Panels to Weigh Growth Prospects in San Gorgonio Pass

Interstate 10 with the San Gorgonio Pass wind farm in the background. Photo credit: Wiki Commons

By City News Service

The future of the San Gorgonio Pass will be the subject of a summit next week in Cabazon.

Riverside County Board of Supervisors Chairman Marion Ashley is organizing the May 14 “Pass Water, Transportation, Economic Development & Health Summit” in association with the county’s Economic Development Agency.

The four-hour event, set to begin at 7 a.m. at the Morongo Casino & Resort, will be open to the general public at a cost of $50-$65 per seat.

“The economy is once again picking up steam, and the San Gorgonio Pass will have an increased amount of economic activity,” Ashley said. “It’s important that we bring together our local leaders, businesses and partners to take the lead on growing our communities so we can make sure we have growth that makes sense for our residents both now and in the future.”

The San Gorgonio Pass encompasses Banning, Beaumont, Cabazon, Cherry Valley and neighboring unincorporated communities.

Four panels will be convened featuring business and community leaders. The economic development panel will examine how to draw more manufacturers, retailers and real estate developers to the region.

The healthcare panel will review current trends and how the county’s healthcare delivery apparatus, currently in transition, may benefit residents.

The transportation group will “address options and potential solutions” to the area’s mass transit challenges, while the water panel will look at increasing demands on water supplies and what policies might ease the pressure on local reservoirs.

More information is available at www.rivcofifthdistrictsymposium.org.