Street work, zoning hot topics

The troubled Second Street project and zoning for future recreational marijuana shops were hot topics of discussion during Tucumcari MainStreet’s annual meeting last week.

Attendees of the July 13 meeting at the Tucumcari Railroad Museum praised the MainStreet program in general, especially its executive director, Connie Loveland.

But several attendees also asked pointed questions or expressed dissatisfaction with the downtown Second Street reconstruction project, which has gone months over its scheduled completion date. Traffic recently reopened on the street, but the general contractor still is going through a checklist of remediation tasks.

Bohannan Huston of Albuquerque is the engineering firm on the project, and J&H Services is the general contractor.

CJ Wiegel of Tucumcari General Insurance said the contractor deserves the blame, but so does the city.

“The city has poorly, if at all, managed the project,” he said.

He said there was no oversight from the project manager, though his office is only six blocks from it.

Wiegel also expressed skepticism whether the Second Street reconstruction would hold up in the long term, noting he saw water oozing out of the street after a recent rainstorm.

Kelly McFarland said MainStreet “needs to speak up” and talk to city commissioners and city manager Mark Martinez about the project. He called the project “a disgrace” and added: “I don’t feel like we have a voice.”

Tucumcari MainStreet Vice President Steve Lake said though the MainStreet organization contributed 40% of funding to the project, there was little opportunity to discuss it with city officials.

District 4 city commissioner Christopher Arias stood by, listening to the complaints, and didn’t dispute them.

“It’s facts, and it’s something we’re working on,” he said.

Loveland said “we share your frustration” with the project. She vowed when the work finally is finished, MainStreet would hold a “grand reopening” event of the street for its businesses.

McFarland also asked the MainStreet board about its stance regarding the zoning of recreational marijuana dispensaries the city commission has been wrangling with for weeks. McFarland voiced his opposition to the prospect of dispensaries near downtown.

“We don’t need these types of business in the downtown area,” he said.

MainStreet President Cooper Glover, who admitted he was taken aback by the question, said the organization has made no stance “other than the zoning that’s already there.” He said that those concerned about the issue should “make their voices known” to the city commission.

Glover added to McFarland: “On a personal level, I agree with you.”

Loveland said that other than typical zoning restrictions to protect churches, daycares and schools, zoning to prohibit pot shops in downtown likely would face an expensive lawsuit, citing similar legal disputes in Oklahoma.

She said she was receptive to zoning that would prohibit the erection of cheap, temporary buildings in historic districts.

Other items discussed during the meeting:

• The organization this month is marking its first anniversary of taking over the Tucumcari Railroad Museum.

Glover said one of the organization’s key goals for the museum was maintaining regular hours from Tuesday through Saturday, plus having volunteers to staff it. Since opening to the public May 3, Loveland said the museum has seen more than 400 visitors.

Loveland said the museum recently received an antique collection of toy trains, including a piece from 1932. It also plans to expand its display of the Dawson Railway that ran from Tucumcari north to Dawson, where it served a coal mine.

Loveland also said former museum director Frank Turner and Laura Love have written a book about Tucumcari’s railroad history that should be available for sale by the Rattler Reunion next month. The depot’s plaza also will host a dance during the reunion.

• Loveland briefly explained MainStreet’s recently launched FORGE program to aid budding entrepreneurs. Of the first three participants, two will open a business in three to six months, while the third, Will Sims’ Bare and Wild Creations, has a home-based business operating. Sims praised the program, saying it helped him build connections and form a business plan.

Loveland said she hoped to launch another FORGE session by fall.

• Before the meeting, Tucumcari MainStreet chose its officers: Glover as president, Lake as vice president, Chris Tapia as treasurer, Jessica Gonzales as secretary and David Gonzales, Al Patel, Carole Keith and Amy Gutierrez as board members.