Nov. 3 Daily Briefing: Progress on preserve possible, kitchen dedicated, composting update, and more

TGIF, everyone, where if you’re bored this weekend it has to be by choice. At the Palm Springs Pride Festival, there’s tons of music and celebrating to enjoy, while elsewhere there’s theater performances, drag brunches, comedy shows, film retrospectives, the farmers’ market, a vintage market, a 5K run, and a chance to explore the area’s LGBTQ+ history. Get some rest when you set your clocks back early Sunday morning, because our huge Pride Parade takes place starting at 10 a.m. that day. Have fun, be patient with crowds, and we’ll be back in your inbox on Monday!

🎶 Setting the mood: “Last Dance” by Donna Summer

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LEADING OFF

HOA suing over preserve at former golf course will seek settlement

A lawsuit filed more than a year ago over the creation of a 120-acre nature preserve at the site of a the defunct Mesquite golf course may be headed for resolution, The Post has learned.

Looking back: Last summer, Oswit Land Trust (OLT) announced the purchase of the golf course off South Farrell Drive and detailed intentions to turn the land into the Prescott Preserve.

• Less than a month later, the homeowners association at Mesquite Country Club sued OLT, saying their lease agreement with the previous owner “is prohibited from changing or redeveloping the golf course without the (HOA’s) prior written approval.”

Driving the news: In an email Thursday, Don Olness, vice president of the HOA, said board members have been in negotiation with OLT for the last few weeks and that they have agreed to meet with the organization “to try to find a negotiated settlement for our lease dispute.” 

Why it matters: A settlement could clear a possible hurdle facing OLT. The group’s president, Jane Garrison, claimed earlier this year that the lawsuit could prevent the nonprofit from securing a $7.7 million grant from the California Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB).

Key details: The grant money is instrumental in the restoration of the golf course, which needs to be completely cleared of all non-native plants and turf grass before replanting can begin. 

Up next: The WCB had been scheduled to vote to approve funding for Prescott Preserve at their meeting in August, but the decision was pushed to this month’s meeting. However, the preliminary agenda for the Nov. 15 meeting does not list Prescott Preserve as one of the projects.

What to watch for: Scott McFarlin, a restoration and development manager with the WCB, confirmed Thursday that the OLT grant application would not be on the final agenda for this month’s meeting. There’s no word if it will appear on a future agenda.

Read our complete story here.

BRIEFLY

🚮 City still educating residents, businesses about composting

During Thursday’s meeting of the Sustainability Subcommittee on Waste and Recycling, Liz Hernandez, the environmental coordinator for Palm Springs Disposal Service, told members that monthly audits of homes, businesses, and multifamily housing have been mostly positive.

• She said that when there are randomized checks of bins, recycling ambassadors have noticed that many are participating in the green waste disposal but still need corrections on what exactly goes in which bin.
  
  
• Why it matters: The state set a deadline for cities to reduce organic waste disposal 75% by 2025 or face fines. Hernandez doesn’t have an exact figure representing where the city is, but she said the city is improving.

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YOUR WEEKEND

ALL WEEKEND

Palm Springs Pride
Pride is taking over this weekend, and there are dance parties, festivals, exhibits, and more in all corners of the city. While not an exhaustive list, we tried to highlight just a few of the weekend’s biggest events.

“Rent”
Various times | Palm Canyon Theatre
Jonathan Larson’s musical follows a year in the life of a group of young artists struggling to survive and create in New York’s Lower East Side, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. ($38)

“The Fantasticks”
7 p.m. | CV Rep
Catch this bold new reimagining and regendering in a performance that has been seen just once before and is bound for Broadway following this exclusive West Coast premiere. ($50 to $80)

“The Thanksgiving Play”
Various times | Dezart Performs
Good intentions collide with absurd assumptions in Larissa FastHorse’s wickedly funny satire. ($48-$55)

“Mid-Century Moderns”
Various times | Revolution Stage Company
Audiences and critics have embraced the show that is establishing itself as Palm Springs’ homegrown musical at the city’s newest theater. ($45-$65)

“Dad’s Cabaret Pride Show“
Various times | The Sonoran
Drew Sebastian brings the song, the sexy, and the heat to The Sonoran during Palm Springs Pride. ($20-$45)

TODAY

Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza, Museum Opening
Starting at 10 a.m. | Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza
Tribal officials will hold a grand opening of the plaza and museum that have been in the works for years.

The Roundtable: HIV/AIDS survivors
5:30 p.m. | Ken Seeley Community Room
A weekly discussion group for long-term HIV/AIDS survivors in the Coachella Valley. 

“City of Women”
7 p.m. | Camelot Theater
The retrospective of the Italian director continues with “City of Women” from 1980. See additional selections for the retrospective by going here. ($12)

SATURDAY

Certified Farmers’ Market
8 a.m. – 1 p.m. | Camelot Theatre
The market returns to its outdoor location, with local farmers and vendors offering fresh agri­cul­tural and related products.

Kewet: Native American Learning Day & Market
9 a.m. | Palm Springs High School
The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians welcomes all to this free event to share int he tribe’s culture and history at Ralph Watt Stadium.

Love, Loss and What I Weighed
3 p.m. | The Neurovitality Center
Enjoy this funny and engaging musical journey with Gina Zollman, a performer who is said to a “rare ability to charm her audience while remaining modest, humble and authentic.” ($15)

SUNDAY

Palm Springs Vintage Market
8 a.m. | Camelot Theater
This monthly market features unique and quirky furniture, décor, clothing, accessories, and more. Come enjoy the shopping, or just browse and take in the music and food. ($5)

SAVE THE DATE

• Pickleball community meeting on Nov. 8.
  
  
• Veterans Day Drive-Thru Appreciation Lunch on Nov. 10.
  
  
• Palm Springs Food and Wine Festival on Nov. 11 & 12.
  
  
• Veterans Day Parade on Nov. 11.
  
  
• ONE-PS Lip-Sync Battle on Nov. 12.

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AND FINALLY …

Tucked away behind an interior door in the back of what used to be Palm Springs Fire Station 2 is a crew still saving lives. On Thursday, that crew celebrated the most essential tool they use — a remodeled and vastly expanded Mizell Center kitchen.

Driving the news: The kitchen was formally dedicated during a morning ribbon cutting ceremony. At 1,834 square feet, it has has now tripled in size, allowing chef Aaron Nava’s five-person team more space to operate and to do so with state-of-the art equipment.

• The kitchen crew is responsible for preparing hundreds of meals each day that are distributed not only to seniors who visit Mizell, but also those at home, from Whitewater to the Salton Sea.

Looking back: The $1.3 million project, which kicked off last November, was helped in part by $500,000 of city-approved Measure J funds.

• Measure J, a tax first approved in 2011, collects one penny of every retail dollar spent in the city.

Why it matters: Mizell officials said the pandemic showed there’s a greater need to feed vulnerable populations in the valley. In fact, from March 2020 through March 2021, nutrition staff at Mizell prepared and distributed more than 230,000 meals — the most prepared in 12 months in the center’s history.

Looking ahead: With the bigger kitchen, Mizell can also consider helping other local organizations when they request to use the facility to make meals for their own clients.

Read our complete story here.

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