June 3 Daily Briefing: Battery boxes appear, free phones coming, local vet heads to Normandy, and more

Happy Monday! We’re into a new month already and today marks the first day you can submit a funding proposal for community-initiated projects. The Measure J Commission wants residents, neighborhoods, businesses, and nonprofits alike to submit proposals to receive a portion of $6 million. The deadline to apply is Sept. 30. The online application should be available here shortly, or you can find a hard copy at locations around the city including Palm Springs City Hall and the public library.

🎶 Setting the mood: “ENERGY” by Beyoncé

LEADING OFF

Battery storage facility taking shape; could help meet summer demand

A bunch of mysterious shipping-container-sized batteries have been installed on one of the city’s street corners, and curious residents have wondered what exactly they’re for.

Driving the news: It turns out the boxes on South Gene Autry Trail and East Mesquite Avenue are not some sort of crypto currency mining operation, like some residents thought: it’s a battery storage facility. The facility, once complete, will consist of 13 units measuring between nine and 10 feet tall and have some landscaping and a wall. 

• No word on when the site will be completed.

What’s going on in there: The batteries will charge, using power from a Southern California Edison (SCE) substation across the street, during times when there is a lower energy demand.

• The use cases for the batteries are during times when either the power is down, or when energy is being generated, but not enough to meet demand (think: those really hot summer days when everyone cranks up the air conditioner).

How we got here: The project, put forth by the landowner on behalf of Hecate Energy, was granted a conditional use permit (CUP) by the Planning Commission in 2021 and later went on to be approved by the Architectural Review Commission.

Who they are: Hecate Energy, based in Chicago, is a joint venture between Hecate and “a British Infrastructure firm that manages a multi-billion dollar fund,” according to James Damon, director of development for Hecate Energy Grid, who spoke to the Planning Commission 2021. 

Context: Hecate has been behind renewable energy projects and battery storage facilities throughout the country. Not too far away in Acton, near Santa Clarita, some residents are suing Hecate over a massive planned battery storage facility; they’re concerned about the possibility of fires fueled by long-burning lithium-ion batteries and that the project will encourage more industrial development. 

Yes but: In that case, however, Hecate has argued there have been no incidents at Hecate sites and all facilities have equipment monitoring for fires.

Why it matters: Battery facilities like these provide flexibility to the electrical grid especially during periods of high demand like extreme heat events.

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BRIEFLY

📱 New program to offer free smartphones to qualifying residents

A new program in Palm Springs will help residents in some low-income apartments get connected.

• The program, running through June 29, gives residents who live in select low-income apartments the opportunity to qualify for free mobile smartphones. The offer comes thanks to a partnership between the city and Outreach Program Services of America.
  
  
• The qualification process will take place at the following locations:
  
  
  • June 13-14, from 9 am – 4 pm at Coyote Run I & II.
    
  • June 20-21, from 9 am – 4 pm at La Ventana Apartments.
    
  • June 27 – 28, from 9:30 am – 3:30 pm at Palm Springs Pointe Apartments

What to watch for: City staff said they may add more dates at different locations throughout the summer.

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TODAY’S FEATURED EVENTS

Greater Palm Springs Restaurant Week
All Day | Participating Restaurants
Support local restaurants and enjoy discounts at your favorite spots as we head into the summer months. 

Therapy in Motion
5:15 p.m. | The Center
Join others for an in-person, drop-in therapeutic dance group. Therapy in Motion is a fun, energetic, and affirming dance class for anyone who wants to move. Dance at your own pace to choreographed pop music and cultivate self-care and wellness in a fun way. Dress to sweat!

Adult Tap Dance Class
6:30 p.m. | Leisure Center Dance Studio
Adult intermediate tap starts at 6:30 p.m., and “absolute beginners” adult tap is at 7:30 p.m. (“Two left feet are optional.”) ($20)

Fabulous Bingo
7 p.m. | Kings Highway at Ace Hotel
Join Bella Da Ball for a night of fabulous bingo. (Must spend $30 at Kings Highway to participate.)

SAVE THE DATE

• Airport Master Plan Open House on Tuesday at the Palm Springs Convention Center.
  
  
• Community Meeting: Palm Springs Zoning Code on Thursday at the Demuth Community Center.
  
  
• Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival on Sunday at the Palm Springs Cultural Center.
  
  
• Palm Springs International ShortFest from June 18 -24.
  
  
• Rock the City free concert at the Downtown Park on June 19.
  
  
• ONE-PS Lip-Sync Battle at the Palm Springs Cultural Center on July 7.

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AND FINALLY …

A Palm Springs WWII veteran departed last week for the trip of a lifetime.

Driving the news: 98-year-old Marion Robert Shipe and 69 other veterans left May 30 for a 10-day trip to France. Shipe went from Palm Springs International Airport (PSP) on the way to Dallas, where he then traveled to Paris before landing in Normandy.

Meet Marion: Shipe entered the draft at the age of 15 and was eventually assigned to the 97th Infantry Division as a BAR gunner and was deployed Feb. 19, 1945, just in time for the drive into Germany. He told his story to American Airlines here.

• Shipe is a 46-year Palm Springs resident who went golfing three times a week until the age of 95. Still active, he said he walks a mile a day.

His stories: He remembers spending 42 consecutive days in combat in the Ruhr region of Germany. He took shrapnel to the back but never received a Purple Heart because he did not report it. After victory in Europe and German surrender, he returned to the U.S. for just six weeks before departing to Japan in August 1945.

• The freighter he was on spent 72 days at sea, and he and others eventually cut down from three meals a day to two and had to ration water.

Yes, but: Shipe said he lost his military stripes after an incident where an entire company got drunk off of confiscated Japanese beer.

• However, last year his stripes were officially reinstated, he was promoted to Sergeant Shipe, and toasted the occasion with a few more beers.

More: Check out the complete video done by PSP on the airport’s Instagram channel here.