The Twentynine Palms City Council will hold a ribbon cutting on Tuesday, March 12, at 5:45 p.m. at the corner of National Park Drive and 29 Palms Highway, to celebrate the newly installed monument sign and artwork on the National Park Drive median.
The brief ceremony will be held prior to the regularly scheduled City Council meeting, which is expected to begin shortly after 6:00 p.m. at City Hall, when council members arrive back in Council Chambers from the site.
Acclaimed artist Ricardo Breceda of Temecula is expected to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony. Breceda, whose life-size metal sculptures in Borrego Springs have brought world-wide attention to that desert community, was commissioned to bring his artwork to Twentynine Palms for this project.
His artwork now adorns the new monument sign and the median in the form of five metal sculptures of big horn sheep. Four of the pieces, the ram atop the sign and the family on the ground, are currently shiny steel, which will eventually weather and rust to match the fifth piece, the large rust-colored ram that stands further up the median.
The visitor-friendly sign was designed to provide easily identifiable directions to the main road leading to Joshua Tree National Park Headquarters and Oasis Visitor Center, as well as directions to three local attractions, the Twentynine Palms Art Gallery, the Old Schoolhouse Museum, and the historic 29 Palms Inn.
The City of Twentynine Palms Community Services Department and the Public Arts Advisory Committee worked together to design and implement the project. The Brandt Group of Newport Beach acted as contractor for the building and installation of the sign. Additional landscaping and night lighting are expected to be completed by March 12.
For more information about the ribbon cutting or the City Council meeting, contact City Hall, 6136 Adobe Road, Twentynine Palms, (760) 367-6799, or visit www.29palms.org.
So our tax money pays for advertising for the 29 Palms Inn, they get an artist from 100 miles away to do the art work and a construction company from 140 miles away to build it. Business as usual for our city council.
Look if you are going to pay all this money for the damned goats you would think that you would at least want them to be anatomically correct. That lead Goat has a left leg so long he could pitch for the Dodgers.
I’m waiting for the Facebook photos of German Tourist humping the goats!! LoL
Dan, the goat is a vegetarian which caused his leg deformity.
And no doubt early onset .
Whatever happened to the great “can do” community spirit in 29? This is the very thing that should have and could have involved the entire community in a proud fundraising event.
The goats are not realistic looking. They look robotic goats with telescopic front and hind legs climbing a wall.
VIT1234 is right… Why not contract with local Basin artists and a local basin construction company? In order to do the right thing you need the right people.
These very thoughts of using local artisans and local contractors was brought up at the council meeting but it was rejected by the council at the time. It was rejected not through discussion but by simply not addressing the citizens input during their 3 minutes.
I just can’t hold it in, the three stooges are at it again with our money, The mayors office, the city counsel and the chamber office.
We would be better if the town was dissolved, we cant survive if they continue on.
I have seen nothing but irresponsibility and inexperience at its best example.
I’m sorry but I’m calling it the way I see it.
Local artists were not invited submit drawings. How sad. This council would fit well in North Korea Politburo where the plebiscite are though of as peons with no voice (yes, I am serious).
@2grounded: good to see you back.
@michaelv: This council doesn’t like community input. The Project Phoenix playhouse was planned with the (old) Chamber of Commerce & City hall in secret for over a year with total disregard for the public.
Sounds like La Quinta, and every other City in this area….see what is happening in Palm Springs with Wessman…did those people really think that once he got the taxpayers vote to give him tax money, he would allow the residents to have any say in the development of his hotel and environs????…they really believed that?..we are a gullible group aren’t we…they keep bs’ing us over and over and we keep buying their bs..giving them more and more money, making them richer and richer, and we are poorer and poorer…whose the smart one in that scenario?
For 2grounded and Branson Hunter,
The current seated Chamber of Commerce had no input on the monument sign or it’s artwork. If you read the press release completely you will see that this was a Community Services Department and the Public Arts Advisory Committee that worked together to design and implement the project.
Neither was the current seated Chamber of Commerce involved with the input concerning Project Phoenix.
@ Carey:
The Chamber of Commerce was indeed involved with their input concerning the uber-costly final version of Project Phoenix’s steel superstructure community center and state-of-the underground playhouse
Brian Tabeling — a then 29 Palms Chamber of Commerce official and Theatre 29′s Stage Area Manager/Concessions Manager/New Building Committee — said he had been meeting with city hall concerning his input on Project Phoenix.
There is nothing sinister about that. Mr. Tabeling was a perfect choice.
The concern is 29 Palms City Hall should practice better efforts at community input on major events that forever reshape and change the the physical history of the city-town.
A good example of seeking community input is the Twentynine Palms Water District. They issued a press release seeking community input over something that impacts all of their ratepayers. The editor of the TRAIL helped with a story appearing in the current edition of the TRAIL.
Cary, should you chose to do a Cactus Thorns search you will find this story about Brian Tabeling input amid the scores of Project Phoenix articles.
The story was published last year. It covered the public meeting where city manager Richard Warne premiered his slide show about the $13 update on Project Phoenix and show cased sketches of the structure. The public for the first time got a glimpse of what the aftermath of Project Phoenix would like like. It included a short discussion with Brian and his input.
Funny thing, it’s still not over with nothing gained but more huge sums of money for Rutan & Tucker to plunder on half-baked legal argument contrariwise to California law and judicial decisions.
Branson Hunter,
Try to read again what I wrote. I said that the “current seated”.
What Brian Tabeling did or didn’t do does not necessarily represent the Chamber today. You can not know where the current Chamber thinks as we have not been asked.
As for the actions of the Chamber in the past, it is part of our current adopted By-laws that; “The specific and primary purposes are to protect and stimulate the natural advantages of the community; to foster and encourage commerce; to encourage residential possibilities; and to promote the economic, civic and social welfare of the residents of the Twentynine Palms area.”
I would think that in reading the above purpose, that the Chamber is keeping within those confines. If the City, a developer, or a shop keepers association had an idea that would “foster and encourage commerce”, and/or “promote the economic, civic and social welfare” the Chamber after consideration might support it.
I will state, that as for the current seated Chamber Board of Directors have not discussed Project Phoenix or the issues associated with it as an agenized item.
Did anyone look at the “artists” renditions prior to the final work being delivered ? I’m curious, when spending this amount of money on work that is going to represent the City, Oh, wait, it wasn’t their money to begin with, what the hell do they care what the final product looks like. In a few years it will blend right in with the empty downtown stores.
I am also betting that it will not be long before some of that herd walks off National Park Drive and that will not be of their own free will either.
I looked up the conceptional drawings that are on the city website. Those drawings are fairly rough but look like Bighorn Sheep.
The sculptures that are in place which have been described as being “Sheepadillos”, a cross between a sheep and and an armadillo, are a stretch it might be said.
I would suggest that this is a matter of taste and as I have said many times before, when it comes to art beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
My Grandmother’s favorite line is appropriate in this case…
“Everyone to their own, as the lady kissed the cow.”
Lucille Judkins-O’Brien 1896-1985?
Though in this case it would be more like …as the lady kissed the goat.
If you visit Ricardo A Breceda’s website, you will see that most of his animals are fashioned in this matter. I guess the idea is that it will look better when it rusts.
I did and it remains “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”.
The beholder in this case is the patron leaving the bar on the corner.
Bar Patron… Late at night…. in the mood for love. The Iron Maiden.
These cities need to be shut down as they do not understand their role in the layered governmental process. All decisions made should be exclusively for the benefit of their own community, their people and their businesses. All money spent should be spent within their community with providers whose businesses are located within the confines of that city’s boundaries…period. We have other layers of government to spread the wealth throughout…County to spread through unincorporated areas and the State and Feds to(mis)spend throughout the country – and world, without regard to geographics(or common sense, but that is another matter). Our city’s piece of the pie should be spent in our own town/city…or what is the point of their existance?
The Temecula based sculpturist is very talented. His Borrego Springs “Prospector and Mule” and “Sand Serpent” (et al.) are absolute awesome! Check them them out at this Link:
http://ricardoabreceda.com/Portfolio-Page1.html
I live in the La Quinta Cove and one of our residents recently purchased a Breceda horse sculpture as a gift for her husband and had it permanently mounted on their property, on the mountainside, for all to see. You can drive up Bermudas, going south and just as you get to the bend, you can see it on its hind legs…it is a sight to see and will age beautifully.
Two quick points here, why can’t artist prosper without being on the public tax tit? Seems like art should be an individual purchase,. As noted on this tread beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. This outrages extraction of the taxpayer’s wealth goes on in most cities, why? I believe it is as I said before the dumbing down of councils and PCs by the like of shinny retreats sponsored by the Ca, league of cities. What next a committee to determine what is acceptable art there by eliminating one of our great freedoms to determine what is beauty for ourselves? Will we get to a point that a tit sucker will be dictating how my privately financed and owned development is going to look like, what color on and on?
Second point, back when a TOT was proposed I think I was the only one in town that opposed it. Needless to say I was out spoken worried about creating a special upper class in town who the council would pander to. Basically I was shouted down with we are not going to pay the tax; it would be a revenue stream from visitors “free Money”. Oh yea it was free money, just look at the millions that was extracted out of contract workers per diem thereby limiting millions of dollars those workers could have spent at other local established businesses. The Council meanwhile would consider hiring an additional employee to promote out of town businesses to come to 29. Time to fire our Nazi city, PC and all their cronies.
Spent a few hours watching Rand Paul on C span, we must rise up and stop the madness, Paul is setting a good example. I would be willing to support a movement to do the firing, anyone want to join me?
There you go again Keyboard Warrior. Your two quick points were more like 11 and then they were all over the place.
I am only going to address one of the many gibberish ramblings that you mentioned. You seem to think that the training and legislative updates were all fun and games for the Planning Commission when we attended the Planning Commissioners Academy, it wasn’t.
We completed our State required Ethics Training, heard updates on CEQA, what tools available to have better public engagement, we received updates on many proposed laws that concern us right here in Twentynine Palms.
We heard about such item as; SB-391 California Homes and Jobs Act, AB-325 Expands the Statute of Limitations on Housing Elements, AB-639 The Veteran Housing and Homeless Prevention Act, AB-745 Housing Element, AB-1147 Massage Parlors, AB-728 School Siting, SB-510 Mobilehome Park Conversion, AB-1229 Inclusionary Housing, AB-52 Sacred Sites, AB-305 New Market Tax Credit, AB-28 Enterprise Zones, AB-562 Review of Local Economic Subsidies, SB-1 Sustainable Communities Investment Authority, SB-33 Updates Infrastructure Financing District Law, AB-1080 Redevelopment For Disadvantaged Communities, and the AB-427 Polanco Act.
So, what did you do?
You get on the keyboard and want to bash me for staying up-to-date on what is happening that effects Twentynine Palms.
Carey it is just a waste, we could save you all that effort by firing the PC and City, just think of all those tax millions that are wasted. You have been told how much simpler the county is to do business with. As far as the keyboard,
I will refresh the saying that goes back centuries. “The keyboard is mightier than the sward”
Mark,
It is time for you to get real and get serious. How many times have I showed you how wrong you are when it comes to city vs. county regulations?
By the way what there Keyboard Warrior, before you decide to go into a battle of words with me, it would behoove you to spell and grammar check yourself.
What is a sward?
thats funnie I wonder how many read your post and say he really showed him lol, or do your post expose all that is wrong with the PC
Listen, we are all sick of these city/towns which have just added another expensive, wasteful layer to government. How much “worser” could it be than the way these moronic city councils and their buddy-buddy town/city managers manage things. I will put up with a few bad county regulations if we will just shut down City Hall of La Quinta and get rid of this Council business altogether.
What?
How do you relate what I pointed out concerning your inaccurate assumptions to me challenging your gibberish ramblings filled with grammar and spelling mistakes?
Or are you just attempting to slam me to divert the fact that you have no clue what your talking about?
Let’s check your position on issues that might hit close to home and I’ll play Paul Harvey.
What if I were to tell you that the city wanted to use its eminent-domain powers to seize 1000 plus acres?
What if I told you that the state was going to enact a new law that make students pay a fee to participate in band, sports, or clubs?
HUH????
My apologizes LINDAG, that post was intended of the thread that Mark and I are having.
I see that four people so far dis-like the post.
As I mentioned I’m playing Paul Harvey, I’ll post the rest of the story later today.
Okay, I am lost in this discussion, but I would like to follow your thoughts. First of all, re student fees, in my world, most of the schools charge fees for band, sports and clubs, which are paid by the students…sometimes through fund raisers. But what is this about the 1000 eminent domain seizure?.. as we are trying to keep abreast of those issues as La Quinta has hired the King of private-property-seizures, Frankie/RSG as our City Manager…another reason we don’t trust him (as if we needed any more reasons), and we need to be ready to do battle when our rights are on the attack from within.
Sorry LINDAG, you missed the point. And I don’t know what world your in but my kids do not pay money to the school district to represent their school.
THIS JUST HAPPENED TO BE THE FIRST SCHOOL THAT CAME UP UNDER “SCHOOL FEES”, JUST FYI….I KNOW IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE BOTH OF US HAS GONE TO SCHOOL, BUT……
Infinite Campus Parent Portal
Academic Booster Club: Your Parent Resource
Attendance Areas
Kids’ Health Basics
Preschool screening
Register for school
School Fees
Transportation
Scholarships & Opportunities
Career & Education Decisions
Internet-Network Acceptible Use Agreements
Parents » School Fees
School Fees
The MPSD does not charge for use of textbooks. The following fees are collected during the first two weeks of school:
Lincoln High School
•$25 student fee
•Yearly towel fee: $20 (if enrolled for a full-credit physical education class) $10 (if enrolled for a half-credit physical education class)
•$2 student planner fee
•Activity tickets (optional) sold until Oct. 29: ◦$17 Sports Pass – Admission to all home athletic contests except tournaments and invitational’s
◦$60 Yearbook Ticket – Includes Flambeau, the yearbook
◦$75 Package Price – Combined Sports Pass/Yearbook Ticket
•A yearly parking pass (optional) for the Green Street parking lot may be purchased for $30/yr
Junior High Schools
•$25 student fee
Elementary Schools
4K
•$5 student fee
5K-Grade 6
•$10 student fee
Instrument rental
•The rental fee for school-owned instruments, excluding percussion, is $40. There is no charge for the use of drums and keyboard instruments; however, percussionists are responsible for purchasing their own sticks, stick bag, and mallets. Wind and string players must furnish their own reeds, replacement strings, valve oil, and other supplies.
Other Supplies
•Students will be charged for some materials used in clothing, crafts, and technology education classes.
Co-Curricular Fee
Beginning with the 2009-10 school year, the MPSD will help support non-curricular programs through the implementation of junior and senior high “user fees.” Athletics and activities are valuable supplements to every student’s education. This fee is not intended to discourage participation but simply to help offset the expense of providing opportunities that are beyond the scope of course requirements.
This one-time-per-year fee may be paid at the beginning of the school year or when the student signs up for his or her first sport or activity of the year. After paying the one-time fee, students will be able to participate in as many clubs, sports, and activities as they desire for the entire school year.
All clubs and sports are included in this new fee requirement. All of these programs have expenses because, minimally, the district pays advisors to oversee them. Some programs cost more than others due to transportation and equipment costs. In addition, some activities and sports generate income through ticket sales. The new fee will minimize the expense of these programs, clubs, and sports to the district.
This fee applies to junior and senior high activities, including but not limited to: basketball, baseball, cross country, football, golf, gymnastics, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track, volleyball, wrestling, intramural weightlifting, cheerleading, drill team/poms, before- and after-school music groups that do not earn course credit (such as jazz bands and show choirs), forensics, plays, publications (yearbook, etc.), DI, FBLA, KMO, student council, Key Club, Academic Decathlon, math team, Science Olympiad, Mock Trial, and Rockets for School.
Lincoln High School
•
Nonathletic Activity – $30/student – any number of activities
•
Athletic Activity – $50/student – any number of activities
Junior High Schools
•
Non Athletic Activity – $30/student – any number of activities
•
Athletic Activity – $50/student – any number of activities
Elementary Schools
•
$15 Destination Imagination participants
Manitowoc Public School District
2902 Lindbergh Drive Manitowoc, WI 54220
920-686-4777
….AND HERE IS MORE FROM MY WORLD………..
Most states prohibit public schools from charging for core classes. But schools can generally charge for supplemental materials, a category that has been broadly defined. In Iowa, for instance, paper is considered “not essential to the teacher’s presentation of a course,” and thus need not be provided at public expense, the state Department of Education website explains.
A 52% increase in some fees this year at the Blue Valley School District in Overland Park, Kan., means a typical high-school student now owes $235 at enrollment, plus supplies fees as high as $65 a class. The tab will be similar next year at Wheaton North High School in Wheaton, Ill., after a recent fee hike: $221 for baseline registration plus $150 per sport and class fees as high as $50 each.
Here in Medina, the charges imposed on the Dombi family’s four children include $75 in generic school fees, $118.50 for materials used in biology, physics and other academic courses, $263 for Advanced Placement exams and $3,990 to participate in cross-country, track and band. That’s not counting the $2,716.08 the Dombis paid in property taxes specifically earmarked for the schools.
Their oldest daughter, Tessa, loves to sing, but they told her she couldn’t take a choir class this year, as it would add $200 to the bill. “It’s high school,” Ms. Dombi
Hurry someone send Linda a keyboard… Her Caps Lock is busted.
ok, ok, is that better? i was just trying to distinguish my writing from the copied writing…she said meekly.
Now for the rest of the story.
Florence Arizona: City leaders are using eminent-domain powers in an effort to stop an underground copper mine planned in the geographic heart of the municipality. The Town Council voted this week to take more than 1100 acres from Curis Resources, a Canadian-controlled company that wants to use a sulfuric acid leaching system to extract subterranean ore despite local concerns about water pollution.
Providence Rhode Island: Students in that state could soon have to pay fees to participate in band, sports, or clubs under legislation before state law makers. The bill would allow school districts to charge students a “reasonable” fee to pay for their participation in extracurricular activities.