The City and the Village Business Association are glad to resume this great annual tradition in The Village this year! Enjoy trick-or-treating from store-to-store from 5 pm - 7 pm on Sunday, October 31.

If you're on the hunt for even more candy, please also check out the Southern California Mountains Foundation Trails Program's special trick-or-treating event along the Rathbun Creek Trail from 12 noon - 2 pm on Sunday, October 31.

Happy Halloween!

At its October 18 meeting, the City Council directed City staff to initiate the development of an updated community vision for the City of Big Bear Lake, and we will want to hear from YOU soon!

The City's overall community vision was last updated in 1996, more than 25 years ago, and much has changed in our world and in Big Bear Lake since then. The City will be appointing a special citizens advisory committee, hosting numerous public input sessions, conducting surveys, and implementing other strategies to solicit input from ALL segments of our community in 2022 as we seek to redefine our community's vision for the future. We want to know what YOU want Big Bear Lake to become in the future, and are excited to begin this process!

Stay tuned for more details. The planning process is expected to begin in spring 2022, and continue through summer and fall 2022. The updated community vision will be followed by an update to the City's General Plan, which was last updated in 1999.

Mountain Transit's new FREE trolley service begins on Sunday, October 31, and we look forward to seeing you on the trolley soon!

The new service will provide service 15 hours per day, every day, all throughout the Big Bear Valley - and the trolley will travel through your area every 30 minutes. There is no charge to ride - simply hop on at the bus stop near you, and take the trolley to the ski areas, The Village, shopping, parks, and more!

To learn more, simply visit Mountain Transit's website. Check out the maps for the Red Line, the Gold Line, and the Blue Line and then hop on! You can also download a free APP for your phone that will tell you where the trolleys are located in real time.

The new FREE trolley service is a cooperative effort among Mountain Transit, the City of Big Bear Lake, the Big Bear Airport, San Bernardino County (Supervisor Dawn Rowe), Big Bear Mountain Resorts, and Visit Big Bear, and is intended to make it easier for our residents and visitors to get around the Big Bear Valley and reduce traffic congestion. See you on the trolley soon!

The City's contractor is nearing completion of a new 1/2 mile long extension of the Alpine Pedal Path, and it's nearly ready for bicyclists, walkers, and runners! The new, dedicated asphalt path connects Rathbun Creek on Sandalwood Drive to the existing path on Stanfield Cutoff, and provides a safe and convenient route to access the North Shore from the City limits. The project was constructed by S. Porter, Inc., Big Bear City, CA, and is primarily funded by a $946,000 State grant.

The new path is just one segment of an overall plan to expand the City's bicycle trail network from the Moonridge area to the North Shore and Division Drive, with plans for additional bicycle trail segments following Rathbun Creek in the next few years. We look forward to seeing you out on the new path!

City Council members each represent one of 5 Council districts in the City, with approximately 600 registered voters in each district.

With the completion of the 2020 Census, the City is required to engage in a redistricting process to ensure that each district includes approximately the same number of voters and to ensure proper consideration for communities of interest. City Council began this process with a public hearing on October 4, and has scheduled another public hearing for the November 1 Council meeting. Additional meetings and public hearings will be scheduled between now and April 2022, at which time new maps are expected to be adopted by the City Council for use in the November 2022 elections.

To learn more about redistricting, click here. To view a map of the current City Council districts, please click here. To follow the City's redistricting process, visit this website, which will also soon include interactive maps to enable you to draw your own maps.

The City Council will soon begin budget planning for FY 2022-23, and will consider allocating funding for various City services and capital improvement priorities. As part of this process, the City Council will be discussing a potential ballot measure to increase the transient occupancy tax (TOT) rate in the City of Big Bear Lake. If ultimately approved by the City Council, the voters could be asked to decide on a TOT increase in November 2022.

City Council will conduct initial discussion about a potential TOT increase at the November 15 City Council meeting. The City's current TOT rate is 8%, with the proceeds from 6% allocated to the City's General Fund for law enforcement, street maintenance, snow removal, and other City services, and the proceeds from the remaining 2% allocated for beneficial capital improvements (including bicycle trails, parks, and other new facilities). In addition, an additional 3% is collected for the Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID), and these funds are used for marketing, promotion, and to offset visitor impacts. In total, an additional 11% (8% TOT and 3% TBID) is collected from all overnight visitors in the City of Big Bear Lake, with proceeds invested in our community's quality of life and future success.

Each 1% increase in TOT is expected to generate $800,000 - $1 million annually, and the City Council will discuss whether or not to pursue an increase to provide additional funding for specific services and/or projects. Council is expected to discuss the possibility of providing additional funding derived from TOT for law enforcement, fire protection, emergency medical services, workforce housing initiatives, additional bicycle trails, the Replenish Big Bear project, and/or other services and improvements at its meeting on November 15. The November 15 meeting represents the first discussion of many, with a final decision from City Council expected by May 2022. Any decisions made by the City Council would be presented to the voters in November 2022.

The FY 2021-22 City budget includes $221,000 for improvements to Rotary Park, and City staff are planning to complete these improvements in spring 2022. Planned improvements include new benches, picnic tables, trash cans, and improved lighting, in an effort to modernize this lakefront park near The Village.

City staff are hard at work preparing for the construction of a new parking area and public restroom facility near the Castle Rock trailhead. Funding has been allocated, and construction plans are being developed for the construction of a new ~ 30 car parking lot on a 3+ acre City-owned parcel near the southwest corner of Talbot Drive and Big Bear Boulevard.

Design and permitting are expected to be complete this winter, and a construction contract will be presented for City Council consideration this spring. Assuming favorable bids, construction is expected to begin in spring 2022.

This beneficial project will be funded by a Federal grant and TOT revenues collected from overnight visitors.

Subsurface work associated with the Moonridge Corridor Improvement Project is now complete for this construction season. Significant utility and drainage improvements were completed, and will enable the City's contractor (Granite Construction, Indio, CA) to begin construction of above-ground improvements in spring 2022.

Significant construction activity is anticipated throughout spring, summer, and fall 2022, and the end product will be an attractive new area of Big Bear Lake. The new corridor will include new roundabouts at Elm Street and Clubview Drive near the new zoo, new vehicle travel lanes, an attractive median, new wider sidewalks, a new bicycle trail, reconfigured on-street parking, attractive landscaping, and other street amenities. The project is intended to match or exceed the quality of The Village, and hopefully promote additional development and economic activity in this area of Big Bear Lake in the future.

COVID-19 continues to impact the Big Bear Valley, with a total of 89 new cases (or approximately 3 new cases per day) reported since September 25. Overall, there have been a total of 1,658 cases of COVID-19 in the Big Bear Valley since the onset of COVID-19 in March 2020.

Sadly, San Bernardino County is now reporting a total of 33 deaths in the Big Bear Valley attributed to COVID-19. An additional 9 deaths have been reported since September 25, a stark reminder of the pain and suffering inflicted by this disease.

Appointments can be made at this website, and walk-ins are also welcome!

After a modified celebration in 2019 (due to a significant snow event) and the cancellation in 2020 (due to COVID-19), the City and the Village Business Association are excited for the return of the annual Christmas in The Village celebration!

This year's celebration will be held on Saturday, November 20 beginning at 5 pm, and will include the official tree lighting ceremony, Christmas carols, a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus, and more!

The City of Big Bear Lake is currently recruiting for several vacant positions. A complete listing and City application is available at this website.

The City owns and maintains 3 beautiful parks - Boulder Bay Park, Rotary Park, and Veterans Park - in the City limits. The City is currently working toward the development of 3 more new parks - one at the Castle Rock trailhead, one just east of Stanfield Cutoff, and a significant new lakefront park near The Pines restaurants. The City hopes to make all 3 of these new parks a reality before the end of 2022!

Thank you for checking out this issue of Elevation 6752', the official newsletter of the City of Big Bear Lake, CA! This newsletter is presented to keep you well-informed about the City's issues, projects, and initiatives, and is complemented by other public communications strategies as needed. The City Council, Planning Commission, City staff, and numerous others are all working hard to provide the highest quality City services, in a helpful and professional manner, and promote new public and private investment in our community - in order to enhance the quality of life and visitor experience - and we want to make sure you are well-informed about our efforts on your behalf!

The easiest way to stay-informed about the City of Big Bear Lake is to sign up for this email newsletter. It's easy to sign up - simply visit https://www.citybigbearlake.com/ and click on "Text & Email Notifications" in the top center of the homepage. Simply click on the link, enter your name and email address, and you're all set. Signing up will ensure you receive the new Elevation 6752' newsletter each month, and also any special communications from the City of Big Bear Lake for emergency situations, special events, and more.

In addition to the new Elevation 6752' newsletter, you can also get the latest information from the City of Big Bear Lake via the following digital platforms:

Please help us spread the word, and share this new City newsletter with your friends, family, other residents, property owners, frequent visitors, or anyone else who is interested in Big Bear Lake!