The Twentynine Palms City Council met last night to discuss several important issues and they got a hard reality check on Project Phoenix. Reporter Heather Clisby was there …
Last night’s Twentynine Palms City Council meeting was a nail biter. Current design plans for Project Phoenix are slated to cost $15.5M and the Council wrestled with a $2.5M shortfall. With construction costs escalating, further delays would worsen the problem. It was agreed that a “cash flow burn analysis” could be done as the building begins and project staff would explore additional funding sources. After hearing from several members of the community, the council opted not to shrink square footage or remove aesthetics but to go ahead with the long-planned redevelopment project, aiming to break ground in January 2020.
Due to overwhelming community response to the news that a violent sexual predator may relocate to Joshua Tree, the matter was added as an emergency agenda item. Lt. Luke Niles of the Morongo Basin Sheriff’s Department presented facts on the case of Ross Wollschlager. Councilman Joel Klink requested that the Mayor send an official Letter of Opposition and the public was encouraged to comment via email: [email protected] prior to a November 7 decision in Ventura County.
The meeting also included a presentation by Cheryl Montelle of Mil-Tree, introduction of two new city employees, Clint Humphreville and Scott Clinkscales. LeeAnne Clarke from Action 29 Palms shared information on plans to update Mural #5, Desert Storm Homecoming, and the Council approved a new appointment to the Tourism Business Improvement District, Emily Schuerbaum, general manager of Motel 6 in Twentynine Palms.
