Short-term pain for long-term gain

There has been much discussion about the fate of Taos Plaza on social media and in private circles. Although plans for the plaza have been presented to the Historic Preservation Commission, posted on my official Facebook page, and discussed during council meetings, I wanted to take the opportunity to inform the public through print.

As a town councilor pre-covid, I fielded complaints often about the poor state of the plaza and how the crumbling stucco, chipped paint, poor accessibility, and overall unwelcoming feel was bad for business. I agreed. Now as mayor, my administration and I saw the challenges of NMDOT road construction and Historic Taos County Courthouse renovations as an opportunity to address the deferred maintenance of the plaza and (with council’s approval), earmarked over $1 million to invest in the heart of our community. Returns on investment take time, so I ask for your patience and I promise that, when completed, you will feel proud of our plaza.

What work will be done? During the Aug. 28, 2018 regular meeting, the council approved a Cultural Landscape Report for the restoration of the plaza. One major concern before any work could be done was the subsurface drainage issue. Until resolved, it didn’t make any sense to make any major investments on the surface.

Phase I of the current project will be to address this very important piece of infrastructure. Other phases include ADA accessibility on the plaza, a ramp to the gazebo, and new stucco and paint. There will be no major changes to the face of the plaza; that will be decided by a future administration with knowledge that the foundational problems were solved by this administration.

The timeline is uncertain. With labor shortages, continued supply chain issues, and potential unknowns discovered as the crews begin digging, I don’t want to set an unfair expectation. With that said, we want the project completed as soon as possible so we can once again enjoy the community events on the plaza we have come to love.

During the campaign, I promised to refocus attention to local needs and invest into our community assets. I am proud of the projects that we are planning for the upcoming year, such as upgrades to the basketball/tennis courts at Fred Baca Park, more street resurfacing in our neighborhoods and, in collaboration with Taos Mainstreet, new wayfinding signage in the downtown area.

Investment requires short-term pain so we can enjoy long-term gain. Most important, I want to make sure that there are mechanisms in place to ensure that our community assets do not experience the same kind of disrepair in the future that we are fixing today. For example, new parking kiosks in the downtown will provide revenue to the historic district fund to maintain the plaza and parking lots. Parks and Recreation fees will fund regular maintenance and upgrades to prevent parks from falling into disrepair. And a revitalized plaza will promote business downtown to raise gross receipts taxes so the town can pay competitive wages for our most important resource: staff.

At the Town, we will do our best to make this time of investment as painless as possible. Events are moving to Kit Carson Park instead of cancelling them, parking on the plaza will be free during renovations, and we are open to ideas. Again, I ask for your patience as we invest into our community assets that we love and enjoy.

Lastly, it is important to me to make information available to the public. Transparency has always been one of my hallmarks. However, information and transparency require a partnership between government and the public. I understand that not everyone can attend or watch every Town Council, Planning and Zoning, Historic Preservation, or the numerous advisory board meetings. One simple way to stay engaged is to review the meeting agendas. If you see an item that interests you, stream the meeting or watch the recording at taosgov.com. Democracy necessitates engagement, so please stay involved!