It’s coming up fast on the second anniversary of a ribbon-cutting for the Route 66 Visitor Center on Nine Mile Hill in west Albuquerque.
The $13.8 million center was supposed to open a few months after the September 2022 ceremony.
But it’s never officially done so, despite its website claiming it was open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. (Those hours subsequently were removed from the site.)
City Councilor Klarissa Pena, apparently growing weary of waiting for something to happen, recently introduced a measure to establish a Route 66 Visitor Center Commission, reported CityDesk.
The commission would consist of seven voting members and two non-voting advisory members to be confirmed by the city council. It would include Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, two city councilors, four representatives designated by the West Central Community Development Group, an advisory member from Visit Albuquerque and an advisory member from the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce.
“The Route 66 Visitors Center is an asset that the entire community has a stake in, and the entire community should have direct input in its preservation,” Peña said in a statement to City Desk ABQ on June 7 after multiple requests for an interview. “This is a project our community has envisioned for decades, and now, as the Route 66 Centennial Celebration approaches in 2026, the rich culture of our community will be front and center on the longest urban stretch of ‘The Mother Road,’ and the only place in the nation where the route crosses itself.”
She added that if the legislation passes, the commission “will ensure that we make the most of this opportunity.”
The city commission was scheduled to act on Pena’s proposal during its June 17 meeting, but perusals of city records and the meeting’s livestream indicate it was delayed.
In February, Bernalillo County voted to transfer its ownership of the visitors center to the city. Pena said at the time the county had encountered difficulties securing licenses to bring businesses such as taprooms and breweries to the facility.
CityDesk reported the city’s Arts & Culture Department is assessing when it can set an opening date.
Spokesman Diego Lucero said an opening timeline is dependent on budgeting. He expects the department to know what city funds it has to work with for fiscal year 2025 sometime in July.
Lucero said part of the assessment involves facility maintenance.
“This includes working with our IT team to install the city network, which is necessary to control many functions like lighting and outdoor integration, as well as allowing us to put in our own security system,” he said. “Despite the building being relatively new, we have encountered a few things that require repairs and maintenance.”
The city had better get it in gear soon. With the 2026 centennial of Route 66 looming, it had better not waste such a grand opportunity — especially after the city had been talking of a Route 66 visitor center for 30 years.
(Screen-capture image from video of the Route 66 Visitor Center in Albuquerque)
“The city commission was scheduled to act on Pena’s proposal during its June 17 meeting, but perusals of city records and the meeting’s livestream indicate it was delayed.”
A delay that seems like a bad start (or at least a bad visual) for a commission that is going to get a long delayed visitor center back on track.
Hopefully they can get things going.