'Tucumcari' proposal dead

Members of the Tucumcari Lodgers Tax Advisory Board conceded Wednesday the ambitious proposal to spell "Tucumcari" in lights across the face of Tucumcari Mountain was dead, in spite of the plan having not been officially presented to the city commission.

Board secretary Al Patel presented his plan during the board's February meeting to expand the current lighted "T" on the mesa to spell all nine letters of "Tucumcari." The board had unanimously recommended spending $5,000 in motel-tax funds on the project, which ultimately would be approved or rejected by the city commission.

When the Quay County Sun's story about the plan was posted on Facebook, more than 70 comments were posted in reaction. Two expressed support for the idea.

Several said the current lighted "T" should be left alone.

"Don't mess with the T," one commented.

Others also suggested leaving the lighted "T" and repainting the letter. The repainting of the "T" - long a tradition by Tucumcari High School's senior class - had stopped for several years because one of the mesa's owners blocked access to it, citing littering and vandalism problems.

Others suggested using the money instead to repair city streets, though lodgers tax funds cannot be used for such purposes.

During Wednesday's meeting, Patel admitted his plan was a "no-go," though City Manager Mark Martinez and city liaison Todd Duplantis said after the meeting the board's recommendation still had not been officially presented to the city commission.

Board Chairman Larry Smith said many of the people who commented on social media about the plan read only the headline or the first few paragraphs of the story.

"There's a lot of uninformed commentary about this," he said. "They are people who aren't contributing. They're commenting."

However, Smith tacitly acknowledged the plan to put "Tucumcari" in lights lacked public support.

"We want the community to be on board," he said.

Smith said residents who wanted to discuss the plan instead should have contacted their local board member or Martinez.

He also recommended they attend and comment at the board's meetings, which are at 10 a.m. the first Wednesday of each month at city hall.

Smith also encouraged Patel to keep bringing forth ideas to publicize Tucumcari.

"One good thing: At least it shows people are passionate about the mountain," Smith said. "Hopefully, they are as passionate about the community."

Board member Matt Bednorz told Patel he shouldn't be discouraged by the reaction to his proposal.

"Al, we're not going to please everybody," he said. "Keep coming up with the ideas."