City of Cathedral City
68700 Avenida Lalo Guerrero
Cathedral City, CA 92234
(760) 770-0340

‘The Belle of Amherst’ slated for Oct. 22

The Cathedral City Public Arts Commission will present “The Belle of Amherst,” a Tony-Award winning one-woman reading about the life of Emily Dickinson, at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 22, at the Cathedral City Library.

Judith Dickson, who performed in the Commission-sponsored “Love Letters” reading last year, takes on the role of the noted poet.

Emily Dickinson, who lived from 1830 to 1886, became the talk of her small Massachusetts town, not as its belle, as she had hoped, but as its eccentric Wearing “bridal white,” she rarely left her family’s houses her entire life, spending hours secretly recording her private thoughts in over 1,700 epigrammatic poems.

The one-hour play brings to life the essence of Dickinson, her poetry, relationships with her father, her “master”, and childhood friends, as well as her compulsion to write.

The play, written by William Luce, draws heavily on the poems, letters and first-hand accounts of Dickinson, to sculpt a truthful and inspiring biography of one of America’s greatest literary talents.

An Example of Cooperation Making Things Happen

In January, Raul Resendiz, a Dream Homes resident asked the Cathedral City Council for assistance in getting an ADA audible device installed at the intersection of Ramon & San Luis Rey so that he and several other vision-impaired residents could safely cross the street to shop at the stores on the south side of Ramon. When activated, the device tells the pedestrian the name of the intersection, when it is safe to walk and then counts down the time remaining before the signal changes. Ramon Road, at this location, with about 40,000 cars passing by a day, is the highest traveled roadway in the west end of the Valley. With the cooperation of The City of Palm Springs and the Braille Institute, his request is now a reality.

At the request of the City Council, Bob Mohler, Cathedral City’s Traffic Manager met with Mr. Resendiz to learn about his concerns. He found out that Mr. Resendiz’ guide-dog trainer, Jackie Matthews, of Guide Dogs of the Desert, was also trying to assist him on getting an audible device installed through the Braille Institute.

Ms. Matthews and Mr. Mohler were able to get a letter from Robert Pertrone at the Braille Institute supporting placing an ADA audible device at the intersection to assist Mr. Resendiz and other Dream Home residents.

Next, Mohler contacted Palm Springs about the intersection because it is located where the two cities meet. Palm Springs had a block grant to add audible traffic devices at eleven locations in the City. With the help of Richard Jenkins, the Palm Springs Traffic Manager and Dale Cook the Palm Springs Community Development Director, an audible device at Ramon & San Luis Rey was added as one of the grant locations. To assist in defraying the cost, Cathedral City paid ¼ of the cost of the device – about $2,250.00 (from Measure A Traffic Safety Funds – not the General Fund).

This is a reminder that good people working together for a good cause CAN make things happen!

Cathedral City Fire Dept. Has Open House Oct. 14

The Cathedral City Fire Dept is gearing up for its annual open house on Sat., Oct. 14., at the Fire Administration Bldg, 32-100 Desert Vista Rd. The event will kick-off with a pancake breakfast at 8am, followed by the open house from 9am-12pm.

The open house is part of the nation-wide observance of Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 8-14, to educate citizens on fire hazards and safety tips. Cathedral City Fire Dept. is joining forces with valley-wide fire departments and the National Fire Protection association to remind local residents to ‘Prevent Cooking Fires: Watch What You Heat’. During this year's fire safety campaign, firefighters and safety advocates will be spreading the word about the dangers of cooking fires--most of which result from unattended cooking—and teaching local residents how to prevent cooking fires.

According to the latest NFPA research, cooking is the leading cause of home fires. One out of three home fires begins in the kitchen - - more than any other place in the home. Cooking fires are also the leading cause of home fire –related injuries.

The Cathedral City Fire Dept. have Stop, Drop, and Roll simulations, the Riverside County Injury Prevention Team, the Red Cross, face painting, balloons, coloring contest and the department’s interactive Hazard House will be on display for children to explore.

For more information call the Cathedral City Fire Department at 770-8200.

Drive With Care Around Schools

If you drive your child to school, you are no doubt aware of all the dangerous congestion that occurs near the schools. The Palm Springs Unified School District provides parents and students with each school’s procedures for proper student drop-off and pick-up. These procedures are not always followed and, in addition to increased volume of traffic now the “season” has begun, students on bicycles, and children crossing streets in unsafe areas lead to concerns for everyone’s safety.

The Cathedral City Police Department is increasing traffic law enforcement around schools to keep congestion at a minimum and safety at a maximum. Enhanced traffic safety will be focused on: James Workman Middle School, Landau Elementary School, Nellie Coffman Middle School, Rio Vista Elementary, Cathedral City Elementary, Agua Caliente Elementary School, Mt. San Jacinto High School and Cathedral City High School.

Any questions about the increased enforcement can be addressed to Sgt Carl Wolford at 760-770-0306.

Community Development Humming with Activity!

The Community Development Department, comprised of Planning, Building, and Engineering, is on full throttle these days dealing with projects that will literally change the face of the city. These projects are all complex, multi-faceted and require skill, patience and tenacity. Here’s a partial list of their activities:

Planning and Building (Process Applications, Plan Checks, Inspections)

In addition to these pressing projects, planning and building also has ongoing responsibility for:

Planning and Building also work closely with citizen advisory groups that include the Planning Commission, Architectural Review Committee and the Board of Appeals.

All this is being accomplished by 15 hardworking city employees.

Engineering

This is a banner year of accomplishment for the Engineering Department. Not only has it embarked on the Cove Sewer Project – the largest public works project in Cathedral City’s history, but other projects important to the community:

The Engineering Department’s is a finalist for the National League of Cities Award for Municipal Excellence (which will be announced later in the year) for its various neighborhood sewer projects.

All this is accomplished by an Engineering Staff of 6 people. That’s right, 6.

Public Arts, Parks and Recreation

Community Development is also responsible for two other areas: Public Arts, and Parks and Recreation Commission.

Public Arts, guided by the Public Arts Commission, is currently working on a public art proposal for the I-10 Interchange, has sent out a call to artists for Cathedral Inspired art for several City gateways and is developing a Live Arts Series (kicking off in October with the Belle of Amherst (see lead article).

Unsung Heroes

Police, Fire, Emergency Services, Public Works are often what first comes to people’s minds when they think about City services. Behind the scenes, Community Development and other departments work tirelessly to keep the City going strong.

Cathedral City has fewer Community Development employees than any of the eight Coachella Valley cities except for Desert Hot Springs and Indian Wells – both with populations significantly smaller than Cathedral City.

Next Free Shredding/Stop Identity Theft Event is October 7th.

The next shredding event will be on Saturday, October 7th from 9 a.m. to Noon at 68-510 East Palm Canyon in the parking lot adjacent to the Desert IMAX Theatre in Cathedral City. This event is for Cathedral City Residents ONLY. Proof of residence is required. Show up early. For more information contact the City’s Environmental Conservation Manager at 760-770-0369.

Last Reminder for Soccer Park Groundbreaking

Come join in the kick-off celebration for the Cathedral City Soccer Park this Saturday, September 30th at 3 p.m. The event will be held at Santoro Rd. and 30th Avenue (just east of James Workman Middle School).

Pop Culture Trivia

A number of pop culture events occurred on September 26th. The musical “West Side Story” premiered on Broadway in 1957. The Beatles’ “Abbey Road” album was released in 1969. The great American composer and songwriter George Gershwin was born in 1898, and the great American poet T. S. Elliott was born in 1888. His book of poems “Old Possums’ Book of Practical Cats” served as the basis for the hugely successful musical “Cats.” For those of us old enough to have gone to the movie premier of “Grease” (1978) – it’s Olivia Newton-John’s birthday, as well. That bundle of energy and talent turns 58 today.