Oct. 5 Daily Briefing: Updates on COD Palm Springs campus and Aluminaire House, theater awards announced, and more

Welcome to pre-Friday, where we are happy to announce that Jll and Deborah each won two tickets to CV Repertory’s first production of the season in our recent contest. They will be seeing The Fantasticks: A Love Story, Reimagined on opening weekend! We hope you enjoy the show.

🎶 Setting the mood: “Wait a Minute!” by Willow Smith

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LEADING OFF

New hope for old COD West Valley projects

New members of the College of the Desert (COD) administration brought renewed optimism to a community event held here Wednesday evening, promising major Palm Springs and Cathedral City projects are on track.

Driving the news: Ron Oden, newly appointed member of the College of the Desert (COD) Board of Trustees, and Laura Hope, serving as COD’s interim president, addressed West Valley residents and officials at a community event held in Palm Springs Wednesday evening.

• Oden filled the vacancy left by Fred Jandt, who resigned earlier this year, and Hope replaced former president Dr. Martha Garcia who also resigned.

Zoom in: COD leadership assured the community that the Palm Springs campus and Cathedral City automotive education center will still be built.

What to watch for: Construction on the Palm Springs campus is expected to begin next year, with the campus opening in late 2026 and classes starting in spring 2027.

Looking back: The campus was first proposed almost 20 years ago, and the last few years of the progress has been mired in controversy with the college’s board of trustees locked in a battle of words.

• The latest developments on the campus have been presented at recent meetings that go into detail about the campus’s schematic design.

In addition: The administration also discussed short and long-term goals for the college, laying out possible plans for partnerships with local businesses, hospitals, and even major events like Modernism Week or the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

What they’re saying: Summing up the feelings of much of the West Valley, Dennis Woods, a former member of the Palm Springs City Council said, “I hope that with you [Oden] on the board, we can change the discussion from politics to serving the lifelong learners in our community.”

Read our complete story online here.

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BRIEFLY

🏠 Aluminaire House scheduled for early 2024 opening 

The Palm Springs Art Museum is set to reassemble and display the Aluminaire House, a masterpiece by Albert Frey and A. Lawrence Kocher, in its south parking lot by February 2024.

• The project, delayed due to ADA compliance mandates, has been made possible by a $2.6 million capital campaign, of which $2.3 million has already been raised.
  
  
• The house has been part of the museum’s permanent collection since 2017, and has been stored locally while the museum worked to refabricate many of the materials used in its construction.
  
  
• Museum official said recently that the house will be reconstructed and permanently displayed where the south parking lot of the museum currently sits. The museum expects the exhibit to open in Feb. 2024.
  
  
• Looking back: The house was originally designed as a case study for prefabricated affordable housing, using donated mass-manufactured components like sheet metal for low-cost, scalable construction.

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TODAY’S EVENTS

VillageFest
6 p.m. | Downtown Palm Springs
The weekly street fair features art, entertainment, shopping, and food. The Palm Springs Art Museum also has free admission tonight starting at 5 p.m.

Machine Dreams: “Blade Runner”
7 p.m. | Palm Springs Cultural Center
This fascinating series at the PSCC is an exploration of iconic movies that have shaped our understanding of artificial intelligence. Even the introductions, videos, and poster art have been AI-generated. See Ridley Scott’s classic 1982 film “Blade Runner” on the biggest screen possible! ($12)

Jazz & Martinis
7 p.m. | V Wine Lounge
Join Leanna and Jazz Trio tonight for drinks and music.

SAVE THE DATE

• Coachella Valley Filipino Festival  at the Cultural Center on Oct. 8.
  
  
• Lesley Zerebny Memorial Softball Game at Big League Dreams on Oct. 14.
  
  
• Center Stage 2023 benefitting The Center on Oct. 20 ($350)
  
  
• Palm Springs Pride 5K Run & Walk on Nov. 4 ($40 registration through Nov. 1)

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AND FINALLY …

🎭 Local theater companies hauled in the hardware during the annual Desert Star Awards, held Oct. 1 at Sun City Palm Desert.

Driving the news: Nearly 100 awards were announced in eight categories, ranging from youth theater to technical work. More than two dozen Coachella Valley theaters were nominated.

• Palm Canyon Theatre led local theater companies with multiple nominations with 93, Desert Theatreworks with 73, and Dezart Performs with 35. 

What they’re saying: “I am always humbled when not only our audiences but the Desert Theatre League judges acknowledge the quality of our work,” said Dezart Performs Founding Artistic Director Michael Shaw. “And the fact that many of our awards were in the top main categories is particularly gratifying.”

Details: Check out the complete list of winners here and the individuals who received special awards for their outstanding work.