The question in that headline isn’t easy to answer right now.
Nor is it easy to answer these related questions: Who is in charge of the association? Why are there two Facebook pages for the association? What’s happening with the big project in Tucumcari regarding the association and the Fast TV Network? What’s happening with the $50,000 grant the association received?
Part of the reason is the former president of the association almost entirely has refused to comment on the situation. The board’s newly elected president isn’t commenting because she’s been served a cease-and-desist order from an Albuquerque lawyer on behalf of the former president and her husband, who is co-owner of the Fast TV Network.
The fallout likely will lead to a largely diminished Fast TV Network studio and New Mexico Route 66 Association welcome center and museum in Tucumcari — if it happens at all.
In terms of the future leadership of the association, it likely will take a bevy of lawyers to sort it out. If nothing else, the turmoil has confused its membership when Route 66’s centennial is approaching.
First, a little background.
Principals of Fast TV and the association announced in October 2022 they would set up an $8 million television and film studio, a New Mexico Route 66 Association welcome center and a museum within a closed Kmart building on Tucumcari’s east side. It included projections of up to 250 jobs created and $300 million in revenue over 10 years.
The chief movers of this project were Mike Lee, president and CEO of Fast TV, which was in Albuquerque at the time; his wife, Melissa Beasley-Lee, co-owner of Fast TV and president of the New Mexico Route 66 Association; and Johnnie Meier, former association president and owner of the Classical Gas petroliana museum in Embudo, New Mexico, who pledged to move his collection to Tucumcari as part of the museum project.
Lee said at the time that Fast TV was under contract to acquire the property, and he projected a soft opening of the facility by July 1, 2023.
July 1 came and went. The association’s website acknowledged delays on the project and kept pushing back the opening. Beasley-Lee said surveying issues were holding it up. A check this week with the county assessor’s office showed no change in ownership of the Kmart tract.
Beasley-Lee declined to answer when asked in an email whether Fast TV would continue its efforts to set up a studio in Tucumcari.
Earlier this month during a regular association meeting, Meier said Beasley-Lee and Lee “were confronted about irregularities” regarding the association. Meier did not elaborate on the allegations.
According to Meier, the couple said they would resign from the association, then submitted resignation letters to the board, with the conditions they would stay if certain conditions were met. The board didn’t agree with the conditions, and the resignations were accepted.
Beasley-Lee recently said in an email “I never gave my resignation” and maintains she still is president.
Vickie Ashcraft, known for running the Enchanted Trails RV Park and Trading Post in far west Albuquerque, was elected president.
Meier didn’t want to offer a lot of background regarding the association’s problems. However, he confirmed he ended his partnership with Fast TV and won’t move his Classical Gas collection to Tucumcari.
Ashcraft said it would be difficult to envision the association approving a New Mexico Route 66 Association welcome center and the planned eventual move of its headquarters to Tucumcari, given the current rancor.
Citing a cease-and-desist letter she and other board members received, Ashcraft declined to comment further. She, however, referred to an association letter posted on its official Facebook page.
“We have much work to be done and will not continue to waste time on ethical matters that may have happened previously,” the letter stated. “There has been a great deal of resistance to our acceptance of Melissa Lee’s resignation but the rationale behind the action is of significant gravity. At present, we will abstain from divulging specific details as potential litigation may ensue.”
The letter added the action was taken “to protect the interests of the Route 66 community and our Association.”
The letter stated the association does not have control of several of its assets, including the website.
It also noted a “fake” Facebook page purporting to be the association’s page was set up recently.
“It is imperative to clarify that henceforth, any statements made by Mrs. Melissa Beasley Lee or Mr. Mike Lee do not represent the view of the Route 66 Association of New Mexico,” the letter concluded.
A few days before the letter was posted, the association sent a news release, stating it had received a $50,000 grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation to repair neon signs in Tucumcari that had been damaged in a May 2023 hailstorm.
Meier said the association did not authorize the release. While confirming the $50,000 grant, he said the funds largely would be used to produce three do-it-yourself videos on repairing neon.
Meier said the association remains committed to producing the videos, though he admitted it might happen later than originally expected.
In the meantime, Beasley-Lee has set up an apparent shadow government “from the ashes” of the association.
“It’s a messy situation,” Meier said.
(Note: Some of this material is cross-posted from a story posted at the Quay County Sun in Tucumcari.)
(Image of Melissa Lea-Beasley installing a new letter on the La Cita restaurant sign in Tucumcari, New Mexico, via the New Mexico Route 66 Association)
No one in this association has any kind of licensing what so ever and they are doing the work in house to save money illegally and not hiring contractors.