Revitalizing the 'T'

If the faded big "T" on the side of Tucumcari Mountain eventually is refurbished, the key individual behind the project is a non-native who's lived in Tucumcari for slightly over a decade.

The white "T" hasn't been painted in at least two years after the mesa's new owner tightened access to the property. Al Patel, owner of the Desert Inn hotel and 66 Outlaw apparel shop in Tucumcari, aims to change that by finding a low-maintenance solution that will make the letter stand out better and longer.

In recent weeks, Patel has presented his proposal to refurbish the big "T" to the Tucumcari Rotary Club, Tucumcari Lodger Tax Board, Tucumcari City Commission and Tucumcari school board.

"My goal is to paint/remodel the 'T' on Tucumcari Mountain," Patel stated in one of his pitch letters. "I believe the entire community will benefit from this project. Some communities have lost their traditions. Don't allow this to happen here! By revitalizing our 'T,' we are striving to display the PRIDE we have in our community."

During the school board meeting last week, Patel noted the "T" had faded so much, some visitors thought it was an "I."

During an interview Thursday at his hotel, Patel said he's raised $1,000 in cash for the project and $3,000 in pledges for the project. He's confident those pledges will turn into real money.

"All I have to do is collect the checks," he said.

Patel's initial goal was to raise $5,000 in donations and is seeking a dollar-for-dollar match later this year from an initially receptive Lodgers Tax Board. If he collects considerably more than $5,000, he'll examine the possibility of a more elaborate solution for the letter.

In addition to fundraising, Patel said he's met with engineers and lawyers - many of them Tucumcari natives - who said they will donate their time for the effort. He said he also needs to secure permission from the mesa's two owners for the project.

According to the Quay County Assessor's office, the two owners of the 4,957-foot-tall peak affected by the project are Ronald Mueller of Tucumcari and Lee Bobette of Kirkland, Washington. Mueller, previously of Truth or Consequences, owns the road-access part of the mountain.

Patel said Quay County manager Richard Primrose told him he was confident he would obtain permission from Mueller. Primrose is a member of the Rotary Club that received permission in July 2018 to access the mesa and repair solar-powered lights that illuminated the letter at night after they had been vandalized. Because of vandals and trash left behind, Patel said Mueller tightened access to Tucumcari Mountain after his takeover of the property.

Primrose was out of town and couldn't be reached for comment.

Tucumcari High School's senior classes held a long tradition of repainting the big "T" each year. No one seems to know exactly how long, but longtime resident Yetta Bidegain, a former owner of the mountain, said in an interview last year students had painted it annually when she was in high school in Tucumcari during the early 1940s.

Patel immigrated to the United States from India in 2000 to take classes at Amarillo College. Previously a resident of Dalhart, Texas, he's lived in Tucumcari since 2008. The fact a non-native was leading the charge to restore one of Tucumcari's most iconic symbols wasn't lost on him. He said he was motivated to act after seeing little progress on the big "T."

"You see on social media, it's easier to sit there and complain," he said. "Nobody wants to do anything. I thought, 'Responsibility starts with me. This is our biggest tourist attraction. Let's make it look good.'"

He added: "There's no reason for me to do this, but there's every reason for a citizen to donate to this."

Patel initially thought of spreading marble chips on the letter. But after consulting with an engineer, he said white paver blocks would be best because they're less prone to erode.

Patel also is looking at installing an electrical tie-in to the letter's current solar-powered lighting system. Solar works well, he said, but the batteries tend to degrade over time, and the letter is lighted for fewer hours at night during the winter because of less sunlight to power them.

If fundraising far exceeds his initial $5,000 goal, Patel said the project's "Plan B" is much like a Hollywood-style sign. Patel said it wouldn't be a freestanding structure like the one in California, but one that conforms to the mesa's terrain. That plan would include drilled footings, poured concrete piers, a skeleton frame and white tiles to complete the letter.

Patel acknowledges the more elaborate plan contains substantial obstacles, namely cost. He estimates that big "T" would cost $50,000 to $80,000. There also is a question whether the tiles would stay in place amid New Mexico's notoriously strong winds. Vegetation and boulders that threaten the letter also would have to be removed.

"The biggest problem is going to be insuring it," he added. "Who's going to pick up the tab?"

Patel said he also considered an idea of spelling out "Tucumcari" in full on the mesa but acknowledged it would be cost-prohibitive and logistically difficult.

"That's a lot of letters," he said.

Patel said he would have more details about his Big-T plan next month after consulting with the volunteering lawyers and engineers, whom he said many are on vacation. He said he was optimistic his plan for a brighter "T" would come to fruition.

"I think it's catching momentum," he said of the project. "I haven't had any opposition to it."

Those who have questions about the project can email Patel at [email protected] or call (575) 461-9882, ext. 303. He said staff at the Desert Inn also are trained to accept donations for the project.