If there was a ‘word of the evening’ at Tuesday night’s Twentynine Palms City Council meeting, it would have to be “passionate” as a number of residents, county workers and agency employees testified to the council that the needs of the city’s unhoused are urgent and real.
But before that, art. On behalf of the Joshua Tree National Park Council for the Arts, Vicki Waite presented a report from the 12th annual Joshua Tree National Park Art Expo that took place last November at the 29 Palms Art Gallery. The month-long event hosted 60 artists, including locals and several living out of state, and saw nearly 500 people attend the opening event.
(A scheduled presentation by the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office on Proposition 36 was cancelled due to a family emergency.)
Lakita Johnson, president and founder of Molding Hearts, updated the council on their homeless outreach efforts. At the November 13, 2024 meeting, council approved $24,500 for the organization to help. Since that funding, Molding Hearts found employment for eight individuals and provided services for 33 individuals and families, according to Johnson. Councilmember Octavious Scott confirmed with Johnson that they were all from Twentynine Palms.
Councilmember Scott pulled an item from the Consent Calendar which concerned an award agreement to rehab a building at 6943 Elm Ave and make it ADA-compliant. In 2021, the city acquired several properties, a three-plex (6939, 6941, and 6943 Elm Ave.) and a stand-alone structure (6937 Elm Ave) to provide low-income housing for senior veterans. Describing it as “a laborious situation that we’ve been trying to work through,” City Manager Stone James explained that in addition to a rehab involving asbestos removal, kitchen/bathroom renovation, accessible parking, and handicap access, a consultant is required to ensure that the building is safe for residents. Council approved the Design Concepts fee of $33,800 which will be funded by Project Home Key, a state housing program.
The highlight of the evening was watching Animal Control Supervisor Rick Boyd make a vigorous plea for a new department vehicle. Explaining how the department’s current vehicle (a 2012 F-350) is showing age and ready to be the back-up truck (current back-up is a 2002), and how features like hydraulic lifts, secondary safety doors and air conditioning for animal compartments are becoming necessary, Boyd requested $131K in funding for a new vehicle. Amidst demonstrating some of the physical challenges of wrangling wayward beasts, an audience member shouted, “Give him the truck!” Council then did just that. (Council previously approved $105K for this purchase but inflation hit, and an additional $25,894.22 was being requested.)
Kicking off a lively discussion about whether the city needs a Community Resource Center, City Manager James asked, “How do we serve the underserved?” Councilmember Scott noted that the topic has already been bandied about for over two years. Councilmember Daniel Mintz wondered about duplicating services offered at the Senior Center, selecting a suitable location, and the long-term financial realities. While the concept of a community survey to determine what was needed was discussed, council soon realized that the community was, indeed, passionate enough about the issue to deem it unnecessary. MUSD Board Member Karalee Hargrove also pitched an idea about partnering with the district to provide resources at the schools. The topic was tabled with plans to revisit the idea during the city’s biennial strategic planning workshop.
