Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
The Tucumcari Lodgers Tax Advisory Board on Wednesday recommended reimbursing $1,283.99 in expenses from the launch last summer of the Tucumcari Talking Tour.
The Tucumcari City Commission will decide during its regular meeting Thursday whether to finalize the recommendation.
Tucumcari Talking Tour installed low-wattage radio transmitters at 16 sites in the city. They broadcast a short message on the AM frequency that explains the site’s historic significance and contains a brief promotion for the organization’s donation website to help maintain or restore neon signs along Route 66.
One neon sign recently procured came from the Trav-O-Tel Motel — now a pet-grooming and boarding business — along U.S. 54 that later was reused at the Historic Route 66 Motel.
Connie Loveland, executive director of Tucumcari MainStreet, a fiscal agent for the Talking Tour, said most expenses were for promotional rack cards, stickers and posters — some of which were given to members of the New Mexico Legislature during its current 60-day session.
She said the organization had more than 500 followers on Facebook with a total reach of more than 660,000. Donations to restore the neon sign came from the United Kingdom and other countries.
Loveland said her reimbursement request was higher than the $1,000 she assumed was budgeted, and the Tucumcari Talking Tour refrained from some advertisements to keep its expenses lower. However, board Chairman Larry Smith told Loveland the actual recommended amount for the Talking Tour was $2,000 — meaning it came in under budget.
In a report about city rebranding efforts, Loveland also said the rebranding committee, New Mexico MainStreet and Alamogordo graphic designer Leighton Moon soon would begin talks about the forthcoming visitors guide. She said advertising opportunities are “likely” with the guide.
She said Leighton Moon also recently created a “Tucumcari Proud” logo design available for everyone on social media. Other uses of the new logo would require an application and a possible licensing fee.
In other business during the meeting:
• Board members discussed the city’s lack of directional signs to Route 66 and other attractions.
Board member Lila Doughty, who manages the Palomino Motel, sparked the topic when she said recently had an overnight guest from Massachusetts who had “no idea” Route 66 was part of Tucumcari Boulevard. She said she regularly gets customers who aren’t aware of it.
“We need to do a better job in communicating what we have,” she said.
Smith agreed more signs are needed and previously has advocated a one-time appropriation on more signs along Tucumcari Boulevard and near the Interstate 40 exits.
City Manager Mark Martinez was sympathetic to those wishes, but said the city would need permission from the New Mexico Department of Transportation to add directional signs because the agency controls right-of-way on Tucumcari Boulevard, Highway 104 and Highway 209. Another alternative is negotiating with private property owners to add signs to their land.
Martinez and Smith said signs on Interstate 40 pointing out the city’s restaurants, gas stations and motels are sporadically maintained or out-of-date.
Martinez said he would contact NMDOT on the board’s behalf about adding signs in the future, though he cautioned such negotiations might be lengthy.
• City Finance Director Rachelle Arias reported the board had $21,208 in money unspent from the previous fiscal year because of promoted events canceled by the pandemic. She said the board had nearly $90,000 in cash on hand.
The amount of promotional money unspent will grow with the recent cancellation of Rockin’ Route 66, Tucumcari Rawhide Days and the New Mexico Music Showcase this year.
Arias previously estimated the board had nearly $40,000 extra in its budget because of festivals canceled in 2020.
Arias also pointed out the board’s promotional budget also would grow because of a lack of expenses at the Tucumcari Convention Center due to its disuse during the pandemic. The city also soon will retire its refinanced debt of the convention center in June, freeing up more money.
Smith continued to advocate using the leftover money on one-time projects that would provide long-term tourism benefit.
“We have a unique opportunity to spend that money elsewhere,” he said.
• Board member Al Patel asked about a street sweeper cleaning up First Street and Tucumcari Boulevard. Martinez said those streets are the jurisdiction of NMDOT. The agency generally sweeps streets monthly.
• Martinez said there would be a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the eventual reopening of Second Street downtown to traffic after the general contractor remedies a few issues. He acknowledged the reconstruction of two blocks encountered “a few setbacks.”