PALM DESERT CITY COUNCIL
STUDY SESSION MEETING
AGENDA
Thursday, November 16, 2023
3:00 p.m.
Council Chamber, City Hall
73-510 Fred Waring Drive
Palm Desert, California
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the purpose of the Study Session is to review the items listed on the agenda. No action will be taken.
Pages
1. CALL TO ORDER - STUDY SESSION
2. STUDY SESSION TOPICS
2.a RECEIVE AND FILE A MID VALLEY CHANNEL UPDATE 3
RECOMMENDATION:
Receive and file an update regarding the Mid Valley Channel flooding impacts and the City’s latest efforts in relation to the affected areas.
2.b RECEIVE AND FILE AN UPDATE ON THE HAYSTACK TRAFFIC
CALMING PROJECT
5 RECOMMENDATION:
Receive and file an update on the Haystack Traffic Calming project.
2.c DISCUSSION AND FEEDBACK ON UPDATING THE OFFICIAL CITY SEAL
11 RECOMMENDATION:
Provide direction to City staff on whether to proceed with an update to the Official City Seal.
3. ADJOURNMENT
4. PUBLIC NOTICES
NOTE: Pursuant to Assembly Bill 2449, this meeting may be conducted by teleconference. Study Session is accessible in person or on the City’s website:
www.palmdesert.gov under the Council Agenda link at the top of the page.
Agenda Related Materials: Pursuant to Government Code §54957.5(b)(2) the designated office for inspection of records in connection with this meeting is the Office of the City Clerk, Palm Desert Civic Center, 73-510 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert. Staff reports for all agenda items considered in open session, and documents provided to a majority of the legislative bodies are available for public inspection at City Hall and on the City’s website at www.palmdesert.gov by clicking “Council Agenda” at the top of the page.
Americans with Disabilities Act: It is the intention of the City of Palm Desert to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in all respects. If, as an attendee or a participant at this meeting, or in meetings on a regular basis, you will need special assistance beyond what is normally provided, the City will attempt to accommodate you in every reasonable manner. Please contact the Office of the City Clerk, (760) 346-0611, at least 48 hours prior to the meeting to inform us of your needs and to determine if accommodation is feasible.
AFFIDAVIT OF POSTING
I, Níamh M. Ortega, Assistant City Clerk of the City of Palm Desert, do hereby certify, under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California, that the foregoing agenda for the Palm Desert City Council, Successor Agency for the Palm Desert Redevelopment Agency, and Housing Authority, was posted on the City Hall bulletin board and City website www.palmdesert.gov no less than 72 hours prior to the meeting.
/S/ Níamh M. Ortega
Assistant City Clerk
City Council Study Session
CITY OF PALM DESERT
STAFF REPORT
MEETING DATE: November 16, 2023
PREPARED BY: Jess Culpeper, Director of Capital Projects Mike Rowe, City Engineer
Randy Chavez, Deputy Director of Public Works
REQUEST: STUDY SESSION - RECEIVE AND FILE A MID VALLEY CHANNEL UPDATE
RECOMMENDATION:
Receive and file an update regarding the Mid Valley Channel flooding impacts and the City’s latest efforts in relation to the affected areas.
BACKGROUND/ANALYSIS:
The City was significantly impacted by the Hilary Tropical Storm on Sunday, August 20, 2023.
In the aftermath, it was evident that there were several areas along the Mid Valley Channel that experienced severe flooding.
In addition to ongoing maintenance and cleanup efforts, City staff has tasked an engineering firm (HR Green) to assess the root cause of the flooding impacts along the Mid Valley Channel and to identify opportunities in which the City may be able to improve flood control infrastructure and mitigate future significant flood events in the Palm Desert affected areas.
CITY OF PALM DESERT
STAFF REPORT
MEETING DATE: November 16, 2023
PREPARED BY: Ryan Gayler, Capital Projects Manager
REQUEST: RECEIVE AND FILE AN UPDATE ON THE HAYSTACK TRAFFIC
CALMING PROJECT
RECOMMENDATION:
Receive and file an update on the Haystack Traffic Calming project.
BACKGROUND/ANALYSIS:
The Haystack Traffic Calming project was created to address issues related to vehicles speeding and safe pedestrian crossing on Haystack Road. The City solicited feedback from residents at three public meetings, and the transportation team worked with a design engineer to study the street and identify solutions to the issues. As a result of the meetings, it was determined that installing stop signs and crosswalks at three intersections and improving the bicycle lanes would have the desired effect.
The project was split into two phases. The first phase installed stop signs at Haystack’s intersections with Alamo Drive, Chia Drive, and Moon Lane. The second phase will construct curb ramps and crosswalks at the intersections. In addition, Haystack Road will be slurry sealed and restriped to create a painted buffer between the bike lanes and the vehicular travel lanes.
The design engineer had originally proposed a Class IV cycle track on the north side of Haystack.
However, upon review, the City Engineer and the City’s traffic engineer concluded that the Class IV cycle track was not the best application for the location. In addition, two more public meetings were conducted to solicit more feedback from residents and potential users of the bike lanes.
The participants preferred an alternative where the street will have parking lanes and bike lanes with painted buffers from Highway 74 to Heliotrope. From Heliotrope to Portola Avenue, the street will have a parking lane on the south side of the street and bike lanes with painted buffers.
The design is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year. Construction will follow in the first quarter of 2024.
Legal Review:
This report has been reviewed by the City Attorney’s office.
ATTACHMENT:
1. PowerPoint Presentation
City of Palm Desert
Study Session
Haystack Traffic Calming
November 16, 2023
Haystack Road
Traffic calming measures
Stop Signs
Cross Walks
Bike Lanes
Questions
CITY OF PALM DESERT
STAFF REPORT
MEETING DATE: November 16, 2023
PREPARED BY: Thomas Soule, Public Affairs Manager
REQUEST: DISCUSSION AND FEEDBACK ON UPDATING THE OFFICIAL CITY SEAL RECOMMENDATION:
Provide direction to City staff on whether to proceed with an update to the Official City Seal.
BACKGROUND/ANALYSIS:
At a previous City Council meeting, a request was made to investigate updating the Palm Desert city seal. Aside from what some may perceive as an outdated design, staff has run into problems reproducing the current seal due to a lack of any original design files.
The current seal was adopted in 1974 after a contest sponsored jointly by the newly formed City and the Palm Desert Chamber of Commerce. The contest was open to any Palm Desert resident or student and carried a $250 prize for the winner. The contest committee members included Cliff Henderson, Joe Benes, James Harman, Joe Molleneaux, Ed Mullins, Andy Petlansky, and Councilmembers Noel Brush and Chuck Aston.
About 185 entries were received, which were narrowed down to the design submitted Lois Hammer, a native of New Zealand, was an artist who had taught classes at College of the Desert.
According to a newspaper report at the time, Ms. Hammer presented five alternate versions of her design to the City Council for consideration. According to the Desert Sun article, “Mayor Hank Clark asked the audience to vote on the five designs and the majority of the audience chose the design that was later approved by the Council.” The attached draft version of a reimagined city seal includes many of the same elements as the original, including the iconic palm tree design. Several elements were removed to streamline the imagery, and the distinctive “Palm Desert” font from the City’s logo was used to connect the two symbols of the City.
The seal is predominantly used for official City documents, including proclamations and letters issued on City letterhead. For less official applications and for marketing purposes, the City logo comes into play. This draft version of a reimagined seal is only a starting point and would need to go through a more thorough design process to create new working files that would be suitable for the City’s use.
Legal Review:
This report has been reviewed by the City Attorney’s office.
City of Palm Desert
Official City Seal
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
It is anticipated that a redesign of the Official City Seal will cost less than $5,000 and funding is available in the Economic Development Department budget.
ATTACHMENT:
1. City Seal Examples