Sod Installation Begins at Soccer Park
 Trucks loaded with rolls of sod are arriving at the 30th Avenue Soccer Park.
Sod installation began this week at the North end of the park and it is
already easy to imagine how the field will look when it is complete and
being used by local youth. The installers can lay about one acre of sod per
day. Desert Healthcare
District Awards Grant for a Fitness Track at Soccer Park
The Desert Healthcare District (DHD) awarded a grant of $350,408 for a
walking fitness track to go around the new Soccer Park to promote health and
well-being in the City – one of the largest grants the DHC has given out.
The 5-foot wide track will have workout stations where specific exercises
will be recommended. The track will be open to the public on a year-round
basis. Also funded by the grant is a wellness walking
program – “Take the 90/180 Challenge”. The program will promote initial
usage of the track and provide a targeted exercise regimen for people judged
at-risk for diabetes. Participants (students, adults, members of the
community) will be encouraged to walk 90 miles in 180 days (1 mile every
other day) and complete 10 different training exercises three times a week.
The wellness walking program will receive full support and collaboration
from:
 | Desert Regional Medical Center: Staff from the
hospital’s Health Key Plus Program will perform pre-program assessments
and screening of participants. |
| Palm Springs Unified School District: The James
Workman Middle School will select students to be screened for the program
and has agreed to exchange one of their regularly scheduled PE courses
with the program. |
| Assemblymember Bonnie Garcia: The program
complements her AB 2226 bill that mandates provision of information about
Type II diabetes risk factors and warning signs to parents and guardians
of 7th grade students. Assemblymember Garcia’s staff will also assist City
personnel to implement the program. |
| State Senator Denise Ducheny. |
The Desert Healthcare District plans on using this
program as a model for other community health services programs.
Design for the track is complete and was incorporated in the bid plans.
The proposal was developed by Mitchell Nieman, City Project Manager.
Hazardous Waste and Shredding Event
Reminders. Drop off your household hazardous
waste this Friday and Saturday, March 2nd & 3rd from 9 AM to 2PM on Buddy
Rogers Avenue next to the 2nd Street Park. Cathedral
City’s award winning Stop Identity Theft Program is back this Saturday,
March 3rd with it shredding truck. The truck will be located in the parking
lot adjacent to the Desert IMAX Theater (68-510 East Palm Canyon) in
Cathedral City between 9 AM and 12 PM.
Free Tax Help at the
Cathedral City Library Every Tuesday and
Thursday between 10 AM and 1 PM February 6th through April 12th
IRS-certified volunteers offer free tax counseling and preparation services
to low and middle income taxpayers, with special attention to those 60 and
over. The service is provided by AARP. No appointments are necessary, just
walk in and sign up. The Library is located at 33520 Date Palm Drive.
Cathedral City Bringing Up Citizen Request
Management System Soon, Cathedral City
residents (and anyone else for that matter) will be able to get their
questions answered more easily on the City’s web site. The Citizen Request
Management System (CRMS) allows a person to view the City’s frequently asked
questions, scan a general knowledge base on common topics, request services
and submit comments. If a person can’t find the answer to their question,
they can submit their own inquiry. They will receive a “ticket number” for
their inquiry and can track the status of their question or comment. Staff
will be able to enter inquiries for people who call in or who ask questions
in person. The system makes it easier to track citizen
requests and comments and allows staff to see the full communication history
with a citizen on a topic. The CRMS has a reporting feature that helps make
sure requests and comments are answered in a timely manner, as well as
spotting trends in citizen requests and concerns. The system also has a
Spanish interface. A team consisting of Sandra Hatfield,
Melissa Holcomb, Josie Meza, Rhonda Guillaume, Carma Gibson, Kevin Lockwood,
Teri McKeating, Lynn Mallotto and Allen Howe looked at several CRM systems
and recommended the Web QA web-based solution. Over the
next month or so the team will help build some of the frequently asked
questions, the knowledgebase, and the request workflow (who receives citizen
requests/comments on specific topics). Staff will receive training on how to
use the system. To begin, the CRM system will be used internally to log and
route requests and comments. Later, once we’ve tested our system, it will be
available to the public on the City’s web site. Existing
code, graffiti, fire, and police request/comment processes will remain in
place. Requests for these services made through the CRM system will be
forwarded to the people responding to those requests now.
Help is Here Provides Prescription
Assistance The “Help is Here” national bus tour
will be in Cathedral City Thursday March 8, between 9:30 AM and 11:30 AM in
front of the Civic Center (68-700 Avenida Lalo Guerrero) to help uninsured
Americans find programs that provide prescription medicines for free or
nearly free. Since its launch in April 2005, the bus tour – sponsored by
America’s pharmaceutical companies – has visited all 50 states and more than
1,000 cities to raise awareness about patient assistance programs. The “Help
is Here Express” is part of the Partnership for Prescription Assistance, a
national effort that has helped more than 3.4 million patients, including
197,300 in California. The “Help is Here Express” is
staffed by trained specialists able to quickly help low income, uninsured or
under-insured patients access more than 475 patient assistance programs.
When the “Help is Here Express” moves on, patients can visit their web site
www.PPARX.org or call their toll free phone number (1-888-4PPA-NOW) where
trained operators field calls in more than 150 languages.
Answer This Telephone Survey Please!
The Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG) is a partner with the
Health Access Resource Center (HARC). The purpose of HARC is to gather
helpful – and strictly confidential – information about the health of our
communities so that overall wellness and quality of life can be improved.
Over the next two months, HARC will begin to make the thousands of phone
calls across the Coachella Valley to collect the data for its first
assessment. The length of the phone call will be no more than 17-20 minutes.
The data collection will help cities and community organizations measure
outcomes, effectiveness and change that result from funding decisions and
initiatives in the Coachella Valley. The collection will
be based on current, scientifically collected and analyzed data that will
also assist local and regional governments in their strategic planning to
meet their resident’s needs. The local HARC is using a
successful and nationally recognized Orange County Health Needs Assessment (OCHNA)
agency, as its model. The Steering Committee of over 35 stakeholders,
including CVAG, has been meeting monthly. A Board of Directors has been
established with CVAG, at the table.
 Cove
Improvement District Phase 1
Construction Information for the week of
Feb. 26, 2007
Accomplishments
| The Phase I project is 50% complete. |
| 474 laterals completed as of 2/23/07 |
| 5.6 miles of sewer mainline constructed as of
2/23/07 |
| Project is On Schedule |
Sewer Hookup Information:
It typically takes 4-6 months to complete all of the construction work on a
street for the Cove project. Once the sewer is installed, the new pavement
is done and the contractor has completed all work on a street, the City
Engineer will send notification by letter to property owners that they can
connect to the sewer with the procedure for doing so.
Work Scheduled Week of 2/5/07
Sewer Work: Start work
on Kings Road at Cathedral Canyon Drive and Palos Verdes Drive mainline,
laterals, and manholes beginning 2/26/07
Street Work: (Street work includes curb
and gutter work, driveways and cross gutters)
| F Street |
| J Street |
| H Street |
| Iroquois Street |
| Chuperosa |
| Bel Air Drive |
Curb Work Note:
When the Contractor installs curbs and driveway approaches, residents will
be asked to not park or drive into their driveways and instead park across
the street for up to 14 days so that the concrete can cure. Once the curb
construction is done, residents will be able to park in their driveways and
on their side of the street. Prior notice in the form of door hangers will
be given to the residents by the Contractor when this curb work is being
done Water Line Work:
| Dorn Drive |
| Moonlight Drive |
| Treasure Trail |
| Indigo Lane |
| Kathy Drive |
| Vicki Lane |
| Chris Drive |
Storm Drain Work:
Storm drain pipe installation on Terrace Road at Chuperosa Lane to Cathedral
Canyon Asphalt grinding will occur on Terrace Road between
the East Cathedral Canyon Channel and Palo Verde for storm drain
installation. Storm drain pipe installation will occur on
Terrace Road at East Cathedral Channel and Chuperosa. This includes asphalt
grinding on Terrace Road between the East Cathedral Canyon Channel and Palo
Verde for the storm drains to be installed.
Terrace Road Note:
Sewer work has been completed on Terrace Road. Now storm drain work has
started on Terrace next to the Presbyterian Church Parking lot and Chuperosa.
This heavy construction involves digging through the East Cathedral Channel
and installing catch basins, inlets and a 54” Storm Drain Pipe in Terrace.
This construction will progress west along the north lane of Terrace. In
addition to the storm drain improvements, curb and gutter will be installed
on Terrace prior to final paving. As the storm drain work
moves westward, traffic will be directed to the south side of the street and
temporary detours may occur on Terrace. It will take
several months to complete all the construction on Terrace Road. During this
time, Terrace will continue to have temporary pavement. The contractor
regularly fills potholes to prevent deep ruts in the roadway and uses a
motor blade to smooth the surface. During construction, the speed limit on
Terrace is 25 mph to ensure everyone’s safety, and there are 25 mph speed
limit signs posted along Terrace. Working on Terrace Road
is one of the most challenging parts of the construction work in the Cove.
The City is working with the contractor to keep the temporary paving on
Terrace in drivable condition and will continue to monitor the roadway
condition throughout the construction. Constructing major
infrastructure, such as sewers, in an existing neighborhood is difficult.
Sewers, water lines, drainage and other infrastructure are typically dug and
placed before anyone moves into a neighborhood. The Cove project is
providing new sewers, storm drains, water lines and streets in a
neighborhood with over 1,500 households and where over 4,000 residents
already live. The Cove community is experiencing these challenges first hand
with the expectation that the improvements will benefit everyone in the Cove
and make living there even better. More information and a
progress map is available on the Cove's website at
www.cathedralcity.gov/cove/update.htm.
 Dream
Homes Construction Information
Construction Information for the week of
2/26/2007: ACCOMPLISHMENTS
| Sewer work (installation of sewer main, manholes
and laterals) is
complete for phase one! |
| 31018 San Joaquin is the seventh property to
connect since the
San Joaquin sewer system came online. |
| Property owners on San Joaquin Drive may now enjoy
the benefit
of a modern and environmentally friendly wastewater collection
system! |
MILESTONES
| 1.8 of approximately 4.5 miles of sewer mainline
installed as of 02-26-07 (41% complete) |
| 216 of approximately 544 laterals installed as of
02-26-07 (40% complete) |
| 36 of approximately 98 manholes installed as of
02-26-07 (37% complete) |
| 1.4 of approximately 4.5 miles of water mainline
installed as of 02-26-07 (31% complete) |
| 67 of approximately 446 domestic water services
(water laterals) installed as of 02-26-07 (15% complete) |
| Paving in the intersection of San Luis Rey and
Ramon is 100% COMPLETE! |
| Project is ON SCHEDULE! |
Completed Sewer & Water Construction as of 02-26-07 (map
attached) Sewer main, manholes and
laterals have been installed on the following streets:
| San Joaquin Dr. between Mission Dr. and San Mateo
|
| San Luis Rey between Ramon and Agua Caliente School
|
| Mission Dr. between San Luis Rey and San Diego up
to San Gabriel Circle |
| Mission & Laguna Courts and San Clemente |
| Santa Barbara Drive between San Luis Rey and San
Diego |
| San Gabriel Circle between San Luis Rey and San
Diego |
Water mainlines have been installed
on the following streets:
| Intersection of San Luis Rey and Ramon |
| San Luis Rey between Ramon and Santa Barbara Drive
|
| Mission Dr. between San Luis Rey and San Diego up
to San Gabriel Circle |
| Santa Barbara Drive between San Luis Rey and San
Diego |
| San Gabriel Circle between San Luis Rey and San
Diego |
Domestic water services (water
laterals) have been installed on the following streets:
| Mission Dr. between San Luis Rey and San Diego up
to San Gabriel Circle |
Upcoming Sewer & Water
Construction for Week of 02/26/2007:
Sewer work: No work
is scheduled Water work:
Crews will be installing waterlines and domestic water
services on the following streets:
| San Luis Rey between Ramon and Agua Caliente School
|
| Santa Barbara Drive between San Luis Rey and San
Diego |
| Mission & Laguna Courts and San Clemente |
*Paving for areas other than the intersection of Ramon &
San Luis Rey is estimated to begin sometime late March. Start location is
currently under review.
***IMPORTANT NOTES*** Connection to the sewer
will not be allowed FOR ANY AREA until streets are paved and manholes have
been raised to grade. Notice will be given to property owners by the City
and Water Agency when that time arrives. More information
and a progress map is available on the Dream Home's website at
www.cathedralcity.gov/DreamHomes/update.htm. ## |
