Author: dailycastsocal

Waves can be seen being generated at the Palm Springs Surf Club off South Gene Autry Trail. (File photo) The Palm Springs Planning Commission heard from frustrated residents of the Tahquitz Creek residents and management of the Palm Springs Surf Club on Tuesday evening amid ongoing complaints over noise levels at the facility.  In October 2019, the Planning Commission approved the conversion of the shuttered water park at 1500 South Gene Autry Trail into a new surf wave pool, a restaurant and lounge area, and a lazy river, along with other amenities. The Palm Springs Surf Club first opened on Jan. 1, 2024, but closed for several months due to mechanical issues with the wave pumping machines. The surf club reopened in late fall 2024 and has been fully operational since.  During that time period, some residents along Cherry Hills Drive and Pebble Beach Drive repeatedly reported concerns about the noise levels coming from the facility. The city’s code enforcement team has received a total of 66 complaints about the surf club since it began operation from about 16 individual residences. Most of the complaints are about noise from the wave making machines and from music played over the surf club’s sound system. Of these complaints, the facility has received just six citations.  The Palm Springs Surf Club uses eight wave making machines that apply air pressure to force a piston downward, which results in water motion. The machines are located inside three different enclosed buildings with large roll-up doors. The machines make a noise “that increases as the waves cycle up to release the air pressure to propel the waves,” according to a city staff report. And before a recent overhaul of the machines, the roll-up doors were frequently opened to help the machines cool off due to overheating.  The surf club has since installed new noise blankets inside the buildings to help absorb the sound, and added cooling machinery so that the doors no longer need to be open while the machines make waves. But some residents say they’re still plagued by noise, from both the wave machines and recent special events such as adult night swims.  The Planning Commission heard concerns from several of these residents on Tuesday evening, in a regular review of the park’s operations that was one of the conditions of the approval.  “How it bothers us is when we would go out in the morning to listen to the birds, look at the trees, it was quiet, even the occasional plane doesn’t bother us, but this thing is a constant, draining, groaning noise,” said one resident.  “At the end of the day, it’s a corporation that’s earning profits off a negative impact to those in the neighborhood. It can be remedied, and that’s all we’re simply asking. We don’t want the park to go away. We don’t want those who enjoy the park to not be there. We’d like to enjoy the park, but not at the expense of the quality of life for our neighborhood,” said Tom Jennings, another resident near the surf club. Graphs presented by the city’s code enforcement staff showed decibel levels from the surf club reaching above the 70 decibel limit set by the city’s noise ordinance between the hours of 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.   “We collectively want everybody to understand that we actually take this serious. . . This has been a challenge for sure. This is a startup. This is new technology. We’ve had our challenges with it, obviously breaking down, learning the industry and understanding what it is,” said Mara Smith with the Palm Springs Surf Club. “. . . We want to recognize that we are trying our best mitigation efforts that we’ve put in.” Waves are seen being generated at the Palm Springs Surf Club. (File photo) “I appreciate their concerns, but I also am here to say we are a business, and we want to be part of this community, and we want to be great neighbors,” said Smith.  A code compliance officer said issues from the wave machines have largely been mitigated since the machines were overhauled, and most of the recent concerns have related to special events like adult swim nights and live entertainment.   Smith said the surf club was actively working with acoustic engineers to mitigate the sound, and received the suggestion of installing a “living wall” of staggered trees along the surf club’s southern perimeter, which should lower sound levels by seven to 11 decibels. A structural sound wall, built at the height allowed by city code, would only reduce the sound by about two decibels, according to Smith. The Planning Commission directed Smith to mitigate the noise issues by installing a living wall, which Smith said could be done by October if the surf club receives required city approvals. The topic will return for Planning Commission discussion in three to six months, after these mitigations measures have been implemented.  Source link

Welcome to Monday, everyone, where we’d like to give a shoutout to city staff members who must feel like they’re juggling chainsaws at this point. No sooner had we published Friday’s newsletter than we learned that a Saturday movie at the pool, which was on our weekend calendar, had been postponed. A day later, we learned it was delayed a second time. City events and communications staff, who are responsible for spreading the word about the movie, got a real workout! For right now, we can tell you that the Dive-In Movie “Moana 2” has been rescheduled to Aug. 2, and that everyone will be very happy when power issues at Sunrise Park are fully resolved. 🎶 Setting the mood: “Work It (Soulwax Remix)” by Marie Davidson (A perfect Monday motivation song that turns a boring email job into a dance club) LEADING OFF A rendering of a turf replacement project shown Thursday evening to the city’s Measure J Oversite Commission. Turf conversion project for grass along San Rafael Drive coming together Plans to replace grass with desert-appropriate plants along a stretch of San Rafael Drive are moving forward but face cost increases, the Measure J Oversight Commission was told during its regular monthly meeting last week.  Driving the news: The project affecting city property between Mountain Shadow Drive and Sunrise Way will transform the current grass and irrigation into native desert plants, shade trees, crush rock mulch and decomposed granite with low-voltage lighting. Michael Madsen with consultant Kimley-Horn said the goal is creating “what’s appropriate for a desert space.” The landscaping will serve as a “community example of what can be done as far as a water-wise landscape space,” allowing residents to apply similar concepts to their own yards. By the numbers: The project’s estimated cost has jumped significantly since its 2022 approval. The original budget was $150,000, but current estimates show about $235,620 needed to complete the work. What’s next: The commission delayed funding decisions until hearing the 2025-2026 budget presentation in September. One commissioner called it “premature to start giving our money away until we know how much we have.” Final plans could be submitted as early as November, with construction scheduling to follow shortly after, according to Kimley-Horn’s timeline. The bottom line: While the project design is taking shape, funding approval remains tied to the city’s broader budget planning process. Dive deeper with our complete story BRIEFLY Smoke could be seen from throughout the city Saturday afternoon as firefighters battled a blaze at Ramon Mobile Home Park near Ramon Road and Sunrise Way. (Submitted photo: Nick Sivetz) 🔥 Palm Springs firefighters battle two structure fires on Saturday Palm Springs Fire Department crews responded to two separate structure fires Saturday, extinguishing a blaze at the city’s Navigation Center facility for unhoused residents in the morning and containing a more serious fire at a mobile home park that afternoon that damaged five homes and sent one person to the hospital. The first fire erupted at 8:23 a.m. at the Navigation Center at 3589 McCarthy Rd., where flames broke out in a small room on the second floor. Crews arrived within five minutes and extinguished the fire by 8:35 a.m. with assistance from building sprinklers. Emergency responders rescued a puppy from the unit, and two additional units sustained water damage. A second fire developed at 3:21 p.m. at Ramon Mobile Home Park at 1441 E. Ramon Rd., where firefighters found multiple mobile homes and palm trees fully engulfed upon arrival. Five mobile homes sustained fire damage before crews contained the blaze and prevented it from spreading throughout the community. Details: One person was treated for smoke inhalation and transported to a local hospital from the mobile home park fire. No injuries were reported at either incident involving firefighters or other civilians. The causes of both fires remain under investigation. Dive deeper with our complete story ⚾ Power wins third straight CPCL championship The Palm Springs Power captured their third consecutive California Premier Collegiate League (CPCL) Championship Sunday night, defeating the Inland Valley Pirates 9-8 at Palm Springs Stadium on a walk-off single by pinch-hitter Blake Conrad with two outs in the ninth inning. The victory marked the Power’s 28th win of the season and 11th championship in franchise history. Conrad’s game-winning hit drove home Myles Walton from third base after Walton led off the ninth with a triple off the right field wall. The Pirates had intentionally walked Matt Chavez before Conrad entered as a pinch-hitter for the final at-bat. Bottom line: The championship represents the fifth title under manager Casey Dill and continues the Power’s recent dominance in the CPCL. Palm Springs Stadium will next host California Winter League opening day on Jan. 22. TODAY’S FEATURED EVENTS Mahjong Monday1 p.m. | Social Cafe & Play LoungeCome play the American version of Mahjong with others. Play Lounge has two mats and sets, but feel free to bring your own.  Palm Springs City Council5:30 p.m. | City HallTo view, listen, or participate in the meeting live, please contact the City Clerk at CityClerk@palmspringsca.gov, or at the following telephone number (760) 323-8204, to register for the Zoom meeting. Fabulous Bingo7 p.m. | King’s HighwayThe lovely Bella da Ball calls numbers and gives away prizes. Reservations are strongly recommended as space is limited; $35 spend per person to participate. See all events here SAVE THE DATE Submit your event here AND FINALLY … If you’re looking for an action-packed Monday evening (and who isn’t?), the Palm Springs City Council has you covered with a full agenda of community business ranging from pickleball courts to pedicab regulations during a rare Monday session this evening. Driving the news: The council will tackle several key items during starting at 5:30 p.m. meeting, including the Arenas Business District Flagpole Project, Demuth Park Pickleball Court Expansion, the South Palm Canyon bridge project, and a new five-year convention center management agreement. The headline item is a potential $3.6 million contract with OVG360 for convention center and tourism management services, which would run from September 2025 through September 2030. What’s on tap: Other agenda items include direction on bridge replacement design, approval of a $15.9 million early CalPERS payment that would save the city more than half a million dollars, and the annual public hearing on street lighting assessments. How to participate: Residents can attend in person at City Hall (3200 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way), watch the livestream on the city’s website or YouTube channel, tune in to Channel 17, or join via Zoom by contacting the City Clerk at cityclerk@palmspringsca.gov. Source link