Texico New Mexico Visitors Center closed longer than anticipated

Staff writer

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link Kevin Wilson: Staff photo

The New Mexico Visitors Center near Texico has been closed since September due to staffing issues.

Welcome to New Mexico. Keep on driving.

That’s the message some travelers seem to have taken over the last four months, as the Texico New Mexico Visitors Center has been locked up and unstaffed since September.

The building, about two miles west of the Texas-New Mexico border, is advertised on signage a half-mile away as a place to find information about New Mexico and use free wi-fi Internet.

A “TexicoViC” wireless network is detected upon a visit, but the facility along U.S. 60 is closed. Trash cans are filled, while a few loose drink cups and soda cans are scattered on the property.

Both the main entrance on the south side and the secondary entrance on the north side are locked.

Taped to each door is a note that says the visitors center will be closed through the month of September. It includes directions to the Clovis-Curry County Chamber of Commerce in Clovis and contact information for Toby Martinez of the New Mexico Tourism Department for questions or comments.

Ernie Kos, executive director of the Clovis chamber, said a handful of people come in every week who have been directed there by the sign. Chamber staff gives them all of the New Mexico information it has available, but Kos said the people are still usually upset.

Kos said it was her understanding that the visitor’s center had two employees, and both retired at the same time.

“Some people haven’t been really happy about it, mainly because they have to come off of the main road,” said Kos, noting the chamber s office is two blocks off of U.S. 60-84.

Additionally, Kos said, some of the travelers were regular visitors to the center, and had established some rapport with the welcome center staff.

She placed a call to Rep. Anna Crook, R-Clovis, who talked to cabinet officials and was told in early September the closure was a temporary issue.

“I guess temporary has been longer than temporary,” Crook said Saturday. “I think they told me they were having a difficult time finding people to man it.”

Martinez, reached on Thursday, forwarded media inquiries to a public information department, which responded Saturday afternoon that it was still gathering information.