Twentynine Palms City Council approves leasing land to house national park staff; rejects revisiting solar project 

Last night, the Twentynine Palms City Council moved forward on resolutions involving technology upgrades, transportation funds and development funding, but leasing land for a national park staff housing facility was easily the most popular. Reporter Heather Clisby was there…

The Twentynine Palms City Council approved an audio/visual tech upgrade at last night’s meeting and soon, residents will be able to not only view the meeting remotely but also verbally engage the council via teleconference. Eli Marshall, director of Information Services, noted that the audio/visual upgrades to council chambers is in alignment with SB707, signed into law last October, which extends the Brown Act by establishing new requirements to enlarge public access and participation in local government proceedings. Council approved the upgrade at a cost of over $21,000. 

The San Bernardino County Transit Authority presented remotely on the Measure I Continuation Expenditure Plan. Approved by county voters in 1989 and renewed in 2004, Measure I is a .5% transactions and use tax that provides funding for transportation improvements, such as road repair and public transportation. Council approved a continuation of Measure I beyond 2040. 

Next, council approved joining the Joint Powers Authority for the San Bernardino Regional Housing Trust which provides “gap funding” for affordable housing. City Manager Stone James noted that the average cost for building a “unit” in this county is $596K. 

The most popular decision of the evening came when council approved the lease of 17 acres of city-owned land to the Joshua Tree National Park Association (JTNPA) to design and develop a housing/educational facility for park staff, interns and volunteers. The two parcels, situated west of Adobe Road, south of Theatre 29, and north of Foothill, would host the yet-unamed project and would address the ongoing challenge of staff retention, according to presenter, JTNPA Executive Director Jacqueline Guevara. 

“Every season, the park faces a critical staffing challenge. Qualified, passionate candidates often decline positions, or leave early, because they cannot find affordable housing, attainable housing. Seasonal hires have been forced to piece together temporary arrangements that sometimes fall through leading to mid-season departures. Volunteers have withdrawn commitments for the same reason. And many program staff and educators endure long commutes from surrounding communities. These are not isolated incidents. They’re ongoing patterns that disrupt program continuity, limit volunteer capacity, and create mission critical risks for both JTNPA and Joshua Tree National Park. My staff experiences the same issues.”

Brian Benton, who teaches Construction Trades at Copper Mountain College (CMC), spoke to how the project would benefit his students – both at CMC and high school students studying construction within the Morongo Unified School District. Benton noted that losing valuable staff due to housing challenges is a problem shared by CMC. 

Council discussed the use of official city letterhead by councilmembers with staff asking for clarification. Councilmember Wright noted that he was “crucified” when he used letterhead to promote a mayor’s prayer breakfast in 2018 and “wanted no part of it.” Ultimately, the council came to a consensus: city letterhead would bear only the city seal with no names listed and include a disclaimer stating that the contents do not represent the city or the council, only the author. 

Councilmember April Ramirez put forth three issues for future agenda items, including a re-visit to the proposed solar project that was rejected by council in the March 23 meeting. 

“E-Group has advised the city it has revised its’ project to meet AB205 criteria and based on that, a desire exists to discuss this matter further.” 

The motion was not seconded. 

The post Twentynine Palms City Council approves leasing land to house national park staff; rejects revisiting solar project  appeared first on Z107.7 FM Joshua Tree.