The Twentynine Palms City Council held a 2.5 hour meeting last night that featured both a packed agenda and a packed room of concerned residents.
Last night, the Twentynine Palms City Council meeting began with an update from the all-resident Wastewater Committee. Led by Karalee Hargrove, it was reported that the meetings were well-attended and somewhat contentious, with many residents concerned about plans for a new city-wide sewer system and wastewater treatment facility. Many fears alluded to a possible smell, health risks, and a decrease of property values in the area.
A presentation by the Coachella Valley Housing Coalition outlined their mission of affordable housing and helping families and individuals acquire property. Councilmember Octavious Scott was a direct beneficiary of the same program when, at the age of 10, he helped build a house for his family. “I still own that house today,” said Scott.
An item was removed from the Consent Calendar for further discussion, and it sparked strong thoughts – both pro and con – about the Tourism Business Improvement District’s (TBID) effectiveness. Because the TBID is asking for $26K to enable a conversion from a one-year timeline to five-year timeline, there were many questions, and the item was tabled until August.
The council voted to reject all bids for the Project Phoenix Treatment System Improvements as the results varied so widely, city staff recommended reviewing the project’s scope. While the sewer collection system (7500-gallon septic) is already installed in the downtown business area, a package treatment plant is the next step.
In the ensuing discussion, a council divide became quite clear as Councilmember Scott stated, “I’m confident that the city-wide sewer system is not going to happen …” and Mayor McArthur Wright quickly interjected: “It is.”
Next item was a Grant of Option that would enable the city to move forward with an affordable housing project to be built behind City Hall. Working with a developer, Milestone Housing, the city will be selling the land and committing $1M from Housing Funds for the project. (The $1M cash loan would come from the Housing funds from Project Phoenix bond proceeds and sale proceeds from the Home 2 Suites hotel property.)
The initial phase will create 59 units with one manager unit and will also feature its own sewer/treatment plans. Councilmember Scott expressed concern about the multi-story buildings, how that would affect views of nearby houses, and stated that he believed the entire project should be designated ‘senior housing.’
Ultimately, the council approved the action with Scott being the lone ‘nay’ vote.
Finally, the council approved a resolution to apply reserves to pay off a portion of the inactive Fire Safety Plan, and to set a 50-55 percent target amount for unrestricted/undesignated reserves.
There will be no meetings in July; the council will resume its usual twice-monthly schedule in August.
