Thorough cleaning of the store, an elevated pest control plan and extensive product inspections underline efforts by the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) to reopen the commissary at the Twentynine Palms Marine Base. A DeCA spokesman said, “We are working with installation officials to completely resolve any pest issues and reopen the commissary once we certify that all health and sanitation standards are met.” Base officials ordered the commissary closed indefinitely October 11 due to a health code violation resulting from a rodent control issue. Military veterinarians inspected the store and found evidence of a significant rodent infestation. Since then DeCA has sent public health, sanitation, engineer and store operation experts to the store and is working with the installation’s military health personnel and the pest control contractor to eliminate the problem. “We regret any inconvenience the store closure has caused to our commissary patrons at Twentynine Palms,” DeCA said. “We value your trust in your commissary to provide quality products in a safe, clean, pest-free environment and are working diligently to retain that trust by thoroughly addressing this pest issue so the store can be reopened.” DeCA and Twentynine Palms officials will continue to post daily updates regarding the status of the commissary.
