Drive Thru and Drug Stores	
	In a few weeks, the Planning Commission is going to consider 
a new Drug Store which wishes to locate in Mariposa on land already zoned
for that use. The issue which will be discussed will be the existing
prohibition on drive thru windows which was added as an amendment to
the Specific Plan for Mariposa about 15 years ago. There are
drive-thru in Mariposa that were grandfathered in.  One is the
Yosemite Bank and the other was a locally owned business named Papa
Taco. That business turned into Burger King.  At the time I suppose
that the advocates on the Board of Supervisors were somehow going to
protect Mariposa from franchise business by prohibiting one of the
features of such institutions as McDonalds, Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried
Chicken and the like.  It was expected that we would remain a pure
community without the symbols of corporate America. If they had done
a little checking they would have found that Mariposa did not meet
the market criteria of such as Save Mart, Safeway, McDonalds and
such because of the seasonal nature and market size of our community.
But franchise operations did arrive in Mariposa, have served us well
and are a natural part of our community today.  
	Government tampering with the free enterprise system usually 
results in nothing good.  The people on the Board at the time had little or
no experience in private enterprise and did not understand what it
took to build and operate a successful business.  One of the main
principles is that you design your business to meet the needs of your
potential customers.  Look how the character of business in Mariposa
has changed over the last forty years. At one time there were four
grocery stores in downtown Mariposa. Now there is none. Today we
have two large super markets, three major hardware franchises, and
other businesses which have some connection with signature
merchandise which serves our community appropriately.  Even the
Mariposa Drug was once a Rexall Store.
	Some of you may know that I am a Pharmacist.  At one time, 
more than 30 years ago, I was a partner in the Mariposa Drug Co.  
It was a good business that gave two families a living.  Today, nothing is 
the same. Many more prescriptions to fill with very little if any profit
from all the work.  There are many reasons for the independent
pharmacy to fail today.  You may have noticed that there are few
independents left anywhere.  The primary reason is the poor
reimbursement structure which the third party providers (IE: Medical
and Insurance Companies) make the small pharmacies survival
difficult. Now our newly minted Governor wants to cut the state
reimbursement further.  Believe it or not the drug manufacturers are
granting large rebates that go to the state or to the large chain
stores that are not available to the small independent. The day of
the small independent family pharmacy is not only passing but has
passed.  There is not one independent pharmacy in Oakhurst, maybe 
one in Merced.. Both the Workmen's Compensation claims and many
Insurance Companies give such slow or poor service that the Drug
Stores find it difficult to stay in business.  
In order to keep losses to a minimum, some insurance companies
clients have to be turned away.  The new store will not have to do
that.  Add to that the fact that more than 90% of the prescriptions
filled are under controlled profit structures, often times forcing
the pharmacy to fill the prescription below cost.  No small business
can survive under those circumstances.  The pressure is on to either
sell to a larger owner who can spread the costs over many units or
eventually close the doors.
  The issue here however is the prohibition against drive-thru.  Most,
if not all of the large Drug Chains have found that with the
increasing number of elderly patients and mothers with sick children,
both they and those who might come into contact with them, are better
served by the isolation created by the drive-thru.  Mothers can stay
in the cars with the children and deliver the prescription at a
window for later pick up without having to either get out of their
car or enter into a crowded store, crowded with other patients having
all sorts of problems, or leave their children alone in the car.  One
of the main objections to drive-thru is the cars sitting idling
waiting for service.  The nature of the pharmacy business means that
customers will leave after delivering the prescriptions, to return at
a later time for pick up.  There are many responsibilities that the
pharmacist has to discharge which calls for at least an hour or more
to pass before they can deliver the filled prescription.  Cars sit
and idle far longer at the drive-thru at the solid waste site, for
example.
The medical professionals in other areas of the service delivery
system understand and support the value of the drive-thru as a
medical necessity for a number of reasons the least being the
positive advance in medication and supplies delivery.  I support
modification of the ordinance to allow this drive-thru.  This falls
in the category of being a medical necessity.