rod Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Roger Hogan Wrote:
>
>
> > My answers are from memory
> >
> > I don't think the commission gave the Village
> the
> > land but they agreed to a joint use of it with
> the
> > village. The Friends in fact did the picnic
> tables
> > so they also helped. The railroad received
> > something like 9 truckloads of extra pavement,
> A
> > rebuilt entrance exit on the North side and
> > rebuilt road to the South entrance and a new
> ramp
> > or steps from Terrace ave. If my memory is
> correct
> > the railroad still owns the property. The size
> of
> > the property really does not allow you much
> area
> > to work with and the new center wouldn't fit
> > there. I looked at the property when I bought
> the
> > hotel and just not enough available footage
> with
> > the set backs and parking requirements to build
> a
> > place large enough to get a return on your
> > investment IMHO.<
>
> OK thank you for the clarification. I don’t know
> if I can agree with the clock park lot not being
> large enough for a commercial purpose. It didn’t
> help that the state cut down the lot by taking
> parking and sidewalk though… who is to say
> HotRod’s “Home of the Big (Hot) Dog” wasn’t eyeing
> this property for lease at some point in the
> future…what would that have added to the RR
> coffers…$10K?, $20 K? per year? you do the math
> and I submit whatever they got in concrete work is
> but a drop in the bucket to its market potential.
> What also doesn’t make sense to me is if this is
> still RR property and it was designated a Primary
> View #2 then why do you plant evergreen trees that
> will block the view from this location. Further,
> if you really want it to be a view point then why
> didn’t they build an elevated platform and make it
> actually useful for its intended purpose?
>
> >
> > I think the request for the holding pond area
> was
> > from the State Of New Mexico not from the
> Village.
> > What was the railroad to do turn down the state
> > request when they were relying on the state to
> > keep them running.<
>
> Well maybe there is a cause and effect here. I am
> not a civil engineer but it seems to me when you
> pave over Terrace Avenue, adding sidewalks &
> gutters then you have radically changed the runoff
> pattern. In my opinion Chama has actually
> destroyed part of the character of the town with
> the continued redevelopment. There doesn’t appear
> to be much concern at the county level on matters
> of historical or architectural sensibility and so
> I see Chama headed down the same yuppie path as
> places like Telluride. It is your town and if that
> is what makes you all happy then go for it, just
> remember your choices all have consequences, one
> of which will be a loss of tourists like myself
> who are not looking for another suburban looking
> town filled with gift shops hawking cheap Chinese
> knock-offs of various goods.
>
>
>
> > My understanding is the town has used this
> > property and maintained it since before the
> > railroad was purchased and in fact everybody
> > including the railroad thought the town owned
> it.
> > The village is willing to buy it, lease it and
> or
> > trade for it. My impression from the
> commissioners
> > is they figured a lease was best.<
>
> Can you please show on a map or photo exactly what
> property you are referring to?
>
>
> P.S. Thank you for posting the photos of various
> sites around Chama. I am going to be posting some
> other photos and thoughts later and perhaps these
> can be used to pin point the locations in
> question.
>
> Rod
"who is to say
> HotRod’s “Home of the Big (Hot) Dog” wasn’t eyeing
> this property for lease at some point in the
> future…what would that have added to the RR
> coffers…$10K?, $20 K? per year? you do the math"
I am trying to do the math - 5 months of business, your figures come to $2,000 or $4,000 per month plus the added expense of putting in sewer and a water tap. Sounds like a good way to go broke to me.
"In my opinion Chama has actually
> destroyed part of the character of the town with
> the continued redevelopment. There doesn’t appear
> to be much concern at the county level on matters
> of historical or architectural sensibility and so
> I see Chama headed down the same yuppie path as
> places like Telluride. It is your town and if that
> is what makes you all happy then go for it, just
> remember your choices all have consequences, one
> of which will be a loss of tourists like myself
> who are not looking for another suburban looking
> town filled with gift shops hawking cheap Chinese
> knock-offs of various goods."
I guess you and I will have to agree to disagree. The downtown project has proven to bring more business to the village and I think that is a good thing. The downtown project like the friends museum/visitors center did not just spring up overnight and then it was done. It was in the works for 6 to 8 years and years the village, county, state & the railroad all were involved. There was a bunch of public meetings for input.
