City accepts $600,000 grant

Some good news about a grant, painted dinosaur footprints and a few tears marked Thursday’s Tucumcari City Commission meeting.

The commission accepted a grant for $600,000 for its Great Blocks program, heard a proposal to paint dinosaur footprints from Interstate 40's First Street exit to the Mesalands Community College Dinosaur Museum and bid a sometimes-tearful farewell to District 2 Commissioner Amy Gutierrez during her final meeting as a commissioner.

Gutierrez was elected to her position in 2016 after being appointed to the commission in February 2014 after the recall of Commissioner Jimmy Sandoval. Sandoval had beaten Gutierrez by a single vote in the 2012 election.

Gutierrez was defeated in her bid for a second elected term by Paul Villanueva, who will take the District 2 position at the commission’s first meeting Jan. 9.

In their comments, all four commissioners who attended praised Gutierrez for her service. City Clerk Angelica Gray teared up as she read a letter from Mayor Ruth Ann Litchfield, who did not attend due to out-of-town travel, commending Gutierrez’s record of service on the commission.

“I want to thank Amy for her dedication, dignity and honor” in serving her district, the mayor’s letter said. “Your participation will be missed.”

Gutierrez, too, choked up in her farewell comments but concluded, “I will stay active in the community. If you won’t see me up here, you’ll see me out there,” meaning she will continue to attend commission meetings and speak to the commission as a citizen.

The commission voted unanimously Thursday to accept a $600,000 grant for its Great Blocks on Main Street program administered through the city and Tucumcari MainStreet, which is working toward improvement of downtown.

The $600,000 in state capital outlay funds was granted through the New Mexico Economic Development Department.

The money will be added to funds accumulated from other state and local sources to be used for the rebuilding and refurbishing of Second Street from Main Street to Aber Street, according to city manager Britt Lusk.

Tucumcari MainStreet Executive Director Connie Loveland said the grant money will be reserved for aesthetic improvements, including sidewalks, lighting and trees, but will join other accumulated funds for the rebuilding project that will include replacing the roadbed, replacing utility infrastructure under the street and repaving the street.

The total cost of the project is estimated at $1.1 million.

The aesthetic improvements are part of the Great Blocks program that will include medians, wider sidewalks, lighting and trees on Main Street from Third Street to First Street.

Loni Monahan, director of the dinosaur museum, presented the idea of painting 5-by-4-foot dinosaur footprints from the eastbound exit from I-40 to First Street to the museum’s site at 222 E. Laughlin Ave.

Monahan said she had received clearance from the New Mexico Department of Transportation to place the footprints on First Street, which is part of Highway 104.

The effort, she said, would result in about 440 prints marking the way to the museum and would allow painted tracks of a horse and buggy to branch off to the Tucumcari Historical Museum at 416 S. Adams St. and painted railroad tracks to branch off to the Tucumcari Railroad Museum in the city’s historic train depot at 222 Railroad Ave.

The footprints, she said, would help attract businesses, including new ones, along its route from along First Street to Laughlin Avenue until they reached the museum, a popular tourist stop.

Mayor Pro Tem Todd Duplantis asked whether the footprints could be routed along Historic Route 66 to Laughlin Avenue.

Monahan said San Bar Construction, a company that paints lane stripes on New Mexico roadways, has bid to paint the dinosaur prints for about $15,000.

San Bar, she said, would paint the lines using permanent materials and maintain them for three years.

Monahan said she had inquired about submitting the plan to the city’s Lodger’s Tax board. Lusk said for the footprints, money would have to be requested directly from the commission.

The commission did not take action on the dinosaur museum’s request because it was a discussion item and not one to be voted on.

Monahan said she would also approach Mesalands Community College for help in funding the footprint project but said the college is trying to make the museum self-supporting.

In other action, the commission:

• Approved state and federal funding for engineering work on two projects at Tucumcari Municipal Airport. According to documents, one will include seal coating, crack sealing and new markings for Runway 3-21. The $40,132 design phase would be paid for with a $36,119 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration, a $2,006 grant from the New Mexico Department of Transportation and $2,007 in local funds. The second is for resurfacing of taxiways at the airport. The nearly $186,000 design phase will be paid for by $167,393 in FAA funds and $18,599 in state transportation department funds. No local funds will be used.

• Approved the release of Ignacio Villegas and his Nashville Construction Co. from terms of a Local Economic Development Act project in which the city granted Villegas a city-owned lot for equipment storage at 1200 Railroad Ave.

In his city manager’s report, Lusk said the city has hired a student intern to help with announcements of events and news on the city’s Facebook page.

In public comments, Daniel Zamora, representing Quay County’s Complete Count Committee, urged the city to help urge residents participate in the 2020 U.S. Census.

“For every person not counted, the state loses $3,400" in state and federal benefits, he said.

Loveland expressed thanks on behalf of Tucumcari MainStreet for the work of city employees in volunteering to decorate the railroad depot and a tree outside the depot for the Christmas holidays.