The Albuquerque City Council this week approved a $30.5 million sports tourism bond package that includes $2.5 million for a proposed Route 66 visitor center on the city’s west side.
Coincidentally, designers for the nearly $13 million Route 66 visitors center gave a presentation during the same city council meeting. You can start the video at the 14-minute mark; it’s about 12 minutes.
The cost of the Route 66 visitor center has risen from $3.4 million to $12.9 million in three years. The video above will provide an inkling of why. The center would have a taproom, museum and drive-in theater area.
The bond package originally proposed $1 million for the visitor center, but the council amended it to add another $1.5 million.
The Albuquerque Journal reported that approval occurred of the bond package shepherded by Mayor Tim Keller despite some opposition from the Greater Albuquerque Hotel and Lodging Association because of not enough notification. Local motels which generate the money for the bonds from room taxes.
According to the newspaper, finance officials for the city and bond counsel had urged a quick bond sale because of favorable market conditions. Most of the money will go toward additions and improvements to Los Altos Park sports facilities, building a multiuse soccer venue and beefing up other sports facilities throughout the city.
The newspaper reported:
Councilor Klarissa Peña – who has cited the Route 66 Visitor Center as one of her priorities – defended the center as important to a community that she said has not received much city support.
“It would become an economic driver, and it would be something people could have pride in; people from the southwest area of Albuquerque would have somewhere to actually be able to have meeting space, to be able to have a venue – we literally have to cross the river in order to be able to have, whether it be a wedding or the like – this is something that the community has worked on for … almost 20 years,” she said.
The project is expected to cost almost $13 million, and the city has allocated about $3 million and has another $1 million included in the general obligation bonds on November’s ballot. The county and state have also made contributions.
One could argue a better site would have been on the east edge of the city, since about 60 percent of Route 66 travelers are going west, according to the Route 66 Economic Impact Study.
But Nine Mile Hill would give indisputably scenic views of the city below, especially at night.
(Artist’s rendering of the proposed Route 66 visitors center in Albuquerque)