The Twentynine Palms City Council met last night to discuss several visions of the City’s future. Reporter Heather Clisby was there…
The night after the City faced earthquakes, lightening and floods all in one day, the Twentynine Palms City Council gathered to discuss power outages, emergency preparedness, park renovations and visions for the new multi-purpose building.
Jennifer Cusack from Southern California Edison presented a Reliability Study and addressed the unique challenges in maintain rural circuits. In 2018, the average resident experienced 274 minutes of lost power due to equipment failure or interference, such as Mylar balloons.
Community Services Director Randy Councell presented draft plans for the upgraded Knott’s Sky Park, which included community input from three public meetings. Councell aims to submit the plans for a Prop 68 Bond Grant Application to secure $3M in state funding for construction.
Plans for the 20-acre park include a new basketball court, new exercise equipment and renovated ball fields. Concerns were raised about speeding along El Sol Avenue, light brightness, and homeless encampments.
The Council passed Resolution 1917 on the Burrtec Contract Amendment which will result in an increase of 35 cents per month for residential service and an increase of $2-per-pick-up for commercial services.
The rate increase will generate $50,000 to help the City with unfunded mandates put forth by the State of California. Burrtec noted that soon, the State will require residential bins for organic food waste.
The evening saw lively debate during discussion of the Project Phoenix Cultural and Visitor Center and Multi-Purpose Building Design Workshop. While plans were presented, several citizens pushed for and against the inclusion of a gymnasium and a large professional kitchen. Mayor Steve Bilderain stated that he would like to study a plan presented by Jim Krushat, while Councilmembers Mac Wright and Joel Klink expressed approval for the current plans.
