News Briefs

Canyon Lake POA Board reviews two parking issues

The Canyon Lake Board of Directors discussed and made decisions on two parking issues that were brought to its attention by members. One issue was a parking situation on San Joaquin Drive West and the second was parking at Sierra Park West.

The board review of the parking situation at San Joaquin Drive West was conducted after the board received a letter from a member. The letter indicated that the street is “super tight since the overflowing cars were parking on the street. There are a lot of blinds spots on this street,” the member said in the letter.

It was discovered that approximately 30 cars per day park on the street. One side of the street is red-curbed to prevent parking. The red curb was installed several years ago. It was also found that the inside curves have proper visibility, but that the 26-foot-wide street is too narrow to stripe a centerline without eliminating parking in its entirety. The board agreed with a recommendation that no action was needed.

In response to several member concerns submitted to the Director of Operations, parking issues were reviewed at Sierra Park West.

The installation of new parking spaces on the east side of the parking lot created access issues for several members whose backyards are adjacent to this portion of the lot. There are several gates providing access to member backyards which were existing prior to the re-striping of the parking lot. The creation of parking spaces on the east side effectively blocked access to the members’ property.

The board approved the elimination of these parking spaces and the application of a red paint stripe along the fence line, thus regaining access to these members’ gates.

Parks shift to fall/winter hours

Even though it hardly feels like autumn weather, the calendar points to the changing of the hours of the parks within Canyon Lake. Effective Thursday, the parks and beaches will switch to fall/winter hours and will be open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Hours will be in effect until April 30.

Pool hours shift to fall schedule

The Canyon Lake Pool continues to be popular despite the October schedule change. The temperatures are still in the 90s and the pool is still a top amenity in the community.

COVID-19 restrictions are still in place and reservations are required to be made online in order to enter the pool area. The pool’s fall hours are in place. Lap Swim/Exercise Sessions are 7:00 a.m. to 9:50 a.m. and Open Swim Sessions are 10:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. (Fridays and Saturdays the pool is open until 10:00 p.m.)

Members visiting the pool are asked to practice social distancing guidelines and to wear a mask when approaching staff and/or other members outside of their household.

School District to receive share of $10 million to purchase tablets

The Lake Elsinore Unified School District, which oversees schools Canyon Lake students attend, is one of 19 school districts that will receive $10 million of federal CARES Act funds to order additional laptops and mobile hotspot devices to support distance learning for all students in Riverside County as part of its “All For One” campaign.

“The All For One Campaign was launched exactly for this reason—to provide funds directly to districts to address students’ needs related to distance learning,” Riverside County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Judy D. White, said. “As schools and districts prepare to offer hybrid and in-person learning over the coming months, elements of distance learning will remain a necessity in socially-distanced classrooms, for completing homework, and to ensure continuity of education if COVID-19 or other emergencies force school closures.”

“We have made it a priority to fight against the digital divide, which is a very real issue in our geographically immense county, particularly in our rural and remote communities,” Riverside County Fourth District Supervisor V. Manuel Perez said. “This funding will make sure that students receive the laptops and Wi-Fi connectivity they need to do their school work, which will contribute to the success of our youth and enhance the quality of education.”

“After connecting with each school district to identify outstanding needs above and beyond their initial investment in devices, the funding we receive from the Board of Supervisors will be available immediately for districts to order laptops, tablets, or hotspot devices,” Riverside County Deputy Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Edwin Gomez, said. “The allocation plan addresses needs within each supervisorial district in Riverside County, and we will continue working with district and charter school leaders to equitably address developing technological challenges faced by all students.”

When schools were first closed in March, 84,855 computer devices at an approximate cost of $29.6 million, and 44,730 mobile hotspots at a cost of approximately $6 million, were identified as necessary to effectively deliver full-time distance learning to students countywide.

EVMWD receives Infor 2020 Customer Excellence Award

Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District received the 2020 Customer Excellence Award by Infor, a global software company, for exceptional use of cloud technology. EVMWD provides water services for Canyon Lake.

“We are honored to receive the award from Infor,” Jim Ollerton, director of Information Technology, said. “Leveraging cloud technology has allowed us to serve our customers and employees better, and this recognition testifies to our staff’s diligence and innovation.”

Infor Customer Excellence Awards recognize organizations that utilize Infor applications to drive innovation and enhance business performance. Candidates are evaluated based upon depth of performance improvement, customer focus and satisfaction, quantifiable business benefits, and technology use and innovation. EVMWD is honored alongside companies such as Michelin, Carrier and Christus Health from numerous industries worldwide.

EVMWD acted as a beta customer for the next-generation Infor Global HR Payroll system, seeking to improve employee productivity, redesign elements of the general ledger, and redeploy IT staff to more strategic projects. EVMWD went live with the new system in January 2020 and has seen a 50-60 percent improvement in payroll processing time since its implementation. By removing 70 percent of payroll interfaces and supporting automated payroll functions, the Global HR Payroll system leads to significant time savings for management.

“By participating as a beta customer, EVMWD was able to save $550,000 on the Infor Global HR Payroll system,” Greg Thomas, EVMWD general manager, said. “Increasing the efficiency of our workforce through this software will bring additional savings for years to come.”

Because of this cloud technology, EVMWD has been able to support a partially remote workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic without any loss of productivity. Innovation in technology allows EVMWD to strategically manage District resources and provide excellent service to customers—one of the District’s greatest goals.