Twentynine Palms City Council wrestles with grease traps and grants
The Twentynine Palms City Council met last night for a spirited display of civil discourse around finances, engineering updates, fire codes, the downtown sewer and grant applications.
City Engineer Richard Pedersen provided detailed updates on several city improvements, including the Safe Routes to School Project, Split Rock Bridge, SBCFCD Channel, Hatch/Sullivan Class 2 Bike Path, State Route 62 improvements, City-wide Channel Trail and improved sidewalks at Luckie Park.
Councilmember April Ramirez pulled two elements from the Consent Calendar for a separate discussion, the Treasurer’s Report for Q4 and the Five-Year Fiscal Plan. However, her pointed questions went largely unanswered as the city’s finance director was not present. City Manager Kevin Cole stated that he would circle back to Ramirez with answers and both the report and the plan were approved as is.
In the first of four public hearings, a lighting and landscaping assessment for District 1 was swiftly approved before moving on to a fire code update presented by SB County Assistant Fire Marshall Curtis Markloff. Notable updates include increased penalties for the transportation and storage of dangerous fireworks from $1,250 to a maximum penalty of $15,000.
After a 19-month battle between residents and the developer, council voted to cancel the Ofland Resort Project with a formal rescission. Resident John Talley-Jones encouraged council to consider preserving the natural landscape.
With Daniel Mintz abstaining, council then discussed regulations for the downtown sewer in the Freedom Plaza area. Hook-ups should be done by mid-September but the implementation of a regulated FOG program – concerning the dispensing of fats, oils and grease – is a required action as per related grants. Councilmember Ramirez found the proposed ordinance too vague and seemingly unfair to local business owners. It was decided that city staff and the city attorney would clarify the language, include a fee schedule, and re-submit to council at a later date.
The evening’s final agenda item concerned a Community Resilience Center grant that would have re-purposed the former Rite-Aid building into a cooling center, an emergency shelter, and resource hub. After much spirited discussion, council members reached a fatal stalemate – with two voting in favor (Bilderain, Ramirez), two voting against (Mintz, Scott) and one abstaining (Wright).
Issues included confusion around the grant itself – which seemed to require an accompanying design grant – partnering with the Hope Center and perceptions of church-and-state conflict, noting that the senior center and the Freedom Plaza gym could already serve as disaster refugee shelters, confusion about Red Cross involvement, and finally, the fast-approaching deadline of September 25.
To watch the full meeting on-demand, go here. The next meeting of the Twentynine Palms City Council will be held on Tuesday, August 25.