More hours sought for visitors center worker

The Tucumcari Lodgers Tax Advisory Board unanimously approved a recommendation to amend the city’s contract with the chamber of commerce that would give a part-time worker more hours at the visitors center through June.

The recommendation goes on to the city commission, which can amend, approve or reject it at a future meeting.

Kristine Olsen, representing the Tucumcari/Quay County Chamber of Commerce, told the board during its Feb. 14 meeting the chamber’s existing contract allows $1,000 a month, or 15 hours a week, for a part-time worker to run the Tucumcari Visitors Center inside the chamber building.

Olsen recommended amending that to $2,000 a month through June. She noted the city had budgeted $12,000 a year for such a worker, and the amended contract would spend only $9,000 of that because the building only recently reopened.

The chamber building on West Tucumcari Boulevard had been closed since late May because of damage from a severe hailstorm.

The chamber also has been without a director since Scott Crotzer resigned last summer to take a position in Georgia.

Olsen said under the proposed arrangement, the worker would be in the visitors center for 28 hours per week, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

She also hoped the chamber would find volunteers to be in the visitors center on Tuesday and Thursday.

Mayor Mike Cherry, a liaison for the lodgers board, said “I don’t think that would be inappropriate” to give more hours to the part-time worker, noting the money already has been allocated in the city’s budget in the current fiscal year.

Several board members expressed support for Olsen’s proposal.

“It’s imperative to have the chamber and visitors center open,” Michael Carlson said. “People need a place to go.”

Lila Doughty said, “We really do need the chamber to be open.”

Olsen said the chamber board is trying to “get caught up” on its financial records. She said some chamber members have paid annual dues, only to be invoiced again. She attributed that to problems with its Quickbooks online accounting system.

“We’re definitely making progress on a lot of things,” she said.

Olsen, who also is interim director of the Greater Tucumcari Economic Development Corporation, said a memorandum of understanding has been drafted for the EDC and chamber to have a joint director.

She said the EDC board soon will decide on the memorandum, then the chamber will vote on it if it is approved.

Olsen said for a short time, it might be beneficial for the EDC and chamber to have one full-time director and one assistant director for those organizations. She said Alamogordo and Artesia have one director for its respective chambers and EDC’s.

In other business:

— The board heard a possible funding assistance proposal from Mesalands Community College’s Josh McVey on a March 20 event that includes a country-music concert at the Tucumcari Convention Center.

McVey explained that Impact Wind of Houston will hold a ribbon-cutting that day for a new office it is opening on the Mesalands campus. Impact will use the college’s wind-energy center for training and Global Wind Organisation certification.

As part of the celebration, Impact wants to book country music singers Joe Peters and Tim Styles for a concert, with an estimated attendance of 500 people. He said the concert would cost about $10,700.

Board Chairman Matt Bednorz said the board could not act on McVey’s request because it was not on the agenda. McVey said he was amenable to having the board act on it during its next meeting on March 6.

— The board approved a $16,000 reimbursement to Mesalands for three billboards for its dinosaur museum.

McVey said the museum’s director, Loni Monahan, reported that attendance at the museum rose 14% in the first month after the billboards were placed. She anticipated even stronger attendance numbers during the spring and summer tourism season.

— McVey said he would consult with the New Mexico Department of Transportation to obtain a quote to repaint dinosaur tracks on South First Street from Interstate 40 to the dinosaur museum.

The dino-tracks contract with Mesalands originally had the college take responsibility for maintenance. However, due to the college’s financial troubles, the city has signaled it is open to using lodgers tax funds for that.

McVey said the college might survey residents about the design of the tracks due to the initial pushback about their appearance. He said the museum is considering a longer footprint with claws on the end so it would look more like a dinosaur’s.

Bednorz attributed the pushback to the footprints looking more like arrows, and “people don’t like change.”

— Cherry said he would place on the next city commission agenda the appointment of three members of a planning committee for a Cinco de Mayo celebration in May.

McVey said the committee also would consist of three members of the Mesalands staff, but those had not been appointed.

The city had budgeted for three events in 2024, including an art show and spring ranch rodeo. However, the rodeo apparently is a no-go because Mesalands holds a rodeo only in the fall.

City commissioner Jerry Lopez, who previously helped organize New Mexico music festivals in Tucumcari, said it may be difficult to organize for Cinco de Mayo this year because many acts already are booked.

City manager Paula Chacon, who was not present at the meeting, is in charge of coordinating the three events. Bednorz and board member Al Patel said it shows the city needs to hire an events coordinator because Chacon is too busy.

— Looking at the board’s financial reports, they noted declining lodgers tax revenue last year compared to the previous year. Bednorz said the board needs to keep that in mind when budgeting for assistance requests this spring.