Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
An official from New Mexico MainStreet provided a glimmer of hope that funding could be found to bring the long-closed Princess Theatre in Tucumcari up to code.
That prospect came up when representatives from the city and the Tucumcari and New Mexico MainStreet organizations held a work session on May 23 to discuss an update and renewal of a contract with the Tucumcari entity, state organization and the city.
The Princess came up when Eduardo Martinez, organizational development specialist at New Mexico MainStreet, and Daniel Gutierrez, director of New Mexico MainStreet, asked city commissioners what they thought priorities should be in fiscal year 2023.
Mayor Pro Tem Ralph Moya mentioned dealing with an abandoned and collapsing building at Second and Main streets, plus finding money for the city-owned Princess Theatre, which has been closed for about 60 years.
Martinez said New Mexico MainStreet’s annual funding recently increased from $1.1 million to $10 million a year. He said the potential exists for the state MainStreet organization to award grants over a three- to four-year period to repair the Princess Theatre.
Several local officials mentioned the theater has undergone engineering studies on how to bring it up to code, which City Manager Mark Martinez recently estimated would cost between $1 million and $2 million. Eduardo Martinez said the fact the Princess already has such studies available would make it more “shovel ready” and attractive for such grants.
Tucumcari MainStreet executive director Connie Loveland cautioned the theater’s roof is leaking, though it was replaced less than 10 years ago.
Talk also centered on another $400,000 Great Block grant to finish electrical work, concrete repairs and landscaping on a second downtown block of Second Street.
Other priorities by city officials included mixed-use zoning, wayfinding signs, a vacant-building ordinance, more events in downtown and preventative maintenance for the Tucumcari Railroad Museum and depot.
Gutierrez mentioned Route 66’s centennial in 2026 and several film producers planning a documentary about the highway. They seek two to three highlights in each state Route 66 traverses, and Tucumcari could be a good possibility for New Mexico.
Loveland said the new contract should more precisely define a chain of command with the city, citing an eight-month wait to get a lightbulb changed at the depot.