ON THE AGENDA: Twentynine Palms City Council, March 11, 2025
ADA parking improvements and closed session performance evaluation of the City Manager
This Tuesday, March 11, 2025, at 6 pm, the Twentynine Palms City Council will meet to review a pint-sized agenda, then disappear into closed session to do a performance evaluation of City Manager Stone James. The 45-page docket is linked here.
The sole item of substance on the menu is whether to award a design services contract to upgrade ADA parking at Luckie Park.
PUBLIC COMMENT
You can comment on agenda items and issues important to you at every City Council meeting. Comments on agenda items take place during discussion of that item, while comments on non-agenda items take place near the end of the meeting. The Brown Act prevents Council from commenting on non-agenda items. To comment, just pick up a green or gold form at the entry desk, fill it out, and hand it to the Clerk, who usually sits just in front of the Council bench toward the right.
Here's the list of Council email addresses to write if you can't get to the meeting — be sure to email them prior to 2 pm on the date of the meeting so they have time to read your email prior to discussion. You can also copy the clerk at cvillescas@29palms.org and ask that your letter be made part of the public record.
AWARDS, PRESENTATIONS, APPOINTMENTS, AND PROCLAMATIONS
Following an invocation by Father Eliseus Uju of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, the meeting will kick off with a series of presentations, including one by the 29 Parks and Recreation Department on a gender equity in sports grant they received and another by San Bernardino County Fire Department Chief Bill Villarino regarding fire prevention.
CONSENT CALENDAR
The Consent Calendar consists of routine items usually approved with a single vote. The public is given a chance to make public comment on these items prior to the Council motion. Again, fill out a comment form if you wish to address any of the items on this meeting’s Consent Calendar. Often the Council Consent Calendar lists a dozen or more things but this meeting's is slim indeed, containing just a single substantive item.
8. Award a Contract Agreement for Design Services to HR Green Pacific INC, for Fiscal Year 2024/2025 CDBG Luckie Park ADA Improvement Project
This project is to replace two non-compliant, asphalt ADA parking spaces at the Parks and Recreation office at Luckie Park with fully compliant, ADA-accessible parking spaces and concrete.
City staff recommends awarding this consulting services contract to HR Green Pacific, Inc. for engineering and design of this parking lot improvement project for $28,984.
At its January 23, 2024, meeting Council voted to approve allocation of CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) funds to upgrade this parking area, which is currently not up to ADA standards and hasn't seen significant maintenance in years.
CDBG funds are provided by HUD (the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development) but administered by counties. The City applies to the County each year for these funds to complete various projects.
PUBLIC HEARING
There's no public hearing at this meeting.
DISCUSSION AND POTENTIAL ACTION ITEMS
There are no discussion and potential action items at this meeting.
FUTURE COUNCIL INITIATED ITEMS
1. Revisit allocated funds for the portable showers and Navigation Center.
2. Discussion on the General Plan Update.
3. Discussion surrounding (i) costs to maintain dirt roads verses paved roads; (ii) what is a City maintained dirt road, a non-maintained dirt road, a road that has been accepted by the City, a road that is private and not accepted by the City; (iii) the City's ability and liability associated with the City periodically maintaining non-maintained roads, and (iv) ways residents can bring non-maintained and non-accepted dirt roads to paved rural-road standards ready for acceptance into the City's accepted-and-maintained road list.
4. Shade structures around Freedom Plaza and a possible art fixture with "Freedom Plaza" announcing the location.
5. A review and discussion of fees as it relates to Site Plan Reviews for ancillary uses.
6. Discussion on abandoned homes in the community.
7. Discussion on reorganizing the Homeless and Housing Committee.
8. Discussion on partnering with the Boys and Girls Club.
9. Discussion on reviewing policies for non-profits who receive funding from the City.
10. Discussion of a policy regulating the use of City Attorney resources.
CLOSED SESSION
CLOSED SESSION PURSUANT TO GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION §54957 - PUBLIC EMPLOYEES PERFORMANCE EVALUATION, CITY MANAGER
The Council will go into closed session to do a performance evaluation of City Manager Stone James. Council appointed James at their March 26, 2024, meeting, so this will be James' first performance evaluation.
Prior to his appointment as City Manager James served for seven years as Economic Development Director of Cathedral City. This is James' first stint as a City Manager.
Per the agenda report, "any public comment on Closed Session items will be taken before the Closed Session," so if anyone desires to comment on James' performance they should be able to do so prior to this closed session.
The City Council meets next on March 25, 2025.
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