COD update on Palm Springs campus planning postponed to a later date
UPDATE 2/10/22 5:45 PM:
College of the Desert's presentation on the West Valley Campus has been postponed and will be rescheduled to a later date.
The City Manager was recently informed by College of the Desert Superintendent/President Dr. Martha Garcia that her availability to attend tonight’s meeting and address City Council questions regarding the stalled project became limited due to a scheduling conflict.
“In order to have a robust and thorough discussion regarding this important community issue. We believe the public would be better served by rescheduling this item to another meeting date when we can better accommodate the schedule of Dr. Garcia,” said City Manager Justin Clifton. “We realize how important this topic is to the public and apologize for any inconvenience. We will notify the public when this item is rescheduled.”
Original Report 02/08/22:
College of the Desert officials will be present at the Palm Springs City Council meeting tonight to answer questions regarding the planned West Valley Campus and other facilities.
Superintendent Martha Garcia alongside other school officials will update the council on recent developments.
Tonight's meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. over Zoom and can be viewed online at palmspringsca.gov. Residents who wish to speak at the meeting may register with the Office of the City Clerk by calling 760-323-8204.
The West Valley Campus, which will be located in Palm Springs, has been in development since 2004 and raised almost $1 billion in tax revenue for construction, according to city spokeswoman Amy Blaisdell.
That campus is still in the planning phase.
According to Blaisdell, concerns have been raised concerning the West Valley Campus and the recent abandonment of plans to build Roadrunner Motors, the college's automotive training facility, in Cathedral City.
Development of the old location, adjacent to the Cathedral City Auto Center, was canceled in October by the college due to high projected costs. In January, the school announced that the original location was under consideration alongside two other new alternatives.
Then-Cathedral City Mayor Raymond Gregory called the decision "disturbing."
Delays to the Palm Springs campus prompted residents and then-Palm Springs Mayor Christy Holstege to call into a COD board meeting to raise their concerns with the process.
In the same January announcement by COD spokeswoman Jessica Enders, officials reaffirmed their support to build campuses in Palm Desert, Cathedral City, Mecca/Thermal, Palm Springs and Desert Hot Springs.
"These facilities are critical to the city's future and the scope and scale of the Palm Springs campus has been more than 17 years in the making and may constitute the most significant development of higher education opportunities in the West Valley for decades to come,'' City Manager Justin Clifton said.
I-Team Investigator Jeff Stahl spoke one-on-one with Superintendent Garcia about the school's commitments to west valley expansion.
