Conchas Lodge to be torn down

The historic but long-closed Conchas Lodge at Conchas Lake State Park northwest of Tucumcari eventually will be torn down due to its dilapidated state and hazardous materials in the structure.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers held a virtual public hearing Wednesday to discuss the lodge's future. The corps several years ago had considered at least a partial renovation of the site, but they determined in recent months that it was not economically feasible.

Conchas Lodge contains asbestos and lead paint, plus the structure itself was deteriorating due to a bad roof, water damage, rotted flooring and collapsed ceilings.

Corps officials said during the hearing the lodge was so dilapidated, maintenance workers there were not allowed to enter it due to safety concerns.

Answering a question during the hearing, one corps official said the agency came to its decision to tear down the lodge in August.

Despite residents and the public wanting additional amenities at the lake, officials said they are constrained from doing so because of tight budgets.

"We're having trouble maintaining what we have," one said.

The corps plans to raze the lodge down to its concrete slab, then possibly removing the foundations and stairs and reseeding the tract back to its natural habitat.

Officials said demolition won't begin until October 2026 at the earliest. The corps must approve a conceptual design for the site by August 2025.

When asked whether nearby Cannon Air Force Base wanted the property, officials said it wasn't interested.

The Civilian Conservation Corps built Conchas Lodge in 1942 and added to it through the 1960s.

Conchas Lodge closed about 2005 after the loss of a private concessionnaire there.

Because Conchas Lodge remains eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, the corps must reduce or offset its loss by possibly reusing the building's salvageable materials or collecting stories and photographs about the site.

The corps said it wants to hear from people who have fond memories of Conchas Lodge so those stories can be preserved with a future interpretive display at the park. Those people should email [email protected].

The corps in 2019 solicited public opinions on what to do with the deteriorating lodge. Among the proposals at the time were renovating and reopening part of the facility or bulldozing it entirely.

Respondents overwhelmingly supported proposals to preserve it.

One of those was Sue Dowell, a Quay County commissioner at the time.

Despite the lake being in San Miguel County and its declining number of amenities in recent years, she said it remains a big asset for Quay County and the region.

"I'm just sad about what has happened to Conchas Lake, and it is one of the one of the real gems of this state. I wish things were different there," she said in a phone interview Thursday.

Dowell said she held fond memories of the lake after she took a one-year break from teaching to live and work there.

"It was just a great place," she said.

One of the respondents from 2019 stated: "As a child, when the Lodge was still operational, we stayed there countless times. I have such fond memories of catching frogs outside at night on wet years, eating at the restaurant looking over the lake and buying Beanie Babies from the lady that ran the Lodge.

"I love that I'm now able to take my kids there to create memories and would love to have a place to eat and spend time while we are there."

Jared Langenegger, field operations bureau chief of New Mexico State Parks, said during the hearing that closed lounge and general store buildings on the north side of the lake also are dilapidated and cannot be rehabbed.

In a follow-up phone interview Friday, Langenegger said like the lodge, those buildings contain asbestos and lead paint. At some point, they would have to be removed.

"Our plan would be to put something back there, but it's down the road," he said.