Coachella residents will have the opportunity to provide input to the city's General Plan at the Fiesta de Salud #2 this Thursday evening at Bobby Duke Middle School. PHOTO: Santos J. Reyes/ Coachella Unincorporated
By Ivan Delgado
Coachella Unincorporated
Those wanting to make Coachella better will have a voice on Thursday, February 9, from 6-8:30 p.m. when Fiesta de la Salud #2 takes place in the Bobby Duke Middle School Multipurpose Room, which is spacious enough to accommodate a community meeting.
Fiesta de la Salud #2 is the second of three meetings to update the General Plan for Coachella. The General Plan includes multiple issues the city faces that range from the community’s vision for housing to jobs. One of the goals is to ensure things like keeping parks and shopping closer to the community.
“The overall goal of the Health and Wellness Development is to improve access to food, parks, healthcare, and transit,” said Linda Guillis, Development Services Director.
Food will be provided, and both Spanish and English will be spoken, so there will be no language barrier holding people back.
There will also be childcare, so parents need not worry about leaving their children at home.
“It’s important for families with children, so we can create a better community that will provide better services to their kids,” Guillis said. “We want to get input from our residents to make sure what we do is what they want us to do.”
People in attendance at the meeting will be able to decide what is important and what will be beneficial to residents over time.
A gathering like Fiesta de la Salud #2 is beneficial to not only the people of Coachella, but for neighboring towns like Mecca and Thermal. Transit is a major issue for families trying to get shopping done, medical aid, or commuting to work. Residents will have the opportunity to discuss this issue and find the best possible solution.
Angelina De La Hoya, a Coachella resident for the past 12 years, wants to see an improvement in transportation.
“I want to see less buses being cut, because not everyone has the same transportation as others,” De La Hoya said.
Another issue that is brought up frequently in Coachella is immigration.
“I also want to see an improvement in services to illegal immigrants,” she said.
According to Guillis, the actual document that is the General Plan for the city of Coachella is predicted to be completed within 18 months to two years.
“This is a very large process,” Guillis said. “Think of it like a funnel, the information comes in at the top, then it’s narrowed down after we hear from the residents, and the General Plan comes out of the end.”
