Plaza merchant urges reopening public restrooms

To all town of Taos Council members,

I initially began a conversation with town manager Rick Bellis about this, and have now chosen to expound on this matter with the council.

This letter is a formal request to reopen the public restrooms in the historic district.

Mr. Bellis informed me that the town has chosen to leave them closed because, as he says, “We are not supposed to be soliciting tourists according to the state order.”

I think this is the wrong strategy and is leading to two undesirable consequences: it is hurting visitors’ perceptions of our town and it is creating a new, albeit lesser, public health issue.

First of all, I have read the latest New Mexico Public Health Order. It specifically says, in bold and underline, “all New Mexicans should be staying in their homes for all but the most essential activities and services.”

This does not state that outof-state visitors are deterred from coming, nor does it state that they should be staying at home. They are, in fact, not New Mexicans. While it could be a decision by the state or town to officially deter visitors, I haven’t seen such official language.

I own the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory business on the plaza. We are open for business, as are at least half of the plaza merchants. I am seeing at least half of my business right now from tourists. Whether the town is trying to solicit visitors or not, they are here.

The state directives allowing reopening are intended for many businesses (including ones that derive business from tourists) to resume operations. Restaurants, gift shops and hotels are allowed to be open and these all cater to visitors. In addition, the National Forests, BLM and state parks have a degree of openness that entices visitors to come.

We have had numerous (over 20) urgent requests for a restroom by our patrons, just in the past five days. My shop has no restroom – our staff use the one in Hotel la Fonda, which is also currently closed.

Visitors are visibly angered by this lack of public facilities. Some have denounced the town for its decision. At least two patrons were desperate and I was worried they would have to relieve themselves in a public place.

This situation is untenable. I implore the town to reopen its restroom facilities immediately. It may choose to post signage informing users of risks of COVID19 contamination. I would encourage some basic sanitation practices daily.

Thank you for your time and effort to resolve this matter. I am available for further correspondence.