July 8 Daily Briefing: Park power outage, art collection redefined, development decisions, and more

Welcome to Tuesday, where the word of the day is “generator,” because there are a few of them stationed around Sunrise Park keeping some, but not all, facilities running. Why the generators? Because a power outage that struck the park on Saturday is still not fixed. The city said yesterday that an equipment failure is to blame, and there is no estimate on when power will be fully restored. The generators are providing power to key facilities, including the Palm Springs Public Library and Leisure Center. However, the Swim Center, Pavilion, and Baseball Stadium remain impacted by the outage and are temporarily closed. Our best advice is to call the city (760-323-8272) or the Palm Springs Power (760-778-4487) before heading out to swim or catch a game.

🎶 Setting the mood: “Hot Sun” by Cleveland Francis

LEADING OFF

Commission votes to split art collection into two distinct categories

The Palm Springs Public Arts Commission voted unanimously last week to rename the city’s art holdings as the Palm Springs Art and Culture Collection. The restructuring creates two separate branches to address what qualifies as public art.

Driving the news: The new framework establishes a Public Art Collection for artist-led, curated works selected through the city’s existing public process, and a Cultural Collection for civic and commemorative works often donated or initiated outside the formal pipeline.

• Commission Chair Gary Armstrong, who pushed for the move, estimated roughly one-third of the city’s current art collection would likely be reclassified under the new Cultural Collection.

Why it matters: The split aims to distinguish between works that “invite personal reflection” versus those that “deliver a civic message, communicating shared values, history, and identity,” Armstrong said during Thursday’s meeting.

How it works: The Morris Kight memorial plaque, which the Commission accepted last month, represents a good fit for the Cultural Collection since it’s “civic in purpose” rather than “interpretive, artist-led expressions.”

• Meanwhile, the AIDS Memorial will remain in the Public Art Collection because it’s “fundamentally a work of art” by artist Phillip K. Smith III.

What’s next: Two subcommittees will implement the new structure over nine months or more. One will develop submission guidelines for the Cultural Collection, while the other will review existing inventory for potential reclassification.

• The recommendations must be approved by the Commission, then go through legal review, and city council approval.

The bottom line: Staff will work to identify separate funding for the Cultural Collection, since current Public Art ordinance funds are restricted to artist-commissioned works. 

Dive deeper with our complete story

BRIEFLY

🏢 Architectural committee approves one commercial project while sending another back for redesign

The Palm Springs Architectural Review Committee (ARC) approved a 4,012 square foot Sherwin Williams building near North Palm Canyon Drive and East Stevens Road on Monday, while requiring Sun Community Federal Credit Union to redesign its proposed 2,895 square foot bank building at Santa Cruz and East Ramon Road.

• The approved paint store project came with conditions requiring the applicant to reduce a proposed five-foot canopy projection to four feet and modify landscaping plans to add plant diversity. The project had previously been denied by the Planning Commission but was approved by City Council on appeal.
  
• Committee members criticized the credit union’s proposed north-facing entrance on Ramon Road, citing challenges from prevailing winds and aircraft noise from the nearby airport. Chair Lance O’Donnell said patrons would have difficulty opening doors when winds exceed 20 miles per hour.
  
• Up next: The committee established a three-member volunteer subcommittee to provide design consultation to applicants if requested. Both projects required major architectural review due to their size or specialized uses like drive-through banking facilities.

Dive deeper with our complete story 

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TODAY’S FEATURED EVENTS

Leads Lunch
12 p.m. | Marilyn’s Seafood Bar & Grill
The Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce will host their monthly Leads Lunch for chamber members. No price of admission, just the cost of your lunch.

ONE-PS Monthly Meeting
4:30 p.m. | Police Training Center
The Organized Neighborhoods of Palm Springs (ONE-PS) holds its monthly meeting to discuss neighborhood issues with city council members, public safety officers, and others. The meeting will also be available on YouTube.

Palm Springs Planning Commission
5:30 p.m. | City Hall
Commissioners meet to make recommendations on land use, zoning, and the general plan. Check out the agenda, which includes discussion of a proposed In-N-Out restaurant, here. 

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
7 p.m. | Palm Springs Stadium
If the power is working at the stadium, your Palm Springs Power will go head to head with the So Cal Mavericks tonight. ($10)

See all events here

SAVE THE DATE

• Falsettos begins at Palm Canyon Theatre on Friday
  
• Your Extraordinary Mind on Saturday at the Cultural Center
  
• PSUSD classified job fair on July 16 at the school district office
  
• Good Trouble Lives On discussion, music, and tribute to the late Congressman John Lewis on July 17
  
• ALL OUT, a summer dance party put on by The LGBTQ+ Center of the Desert on July 19

Submit your event here

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AND FINALLY …

🐾 Each week, The Post partners with a local animal shelter to feature one or more of the many animal companions ready for a new home in our community. 

Today, we invite you to meet The cream of the crop himself, Macho Man. This 11-year-old domestic shorthair has been at the shelter for a while and is still looking for his forever home. Staff at the shelter say he has a gentle and relaxing purr.

• Staff also said he’s a gentle giant who loves everyone.

If you’re interested: You can visit the shelter at 4575 E. Mesquite Ave. Hours are 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. on all days except for Mondays (open for intake only) and Thursdays (1 p.m. until 7 p.m.). You can always call the shelter at (760) 416-5718.

• Make sure to check out all the other pets at the shelter here.