RECAP: 29 Palms City Council March 26, 2024
A new City Manager, excused City fees for a church, wastewater (again) and more...
Vying for a new speed record, Council booked through ten agenda items in less than an hour! Topics dispatched (or not) this meeting included wastewater at Project Phoenix, fees for use of the community center / gym, a dues increase and the appointment of a new City Manager. Four of five council members were present, with Councilman Daniel Mintz having an excused absence. The agenda packet and the video can be viewed here and our agenda preview is here.
All items on the Consent Calendar were approved without discussion including City investments, the vacation of a portion of Foothill Dr., and the granting of a lease to Mojaveland.
DISCUSSION AND POTENTIAL ACTION ITEMS
Item 6: Project Phoenix – Treatment System Improvements
This item is for funding the final round of improvements to Project Phoenix, which includes an advanced wastewater treatment system. Presenting was Mike Podegracz, the Director of Charles Abbott Associates, who explained how the recommended bid of $1,999,934 from 316 Engineering & Construction Co. was selected and that the bid was good until April 30, 2024. A representative from 316 Engineering was also present at the meeting. The project is supported in part by an Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant.
Per Podegracz, the system is scaled to accommodate Project Phoenix, a hotel site, and some surrounding businesses.
In public comment on the item, Eileen Leslie pointed out that five years had passed since the mitigated negative declaration and argued that conditions have changed:
Those 18 businesses are built out — there's absolutely no indication that the Hilton is going in. As was discussed last week and verified, the contract with Hilton does not have a condition that they even build in that location. Or let's go one step further. Do we have any guarantee they're not going to go on their own treatment system plant? And to be honest with you, if so, think about the costs that are going to go to 18 people or this City.
Veno Nathraj also spoke to the anticipated Hilton, referring to the Greens Group, which purchased the Fairfield Inn in 2022 and which has an agreement to potentially build a hotel at Freedom Plaza. “Let's kick the can down the road and let the hotel put in their own sewage treatment plant.…”
Councilmembers Joel Klink and Octavious Scott echoed residents’ concerns with Scott inquiring about whether a decision can be delayed until the next City Council meeting.
Interim CIty Manager Larry Bowden called on Twentynine Palms Water District (TPWD) Manager Matt Shragg (who happened to be present at the meeting) to expand on the requirements imposed on wastewater monitoring and treatment by the EDA as a condition of the grant:
As soon as you put water into the plant then you guys will start cleaning the water and discharging it the way that Colorado Regional Water Quality Control Board says we can. And the district and the City right now, we're in a joint agreement. We're dealing these reports quarterly, we're doing our monitoring, and at any point they can say hey, this project was supposed to be done with a package treatment plant. So they could push that package treatment plan on us if we're not careful. So they're another one that you probably need to talk to about this plant going in. Be careful about stalling it too much. Because it probably should have been in from the beginning.
With Bowden confirming that he’s heard nothing from the hotel, Council voted to table moving forward on the treatment plant to confer with all the parties involved. Look for wastewater at Project Phoenix to reappear on the agenda in April.
Item 7: Sanctuary Church Event—Direct Staffing Costs
As mentioned in our agenda preview, Recreation Division Manager Kary Minetrea spoke to this item at the March 12 meeting and is still recommending the City waive three days of rental fees totaling $3,855 for the Sanctuary Church 20th anniversary celebration. Past policy is that nonprofit organizations are entitled to complementary use of City facilities for one day per calendar year.
There was considerable discussion at the prior meeting with Mayor Steven Bilderain suggesting excusing fees for the most expensive rental day plus adding a partial fee waiver for the other two days by charging the church only the City’s actual labor costs. Despite Council appearing agreeable to this compromise, Councilmember McArthur Wright suggested tabling the matter to ascertain the exact costs of Bilderain’s suggestion.
Wright is President of the Ministerial Association, of which the Sanctuary Church is a member.1 Should Wright have disclosed the relationship during the discussion on excusing fees for the Church?
Instead of returning to Council with an accounting of Bilderain’s suggestion, Minetrea recommended the Church be excused for three days of fees and billed only for staff time at $245.77. Just as in the last meeting, unmentioned was any fee or fee waiver for the church blocking others’ use of the space Saturday, April 27, a day when according to Minatrea, “nobody's going to have access to it because all of their equipment will still be set up.”
Speaking in public comment, Susan Peplow cautioned Council about waiving additional fees:
It's not just labor cost, its wear and tear on Freedom Plaza and our other facilities having to redo the blacktop or fix trash cans or get busted….We need these fees for the fiscal health of our City. So continuing to waive multiple days—just caution or hope that you take some caution in taking that leap because I think it might be a slippery slope moving forward.
Bilderain modified his original proposal to recommend that the Church be charged for Thursday, “the least expensive day.” Klink suggested sticking with Minetrea’s suggestion of charging only for staff time, and that the fees for nonprofits be reviewed at a special meeting. Councilmember Octavious Scott added, “Nonprofits do a lot of the work that the city can't do, and I think it's very important that we invest in these nonprofits because the investment back so I mean, that's just my how I see things.”
Klink put forward the motion to charge the Sanctuary Church $247.77 for four days’ use of the Community Center / Gym at Freedom Plaza. The motion was seconded by Wright and accepted with a unanimous vote. It’s anticipated that City facility fees for non profits will be discussed at the April 9 Council meeting.
Desert Trumpet subscriptions are always free—but thanks to our paid subscribers, we’re just 3 paid subscriptions short of our quarterly $2,400 fundraising goal! We need to raise $160 by March 31 to stay on track and fund our upcoming City Council election coverage as well our in-depth coverage of the planned solar farm. Won’t you consider upgrading to a paid subscription or donating $100 or more through Paypal?
Item 8: Business Loan Improvement Program Status
Item 9: Membership Dues Joint Powers Authority (JPA)
Both of these items were discussed in our agenda preview, and little new information was added at this meeting. The Business Loan Improvement Program was a report only, no vote required, with an update that since the staff report, funds had been disbursed to a fourth applicant. Bowden gave a positive speech in favor of the San Bernardino Council of Governments, leading Council to vote in favor of paying the increased membership dues listed in Item 9.
Item 10: Appointment of City Manager
There were 15 applicants for the position of Twentynine Palms City manager per Interim City Manager Larry Bowden. Bowden kicked off what most assumed to be a pro forma approval of Stone James by outlining the interview process and discussing the contract terms. And in short order, James was appointed with an unanimous vote and with the applause of the public in attendance.
The Desert Trumpet provided information on James’ tenure as Economic Development Director of Cathedral City in our preview. James and his wife and daughter will be moving to Twentynine Palms once escrow closes on their new home. He is scheduled to begin as City Manager on April 29. James addressed Council masked having just recovered from COVID:
So Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, Councilmembers — thank you for the opportunity. I'm humbled and privileged and honored to be able to assume this role as the City Manager for your fine City. I look forward to working with you and working with staff in order to really accomplish the goals and visions that you've set out — to take a great community, ensure its financial stability, and figuring out ways to elevate that community. How do we make 29 Palms the best version of itself?
Once I start, once we come up here and we finally close escrow on our house, look forward to really being a part of the community and also meeting with the community like this gentleman, and understanding the community, seeing the community through their eyes to better hone how I contribute to your success and how I contribute to the staff success.
We just wanted to say thank you very much for this profound opportunity. I can just can't tell you how excited I am. I've got my family here, my wife Laura and my daughter Sierra. They are also just so grateful.
PUBLIC COMMENTS
In general public comment, Mary Jane Binge advocated for changing the name of the City from City of Twentynine Palms to Community of Twentynine Palms, which she feels is more reflective of “the community friendliness in all that we have to give.”
Binge was followed by Anastasia Gonzalez and Lanisha Blackman, who both expressed concerns about racial profiling and discrimination within child protective services.
CITY MANAGER UPDATE
Interim City Manager Bowden invited residents to an Easter Egg Hunt on Sunday 9 at Luckie Park. City Clerk Cindy Villescas announced a new online portal for public information requests.
And with that, Mayor Steven Bilderain wished everyone a Happy Easter and adjourned the meeting.
Share your thoughts in the comments below. Please note that we do not allow anonymous comments. Please be sure your first and last name is on your profile prior to commenting. Anonymous comments will be deleted.
Share this post—it’s free!
See Ministerial Thanksgiving Service this Sunday at 2PM in Twentynine Palms, z107.7, November 18, 2023. Also see Councilmember Wright’s City Bio, “In his present capacity, McArthur Wright serves as an Associate Minister at Gospel Fellowship Christian Center Church in Twentynine Palms and holds the esteemed position of President within the Ministerial Association of Twentynine Palms.”
It was Council member Mintz on March 12th that suggested we gather hard costs for the overall rental before making a decision regarding waiving fees. Councilmember Bilderain then made the motion to table the discussion until the 26th session, so they would have the opportunity to receive that information from Parks & Recs.
In discussion on March 12th, the city council supported the practice of 1 free day for non profits; discussing waiving the most expensive rental day, Sunday, which is open to the public. The entire multi-day rental also received a sponsorship of $1,000 towards fees.