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Desert Local News - Desert Local News Print at Home Edition 11 March 26 - Index

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DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS DHS WATER WAR
DlNews Staff Writer
DHS: An age-old conflict about
water and its use in the desert is
bubbling up at the Mission Springs
Water District. A big money power
plant operator proposes to remove
water from the aquifer.
The Water District is on the
horns of a dilemma. A power plant
to be built by Sentinel CPV (www.
cpvsentinel.com) of Massachusetts
is proposed within water district
boundaries intends to pump water
from our underground aquifer.
That’s created a conflict over the
power plants need for the water and
maintaining the purity of ground
water quality. The Water District has
a duty to protect the water which is
By DLNews Staff Writer
DHS: A sweet smell filled the
fresh air as terra firma became hardened
concrete to firm on Second
Street. This surprising addition to
the curb and re-pavement project has
filled a neighborhood with hope.
New remodeling and construction
of new homes is a powerful
combination of confidence. Long
neglected streets where once many
yards served as trash collection sites
now have a clean new look even
though road construction is incomplete.
Its common knowledge among
city planners that when residential
streets are improved, residents take
more pride in their homes.
Lori Fiorda, a 47 year resident
of Desert Hot Springs has nothing
but praise for the project. “This is
great. They shoulda done this a long
time ago,” she said.
Asked if the construction was
causing a hardship, she said, “No,
currently in a critical overdraft condition.
The power plant wants water,
and the District has none to give
away. No one seems to agree on
how to make that work. At a board
meeting on Monday, discussions
became heated.
“I’ve been very much in favor of
the power plant from the beginning
of the election,” stated water district
board member John Brown, “There
is an urgency felt and an attraction
to preferential revenue we don’t
want lost.”
Sentinel’s first proposal would
have given one millions of dollars
in infrastructure improvements that
the water district has no need for.
actually the road that’s under construction
is smoother now than it
was before they started.”
The roadwork is still in the grading
stage with no pavement yet put
down.
On those dirt roads, the city has
been applying water on a regular basis
to make sure there is no dust during
construction. That had one city
councilman pleased as he surveyed
the site on Saturday.
“Construction can be an inconvenience
even when residents can
see that progress is being made,”
said councilman Russell Betts. “It
was really nice to see this project
going well. The ground is damp like
it should be. I’m impressed with the
progress. City staff is doing a good
job.”
Fiorda agreed that even at this
stage she is pleased.
“The streets under construction
might look bad but they were worse
back before construction started.
In fact, those improvements would
end up costing consumers money
and actually raise rates. Sentinel has
proposed at least four variations in
an attempt to get the water district
to agree with their plan.
At Monday’s meeting, Directors
Furbee and Brown (both from
DHS) proposed they be appointed
to an ad hoc negotiating committee
to further Sentinel negotiations. Director
Nancy Wright (from Painted
Hills) pointed to what she said was
a conflict and said if an ad hoc committee
was going to be established
that it should include board members
from each side.
Continued on page 5
FIRST SIDEWALKS ON SECOND
Back then the street was so falling
apart it broke my car,” Fiorda said.
First, Second and Third streets
are undergoing dramatic change. The
construction represents what is to be
a transformation of the city, one Redevelopment
Director Rudy Acosta
has outlined at several community
forums over the past few weeks.
In all, the city is getting ready to
spend $30 million on city revitalization.
Importantly, these streets represent
the downtown core of the
community adjacent to schools, the
library, the skate-park and city hall.
The project is the result of a grant
applied for three years ago.
This project is the first to herald
valuable street revolution. More
curbs, re-pavement and sidewalks
will be built this year. Construction
marches south of Pierson from
Acoma to Two Bunch Palms Trail
between West and Cactus.
SHILLA
PAYS UP
By Dean Gray
DHS: The Hotel Shilla
has paid its bill in full to the
city of Desert Hot Springs.
The hotel fell behind in payments
to the tune of nearly
$20,000 for the TOT (Transient
Occupancy Tax) due the
city on a monthly basis.
The delays in payments
were first exposed by Desert
Local News.
In an extraordinary move,
the city is now requiring the
hotel to pay the TOT on a daily
basis at 6 pm. The city will
audit the books of the business
within 30-60 days.
City administrators had
no formal threshold of accumulated
delinquencies that
would trigger enforcement
action or painful enough penalties
to compel delinquents
to pay.
“We’re submitting to the
Council a new set of rules,”
said Rick Daniels, City Manager.
“We cannot let collection
of taxes fall through the
cracks. Hotels pay their TOT
the 31st of every month. The
city needs that money.”
The city had generated
over 34 faxes, letters and visits
to the Hotel Shilla in an
attempt to receive TOT payments
due.
“They always appeared
willing to pay… but the hotel
did not respond or the owners
made promises that were
not kept,” said Daniels. “We
finally reached a point of intolerance.”
“The city can ill afford this
to happen again. TOT money
pays for essential city services
of fire and police. Hotels
are educated about the TOT
when obtaining a business licenses,”
said Daniels.
Due to city operating costs
the TOT was raised last year
to 12%, the highest in the valley.
“When the city went from
110 to 80 employees it hurt.
The last audit of hotels was
3 years ago. We’re about due
now for another audit of all
the hotels,” said Daniels. “It’s
just good business practice.
That’s what they brought me
here for and I’m just doing
my job.”