“It is concerning to learn that College of the Desert has unilaterally decided, without any advanced consultation with local officials, staff or the public, to move funding away from the long-planned Roadrunner Motors project, an automotive technology educational center slated to begin construction adjacent to the Cathedral City Auto Center.

For several years, the City of Cathedral City worked diligently with the College of the Desert’s board of trustees, administration, faculty, staff, and student leaders to identify a suitable space near the Auto Center where students could learn the latest technology, apply those skills in real-world internships with our automotive businesses, and access public transportation to and from the educational center. Extensive studies and public feedback identified the need for high-quality vocational training in automotive technology and showed a large student base in Cathedral City and the surrounding communities.

Once suitable land was selected and agreed to by all, College of the Desert purchased the land, invested in architectural designs for the site, and began preparing the land for construction. Millions of taxpayer dollars have already been spent. All the remaining expenses related to the project were previously identified, and no new costs or cost issues have been shared with the city or the public to this point.

The project was continuously included in updates from College of the Desert as moving forward and mentioned just a few days ago in a glowing article in Palm Springs Life as one of the college’s upcoming expansion facilities. The City of Cathedral City thought the project would be breaking ground soon. Instead, what we got was a telephone call Wednesday from the new President/Superintendent Martha Garcia stating that the project is no longer happening as funding is being moved to another undisclosed project.”   

“The most disturbing part of the decision to shelve the new Roadrunner Motors Automotive Technology Center at the Cathedral City Auto Center is not that the project will not move forward, but that so much time, effort, public input, and taxpayer dollars are being wasted just to free up funding for another project in a different community without any input or study as to what that means for those who supported the project and were counting on it.

When the local bond passed that was to fund the center, there was a promise that the spending of funds would follow a process, have oversight, and be in the best interest of those students needing the education the facility would provide and those businesses and the public needing the skilled work that was to follow. It seems apparent those promises and that trust have been violated in the raw exercise of political power, outside the prescribed process and without transparency. It is just wrong.”