Dear Indio Neighbors,
Summer has definitely arrived here in the desert! And despite the heat, we are moving forward on our various street resurfacing projects around the City. On August 15, the City Council will act on awarding a bid for one of the most extensive local street resurfacing projects in years. So we are doing our best to use these summer months effectively.
Summer time also brings complaints about maintenance. Things are dry and dusty, so we receive more than a few inquiries about property maintenance in the City’s medians or on private property. The City’s Code Enforcement staff is small but very efficient. When the complaint involves City property, we do our best to direct our contract maintenance firm to address the conditions. We have a 33-square mile city, so it is a sizeable task but we are working on it every day.
When complaints relate to private property, we first seek voluntary compliance. However, at any particular time, we have hundreds of property maintenance notices and citations working their way through the process. Most of the time they are resolved without legal action. Sometimes it takes longer. But please know that the physical beauty of our community is a high priority and that we work hard at it.
We believe that Indio is the best “12-month a year” community in the desert. Summer times are active times at City Hall.
In previous columns I have shared much of the exciting new development interests we have in Indio. We were pleased to hear that the Red Mountain Group, a very prominent real estate firm that specializes in shopping center revitalization, has closed on its purchase of the Indio Towne Center at the northeast intersection of I-10 and Jackson Street. They have already announced that the Toy "R" Us space is being leased by Burlington and by a new Marshall’s. They have other new tenants planned for occupancy in the near future.
We are also happy to say that efforts by the Haagen Company to redevelop the Indio Fashion Mall are continuing in earnest. If you have visited the property lately, you will see that while they work on their new development, they have made the existing property much nicer and added some new tenants. This is not their ultimate development plan, but in the meantime, we recommend you support these local businesses.
In fact, I will end this column by asking all Indio residents to do your best to support our local businesses during these hot months and while we are doing our extensive road resurfacing projects. They deserve our patronage!
I hope you all enjoy your summer months. I know that our great school communities are getting ready to start a new year. Our public safety crews are watching out for us, and our Indio Water Authority and public works crews are busy keeping vital services working. Our Indio-based CalFire crews are doing an amazing, heroic job this summer. They not only make almost daily saves of properties and medical emergencies here in the City, but they get called upon on an overtime basis to respond to wildfires that are plaguing our State. We pray for the safety of all of our dedicated crews.
If you get a chance, please drop us a line and tell us how we are doing. Thank you all for your belief in Indio.
Mark Scott
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The Indio City Council recognized Walmart Supercenter in Indio on July 18, 2018, for their assistance during the April music festivals and donating hundreds of plants to the City. Walmart accommodated hundreds of festival goers on their parking lot during the second weekend of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival after major winds delayed the opening of the campgrounds at the Empire Polo Club. A new phenomenon known as “Walmart-chella” was created and it rung the cash registers of local businesses throughout Indio. Walmart also donated hundreds of plants to the City after solar panels caused a fire to the building on May 29, 2018. The plants could no longer be sold after the fire, but Walmart decided to donate them to the City rather than disposing them. As the only Tree City USA community in the Coachella Valley, Indio will make good use of the plants to provide additional shading, cut cooling/healing costs, cleanse the air, and increase property values by beautifying neighborhoods.
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Indio to Install Iconic Supernova Sculpture in Downtown
The Supernova sculpture from the 2018 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival has found a new home in downtown Indio. On July 18, 2018, the Indio City Council approved an agreement with Goldenvoice to install the sculpture at the southwest corner of Miles Avenue and Smurr Street. It will be visible from Indio Boulevard and the Jackson Street overpass. Approximately $35,000 will be used from the city’s Public Art Fund to install and maintain the artwork. The Supernova sculpture is an iconic piece of art work that will further activate downtown Indio and continue to promote the city as the center for art, music, food and entertainment. Roberto Behar and Rosario Marquardt of Miami-based R&R Studios created Supernova. It will be installed by October this year.
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Roadrunner Café is Open at College of the Desert's
Indio Campus
College of the Desert is really excited about the new student-run venture that will be benefiting the Indio community! COD will soon open the new Roadrunner Café on the bottom floor of its Indio Campus on Monday, August 27th. The general public and students are invited to stop in to grab a bite or drink at the student-operated eatery, which will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The menu will feature premade sandwiches, wraps and salads; grab-and-go snacks; fountain and bottled drinks; coffee; and more. The COD Indio Campus is at 45524 Oasis Street. Come and support a great addition to Indio
!
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The City of Indio is currently in the process of updating its General Plan. The General Plan is a state mandated document that represents goals, policies, and programs that provide the framework for the City’s future physical development. The General Plan will address land use, transportation, housing, safety, conservation, open space, noise, public health, sustainability, and economic development. The public draft of the General Plan is available for your review and comment at
www.indio2040.org
. Please provide your comments via email to
[email protected]
no later than Friday, August 31, 2018 before 5:00 p.m. Let's shape the future of Indio together!
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The Indio Youth Advisory Council (YAC) is currently recruiting for the 2018/2019 school year. YAC is a youth leadership group open to ALL high school students that reside in the City of Indio and are interested in learning more about local government. If you are willing to attend bi-monthly city council meetings and represent the Indio City Council in events throughout the community, and enjoy doing community service, then YAC is for you. In essence, YAC is the voice of Indio youth; past groups have helped bring about the Indio Teen Center, helped with a donation drive for hurricane victims, and volunteered with various local community agencies. If you are interested in learning more about the city’s youth leadership group join us for our informational meeting on Wednesday, August 8th at 5 p.m. at the Indio Teen Center, located at 81678 Avenue 46, directly in front of Indio High School.
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The Imperial Irrigation District (IID) is proud to present residential customers with several energy saving programs to help you go green and save green!
Programs include:
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Coachella Valley Art Center presents The Light which Reveals the Alarming Ghosts August 3 - 31, 2018
Alarming Ghosts, a pop-up exhibition of media-based installations, at the Coachella Valley Art Center (CVAC), located in downtown Indio at 45140 Towne St., for the month of August. The exhibition centers on the notion of revealing hidden subjects and narratives that often go unnoticed in day to day life, those which are overlooked or even deliberately ignored - our figurative ghosts - yet form an invisible tapestry woven by infinite threads of our collective history as a humanity. The exhibit features work by Griselda Calderon Lopez, Zach Fleming-Boyles, MLN17, and Kevin Townsend. Additional programming during the run of the exhibition will include an art workshop, artist talk, film screening, and special performances. Details can be found at both the
LIFEWORK Gallery
and Coachella Valley Art Center websites.
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The Riverside County Department of Animal Services offers adoption of cute, friendly, and playful dogs and cats looking for a new home. The adoption fees includes the cost of the license, spay/neuter surgery, microchip and vaccinations. Be sure to bring a leash or carrier if you intend to adopt a pet. To see what pets are available, go to
www.rcdas.org
or go to the Coachella Valley Animal Campus at 72-050 Pet Land Place, Thousand Palms, CA 92276. For low cost animal services, go to the monthly bus clinics offered by the Coachella Animal Network (
www.coachellaanimalnetwork.org
) or go to the Animal Samaritans office in Indio at 42150 Jackson Street, Suite 106, Indio, CA 92203 (
www.animalsamaritans.org
). Begin new memories with your new best friend!
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It’s mosquito season and the city is asking the public to do all they can to prevent mosquito breeding in their neighborhoods and to report increased mosquito activity.
Prevent mosquitoes around your home:
- Inspect yards for standing water sources and drain water that may have collected under potted plants, in bird baths, discarded tires, and any other items that could collect water.
- Check your rain gutters and lawn drains to make sure they aren’t holding water and debris.
- Clean and scrub bird baths and pet watering dishes weekly.
- Check and clean any new potted plant containers that you bring home because they may have Aedes aegypti eggs. The eggs can remain viable in dry areas for months.
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City of Indio Providing Hands-On Work Experience for Summer Interns
As a recent recipient of the Southern California Chapter of the American Public Works Association(APWA) Scholarship, Shadow Hills High School (SHHS) student Isaiah Contreras Campbell was required to spend four hours involved in public works/civil engineering work. Isaiah graduated as a National Hispanic Merit Scholar, an AP Scholar with Distinction, and Salutatorian from SHHS. While at SHHS, he was also a three-sport athlete in water polo, basketball, and swim. Isaiah will be attending Arizona State University in the fall to continue his love for engineering. To this end, Isaiah spent time this summer volunteering with Indio's Public Works Department. Isaiah states, "The graciousness and hospitality of Juan Raya (City Engineer) and his staff was exceptional. The unique insight I gained from this experience simply confirmed my direction as an engineer. I learned a great deal about our wonderful city. Thank you Juan and the City of Indio for your kindness and dedication!"
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This summer, Josue Huerta was given the opportunity to intern for the City of Indio through the Migrant Education Program (MEP). Josue was born in Indio and grew up in Thermal. Josue is an incoming senior at Desert Mirage High School. In his spare time, Josue likes to play tennis, soccer and make music. It is a dream of his to one day become a music producer. The MEP is designed to help families of field workers expose their children to college and give them opportunities to further their education. During Josue's internship under the direction of the City Clerk Administrator, Sabdi Sanchez, he learned about local government, the importance of maintaining city records, and the process of city council elections. Josue is very pleased to have worked with the City Clerk's Office and it has opened his eyes to a new path that he had not considered prior to his internship. Josue is planning to go to college after graduation from high school and hopes to return to city hall to further his knowledge in city administration.
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The City of Indio is the largest and fastest growing city in eastern Riverside County with more than 89,000 residents. Nearly 1.4 million people visit Indio every year to attend its world famous arts, food, and music festivals. With nationally recognized public safety services, exceptional schools, great parks and senior and teen centers, no wonder more than 3,000 new housing units are in construction or being planned throughout the city in addition to new hotels, restaurants and retailers. Indio was the first city incorporated in the Coachella Valley on May 16, 1930, and is governed by an elected City Council that employs a City Manager. The City of Indio embraces its diversity and provides outstanding municipal services to enhance the quality of life for its residents, visitors and business community.
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City of Indio |100 Civic Center Drive | (760) 391-4000
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