New headquarters in the plans for Cabazon Water District

Many in the small town like stopping by and personally paying their water bill. But there's no lobby. Every month, about 600 customers brave the elements and stand outside at a glass security window.

A live rattlesnake was once slipped through the mail slot in the door.

Most public agencies boast major storage facilities for everything from heavy equipment to archived files.

But it's all about improvising and making do for the Cabazon Water District. Big cargo containers once used by rail and shipping lines for transporting goods are now storage space - even a cubbyhole area with a desk and chair - for the Cabazon Water District.

A trio of padlocked cargo containers behind a chainlink fence store an assortment of district property --- turnoff valves, archived documents and furniture for board meetings - a long table and several folding chairs. The containers are also feature work bench areas.

"We use every bit of space," says board president R.D. Cash. "As we need it, we dig it out."

Directors and the general manager even keep heavy equipment items like a backhoe, dump trailers, generators and air compressors at home in rural Cabazon.

The Cabazon Water District has no conference room. Important business meetings take place across Interstate 10 at the outlet mall, where free space is provided by Desert Hills Premium Outlet, Louie said.

But cramped quarters and braving the elements will be a faded memory with construction of a new, roomy 3,100-square-foot water district headquarters, Louie said.

The facility will meet the Cabazon Water District's needs for decades to come, Louie said.

The building will feature an indoor, climate-controlled lobby and a high-tech board room capable of being converted for community meetings. The architectural firm, Harley Ellis Devereaux, is drawing plans for the new administrative headquarters.

Final plans are expected by early summer, Frost said.

The headquarters for the Cabazon Water District is part an ambitious undertaking called the Cabazon Civic Center project.

Work will begin by expanding an existing park and adding a new basketball court, skate park and restroom and maintenance buildings. Other public improvements include a 5,000-square-foot library and a 10,000-square-foot child care center.

The $16 million Civic Center project will take shape on a 12-acre site at the at the James A. Venable Community Center. Work will begin by expanding an existing park and also adding a 5,000-square-foot library and a 10,000-square-foot child care center.

The Civic Center will be built in phases over the next several years. The water district headquarters would be constructed in a later phase and take about a year to build, Frost said. The water district's current site may be used for expanding the county's fleet services, Frost said.

Fifth District County Supervisor Marion Ashley says the water district's new administrative building is an important and needed public improvement.

"The Cabazon Water District operates in very cramped conditions," Ashley said in a statement. "But in true pioneering spirit, the staff and elected board members have always kept faith with a longstanding tradition of delivering a vital public service.

"Riverside County is proud to be in the process of designing a new, state-of-the-art headquarters for the Cabazon Water District that will result in enhanced services for residents.

"The new water district headquarters joins a long list of existing and planned public improvements aimed at creating a brighter future for Cabazon."

Today, the Cabazon Water District serves about 1,000 customers. In 1954, voters created the Cabazon County Water District. About a month after the election, the district moved into its current headquarters, records show.