New Edition of “The
Spirit of the Desert” E-Newsletter Online
The latest “Spirit of the Desert” E-Newsletter is now
available at
www.thespiritofthedesert.com . This is Cathedral City’s official
newsletter where you can find in-depth articles about what’s going on in the
City. The new edition features the text of the 2007 State of the City
address, information on the new parking ordinance, the City’s Citizen
Request Management System, the new SPEEDsentry traffic monitor, and an
article from the Palm Springs Unified School District on Cathedral City’s
second Homecoming Parade – complete with pictures. The newsletter allows you
to rate the articles for their level of interest and to suggest future
articles. You can also participate in online surveys. Check it out. The
Newsletter is in both English and Spanish.
Annual Tree Lighting
This Thursday at 6PM
The City’s Annual Tree Lighting Event in Town Square is
this Thursday, November. 29th.
The festivities will begin at 6pm with the tree lighting
at 6:15pm.
What’s especially exiting about this year’s event is that
the 29 Palms US Marine Corps Band will give a full concert performance! The
band is spectacular
In addition, there will be an exciting evening of
performances from children and choral groups.
Santa will be arriving by special delivery, courtesy of
the Cathedral City Fire Dept.
There will be SNOW, food, hot chocolate and a Santa’s
Play Village for the kids.
The Pickfair Promenade merchants are joining in the
festivities with special promotions and attractions for all.
The evening will also be a perfect opportunity to share
with others…the event will sponsor a food collection for FIND and toy
collection for the US Marine Corps Toys for Tots Program.
Come and enjoy the music and fun.
Early Notice of Bulky
Item Assistance Program coming in January
Need help moving large items from your house to your curb
for disposal? Are your refrigerator and mattresses too heavy?
Then you are in luck! On Monday, January 21, 2008 from 8
a.m. until 12 p.m., employees of the City of Cathedral City, as part of the
Helping Hands for the Community event in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Day, will come come to your home and help you move your large unwanted
household items from your home to the curb for disposal. Burrtec Waste &
Recycling will be by later in the week to dispose of the items!
It’s easy to participate. Just call the City’s
Environmental Conservation Office at 976) 770-0369 and set up an
appointment. Appointments will be accepted until 6 p.m. on Thursday, January
17th.
Combining Forces on
9-1-1
On Monday, November 26, at 6:00 am, the City of Desert
Hot Springs and the City of Cathedral City joined forces by combining their
Emergency 9-1-1, Public Safety Communications Centers into one site. All
9-1-1 emergency calls for both communities now are answered at the Cathedral
City Public Safety Communications Center. Public Safety Dispatchers for both
Cities work together at the Cathedral City Public Safety Communications
Center, which now dispatches for Desert Hot Springs Police, Cathedral City
Fire and the Cathedral City Police Departments. Fire Services for Desert Hot
Springs are still handled by the Riverside County Fire Department, which
will receive Fire and Medical service 9-1-1 call transfers from the
Cathedral City Pubic Safety Communications Center.
The combining of the emergency 9-1-1 call takers and
public safety dispatchers will enhance service in both communities by
allowing dispatchers who are not busy with 9-1-1 calls or radio traffic to
assist in answering phones or directing resources in the field.
Prior to combining the emergency communications center,
there was a dispatcher/call taker for Cathedral City Police and a
dispatcher/call taker for Cathedral City Fire at the Cathedral City Public
Safety Communications Center. The City of Desert Hot Springs had one
dispatcher/call taker on duty at the Desert Hot Springs emergency
communications center. Regardless of how high the demand for emergency
services were in Desert Hot Springs, there was only one person available to
answer all the 9-1-1 calls, while dispatching resources to the incidents and
at the same time, maintain communications with the police officers in the
field. In Cathedral City, there were frequently only two personnel to handle
all the emergency services demands. There are many times when there is a
high level of emergency services activity in one city, while the other city
is quiet. During these times, the combining of the Communications Centers
will bring the extra personnel to where they are needed most. One
communications center will improve communications between the allied public
safety agencies and make communications policies and procedures more
uniform.
The transition of the emergency 9-1-1 calls and radio
communications occurred without any problems, which reflects the many hours
of preparing which have occurred since the City of Desert Hot Springs and
Cathedral City signed the agreement 6 months ago. Since that time,
additional 9-1-1 phone lines have been installed and improvements have been
made on the radio infrastructure. Desert Hot Springs migrated to the same
Computer Aided Dispatch / Records Management Software that is used by
Cathedral City, Indio, Palm Springs and Beaumont. This allows for all the
municipal agencies using this software to share local data and in an
emergency, dispatch from alternate sites. Dispatchers from both Cities have
spent the last 6 months getting to know the other’s city by taking
ride-a-longs with the officers and covering dispatch in each others dispatch
centers. This project will have a mutually beneficial impact on public
safety in both Desert Hot Springs and Cathedral City, while additionally
building a strong and positive relationship between the two communities and
their public safety personnel.
Questions regarding the joint communications center
project may be referred to Captain John Holcomb at 760-770-0316.
