March 3, 2005
Well, it’s finally beginning to happen …
Cathedral City is getting into the tourism business. With the downtown
“product” taking shape, Lynn Mallotto has booked an April event with a major
tour operator, Frontier Tours, which will bring 42 meeting planners from
throughout the country into the new downtown.
They will visit the Pickford and IMAX
Theatres, taste wine at Vino 100, and then picnic outdoors beside the
Fountain of Life. The stop here is important because meeting planners
organize meetings, tours and travel events for corporations, associations,
churches, educators, and all sorts of groups. So from those 42 meeting
planners, we can expect thousands of visitors in the years to come.
Graphically enhanced
It’s snappy, interactive and more visually
similar to TV than to a newspaper.
What is it? The city’s website:
www.cathedralcity.gov. Webmaster
Kevin Lockwood has finished
the first draft of the newly enhanced site, following the direction to
“improve the site,” which emerged from the City Council’s Strategic Plan
session. Kevin reviewed sites from every city in California before making
changes. One of his goals was to be sure the site doesn’t simply mimic
printed material, but that it takes advantage of digital technology and is
an active media. He uses scrolled images, forms that can be downloaded,
applets and emails; he eventually wants to add surveys, when he gets new
software. Kevin wants to know of any suggestions you have and invites you
to use the website to communicate with the public. Suggestions and comments
can be submitted by using the following link.
All the news before
it happens
It was recently reported by one of our local
media that long-awaited Date Palm-I-10 interchange improvements would be
finished this year. Not exactly. They are several years away. However, what
has already started is installation of a traffic signal, which will provide
a smoother flow of traffic entering and exiting the busy interchange.
Spring cleaning
You can clean out the garage this weekend and
take tires and household hazardous waste to a collection site behind the
Mary Pickford Theatre. The site, sponsored by the city’s Environmental
Conservation Division (Deanna Pressgrove), will be open from 9 a.m. to 2
p.m. Friday and Saturday. Old tires and up to 50 lbs. of paint, paint
thinner, antifreeze, and household cleaners will be accepted.
Working the
neighborhoods
The Police Department has launched a program
to reduce vandalism, graffiti, jaywalking and traffic violations around the
James Workman Middle School. Officers have been interacting with students,
parents, the school district and teachers to encourage law abiding behavior
and to stress zero tolerance for breaking the law. The program started with
news releases and information dissemination and then moved on to warnings
and last, citations for violations. Improvements will affect Panorama, La
Paloma and Century Park neighborhoods.
Friday night concert
Don’t forget – What happens the first Friday
of the month? Volunteer Richard Martinez and others will be putting on
another Friday night Concert in Town Square. Come out and show your
support. Last week, Public Works employees installed banners throughout
the downtown promoting the concert series.
Actually, it’s a good
thing
The Redevelopment Agency this morning filed
condemnation action on the Desert Hills Mobile Home Park. This will provide
the opportunity for negotiations to continue with the owner on possible sale
of the property and for the Agency to give tenants a 90-day notice to move.
In case you think the tenants are left out in the cold, that’s not the
case. They are given money for their coaches, as well as funds and
assistance to relocate. Three families have already been relocated, and,
with the money received, one family is now, for the first time, able to
enjoy home ownership. The firm of Overland Pacific and Cutler is handling
relocation for a total of 90 households in the park. Each household must be
shown at least three housing options that are healthy and safe and that meet
their housing needs. The amount they are paid depends on the housing option
they select. In this case, and in past relocation projects of the Agency,
families wind up with far better living conditions than they have ever had..
Let there be … water
Yes, the Fountain of Life is flowing again.
As soon as two manhole covers arrive, the fence will be removed and sod will
be laid out. Although some people were hoping the job could move faster,
remember, Horst Schnur designed the new vault system, ordered equipment,
installed pumps, filters, etc. and did most of the work himself, in addition
to his regular job as city facilities supervisor. Plus, had the job been
done by outside sources, the cost would have been double, based on informal
bids. Let’s give him an atta boy!!!
Here’s looking at you
At the City Council study session next week,
Sgt. Chuck Robinson will give a presentation on the possibility of the
city’s acquiring three infrared digital cameras for traffic surveillance.
The main intersections the Police Department is interested in controlling
are Date Palm and Ramon and Date Palm and East Palm Canyon.
Forever grateful
A Cove resident, Dorothy Lowden, has donated
$400,000 to the Fire Department’s Paramedic Program, in gratitude for
services she received during a medical emergency.
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