Tucumcari’s Five Mile Park may be redeveloped

Officials from the National Park Service and city of Tucumcari, New Mexico, met recently to discuss ideas on how to redevelop Five Mile Park, located off old Route 66 west of town.

Five Mile Park once was known for a large and elaborate swimming-pool complex, but the pool hasn’t been used for 40 years, and an arson fire a few years ago destroyed its nearby bathhouse.

Tucumcari already owns a municipal pool near the center of town, so reopening the one at Five Mile Park isn’t in the cards.

The Quay County Sun newspaper, based in Tucumcari, reported;

Attila Bality, an outdoor recreation planner for the National Parks Service, guided city and county leaders in setting up a framework for determining how Five Mile Park can meet community needs as defined by community members, then plan actions that need to be taken to ready the park for community and tourist use. […]

Five Mile Park includes trails used by all-terrain vehicles, the city’s new disc golf course, an unofficial shooting range.

Bality said community groups need to come up with other possibilities. Discussion produced possibilities, such as a drone-flying range, mountain-bike trails, and nature study areas. […]

By Jan. 15, the group hopes to arrange for public participation opportunities, By Aug. 31, the group hopes to complete the plan illustration process.

The group of local officials agreed the remnants of the park’s pool and bathhouse must be disposed of before proceeding with a redevelopment there.

Because of Five Mile Park’s relatively remote location, the amenities ultimately offered there will have to be unique to draw tourists and locals. One of the big drawbacks to the park is it sits too far from the city’s center, which is where the action — and people — are.

Above is an image of the Five Mile Park pool from the 1964 Tucumcari High School yearbook.

The Civilian Conservation Corps built the Metropolitan Park Bathhouse and Pool, locally called Five Mile Park, in 1940 along Route 66 west of town. The complex contained a pool (reputedly the largest outdoor one in New Mexico), a bathhouse, a playground and a camping facility. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.

(Image of Five Mile Park pool in 1964 via Facebook)