News Briefs

Members Tract 3961 Special Meeting Wednesday via Zoom

The Adjourned Special Meeting of the Members Tract 3961 is scheduled for Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. via Zoom. Members may join at vm.clpoa.net.

The purpose of this election is to see if a majority of Tract 3961 would vote to change the 20-foot setback restriction of trailer parking on driveways to 5 feet from the curb. Ballots were mailed to all members of Tract 3961. The original election date was June 8, however, the quorum was not met, so the adjourned meeting was required to be scheduled.

Canyon Lake student on President’s List

Canyon Lake’s Riley Franzo was named to the Western New England University Spring Semester 2022 President‘s List. Riley is working toward a BSE in Biomedical Engineering.

Western New England University is a private, nationally ranked, comprehensive institution with a focus on preparing work-ready and world-ready graduates. It is located in Springfield, MA as a division of Northeastern College with an enrollment of more than 3,700 students, including over 2,500 full-time undergraduates.

Movie Night at the Lodge Pool

Canyon Lakers are being invited to a Movie Night at the Canyon Lake Lodge Pool Aug. 13. The family-friendly movie will start at dusk. Admission is free, however the pool area has a capacity of 200 people, so those wishing to participate are encouraged to arrive early for a spot.

In addition to the movie, those attending can enjoy the night-time swimming.

Senior Center looking for bridge players

The Canyon Lake Senior Center invites community members to join other bridge players for regular games at the center.

“We are looking for bridge players and would love to meet you,” Peggy Clark said. “You don‘t need a partner.”

The group plays every Thursday at 12:30 p.m. and on the first, third and fifth Tuesdays at 6:00 p.m. at the Senior Center.

Those interested in playing should phone either Nancy at 951-244-1182 or Peggy at 951-244-1107.

Those wishing to get on council ballot have until Aug. 12

There will be three City of Canyon Lake City Council seats up for grabs in the upcoming Nov. 8 election and candidates, including the incumbents if they choose to run, have until Aug. 12 to submit nomination papers.

The three seats available at the election include two that will be four-year terms and one that will be a two-year term.

The three city councilmembers who will have current terms expiring and will face re-election if they choose are Mayor Jeremy Smith, Kasey Castillo and Jennifer Dain. After the election in November, the new city council will vote among themselves to name the mayor and mayor pro-tem. All candidates will run simply for the open council seats (voters do not vote for mayor).

Any registered voter of the City of Canyon Lake may run for office by pulling and submitting nomination papers by Aug. 12 at noon. Those interested in running for the city council are asked to schedule an appointment with City Clerk Ana Sauseda at asauseda@canyonlakeca.gov or 951-244-8547.

Time to get ready for the Holidays

Despite it being the middle of the summer, The Canyon Lake Senior Center is getting the word out to its potential vendors that It’s time again to reserve a spot at its annual Holiday Boutique.

The popular boutique will be held on Nov. 5 and 6 at the Senior Center.

Promoting the event now, enables vendors to not only reserve their spaces, but to begin creating their wares to sell. Once again, all items sold at the boutique must be handmade.

Table sizes are listed for pricing purposes only as tables are not supplied, but must be brought by the vendor.

“If you have a six or nine foot space against the wall, you are only able to use the wall space directly behind you,” Grace Ward of the Senior Center said. “We are not allowed to put anything on the floor in front of your space as we have to have room for the shoppers. We are simply supplying the indoor space necessary for your display space.”

Spaces are expected to fill quickly, so potential vendors are encouraged to not delay in making reservations.

For information, contact Grace at canyonlake.ca.seniorcenter@gmail.com.

City businesses may apply for COVID-19 grants

Grants for as much as $15,000 each are being made available to Canyon Lake businesses which are recovering from economic hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The City of Canyon Lake funds are being made available from money it received from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

The Canyon Lake City Council approved the programs at its March meeting and has partnered with the Canyon Lake Chamber of Commerce to administer these programs and to help businesses apply for the two grants.

Additionally, the city has already announced and has begun the process of using ARPA funds for a Canyon Cash Gift Card program where city bonus cash is added to the face value of each of the gift cards. For example, a gift card that costs the consumer $100 will be good toward $150 in purchases at Canyon Lake businesses.

The chamber is also assisting with the Canyon Cash promotion and is busy signing up Canyon Lake businesses to participate and accept the gift cards. The gift cards will be available for online purchase soon.

The two grant programs have $120,000 allocated to the businesses located within the City of Canyon Lake.

The Small Business Emergency Relief Grants Program has $75,000 allocated towards those small businesses that can demonstrate economic hardship due to the pandemic. Each business can receive grants up to $15,000 that can be used for paying rent, utilities, and other operating expenditures.

The Small Business Assistance Grants Program has $45,000 allocated towards those small businesses that can demonstrate economic hardship due to the pandemic. Each business can receive grants of $10,000 that can be used for assistance in applying for other COVID-19 relief funds or business marketing assistance, with an emphasis on website upgrades.

The grants are made available to businesses who qualify for the funding as determined by grant applications that are available on the city website. Guidelines for applying are also available via a document downloadable on the website.

The applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, and funds will be distributed on a first come, first serve basis. The city cannot guarantee that each applicant will be awarded grant funding, the city said, so it is encouraged that businesses turn in applications as soon as they can.

Once the applications are filled out, they are to be emailed to the Canyon Lake Chamber of Commerce at canyonlakechamber@outlook.com for initial screening. All applications must be sent by Sept. 1 at 5:00 p.m., although, as mentioned, funds may be all allocated by then.

Car Club sets date for annual Car Show

The 16th Annual Canyon Lake Car Club Car Show has a date. The popular event will take place Oct. 1 at the Canyon Lake Lodge. The theme will be “Out of the Garage, Down to the Lodge.”

Those interested in having their pre-1998 vehicle and specialty vehicles in the show, they can submit an application at the club’s website, CanyonLakeCarClub.com. The event is limited to the first 250 cars that apply for inclusion.

The club promises that there will be lots of fun for not only those who submit their cars to the show, but the hundreds who attend to view the classic vehicles. The show will include raffles, awards, vendor booths, a ski show, food trucks, a 50/50 drawing, an all-day DJ and the Lodge restaurant will be open for breakfast and lunch.

For more information contact perrybeggs@outlook.com.

App-based delivery drivers need to be called in to gate

App-based transportation and delivery services such as Uber, Lyft, Instacart, Grubhub, DoorDash, Postmates, etc., must now be called in by a Canyon Lake POA member in order to gain access to the community, the Canyon Lake POA announced recently.

As of last week, these delivery drivers will no longer be allowed entry by showing a valid order. The transportation/delivery service company must be called in by a member and drivers will need to provide the name of the member and delivery address.

Additionally, drivers will need to provide their state-issued driver’s licenses and their company name.

These drivers should be called in using the same process as calling in other guests.

9-11 shirts, signs available for purchase

The Canyon Lake Veterans and First Responders Group is putting together a September 11th Tribute and Patriot Day Event and has shirts and signs available for purchase. The group is also soliciting sponsors for the event.

Shirts can be purchased for $20.00 and signs are $10.00 by emailing organizer Tim Cook at tim.cook7149@gmail.com.

Patriot Sponsorships are $1,000, Liberty Sponsorships are $500, Freedom Sponsorships are $250 and Stars and Stripes Sponsorships are $100. Each level of sponsorship offers various promotional opportunities.

Community Theater group still looking for donations

The Go Fund Me page for The Canyon Lake Community Theater is still active and is looking for additional donations to meet its $10,000 goal. The group needs donations to stay afloat according to Nicole Garvito, publicity and PR on the board of directors for the organization.

Due to the recent pandemic, many of Canyon Lake’s clubs were affected financially, however, those that seemed to feel the biggest hit were the clubs and organizations that depended on in-person attendance.

The Canyon Lake Community Theater, which receives its funding from ticket sales to live shows, set up a GoFundMe campaign in order to help save the club from shutting down. A total of $650 has been generated and more is needed.

“Our once-thriving company has sadly fallen on hard times,” Nicole Garvito, VP of Admin on the organization‘s board of directors, said. “We are on the brink of shutting down, and in order to continue our mission, we are asking for everyone’s help to save our organization.”

The Canyon Lake Community Theater is a non-profit theater company that has been bringing live theater arts and education to the community for over 30 years.

“This organization has been beloved by so many for years as we have been a constant in giving many talented young stars their start,” Nicole said. “Our mission is to educate and nurture budding actors with decades worth of knowledge from our directors and choreographers.”

The group also gives seasoned actors an opportunity to continue on with acting as their hobby well into their adult lives.

The Canyon Lake Community Theater’s GoFundMe goal is to raise $10,000.00. Those wishing to make donations, large or small, can visit the website and search for Canyon Lake Community Theater.

The funds received, Nicole said, will keep the organization alive so it can continue to bring quality live theater to the community and valley.