We, the Friends of Kit Carson Park, are concerned citizens who want to preserve the natural beauty, historical and cultural significance, and open space of Kit Carson Park, which has always been a refuge for town residents, county residents and visitors to Taos, New Mexico.

We support only events that do not require permanent staging, long-term perimeter fencing, pea gravel or cement expansions as a stage base, any new permanent structures, high noise levels, or further use of our tax dollars in buying equipment/staging/lighting/ fencing for such events.

Kit Carson Park is the most valuable Open Space resource in the Town of Taos. It is important that the beauty, the historical elements and the cultural character of the Park be preserved and not lost.

Donate to Friends of Kit Carson Park.

  • by check to FRIENDS OF KIT CARSON PARK and mailed to:  Friends of Kit Carson Park  8 Nickell Road, Ranchos de Taos, NM 87557
  • directly to FRIENDS OF KIT CARSON PARK at Centinel Bank at 512 Paseo Del Pueblos Sur, Taos, New Mexico
Donations are used to cover current legal expenses and to develop a fund for future endeavors.  Any overages will be donated to help with the protection
and care of Kit Carson Park.

Total Petition Signatures: 923

MOVE THE STAGE

We, CITIZENS OF AND VISITORS TO TAOS, request that the Town remove the large stage, perimeter fencing, and loud concerts from Kit Carson Park.

We are no longer able to enjoy walking ourselves or our dogs in the park, or playing with children or grandchildren, and meeting neighbors. We are barred from entering many areas in the park that belong to the public, those of us who live near and far, many of whose tax dollars have supported the park for decades. We wish to retain the historic nature of the park and easy access to the cemetery that we enjoy visiting.

There are numerous better locations for a large outdoor stage and loud music with plenty of parking and camping.*

**your signature**



* Some Better Locations for the Outdoor Stage with plenty of Parking and Camping: 1. Gravel Pit off Salazar Road, bought by Town for $964,000 in 2006 specifically for use as an Outdoor Music Venue
2. Town-owned land near the airport
3. Open land near the Mothership. (Could Mothership manage the concerts?)

Share this with your friends:

   

TOPICS OF CONCERN :

  1. We request that the surrounding residential neighborhoods and the Historic District proper be respected concerning noise levels.  It is important that the Town of Town and concert contractors adhere to the maximum sound level permitted by the Town of Taos Zoning Code Section 8.24.030 which states the maximum level is 50 decibels.

  2. We request that the Town of Taos actively monitor and enforce the noise levels and the event time limits to 10 pm.  Please realize these events are affecting the property values of all Town neighborhoods that surround the Park.

  3. We request that the continuous walking and jogging paths be reinstated, improved and be made ADA compliant.   Aside from this path being used by the whole community, it is an important training site for the Volunteer  Firefighters in order to keep physically fit to better serve Town and County residents.  Plus this path is used by the High School Track & Field Teams for their training.

  4. We request that the Town of Taos retain the historic nature of the park and create easy access and continued maintenance for the historic Kit Carson Cemetery which lies within the park. 

  5. We request that the Acequia Madre be revitalized and protected as a valuable cultural and agricultural resource.

  6. We request that there be no more removal of historic trees in the park and that the Town of Taos coordinate with the Tree Board on any care and maintenance issues for the park trees.  

  7. We request that the potential for over-use of the park be monitored as the increased trash and trampling has damaged the life-cycle of the grass.

  8. We request that a dedicated parks maintenance crew be assigned strictly for park maintenance separate from event maintenance and set-up. 

  9. We request that the Town of Taos provide to the Council and the public a written plan for all Kit Carson Park renovations.  This would need to include supporting budget documents.

  10. We request that the Town of Taos consider removing the large stage, the perimeter fencing and the loud concerts from Kit Carson park and consider moving these large music events to a more suitable location out of the Historic District and residential neighborhoods.

LEGAL BACKGROUND

Around the first part of April, the Friends of Kit Carson Park engaged the services of Alan Maestes Law Offices, P.C. Following careful collaboration, on May 17, 2019 a letter was sent to the Town of Taos addressing the concerns of the Friends of Kit Carson Park and the community. On June 17, 2019, our attorneys, Alan Maestes and Kathryn Hardy met with the Town of Taos attorney, Steven Ross, to discuss the Friends of Kit Carson Park, along with the community, issues of concern regarding the current park usage. The Town Attorney was surprised people objected to the large music venues and said no one had complained to the Town. Of course, this is not true. During the meeting, our attorneys requested information on the noise levels of the concerts, the shut-off time, the number of large music events to be held in the park and a copy of the site construction plans for the stage area. We requested a follow-up meeting with Mitch Miller, 2 Council Members and the Town Manager, Rick Bellis, to discuss all these issues further. Regarding the Deed requirements and the Joint Powers Agreement which allocated Kit Carson Park to the Town of Taos (to be used “exclusively as a park”), Stephen Ross said, “there is no pertinent language in this for our purposes”. He said there was some question as to whether it is applicable here.

Note: The general tone of the meeting was dismissive on the Town Attorney’s part.Note: This is the attitude the Town has taken throughout. But the conclusion of the meeting was that the Town would give us some information on the large concert details and a follow-up meeting would be set up between the Friends of Kit Carson Park and the Town.

On June 26, 2019, a response came in from Town Attorney, Stephen Ross, stating the Town declined to allow a meeting with Town staff due to the fact that the Friends of Kit Carson Park had threatened the Town with litigation “(albeit based on a number of groundless and frivolous claims)”. That is the last contact we had with the Town of Taos.Given the Town’s attitude, we are now in the position where there is no alternative to litigation. At this time, funds must be raised to finance that undertaking.