Taos Real Estate

Note: Agenda item 6C is the Town’s return of property from “Cunningham Properties that was donated to the Town of Taos for the construction of the Alexander Gusdorf Eco Park”.  This was the originally proposed location for this park, which subsequently has been successfully relocated to Taos Municipal School District property on Salazar as a Town/District partnership.  The Cunningham property ultimately proved too costly for the Town to develop in the initially intended manner due to remedial infrastructure requirements having to do with flood mitigation.

2) A quorum of the Town of Taos Council may be in attendance for a presentation on high altitude training in locations such as Taos (one concept for recreation-focused tourism/economic development for the area), this Thursday, July 30, 10 a.m. to 12:00 noon, Council Chambers, 120 Civic Plaza Drive.  The Council will not take action on any items.

3) To provide some updated clarity concerning the Town of Taos and its current interaction with the Taos Plaza Theater, this statement has been sent by Town Manager Daniel Miera:  “The Taos Plaza Theater’s eventual renovation and reopening is important for the Town of Taos.  Having such a venue on Taos Plaza is a goal we can all share in – with obvious benefits for locals, visitors, and the overall vibrancy of the heart of our historic district.

To provide public restrooms and secondarily to assist in the renovation, in April of 2007 the Town of Taos signed a project participation agreement with David Behrstock and provided $70,000 toward the construction of public restrooms within the Plaza Theater.  The restrooms in the Theater could have been made available for public use even before the overall Theater renovation was complete.  There was a great need for such facilities on the Plaza at that point in time, and it was viewed that the Town’s participation would assist Mr. Behrstock in fulfilling our mutual goal of a reopened Plaza Theater.

Unfortunately, the Taos Plaza Theater restrooms have still not been completed.  In addition, the Town finds that the information shared to date about the project’s progress, and the use of the Town’s $70,000, is inadequate.

Therefore the Town is currently considering all legal options and needs to obtain information from Mr. Behrstock  to determine the best course of action to secure the public’s funding.  In essence, the Town wishes to ascertain where the Taos Plaza Theater project is at this point in time and how the Public’s money has been spent.

The Town of Taos continues to be supportive of the re-opening of the Taos Plaza Theater but also has the responsibility of ensuring that the interests of its public are protected, including protecting $70,000 of taxpayers’ money that has been provided.”

4) Sock Hop Teen Dance -- Teens invited this Friday, July 31, for a Sock Hop Teen Dance at the Town of Taos Youth & Family Center, 6:30 to 9 p.m., admission $1.  D.J. Hollywood will be playing all the hit music.  There are no in and out privileges if attendees leave the dance during event hours.  This dance is supervised for attendees’ safety.  The dance ends promptly at 9 p.m. so attendees must ensure transportation for that time.  For more information call Judy Esquibel at the Youth & Family Center, 575-758-4160.

5) Harwood Museum Plans Live Video Feed for Dave Hickey Panel Discussion August 1 – In response to Dave Hickey’s sold out panel discussion for Hopper @ the Harwood this Saturday, UNM’s Harwood Museum of Art has organized a live video feed of the event set up in the Museum’s Ellis Clark Taos Modern Gallery. This program is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., August 1.  Tickets to the video feed are $20, and are available in the Museum Shop. The Harwood anticipates that this portion of the event will also sell out.  Advanced ticket purchase is highly recommended.  For more information, or to purchase a ticket, please call 575 758-9826 x 102 or email chinske@unm.edu. 

On Saturday, Dave Hickey, acclaimed art and culture critic, will moderate a panel with Dennis Hopper and the artists of the Hopper @ the Harwood exhibition. This discussion will explore the West Coast art movement that began in the early 60s at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles, the participation of these artists in this vein of expression, and examine the unique circumstances that brought these artists to Taos.  Dave Hickey is a former executive editor for Art in America, and recently won a MacArthur “Genius” Award.  Due to the popularity of the event, the pre-panel book signing is cancelled.  However, the Museum will be selling two of the writer’s books, “Air Guitar” and “The Invisible Dragon”, as well as exhibition catalogs that include an essay by Hickey.  For more information contact Carolyn Hinske, 7589826 x 102 or chinske@unm.edu. The Harwood, 238 Ledoux Street, Taos, NM 87571.

6) SOMOS Summer Writers Series -- Returning Curator Diana Rico has put together a great line-up, most of the events being held 7:30 p.m. on Friday evenings at the Taos Art Plaza (TAO), next to the Downtown Bistro, Paseo del Pueblo Sur. For a complete schedule, please visit us at www.somostaos.org or e-mail us at somos@somostaos.org.

This Friday, July 31: NATALIE GOLDBERG (famed writing-workshop guru, author of Writing Down the Bones & many others) and Natalie's special guest MIRIAM SAGAN (award-winning poet, memoirist co-founder Tres Chicas Books) will read selected works in this special SOMOS fundraiser

Friday, August 21: WOMEN IN PRAISE OF THE SACRED
DORA MCQUAID (award-winning poet-activist) will read from her newly published collection, SEVEN: Poems of the Interim
PAT MCCABE (short story writer, poet, artist) will read poems and offer Spirit chants
 
Friday, August 28: SUMMER OF LOVE II
JOHN NICHOLS (author of Milagro Beanfield War & other novels and essays) will host this special SOMOS fundraiser featuring two writer friends --
PHAEDRA GREENWOOD (writer, photographer) will read from her unpublished novel On the Bus, based on her adventures with Ken Kesey’s Merry Pranksters and at Woodstock
ENRIQUETA VASQUEZ (famed Chicana activist, journalist) will read from Enriqueta Vasquez and the Chicano Movement: Writings from El Grito del Norte, a collection of her feminist columns from the radical ‘60s Raza newspaper of northern New Mexico.