| Cathedral City Newsletters November Newsletters Honeywell and Cathedral City Partner to Reduce Energy Costs The Carnival Is Coming To Town! Subaru Dealership Joins Cathedral City Auto Park Maintenance Set for Fountain of Life Citizens On Patrol "Tip of the Month"
Honeywell and the City of Cathedral City have announced a $2.7 million Energy Savings Performance Contract for building and energy efficiency improvements that will help reduce the city's annual operating costs by 33 percent. The project, which includes the installation of a solar canopy on the roof of the civic center parking garage, is scheduled to begin in mid-October. A $1 million renewable energy rebate from the State of California will provide partial funding for the project.
Built using more than 1,600 photovoltaic solar panels, the parking garage canopy will generate power while shielding vehicles from the sun. The canopy supports the city's drive toward using clean, renewable energy and will reduce CO2 emissions by an estimated 514 tons each year - the equivalent of removing 103 automobiles from the road. The use of solar energy made the city eligible for the $1 million state rebate. Administered through the local utility, the rebate will reduce the net cost of the project. And the energy savings that result from the citywide upgrades and improvements will pay for the $1.7 million balance over the next nine-and-a-half years. There is no financial risk to the city because Honeywell guarantees the results. "Solar energy gives the city a reliable way to generate savings and affords us protection against energy rate increases," said Donald Bradley, the city manager of Cathedral City. "Honeywell provided a direction that was in line with our specific needs. The project leverages our natural Southern California resources, and saves taxpayers money on our already tight budgets." During the nine-month construction phase of the project, Honeywell will install the solar canopy, as well as energy-efficient lighting and controls throughout the city buildings. This includes upgrades to the civic center, fire stations and public works buildings. Honeywell also will upgrade traffic signals from incandescent lights to light emitting diodes (LEDs), which use less energy and have a longer life span. When completed, this phase is expected to cut the city's annual (electrical) energy consumption by 26 percent. "Cathedral City is at the front of the movement toward green, renewable energy," said Joe Puishys, president of Honeywell Building Solutions. "As energy prices continue to rise, more local state and federal entities will follow its lead. Performance contracts provide a financially viable means to fund these projects, while also creating more comfortable, environmentally friendly places to live and work." Honeywell and Cathedral City are currently planning a second phase of the project, which will focus on using alternate sources of renewable energy, such as waste-to-energy conversion, to generate revenue for the city. This work is another step in the city's efforts to reduce energy consumption. The city saw a 20 percent decrease in energy usage when it switched to a four-day work week in 1997.
The Carnival is coming to downtown Cathedral City November 11-14. The 5 day event is the production of Desert Star Attractions of Los Angeles and Yuma Arizona. The Carnival is geared towards family entertainment featuring fourteen state-of-the-art carnival rides, as well as game booths and food vendors. The Carnival will be located on E. Palm Canyon Drive across the street from Civic Center. Hours of operation are: Thursday and Friday 5pm-10:30pm; and, Saturday and Sunday 11am - 10:30pm.
Construction is underway for the new Subaru Dealership on E. Palm Canyon Drive. Subaru is part of the Wes Hinkle's Volvo, and the latest dealership to join the Cathedral City Auto Park. The Subaru sales office is expected to open January '05, with the dealership in full operation in the fall. The Cathedral City Auto Park has the greatest variety of cars, trucks, SUV's and luxury cars in all of Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Two additional dealerships are expected to join the group within the next year.
The work will not impact the First Friday concerts Nov. 5 and Dec. 3, because ample room will be available for vendors and regular activities. During the closure, the fountain's soft surface of recycled material will be replaced, a larger surge tank will be installed, tiles and concrete will be cleaned and various repairs will be made. Timing of the work falls between its heavy use in the summer and the onset of the winter tourist season. The interactive fountain draws children to play in the hot summer months and three tour buses a day laden with international visitors throughout the year. Its popularity and use now far exceeded expectations when it was built almost five years ago. Designed by artist Jennifer Johnson and architect Reuel Young, the stone and tile structure won a design award from the Inland Empire Chapter of the American Association of Architects. The stone came from a quarry near Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico, Cathedral City's Sister City, and the mosaic tiles were individually affixed to the fountain by Johnson. Funds for the repairs will come from different sources, including state environmental conservation and city redevelopment agency funds. To help replenish the local blood supply, the Chamber of Commerce is assisting with a Blood Drive from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the offices of Phenomenal Health Center, 68-100 Ramon Road, Suite C 8. Donors are asked to telephone 202-7376 for an appointment. Cathedral City Citizens on Patrol (COP) is looking for a few good volunteers! Volunteers assist the Cathedral City Police Department as additional "eyes and ears" in the community. COP service can be as minimal as 4 hours a month. Residents interested in learning more about Citizens On Patrol can call Bill or Pam Cohen at 321-0148. The average commitment is 4 hours a week. The Coachella Valley Water District is currently installing a new water main on Gerald Ford Dr. from Plumley Rd. to Bob Hope Dr. Work began October 18, and is expected to be completed by mid-December. This is not a Cathedral City project, however, will be inspected under a City permit. Expect major delays and use alternate routes when possible. For more information, call Joe Cook, CVWD at 398-2651. The City of Cathedral City and F.I.N.D. (Food In Need of Distribution) are sponsoring a food drive during the month of November. Non-perishable foods such as canned fruits, vegetables, and soups, as well as, cereals, granola bars, instant potatoes, turkey stuffing and rice are needed. Food donations can be delivered in F.I.N.D. bins at the Pickford and IMAX Theatres, City Hall and the Cathedral City Police Department beginning Monday, November 1.
Traffic concerns have always been an important issue to our community, and we want to make the streets as safe as possible for citizens and visitors alike. With an additional increase in the valley's population, it is unavoidable that traffic congestion, accidents, and moving violations will increase. We urge everyone to continue to use good driving habits, obey the rules of the road, and pay attention to your surroundings while on the road and in parking lots. With the advancement of technology, more and more drivers have taken on more than one task while driving, such as using cellular phones, watching DVD's, changing CD's, playing with satellite navigations systems, and other tasks which divide the driver's attention from the road. Please know the Cathedral City Police Department is committed to ensuring the safety of the public, and will be participating in several traffic related state funded grants during the next several months during the Holiday periods to provide extra safety on the roads. The California State Annual Seatbelt Campaign "Click It or Ticket" will again be in effect during November 17-30th, which includes the Thanksgiving Holiday, so remember to Buckle Up and Wear Your Seatbelt, or you may be receiving a citation. In addition, there will be two "You Drink, You Drive, You Lose" driving under the influence checkpoints during the Christmas and New Year's Holidays, as well as several roving DUI patrols during that same time frame. Remember, we participate in these state wide programs to help keep our citizens safe while driving on our city streets. On behalf of all the employees of the Cathedral City Police Department, we wish you and your family a safe and happy upcoming Holiday Season.
This is Dave Holmes from our "Citizens On Patrol" Group in beautiful Cathedral City. I want to share with you a major scam that is affecting our area. PLEASE, don't ever dial area code 809! Do not respond to emails, phone calls, or web pages which tell you to call an 809 area phone number. If you get a call from someone asking you to return their phone call or email to that area code, it could cost you $2,400.00 or more. Some of the callers will tell you that they have information about a family member who has been ill, or say that someone has been arrested, or to let you know that you have won a large prize. In each case, you are told to call the 809 number right away. If you do make the mistake of calling, your phone bill will be charged $2,425.00 per-minute! A caller will try to keep you on the phone as long as possible to increase the charges. Unfortunately, when you get your phone bill, you'll often be charged thousand of dollars! Do not become a victim of this on-going crime. If you do, fighting or disputing the charges may be next to impossible because the 809 area code is in the British Virgin Islands. Your local long distance carrier may not want to get involved as they are simply providing the billing for that foreign country. Be aware. Stay safe. Dave Holmes is a member of the Citizens On Patrol Group and can be reached at 760-324-5112 or via email at "Hdavid820@aol.com"
Everyone enjoys listening to music when driving. It makes us seem to relax behind the wheel and often times lessens the stress we incur while driving. Many drivers however, turn the volume up to excessive levels that are a danger to themselves and the motoring public in general. This is covered in California Vehicle Code section 27007 which states:
Their have been many times while working traffic enforcement, I have felt the bass from an approaching vehicle before I could ever see it. Remember, the law says 50 feet! If an officer can hear a vehicle's music system from more than 50 feet away, the driver is in violation and subject to citation. Some cities in the valley have ordinances that allow for towing of the vehicle. Fines and towing charges can be expensive. Remember to have consideration for others and keep the volume under control! Please refer questions to Officer Mike Van Gorder, attn "Traffic Corner" at mvangorder@cathedralcity.gov.
Having a desire to teach and serve within her community, Suzanne accepted a job at our very own Cathedral City High School, spending over 6 years teaching Architecture and drafting skills to our many high school students. Continuing to follow her desire to serve, Suzanne set a goal of becoming a police officer and began attending the College of the Desert Police Academy. After completing this intensive training program, she was hired by Cathedral City as a Volunteer Police Reserve Officer. Over the following year, Suzanne volunteered her off duty time from teaching assisting our full time officers in protecting our community as a Police Reserve Officer. As if this volunteer service was not enough, she also volunteered her time to serve as a Flight Officer for the Indio Police Department's Air Support Division. In July of 2004, Suzanne was offered a paid full time position as one of our Police Officers and she proudly accepted. Suzanne truly enjoys serving the community and working with people. She loves police work because of the challenges and variety the police profession offers. She lives locally with both her loving cat and partner of 13 years. Suzanne now has time to enjoy some of her many hobbies such as skiing, running, biking, and weight-training, the internet and animals. Please join me in welcoming Officer Suzanne Delahanty to our Cathedral City family! Ah, autumn is here! With this nice, cooler weather, comes the anticipation of Thanksgiving. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you decorate, cook and entertain this holiday season:
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The
award-winning Fountain of Life in Town Square will be fenced off
and closed for maintenance and repairs beginning Monday and lasting
for about eight weeks.
It's
that time of year again! Your friends at the Cathedral City Police
Department would like to remind our community that the hot summer
months are coming to an end, and beautiful temperate weather is
right around the corner, attracting many part time residents and
visitors back to the Coachella Valley for the Holidays. With the
influx of residents and visitors comes the unavoidable increase
in the amount of vehicles and traffic on City streets, and the potential
dangers associated with increased traffic. As always, we are ever
mindful of alcohol impaired driving during the Holiday periods,
and we will be stepping up our patrol and enforcement activities
to deter alcohol related traffic problems.
With
the new "Radio Stereo Systems" that are present in vehicles today,
the decibel level many times exceeds that which is safe and reasonable.
More and more powerful amplifiers and sub-woofers are being installed
at such a high cost that sometimes the Stereo equipment exceeds
the value of the vehicle! These systems by themselves are a hobby
for some car enthusiasts, but when operated on an occupied highway
present a problem to not only the driver of the vehicle, but to
other motorists as well. When the volume or bass is turned up to
an excessive level, the driver is unable to hear emergency vehicles
approaching with sirens activated. In addition, the driver cannot
hear a horn from surrounding vehicles in case of an emergency in
the roadway. Set those issues aside, most other drivers do not want
to feel their own car vibrate from loud or bass music from a car
next to them. More to the point, Frank Sinatra fans don't appreciate
having to be subjected to Snoop Dogg rapping his songs at them at
ear piercing decibels when they are waiting for a red light.
Please
welcome one of our new Police Officers, Suzanne Delahanty. Suzanne
was born in New York City and relocated to Los Angeles California,
were she lived for about 20 years. In 1995, she moved to our desert
to buy her first home and enjoy the quality of life only the desert
has to offer. Suzanne held a corporate job as Chief Technology Director
at a large international publishing firm. Seeking out more challenges
she finished her education and earned a bachelors degree in Architectural
Design and a Masters degree in Teaching.
