "cheapest" which we've all learned isn't the best sometimes.