RECAP: Twentynine Palms City Council, April 23, 2024
Farewell to Larry Bowden, facility rental fees tabled, Youth Council update, grants, and more...
With Councilmember Daniel Mintz out with an excused absence, Tuesday’s one-hour Twentynine Palms City Council meeting had four Council members in attendance and a semi-crowded audience. For background information on this meeting, check out our agenda recap and video of the meeting. The agenda packet is linked here.
CONSENT CALENDAR
Items on the Consent Calendar included updates to the Channel Trail project, a public walking and bicycle path, a City Treasurer’s report on Quarter 3 of the ‘23-’24 Fiscal Year, and approval of the March 26 and April 9 council meeting minutes. The consent calendar was approved 4-0-1. No items were removed from the Consent Calendar for discussion.
PUBLIC HEARING
Item 9. Request to Vacate a Portion of Foothill Drive
Council members heard from Community Development Director Keith Gardner on the vacation of the property on Foothill Drive for the Reset Hotel construction project that is currently taking place on the south side of town.
The City engineer was present in case Council had any questions. Since no one from the public had any comments or inquiries on this particular agenda item, Mayor Steven Bilderain opted to skip the presentation. The City Council initiated their intent to vacate the property at their March 26th meeting. Mayor Pro Tem Joel Klink then made the motion that the City Council vacate a portion of Foothill Drive based on Parcel Map 20360 and adopt Resolution 2406. The motion was seconded by Councilmember McArthur Wright. With the closure of the public hearing portion of discussion, the motion to approve the vacation was approved 4-0-1.
DISCUSSION AND POTENTIAL ACTION ITEMS
10. Community Events Grants
Community Events Coordinator Scott Clinkscales presented on two applications for City grant funds—Dine 29, a proposed food festival and restaurant week event submitted by Terence Latimer, proprietor of Black Cactus Co-Working, and Distance Duet, a free public arts performance event organized by artist and choreographer Carolyn Pennypacker Riggs. Grant applications were due in July 2023.
Distance Duet had an initial ask of $18,500 while Dine 29’s initial fund request of $15,000 has since been reduced to $1,500. All events need to have proper permitting before resources are issued, noted Clinkscales. Councilmembers Mintz and Scott were the sole members of the AdHoc committee that reviewed grant applications.
In public comment on this item, Mary Jane Binge asked for clarification on Dine 29 and Black Cactus Co-Working:
Scott, explain more about that festival. And who's the Cactus— Black Cactus? And did I read in there, really quickly, is there, like, food trucks also coming in to that event? And what restaurants? I’ve been talking to some restaurants in town and they've not been notified about this. Can we have more of an explanation.
Clinkscales said Latimer would be reaching out to restaurants. Councilmember Scott said the $1,500 would cover advertising.
Michael Usher, co-owner of Grnd Sqrl, wrote a letter that was paraphrased by Mayor Bilderain.
We did receive an email. We've all read it, from Grnd Sqrl. Mr. Mike Usher, in his comments, pretty much, in the letter, is saying all restaurants should be included in this and you just kind of answered what he was saying here— that they all will be contacted. In his letter, pretty much, just, there's a lot of restaurants [that] have been in the City for a very long time and want to be included in these things.
Mayor Pro Tem Klink said he could not vote on the food festival without knowing how many restaurants want to participate in it and when the event would take place. Councilmember Wright also asked about a “solidifying” restaurant list.
Bilderain wanted to ensure that if the Dine 29 grant was tabled, that the City’s Grant Ad Hoc committee would be able to resolve issues prior to a potential event date and City deadline. The initial event date proposed in the July application was April 28th. Ultimately, Klink made a motion to approve the $18,500 for Distance Duet and table the grant for Dine 29. Councilmember Scott abstained. Motion approved 3-0-2.
When reached for comment, Latimer said, “I’m interested in all restaurants to get a chance to participate and will be completing individual follow-ups based on the short turnaround time and truncated budget.” In the past, Black Cactus Co-Working has hosted well-attended Grant Writing Workshops, a group interested in feeding the homeless, a food handlers training forum, and promotes monthly art walks and artists of color through its Adobe Mara Arts Walk Initiative.
11. Facility Rental Fee Waiver Policy Update
Recreation Division Manager Kary Minatrea presented on the City’s facility fee waiver policy. The City’s Parks & Recreation Department currently allows one free one-day rental to all qualified organizations per calendar year. “This was due to potential overuse of City facilities and the potential to limit the community from the ability to rent facilities.”
In her report, Minatrea stated that the City currently has nine nonprofit organizations that use City facilities on a regular basis. She added that with 14 religious organizations, numerous public service agencies, and, according to the Internal Revenue Service, at least 34 registered nonprofit entities that operate within the City, “If a limit is not placed on fee waivers for facility rentals, it has the potential to become problematic,” emphasized Minatrea. “I would highly recommend that we do put a limit on the amount of days any organization can reserve a facility for free up here.”
Speaking on the topic from the public were Cindy Bernard and Susan Peplow. Bernard, editor of The Desert Trumpet, acknowledged that her news and media publication, which operates as a nonprofit through fiscal sponsor Aha Projects, has reserved the Community Center for two future events— an ‘Envisioning 29 Palms’ town hall on June 8 and a City Council candidates’ forum on September 14. She considered a cap of two waived days appropriate, “given that Council recently set a precedent granting three days to a nonprofit—an exception to current policy,” alluding to a recent instance in which a religious organization was granted a three-day fee waiver.
Susan Peplow expressed concerns of staffing and operational costs, acknowledging that while the City wants to do good to its nonprofits who give back to the community, there are expenses to it:
“We also have a responsibility to the facilities themselves. As it is right now, we already subsidize the sewer for Project Phoenix area or Freedom Plaza. As soon as we need new blacktop, that’s going to be a cost. There’s maintenance needs that are here. We're not really making money on fees in the first place. We're barely offsetting the most minor costs as it is.
Peplow then highlighted the need for clarification in the updated sample policy’s language, comparing the financial cost of comping a ball field at $40, to comping the Community Center at $900 given its heating and electricity costs.
Kicking off Council discussion was Councilmember Scott who stated, “If we're going to allow faith-based organizations three days because they're nonprofits, then we should allow all nonprofits three days.”
Councilmember Wright asked for clarification of direct and indirect staffing costs while Mayor Bilderain openly acknowledged that the religious organization that took advantage of the three-day facility fee waiver “found a hole in the system.”
For the last eight years that I've been sitting up here, that was never an issue. It was the first time I've ever heard ‘three days...’ They were just smarter and read through it better than we did.
Bilderain was referring to a 1989 City document that doesn’t specify a cap on complimentary days.
Wright and Klink agreed with most of Minatrea’s recommended policy updates but wanted new language to reflect a one-day policy. Bilderain wanted organizations to be allotted two fee-waived days per calendar year so long as those days are not consecutive. Scott suggested capping the facility rental waivers by a dollar amount rather than by the day. Minatrea reminded Council members that there are already reduced fee rates for nonprofits for all venues except the Community Center.
Seeing Council’s piqued interest on the topic of facility fee waivers and the need for further clarification, Interim City Manager Larry Bowden advised that Council table the agenda item for a later meeting, to give Minatrea’s staff ample time to present Council with hard numbers and dollar amounts before they make a formal policy decision.
12. Flooded LED Illuminated Bluetooth Activated Permanent Mounted Warning Signs
City Council heard from Interim City Manager Bowden on the acquisition of new LED warning signs for flooding. The program came about from a $142,000 California Intergovernmental Risk Authority fund intended for local safety projects. Bowden stated these activated lights are permanent fixtures with bluetooth capability that can be activated remotely from 100 yards away. Justification for upgrading the signage is to improve safety for Public Works employees who are often dispatched to these locations during heavy storms where they have to assemble shoddy flood sign equipment under hazardous conditions. The fixtures will be permanently installed at 20 locations throughout town, primarily along the town’s three main arteries that extend from Highway 62: Adobe Road, Sullivan Road, and Utah Trail.
Public comment from Cindy Bernard asked for clarification on how these 20 spots were determined, reminding Council of the often severe and rapid flash flooding on Highway 62 from Rattlesnake Canyon Wash in Indian Cove. Bowden stated that Highway 62 is within CalTrans boundaries but that he would clarify with Public Works. Motion Passed 5-0.
PUBLIC COMMENTS
City Council heard open public comments from Mary Jane Binge, Susan Peplow, and Cindy Bernard. “I just want to say thank you Larry for an outstanding job. I really appreciate all of your attention, getting back phone calls, your terrific reports that you give are going to be missed,” stated Binge. Peplow and Bernard piggybacked off Binge’s praise for Bowden. Bernard then inquired on the status of the Twentynine Palms Youth Council, which will be having an informational meeting this Monday at 4 pm in Patriotic Hall. Applications to serve on the Youth Council are to be submitted to the Parks & Recreation office by May 13th at 6:00PM.
CITY MANAGER UPDATE
In his final report, outgoing Interim City Manager Larry Bowden displayed emotion as he reflected on his five-month stint at City Hall. Bowden said he plans on maintaining a presence at the City level, noting that his role as interim City Manager has encouraged him to be more social. “There's a lot of good players here. Everybody chipped in and helped out.”
The next Twentynine Palms City Council meeting is scheduled to take place May 14, 2024 at 6 pm.
Note: Cindy Bernard is the Editor of The Desert Trumpet and Terence Latimer is a contributing writer.
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Just FYI - the link to the "20 locations..." of the flood warning devices instead links to the staff report on facilities fees.