June 25 Daily Briefing: Solar solution for city pool, important meetings, ShortFest winners, and more

Happy Tuesday, everyone. As city officials try to assist local dispensary owners, we’re learning that at the state level, we may no longer be the king of cannabis. California companies are still making more money than other states from retail cannabis sales (a reported $5.1 billion in 2023). Still, the volume of units sold is now higher in Michigan. According to one report, that state began selling more units of cannabis — defined as a single item that a customer buys — starting in June 2023. The reason is simple: Retail cannabis products are a lot less expensive in Michigan, so more are sold. We imagine a few of you can vouch for this!

🎶 Setting the mood: “Because It’s In The Music” by Robyn

LEADING OFF

Solar solutions proposed to reduce Swim Center’s carbon footprint

A Palm Springs commission may start looking into solar energy solutions to decrease the substantial carbon footprint of its year-round heated swim center.

Driving the news: Palm Springs could explore solar solutions to reduce the carbon footprint of its swim center, which might be the city’s largest consumer of fossil fuels for heating. The 500,000-gallon pool at the Palm Springs Swim Center is maintained at 80 degrees year-round, requiring a tremendous amount of non-renewable energy.

How we got here: Designer Tom Dolle presented his vision for Sunrise Park, where the swim center is located, at the commission’s June 18 meeting. His plan was initially rolled out last October.

• The idea isn’t without precedent. Dolle said there were proposals as far back as the 1970s exploring the idea of using solar energy to heat the pool

Why it matters: Dolle emphasized the importance of creating a sustainable swim center, stating, “It would be great to have a big initiative to do a big solar project that could actually heat the pool. And what an incredible story that would be for our community to have this very positive, sustainable swim center.”

Context: Sustainability Director Lindsey-Paige McCloy said it’s difficult to figure out exactly how much non-renewable energy is used to heat the pool. But, she said that according to the city’s latest greenhouse gas inventory, pool heating is the single largest use of natural gas in the city.

• “And that’s for all pools, not necessarily just the city pool,” she said. “So I would not be shocked if [the city pool] was a relatively high consumer of natural gas.”

What to watch for: The Sustainability Commission discussed exploring some of Dolle’s ideas, including cool pavement coatings and utilizing solar energy throughout the parks.

Dive deeper with our complete story here.

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BRIEFLY

🏳️‍🌈 Public invited to give feedback on planned Pride monument tonight

Palm Springs residents are invited to a community meeting tonight to learn about plans for a new Pride monument to be installed in the city in the coming years.

• The permanent public art installation will commemorate the LGBTQ+ community’s contributions to Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley.
  
  
• Plans for the steel monument, designed by a local artist, have it located in Frances Stevens Park and the monument’s board hopes for it to be completed by 2026 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Palm Springs Pride. 
  
  
• Artist Jim Isermann’s idea for the monument starts with the triangle, an enduring symbol of LGBTQ pride reclaimed from the Nazis and brought into mainstream prominence during the fight for HIV/AIDS treatment.

Details: Tonight’s meeting starts at 5 p.m. at Hunters Palm Springs located at 302 East Arenas Road.

🌳 Two more workshops planned for ongoing Parks and Recreation master plan

There’s another opportunity to make your voice heard, this time at the city’s third Parks and Recreation Master Planning workshop.

• Today’s virtual meeting will include much of the same information as previous workshops, including an explanation of what a master plan is and opportunities for residents to tell project leaders their biggest priorities for the future of parks in Palm Springs.
  
  
• At previous workshops, like the most recent one at the James O. Jessie Desert Highland Unity Center, residents shared ideas like a splash pad or more community days.
  
  
• There will be another workshop tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. in-person at the Demuth Community Center.

Details: Today’s meeting starts at 12 p.m. online via Zoom. Find the link for the Zoom invite here.

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TODAY’S FEATURED EVENTS

Virtual Parks and Recreation Master Planning Workshop
12 p.m. | Online
The next workshop for the Parks and Recreation Master Planning project is being held online to accommodate residents who haven’t been able to attend the in-person meetings.

Red Cross Training on Household and Extreme Heat Preparedness
4 p.m. | City Hall
The city’s Emergency Management Office in conjunction with ONE-PS and the Racquet Club West Neighborhood are behind this offering that will teach residents about the signs and symptoms of heat issues, and how to stay safe.

Pride Monument Community Meeting
5 p.m. | Hunters Palm Springs
Community members are invited to a community meeting and conceptual introduction to plans for the Pride Monument. Check out initial designs and share your thoughts tonight at Hunters.

PSUSD Board of Education Meeting
6 p.m. | PSUSD Headquarters
The Board of Education meetings tonight, check out the agenda here.

Palm Springs Power Baseball Game
7 p.m. | Palm Springs Stadium
Join the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) for a motorcycle parade during tonight’s game.

SAVE THE DATE

• Parks and Recreation Master Planning Workshop at the Demuth Community Center on Wednesday.
  
  
• Palm Springs Equality Wine & Food Fest at Margaritaville Resort on Saturday.
  
  
• Palm Springs All American 4th of July at Sunrise Park on July 4.
  
  
• Free country western dancing at The Ace Hotel on July 5.
  
  
• ONE-PS Lip-Sync Battle at the Palm Springs Cultural Center on July 7.
  
  
• Happy Hour for a Star fundraiser at Wildest Restaurant on July 14.

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AND FINALLY …

The Palm Springs International ShortFest has announced its award winners for the 30th annual festival, with five films now eligible for Academy Award consideration. 

Driving the news: The festival highlighted significant wins including “Bogotá Story” clinching the Best of the Festival award, while other films like “The Car That Came Back from the Sea,” “Seat 31: Zooey Zephyr,” “Oyu,” and “Complications” received top jury awards.

• These winning entries now qualify to be considered for Oscar nominations, adding a prestigious edge to their accolades.

By the numbers: Winners, chosen from 310 films in the competition, received a combined $25,000 in awards and cash prizes during the event held from June 18-24, 2024, at the Renaissance Hotel in Palm Springs.

What to watch for: Keep an eye out for these titles or others shown at the ShortFest to see if any of them end up on the list for Oscar nominations.