Tram employees will be paid until April reopening

Palm Springs Aerial Tramway employees will continue to receive pay until March 31, the day before the attraction reopens to the public.

The Tram’s governing body, the Mount San Jacinto Winter Park Authority, met Wednesday and authorized wage continuance for employees without work available during the closure.

“For Tramway employees who do not have work available for them during the closure, wage continuance will be extended through March 31, 2019, which coincides with the April 1 tentative reopening date,” read the release. “Over half the Tram staff is, however, currently on duty with closure-related duties.”

In addition to the blurb about wage continuance, the release outlined funding breakdowns for the repairs.

“$351,071 in road, lot and electrical repairs plus additional rental fees for scaffolding. Also authorized the general manager an amount not to exceed $500,000 for further repairs, engineering and inspections,” read the release.

The world’s largest rotating tramway shut down on February 14 due to a historic storm that swept through the region. The heavy rains and ensuing flooding ended up cutting a 15-foot wide, 5-foot deep fissure in Tramway Road, making it impassible.

“There was a 70-year flood, we got more rain than the desert has seen in a while caused it to come down the mountain and essentially cause some flooding,” Cara Youngman, the Public Relations Manager for the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, told News Channel 3’s Sarah Trott on Friday.

In a release about the Tram’s reopening issued Monday, information was sent out about ‘new items’ that had been added to the list of repairs since the initial February 19 damage assessment. The repairs:

Repair work to the washed-out portion of Tram Way should be completed by the end of this week. Upon completion of road repairs, heavy equipment will be brought up to remove debris, such as rocks and trees. Contractors will begin repairs to the main power line (to restore power to the Mountain Station) and repair the Valley Station’s fire suppression system. Crews are digging out dirt and debris currently blocking the intake valve to the Valley Station water tank. Once refilled and properly treated, potable water will be available at the Valley Station. In addition to the previously reported water damage at the Mountain Station, some minor roof damage has been discovered. Additional minor damage to Tram Way has been identified.

The release closed out urging visitors to check out the websites of Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism and the Greater Palm Springs Convention and Visitor’s Bureau to make plans in the meantime.