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Home My WebLink About5A - Public CommentFrom: Shelley Kaplan shelleykaplan2020@gmail.com Subject: COD Campus Facilities Planning Date: February 7, 2022 at 11:02 AM To: mgarcia@collegeofthedesert.edu Cc: ruperez@collegeofthedesert.edu, bstefan@collegeofthedesert.edu, Fjandt@collegeofthedesert.edu, Bgonzalez@collegeofthedesert.edu, Awilson@collegeofthedesert.edu Bcc: sjames@cathedrlcity.gov, TerryApplegate barkingdog08@gmail.com Dr. Martha Garcia President, College of the Desert 43500 Monterey Ave Palm Desert California 92260 Dear Dr. Garcia: I am writing regarding the recent communications from you and Board of COD regarding the Automotive Training Facility designated for Cathedral City and the new campus planned for Palm Springs. Let me begin by providing context relative to my background in these matters. My 45 year long career has been in higher education administration, the majority of which included managing campus planning, building design and construction, infrastructure, and campus operations. In addition, I was an elected member of the Cathedral City City Council when we worked with COD for the implementation of the automotive training facility in Cathedral City and helped COD find a suitable land parcel in the city for this educational program. In my career, I have worked for non-profit private educational institutions including top research universities, where planning and decision making was primarily internal to the institution, although even so, clear and timely communications with the surrounding communities was critical to successful projects. I have been quite dismayed by the decision to "reconsider' the automotive training facility location in Cathedral City. A great deal of effort and hours of discussions went into selecting Cathedral City for this facility and in finding the suitable parcel for its location. As a majority Hispanic city with a very large student age population, the city is a major urban center in the valley for automobile sales and service, which supports locating the program in Cathedral City. To announce, without any advance consultation, communication, or discussion that the Cathedral City location is no longer determined, and to provide no clear reasoning for the decision except that the costs have increased seems capricious. The financial numbers you have provided so far are inconsistent, they do not add up - and how can you make a decision that the location is too expensive when you do not have another location or cost estimate for an alternative. What happens when you pick another location and the costs are even higher now that land prices have increased. I worked hard to encourage residents to support the bond issue in 2016 based on my understanding from COD and their Board that we would obtain a needed facility in Cathedral City and that the West end campus in Palm Springs, focused primarily on hospitality (a $7 billion a year industry in the Valley) and architecture, would be a major part of this bond expenditure. Now, while there has been a nodding support for the West end campus, there has been no clear discussion of what has changed or what the new campus will entail. COD is a COMMUNITY COLLEGE, that means it needs to be focused on and reflective of the community it serves. A great deal of planning and community discussions went into the plans which now seem up in the air. I understand that you are new to the Valley and the COD campus and that the pandemic has impacted the valley over the past two years, but most of the Board members have provided consistency over the years of planning both before the pandemic and through it. I believe the community deserves full involvement in the discussions regarding how to proceed with the future growth of the COD campuses and that the Board and your administration needs to provide significantly more transparency and clarity over the next few months. This requires providing many opportunities for input from members of the community, elected officials, and business leaders to better understand the best alternatives for COD's future and avoid legal disputation related to the bond expenditures. Thank you for your consideration. Shelley Kaplan Cc: Ruben Perez Bonnie Stefan Bea Gonzalez Aurora Wilson Fred Jandt 2-lo- Ifi22. UV1�ti� � GD Wtw�w -E�,� Tiffani Bailey From: Anthony Mejia Sent: Thursday, February 10, 2022 5:19 PM To: Tiffani Bailey Subject: FW: *NEW SUBMISSION* Submit Public Comment to the City of Palm Springs AC Anthony J. Mejia, MMC City Clerk From: City of Palm Springs<palmspringsca@enotify.visioninternet.com> Sent: Thursday, February 10, 2022 5:18 PM To: City Clerk <CityClerk@palmspringsca.gov>; Anthony Mejia <Anthony.Mejia@pal mspringsca.gov> Subject: *NEW SUBMISSION* Submit Public Comment to the City of Palm Springs Full Name/Nombre Barry Trailer City of Residence/Ciudad de residencia Palm Springs, Phone (optional) /Telefono (opcional) 9167129621 Email (optional/opcional) barrytrailer@gmail.com Your Comments/Sus comentarios It is inconceivable to me that after bonds were sold based on commitments made by the COD to the City, and by the City to its residents, that plans are now in question. Further, given the time, energy and resources spent to date to develop a campus plan and architectural selection, that this may be/could be dismissed is simply beyond belief --and responsible action. It is my fervent request that the Palm Springs City Council exert every effort to hold COD to their promises and plans and develop the COD campus that will be a huge positive addition to the community, the students and faculty. Thank you, City of Palm Springs This is an automated message generated by Granicus. Please do not reply directly to this email. rrJ_M NO. Anthony Mejia Subject: RE: COD Campus Comments From: Tony <tonyinps@emaiI.com> Date: February 10, 2022 at 2:41:06 PM PST To: Geoff Kors <Geoff.Kors@paImspringsca.gov>, Christy Holstege <Christy.Holsteee@palmsprinesca.gov>, Dennis Woods <Dennis.Woods@palmspringsca.gov>, Lisa Middleton <Lisa.Middleton@palmsprinesca.gov>, Grace Garner<Grace.Garner@palmsprinesca.eov> Subject: COD Campus Comments NOTICE: This message originated outside of The City of Palm Springs -- DO NOT CLICK on links or open attachments unless you are sure the content is safe. Dear Mayor Middleton and Council Members: I've lived just a couple blocks from the proposed COD campus (formerly the Palm Springs Mall) full-time and part-time for the past 28 years. I don't want this property to become another Desert Fashion Mall situation like downtown, where the property sits in limbo for over a decade. If COD is unwilling or unable to move forward with the promised campus, I'd like you to move at lightning speed to explore options to get this property developed as soon as possible. If another commercial development (like it was before) is not feasible, at least a housing development with a significant, and mean SIGNIFICANT, percentage allocated to affordable housing. Knowing how good you all are at what you do, I trust you will get to the bottom of all this -- hopefully at tonight's meeting with Superintendent Garcia. I'll be watching. Thank you! Tony Mataras L� L COrnw ua11ti0.