Putting the Cathedral in Cathedral City
One of Cathedral City’s strategic directions is to improve communications
for public participation. A plan was developed to look for opportunities to
improve communications with Cathedral City and Valley residents, as well as
to “brand” the City and give it a clear and distinctive image.
A unifying
theme of the City’s strategic plan, Public Arts Commission goals and
marketing/communication plan is the symbol of the cathedral – not as a
religious image, but a symbol of the City’s name, a unique icon, and a
representation of transformation, courage, and creativity.
The
first cathedral sculpture, Michael Paul Thiry’s “Mountain Cathedrals,” in
the median on North Date Palm Drive. The Commission will be recommending the
location of at least four other cathedral themed sculptures at next week’s
Council meeting. All public art is paid for by developers fees, not the
general fund.
Recent marketing activities include our new The Spirit of
the Desert E-Newsletter (www.thespiritofthedesert.com),
advertisements in the Desert Sun’s Snapshots magazine and new Cathedral City
Sun, and new streaming videos shortly to be found on the City’s website.
At its next meeting, the Marketing Committee will review responses to a
Request for Proposal for video services to produce informative TV
advertisements and vignettes that will highlight the progress of the City,
provide information to the public and lead people to our web site and
e-newsletter.
Is that a Cathedral you’re wearing on your head?
Speaking of Cathedrals – polo shirts, t-shirts, caps and visors with the
new Cathedral City logo will be available for purchase by the public at the
Cathedral City booth at Fountainworks. Not only can people be stylishly
attired in “Cathedral Cityware,” but they can help build a sense of
community and promote our Cathedral image.
Fountainworks Sponsors
The City has received sponsorship pledges of over $10,000. Current
sponsors are an anonymous donor, Tri-Millennium, Time Warner Cable, Diamond
Capital, Rio Vista Village and the Cathedral City Chamber of Commerce.
Sponsorships help offset the cost of the event.
Keep your pet safe in the
summer heat
Dogs and cats are just as affected by summer heat as humans, according to
the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and can
suffer from the same heat related problem, such as overheating, dehydration
and even sunburn. Here are some tips from the ASPCA:
These are just a few tips from the ASPCA. Consult your veterinarian for
complete information on summer pet care.
In search of a few good
volunteers
Have fun by volunteering to staff the Cathedral City booth at
Fountainworks on July 3rd. Volunteers help get the event set up and
organized. Vendors are also needed at the event. If you can volunteer or are
interested in being a vendor, call Lynn Mallotto at 770-0346.
Paws,
Claws, Scales and Tales!
The
Cathedral City Library’s Summer Reading Program will begin June 19th and run
through July 31st. This summer’s reading theme is “Paws, Claws, Scales and
Tales” and will focus on reading and learning about all kinds of animals.
One program, “Paws to Read,” takes place every Monday from 10:30 a.m. to
noon. Volunteers from Paws & Hearts come to the library and give children
the chance to read one-to-one to a trained therapy dog. It’s a great way
for kids to improve their reading skills. Parents are welcome, too.
Kids
involved in the Summer Reading Program can earn points by reading their
favorite books and going to library programs and events. Points can be
traded in for great prizes!
You can also become a “Friend of the
Library” by contributing time, money, and/or enthusiasm to support library
services. Stop by the Cathedral City Library, 33520 Date Palm Drive for
more information.
Strategic Plan On Track!
More than 30 accomplishments were noted over the past six months at a
recent City strategic planning meeting, including: repairs to the Date Palm
bridge, significant headway on the soccer park, receiving GFOA & CNFO awards
for financial reporting excellence, and receiving recognition for the lowest
crime rate in the Coachella Valley – all due to the extra effort of
Cathedral City staff, which is half the size of those in most Valley cities
In most cases, the City either met or is on track to meet its goals set
for the first two quarters of the second year of the strategic plan.
Challenges were important outside influences (MSHCP, for example) that
layered on top of existing priorities, and having enough staff to do the
all the work.
It was gratefully acknowledged that staff has been working
at 110%, but that this level of effort can not be sustained indefinitely.
Council members and senior staff met to review the City’s Strategic Plan
and to re-veifry its three strategic directions: “Building a Cohesive Team
for Better Service Delivery,” “Securing the Financial Resources to Provide
Quality Services,” and “Improving Communication for Public Participation.”
Stay tuned for an in-depth article in the next edition of The Spirit of the
Desert e-newsletter.
Cove Sewer Project Bids Opened
The apparent low bid for Phase 1 construction of sewers and streets in
the Cove came in within City Engineer Bill Bayne’s estimate, despite
spiraling costs of oil-based and other construction materials this past
year. The estimate was $15 million. The low bid out of the three submitted
was from SJ & Burkhardt of Riverside. Costs will be paid for by an
assessment district, approved last year by Cove property owners.
Bayne is reviewing the bids in detail to assure sufficiency of the low
bid and will make his recommendation for bid award to the City Council on
June 28. Bid opening was Wednesday. Once the bid is approved, a notice to
proceed will be issued, allowing the contractor to order nine miles of clay
pipe and other long-lead materials to be able to meet a schedule of starting
construction this summer.
Bids were also submitted for two related but
separate contracts – for replacement of water lines, which will be
installed by the Desert Water Agency, and installation of drainage pipes,
which did come in over estimate and will be further evaluated.
Cove
sewer and street improvements constitute the largest public works project
in Cathedral City’s history.
In another neighborhood covered by an
assessment district, about 125 people this week attended the final
property owners meeting prior to bid advertising for the Dream Homes sewer
project. Bid specification documents are scheduled to be available in
August with construction expected to start this calendar year
##
