City Hall Will Be
Closed
 Monday
September 1, 2008
In observance of
Labor Day

 

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

From: Allen Howe
May 21, 2008

Help Move Cathedral City Forward

Interested in serving your community? There are vacancies on several of the City’s commissions and committees, including: Architectural Review Committee, Finance Advisory Committee, Parks & Recreation Commission, Planning Commission, Public Arts Commission; Streets and Transportation Commission, Marketing Committee and Riverside County Library Advisory Committee. Cathedral City residency is required for all of these commissions/committees except for the Public Arts Commission and Architectural Review Committee. To learn more you can call the City Clerk’s office at 760-770-0385 or the Deputy City Clerk at 760-770-0322. You can also find more information at the City’s website at www.cathedralcity.gov/CityClerk/vacancies.htm and download an application form there.

Applications must be submitted to the City Clerk by 6 PM on Thursday. June 3, 2008. Interviews will be conducted before the City Council on Wednesday, June 11th, 2008 during the Study Session of the City Council meeting after which appointments will be made. These appointments will be publicly announced during the evening session.

This is a way for members of the community to help move Cathedral City forward.

Business Development Staff Attend ICSC Conference

Cathedral City business development staff attended the 2008 ICSC national real estate conference in Las Vegas this week. They had meetings with retailers, brokers and developers. The conference was a great opportunity for the city to reach out to the retail and development community and encourage them to "do business with the city." Staff also had a chance to see the latest trends in public works and green building technologies.

“Fresh & Easy” Update

The Cathedral City Planning Commission approved construction of a “Fresh & Easy” Market at the southwest corner of Date Palm Drive and 30th Avenue, directly south of Walgreens Retail store. The grocery store will be 13,943 square-feet and has plenty of parking (68 spaces) located around the north, south and east of the building. There will be two points of entry: one from 30th Avenue and one from Date Palm Drive – both shared with Walgreens. “Fresh ‘n Easy” is a subsidiary of the British firm Tesco that focuses on busy residents who want fresh quality foods with the convenience of a smaller convenient store In addition, it will offer time-saving, packaged, ready to eat meals.

Fresh & Easy wants to begin construction as soon as possible, now that they have the “green light.”

Planning Department Developing City Sign Program

The City’s Planning Department has been developing a draft program to update and standardize City-sponsored “public” signs throughout the City. This includes city entryway signs, city entryway monuments, and directional signs. The program would also integrate Public Arts entryway sculptures into a coordinated entryway plan. The draft program will be presented to the City Council at its May 28th Study Session for initial discussion.

As the City grows, one means of continuing to improve its image is to standardize the graphic design of city-sponsored signs and to be sure they provide current information (logo, population, etc.). The goal is to provide the City with a more cohesive look that supports both local business and overall City pride.

“Every 15 Minutes”

The Cathedral City Police Department presented a two-day program focusing on the importance of personal responsibility and accountability in making mature decisions about personal safety, drinking and driving. The program targeted Cathedral City High School junior and senior students stressing the message that every 15 minutes, someone in the United States dies as a result from an alcohol-related traffic collision. Alcohol-related collisions are the leading cause of death among teen-aged youth.

With the assistance of the Cathedral City Fire Dept., Riverside Co. District Attorney’s Office, Coroner’s Office, CHP, Forest Lawn Mortuary and Eisenhower Medical Center, Cathedral City Police Officers staged a mock DUI accident on Day 1 at the corner of Plumley and Sen. Dave Kelley Roads, adjacent to the high school. “Every 15 Minutes” demonstrates to youth the legal, medical, emotional, financial and social consequences of driving impaired.

Day 2 the students attended a seminar with guest speakers presenting personal experiences of loss as a result of a DUI crash. Students and parents are shown a video. Letters are written by students and parents and shared with each other. The letter share personal reflections of the loss each other would feel as a result of a DUI, and, a promise to each other for personal responsibility to prevent such an occurrence.

Officer John Fox and the Police Dept. Traffic Division, along with Division Chief Robert Van Nortrick and firefighters coordinated this year’s event.

Memorial Day Invitation

Forest Lawn-Cathedral City will hold a Remembrance Service on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26, 10:30am. The event will be in the Chapel at Forest Lawn Mortuary, 69855 E. Ramon Rd.

The program highlights include a keynote address, patriotic music, Presidential Proclamation, Wreath Laying Ceremony, Color Guard, and Rifle Salute. Forest Lawn will have refreshments and souvenirs for those who attend.

World Premier of “Spirit of the Desert” this Friday the 23rd.

The Public Arts Commission developed an idea to salute Cathedral City with a world premier musical composition that would help show the city’s commitment to the varied culture of our community. The title of the piece is based on the City’s motto: “Spirit of the Desert.”

The Performance will be Friday, May 23, 2008 at 7:00 PM at the Cathedral City High School Auditorium.

Internationally acclaimed composer of musical theatre and concert works, Craig Bohmler, was commissioned to compose the work and Marion Adler, of the prestigious Stratford Festival in Toronto, was asked to write the words.

Performers will be: Layna Chianakas, mezzo-soprano, Andrew Eisenmann, baritone, the James Workman Middle School Concert Choir; and a septet of professional musicians from the Coachella Valley and Los Angeles. The composer will be featured on the piano. In addition to “Spirit of the Desert,” two other song collections by Mr. Bohmler will be performed by the composer and Ms. Chianakas and Mr. Eisenmann.

The Public Arts Commission wishes to thank: The Community Foundation, serving Riverside and San Bernardino counties; NAI Consulting, offering project management and engineering services for municipalities; Harris & Associates; Granite Construction; Choctaw Construction; Total Marketing Partners; James R. Peters Construction Management & Inspection; MSA Consulting and The Palm Springs Opera Guild for making the Live Arts performing arts series possible.

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