Last night, the Twentynine Palms City Council gathered for a light agenda built around acknowledgements, fire prevention and concerns about the Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID).
The Twentynine Palms City Council met last night with no big pressing issues, though they did hear from residents and stakeholders who expressed dismay with the Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID).
But first, the council heard a presentation from the city’s Parks and Recreation Department regarding a grant recently received by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) Gender Equity in Sports Community of Practice. The city partnered with Girls on the Run of Inland Empire and is just one out of 10 park programs nationwide to receive the grant. Sponsored by Nike, the department will use the $20K to create a local summer camp.
San Bernardino County Fire Department Chief Bill Villarino presented on fire prevention. Just two months out from the devastating fires in Los Angeles, Villarino addressed a hard lesson learned – the need for back-up engines. Also, how drones are being used to tackle certain calls that otherwise tie up staff and equipment. (He cited an example of how a drone was deployed in the recent rescue of a rock climber.) He strongly urged homeowners to clear any vegetation and combustibles within five feet of the structure, which includes parked boats and RVs.
During public comments, residents celebrated The Flying Doctors’ recent visit to the region, voiced concerns about road maintenance and repair, but mostly it was complaints around TBID. Resident Eric Menendez advised council to not grant $25K to TBID for another report from tourism consulting firm, Civitas, because “nothing has changed since they issued the last report three years ago.”
Property owner Susan Peplow opined that TBID does not communicate with stakeholders and asked council to hold them accountable to their marketing goals. “They are not listening to us,” said Peplow.
