Two Albuquerque city councilors have introduced a resolution to earmark $250,000 to improve the city’s 18 miles of Route 66, including the rehabilitation of iconic signs.
City councilors Klarissa Pena and Renee Grout have sponsored the resolution. Rachael Hernandez, an aide to Pena, stated in an email the resolution first will go to the city’s Finance and Government Operations Committee. then will be passed onto the full council at a future date.
The resolution contains these key excerpts:
SECTION 1. Program Development. The City shall develop an improvement plan for the Central Avenue Corridor that, at a minimum:
— Authorizes, establishes or promotes “pop-up” retail or artistic or cultural activities at vacant or underutilized locations;
— Identifies opportunities for iconic sign rehabilitation, replacement or development and establishes a City-sponsored program that accomplishes this work in collaboration with businesses and property owners;
— Establishes a marketing and business promotion program; and
— Implements a clean-up and maintenance program that addresses litter, street cleaning, landscape maintenance, and immediate removal of obstructions from public ways and sidewalks.
If the measure passes, city administrators must submit a report on the initiative by mid-January 2023.
According to information provided by Hernandez and the city’s website, the next Finance and Government Operations Committee meeting is tentatively scheduled for June 27. The city council won’t meet again after that until Aug. 1.
Pena talked to KRQE-TV about the resolution:
“The entire stretch of Historic Route 66 is something we can always improve upon,” said Pena. The improvements would include finding a purpose for some of the vacant buildings, clean up the neighborhoods along the route, and rehab some of the iconic neon signs.
Pena says there’s more to the improvements than just drawing in tourists. “As a city, I think this is something that can unite us all,” she said.
(Image of one of the Route 66 gateways in the Nob Hill area of Albuquerque by Thomas Hawk via Flickr)
Best use of that money for 66 would be to use it to remove the bus lane on Central Ave. What an eyesore and traffic inhibitor! Completely counter to the Route 66 experience.