Relief loans available to residents, businesses impacted by Fairview Fire

By City News Service

Indio city officials on Tuesday announced more road closures for safety and to allow for setup of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and the Stagecoach Festival.

Full closures will be in effect Fridays to Mondays the last three weekends of April on all of Hjorth Street and Lundberg Lane and on Madison Street from Avenue 50 to Avenue 52, according to the city.

A full closure will be in effect on Avenue 50 between Monroe Street and Madison Avenue until May 8, but will extend to Jackson Street for the weekends of the festivals.

“This is the first year Avenue 50 has been closed in advance of the events to allow for pre-show setup, so we wanted to let residents and businesses know in advance about alternate routes,” Indio Community Services Manager Jim Curtis said in a statement. “The road closure is necessary to protect the safety of workers, residents and commuters.”

Additionally, streets surrounding the festival site and Interstate 10 are expected to see major traffic from the more than 40,000 festival attendees who will be leaving the area.

Residents are encouraged to take alternate routes through Washington Street, Jackson Street, Calhoun Street and Golf Center Parkway for north and south travel. Residents can take alternate routes through Highway 111, Dr.

Carreon Boulevard, Avenue 54, Miles Avenue, and Fred Waring Drive for east and west travel.

“Approximately 40,000 guests will be shuttled into and out of the concert venue from various locations throughout the Coachella Valley to help ease traffic conditions,” Indio city officials said in a statement. “Noise from the festival site could begin on each Thursday prior to the festival dates, due to sound checks and on-site camping guests.”

The festivals will be held Friday to Sunday each weekend from April 14 to April 30, with the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival the first two weekends and Stagecoach the last weekend. Both festivals will be held at the Empire Polo Club, at 81800 51st Ave.

All streets are expected to reopen to normal traffic patterns by May 8.

Low-interest disaster loans are available to Riverside County residents and businesses impacted by the 28,000-acre “Fairview Fire” last year southeast of Hemet, federal officials said Thursday.

The U.S. Small Business Administration said that qualifying applicants could be eligible for relief loans valued anywhere from $40,000 to $2 million, with terms designed to fit individual homeowners’, renters’ and proprietors’ financial conditions.

“SBA’s mission-driven team stands ready to help California’s small businesses and residents impacted by the Fairview Fire,” SBA Administrator Isabella Guzman said. “We’re committed to providing federal disaster loans swiftly and efficiently, with a customer-centric approach to help businesses and communities recover and rebuild.”

A Disaster Loan Outreach Center has been established at the Western Science Museum, Conference Room, 2345 Searl Parkway, in Hemet, where prospective applicants can temporarily go Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., to file loan applications or ask questions. Appointments are not required. The center will close on April 18.

“Low-interest federal disaster loans are available to businesses of all sizes, most private nonprofit organizations, homeowners and renters, whose property was damaged or destroyed by this disaster,” SBA Director of Disaster Field Operations in California Tanya Garfield said. “SBA customer service representatives will be on hand at the Disaster Loan Outreach Center to answer questions about SBA’s loan program, explain the application process and help each individual complete their application.”

Qualifying businesses and nonprofits of any size could apply to borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged buildings, machinery, inventory and other assets, according to the SBA.

The agency said “economic injury loans” are additionally available to entities that did not sustain physical losses but did experience a costly disruption to operations during the nearly monthlong firefight.

Homeowners are eligible for up to $200,000 in disaster relief loans to make repairs to firedamaged real estate, while renters may be eligible for up to $40,000 to repair or replace damaged property, according to the SBA. Interest rates range from 1.87% to 3.04%, depending on the circumstances and each applicant’s financial condition, officials said. Some recipients could be granted a 30-year amortization period.

The deadline to apply for property damage loans is June 5, and for economic injury loans, Jan. 4, 2024.

The Fairview Fire erupted on the afternoon of Sept. 5, allegedly due to an electrical equipment failure in the area of Fairview Avenue and Bautista Road.

Two people were killed and 36 structures damaged or destroyed, with hundreds of properties temporarily evacuated.

The blaze burned east into an unpopulated area of the San Bernardino National Forest, where it stalled for two weeks, barely expanding, before crews completely knocked it down during the first week of October.