On Tuesday, January 19, the Beaumont City Council approved a draft conceptual plan for Stewart Park. Renovation of the 11-acre park will be the most significant undertaking since the acquisition and development of the park in 1939.

Currently, the park stretches across three City blocks between Orange Avenue and Magnolia Avenue and features a full basketball court, a pool facility, a restroom/concession stand, a pavilion with a concrete pad for live entertainment, a skate park, two playgrounds, a baseball diamond, and a small parking lot.

In the Fall of 2020, the City initiated a swimming pool assessment and feasibility study of the 55-year-old Plunge. The report concluded that the facility was in need of significant repairs that could not be funded with restricted CIP funding. In lieu of repairing the outdated facility, the City Council chose to demolish the pool and replace it with a 17,000 square foot splash pad which can be utilized year-round.

Additional elements proposed in the plan include a concrete walking trail throughout the length of the park, picnic pavilions throughout the park, multi-generational and inclusive playground equipment with shade structures, a gaga ball court, increased parking facilities, connection of the park across Ninth and Tenth Streets, and a new bandshell with modern sound and lighting equipment. The existing skate park and basketball courts will remain in their current location and will be updated with modern equipment.

On Monday, January 25, Governor Newsom lifted the Regional Stay Home Order, placing Riverside County into the Purple tier in California's Blueprint to a Safer Economy. The move allows many business sectors to re-open outdoors with modifications.

As a piece of the City's Business Assistance Program, Beaumont is renting equipment free of charge for local businesses seeking to re-open outdoor service.

"We know winter winds have wreaked havoc on business canopies, so in an effort to further our support of local businesses during this pandemic, we are now offering free rental on canopies and weighted barricades", stated Mayor Mike Lara.

To be eligible to participate in the rental program, businesses must meet the following criteria:

Equipment will be loaned on a first-come-first-served basis.

Economic Development | Retail Workshop Webinar

Did you miss Beaumont's Retail Workshop webinar? No problem, the entire event was recorded and can be viewed on our website! If you are a small business owner, be sure to take advantage of the FREE market analysis services being offered to Beaumont businesses.

Street Sweepers remove debris from our streets and prevent it from entering our storm drains. Street Sweeping also helps the City comply with state and federal stormwater quality requirements.

The street sweepers are not designed to pick up large pieces, piles or wet debris. Here’s how you can help improve the cleanliness of your street:

The city’s objective is to sweep arterial, collectors, bike lanes, and residential streets monthly. Please note, on rainy days street sweeping may or may not occur; if the streets are too wet the sweeper cannot remove debris.

Beaumont Transit | Brand Launch and Other News

All Beaumont routes, including commuter links, are eligible for FREE FARES. The free fare promotion is made possible through a grant from the Low Carbon Transit Operations Program (LCTOP) funded through the State of California and administered by the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) in coordination with Air Resource Board (ARB) and State Controller’s Office (SCO) in an effort reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

In the months ahead, RCTC will host meetings to invite public comment on the draft studies. To receive project updates and notice of upcoming meetings, visit rctc.org/CVRail and follow the project on Facebook @CVRailProject.

Although it may not look as though not much has taken place at Rangel Park since the installation of the new restroom/snack bar, Beaumont staff is working diligently behind the scenes to finalizing geotechnical reports. The report analyzes soil to determine design recommendations for the installation of new ball field lighting. The reports will also define construction requirements for the future splash pad.

On January 19, the Beaumont City Council approved the Parks and Recreation Department to apply for a state grant for funding to replace playground equipment at 3 Rings Ranch Park. The City's preliminary allocation is nearly $178,000 and is expected to be awarded in 2022 with construction to follow.

Beaumont Parks and Recreation is pleased to host Feeding America, Riverside County Office on Aging and Family Service Association (FSA) which offers meal programs to local area residents.

The Albert A. Chatigny Sr. Community Recreation Center (CRC) is located at 1310 Oak Valley Parkway. For more information on food resource programs, please contact our Senior Center at (951) 769-8524.

The City of Beaumont and Beaumont PD continue to work in conjunction with Riverside County Emergency Management, Riverside County Flood Control and the National Weather Service to monitor storms and potential flood hazards related to the Apple and El Dorado Fire burn scars.

We encourage local area residents to be prepared for the rainy season by following the Storm Ready Checklist:

60 Truck Lanes | Speed Limit 55 MPH

Always follow the 55 mph speed limit to keep yourself, other motorists and construction crews safe! Follow @60TruckLanes on social media for the latest construction information.

Nearly 77 percent of doses received to Riverside County have been administered to county residents, continuing an upward trend that started weeks ago. As of Jan. 28, Riverside County had received 193,875 COVID-19 vaccine doses and 149,079 had been administered at county-operated clinics and community partners. The 76.9 percent is a sharp improvement from a week ago when the county’s rate of vaccine administration was 46.8 percent.

“Through the county team’s hard work and dedication, these vaccines are distributed to partner agencies or administered at a public health clinic within days of receiving them,” said Board Chair Karen Spiegel, Second District Supervisor. “This collaboration between the county and our vaccine providers has been critical in getting more vaccines administered to our residents.”

Riverside County’s vaccination rate is higher than the state average of around 50 percent.

For the most up-to-date information on vaccine clinics in Riverside County, please visit www.ruhealth.org/covid-19-vaccine

For those who received the first dose at a county vaccine clinic (also called points of distribution or PODs), local health officials will reach out to residents through the contact method provided at the first appointment. At that time, the county will provide instructions for receiving the second dose conforming to the current CDC guideline on timeframes. Residents who received their first dose at a private provider should contact that same provider to schedule their second dose.

Riverside County health officials remind residents that parties and other social gatherings make for fast ways to spread coronavirus and urge the community to celebrate Super Bowl Sunday responsibly.

While hospitalizations are decreasing from the sharp December and January surge, several local hospitals are still significantly impacted, and the available percent of licensed intensive care units remains at zero.

Residents should limit possible exposure to the virus by reducing the number of people they have contact with during Super Bowl Sunday. If residents do attend gatherings, they should wear a mask, avoid shared utensils, and keep six feet of distance from people outside of their household.

“We’re not out of the woods yet and we don’t want to lose the progress we’ve made,” said Kim Saruwatari, director of the Riverside University Health System - Public Health. “If we all continue to wear masks, keep six feet of distance from others, and get vaccinated, then we can make it back faster to these important pastimes and traditions.”

Additional assistance for all those financially impacted by COVID-19 are encouraged to visit the State's resources online at covid19.ca.gov

On January 25, 2021, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced that the stay-at-home order for Southern California was lifted. By lifting the order, Riverside County returns to the state’s purple tier, which allows many businesses to resume either indoor or outdoor operations.