Altrusa makes $10,000 donation

Alida Brown, chair of the Altrusa Community Service Committee, right, presents David Hale, Tucumcari MainStreet president, center, and Mark Lake, Tucumcari MainStreet executive director, with a $10,000 donation in support of the Tucumcari Train Depot project.

Thomas Garcia

QCS senior writer

A local organization's donation helped Tucumcari MainStreet improve the landscaping at the newly remodeled Train Depot.

Alida Brown, chair of the Altrusa community service committee, presented $10,000 donation to MainStreet at a community service program meeting held at Train Depot.

"It's critical for our community to have a project like the Train Depot to be completed," Brown said. "The positive attitude and feeling at the dedication of the depot could be felt in the air. In such uncertain economic times it's nice to see a project succeed."

Brown said Altrusa had pledged the $10,000 in 2009. The total came from three years of compiling money raised form its annual Altrusa Cash Party.

Accepting the check at the meeting were David Hale, President of the Tucumcari Main Street Project and Mark Lake, Executive Director of Tucumcari Main Street.

Brown said the donation has already been used to improve the exterior of the Train Depot, with the addition of benches and waste receptacles.

Lake said additional benches are in storage, and that the Main Street Committee plans to add more outdoor improvements in the future.

In November, Lake presented Altrusa with a certificate of appreciation at the "Ignite the Night" event of the "Fired Up" celebration held at the Tucumcari Train Depot.

"I want to give a special thank you to Altrusa," Lake said. "Altrusa was the very first group who believed in the future of the Train Depot project and stepped up to help."