Go ahead … please talk back
At the end of this month, the city’s first Community E-newsletter, The
Spirit of the Desert, will be unveiled -- bringing readers a myriad of
information about the City, School District, Chamber of Commerce, Library
and other local non-profit organizations.
According to Allen Howe, communications manager, and Kevin Lockwood, City
webmaster, it will be web-based, making it interactive. This means readers
can evaluate, comment on and suggest future articles; respond to surveys;
volunteer for service; and follow links for more detailed information.
This is a result of the Marketing Committee’s review of the City’s
Marketing Plan which included a printed mailed quarterly newsletter. The
Committee recommended to City Council that an emailed version be produced,
saving printing and production costs, with staff performing the bulk of the
work. The Chamber of Commerce and School District will print copies of the
newsletter and make is available in key locations.
More coming to website
Also in the coming months will be six vignettes about Cathedral City,
available on the city’s website. These streaming two-minute videos are being
shot next week by CGI Communications of New York, which has chosen Cathedral
City as the only city in the valley to participate in their national
program. There is no cost to the city for the professionally produced
videos. Costs will be borne by local businesses that want to buy banner
space around the video screen. Subjects of the vignettes are a welcome to
the city; economic development; attractions; public safety; Chamber of
Commerce; and quality of life.
Biggest public construction project in city’s history
Next week, the bidding process will begin for the most ambitious and
complex construction project in the city’s history: the Cove sewer district.
Interested contractors must comb through sets of plans containing 257 sheets
of sewer, water, storm drain, street, curb and gutter details for Phase 1 of
the project which includes most Cove properties north of Grandview Avenue.
Another 120 pages of cross section sheets are available, expected to be
valuable for general contractors bidding on the project. Deadline to submit
bids and the bid opening date is May 31.
Next election schedule out
City Clerk Pat Hammers has provided a Schedule for the General Election
on Nov. 7. Every two years, voters in Cathedral City elect a mayor and two
members of the City Council. The first deadline is June 30, when the City
Council must have adopted a resolution to declare the Nov. 7 election.
Candidates can then take out and file nomination papers between July 17 and
Aug. 11. If you want the complete schedule, just visit the website for the
Riverside County Registrar of Voters, www.voteinfo.net or call 951-486-7200.
Golden Bear Awards
Community Services Officer Dan Gaffney and Police Officer Miguel Torres
received Golden Bear Awards by Lt. Danny Feltenberger of the Riverside
County Sheriffs Department Wednesday night for their work with CAL-ID. Their
efforts to recover latent fingerprints at crime scenes have made Cathedral
City a safer place. Gaffney made 13 “hits” that resulted in arrests for
burglary, battery and sexual assault. Torres’ nine hits helped to solve
burglary and car theft crimes. Typically, the maximum number of latent
prints an officer would recover in any given year would be five, according
to Feltenberger.
Shillcock retiring from city
Economic Development Guy Paul Shillcock retires from public service April
28. Shillcock has been with the city for about nine years. His areas of
focus have been expansion of the Cathedral City Auto Center, park
acquisition, business retention, the Civic Center solar project and waste
recycling.
This one is free
Free screenings of the Emmy Award winning “Voices of the Monument” will
be aired at the Mary Pickford Theatre Thursday, April 11. The film takes the
viewer on a journey through the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains
National Monument. Learn about the Native American culture of the Cahuilla
Indians and experience the five unique ecological life zones from sea level
to the top of Mt. San Jacinto peak at 10,834 feet. Seating is on a
first-come, first-served basis. Show times are 11:30 a.m. and 12:45, 2:30,
3:45, 5:00, 7:00 and 8:15 p.m.
Hooray for Sunny Sands
Sunny Sands Elementary School was the only school in the Coachella Valley
and only one of 310 in California to win a Title 1 Academic Achievement
Award from the State
Superintendent of Schools.
The school not only moved a significant number of students to proficiency
in California academic standards, but also met federal progress goals two
years in a row, according to Superintendent Jack O’Connell.
School Principal is Karen Cornett, who will accept the award at a
ceremony in Costa Mesa next month.
Wetmore to leave Chamber
Greg Wetmore will leave his CEO post at the Cathedral City Chamber of
Commerce in early May to assume the Executive Director job for the Gay
Associated Youth. He will be doing fund raising and working on programs for
the organization, housed in Cathedral City.
Stand by for widened ramps and traffic signals
For the past number of months, work has been progressing to widen the
Date Palm overpass at 1-10. As that project reaches completion, City Council
on Wednesday approved a series of contracts that will now result in widening
of the ramps leading to the overpass and installation of traffic signals
that will control the flow of traffic off and on the freeway. City Engineer
Bill Bayne said this next phase of the work is expected to take about nine
months. Granite Construction was awarded the primary contract, for
construction of the project. All of this is in preparation for the eventual
more comprehensive interchange improvements.
Four market proposals submitted
A review panel is poring over four proposals which the Redevelopment
Agency received in response to a request for qualifications to an economic
market study. The study is aimed at determining which businesses should be
located here and how to attract them.
The panel will meet on April 25 to interview the firms and then make a
recommendation to the Agency Board of Directors (City Council).
Irrigation still going in at park
The irrigation system at Panorama Park is still in the process of being
replaced, resulting in brown spots in some areas. Once the contractor
finishes the job in 30-60 days, the park will be brought back to its lush
green condition, according to Dale Bolls and Deanna Pressgrove, who have
been working on the project. Artwork around the redesigned perimeter of the
park, which will help to prevent trucks from driving onto the grass, will
also soon be installed.
Parrish heads up Senior Center
Former Rancho Mirage Councilmember Jeanne Parrish has been elected
president of the Cathedral City Senior Center. Other members of the new
board are: Mary Willis and Louise Stettler, vice presidents; Jacqueline
Drucker, treasurer; Bob Paull, treasurer; and Ken Williams, Tim Esser,
Michael Boyle, Robert McConnell and Sherry Rosemann, members. Mayor Kathy
DeRosa is Cathedral City liaison.
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