The Taos News from Taos, New Mexico • Page 2

Thursday, July 2,1681 Touring Taos less expensive for visitors By BtLLtfi BLAIR Tourists can vacation cheaper in Taos than in most cities in New Mexico-particularly than in another tourist mecca of about the same size, Ruidoso. Residents tend to think Taos has gotten expensive when a mixed drink at the local watering hole costs $1.60 and an enchilada plate at an unpretentious eaterte costs $4,96. But an exchange survey with the Ruldoso News, which serves that year-round resort In southern New Mexico, finds that you still can do it cheaper In Taos. Taos' motel prices this summer top but at $60 (for a double at the Holiday Inn). If you skip the $86 per night luxurious Inn of the Mountain Gods at Ruidoso, the Holiday Inn there will charge you $64.

Motel rooms for two are going for a median price of $35-40 in Taos this summer; and you can get a room for two for under $26 at Jack Denver Metof Ledge, Sun Gtod Motet and Casa de Taos in Uano Quemado, Summertime also is of! season at same of Taos' ski spas. You ean get a condominium with kitchen at the Tennis Ranch fof $80 for two, and an efficiency at Taos East en route to Taos Ski Valley for $88 HOUR bargain drlnka don't abound in Taos. The only two advertised are at Kachina Lodge and Holiday Inn. At the Holiday, it's a basic -excluding beer, If you'll drink between 4-6 p.m. at Ruidoso, you won't have to worry about dinner, because many bars there either have happy hours or reduced daytime prices.

The day of the 76-cent beer is almost gone in Taos. You could get a beer at the Gramme Shop a few weeks ago, but the price since has been upped to $1. The newLaCopa has a Wednesday 76-cent beer special, You ean get a beer for 90 cents at Taos' version of the nelghtjorhood bar (in Arroyo Seco or Valdez, for example), but anywhere else domestic eosts $1 to $1.60 (at the Holiday). If you like to drink fancy, you can do it cheaper in Taos than Ruidoso. The Inn there charges $8.76 for margarltas and Bloody Marys and $6 for frozen concoctions.

The most expensive drink you can buy in Taos is $3.60, which gets you Casa Cordova's three-liquer coffee concoction. A San Sebastian with ice cream at La Cocina will cost only $2.60. Taos "well" drink prices (you don't specify what kind of liquor) run from $1.50 to $2 at most bars; the median price is $1.76. "Call" drinks here are Those prices are about the same as Ruidoso's. DINING OUT In Taos is comparable with Ruidoso, though at the horse race resort the steaks are often cheaper, Median price of a sirloin in Taos is $9.60, but you can get a large toe sirloin at Ruidoso's less pretentious eateries for $8.60.

Enchiladas aren't necessarily cheaper in Taos, where the median price is $4, Ruidoso restaurants charge from $8.50 to $4.10 for an enchilada plate, but they aren't necessarily in the finest restaurants as they sometimes are in Taos. The Ruidoso News figures two can have a memorable stay $180 a day, "give or take a ten spot, or two or three." Taos' Chamber of Commerce unofficially estimates two can vacation in Taos comfortably for under $100 a day. And if you dine, for example, with Hotsy Totsy on the Plaza (the "carriage trade lunch" of lemonade and chile dog costs Taos can be a tourist bargain. Clinic gets zone permit The Extraterritorial Zoning Commission has approved a special use permit for a midwife clinic off La Posta Road near Holy Cross Hospital. The board approved Carl Gilmore's request at a meeting June 22.

In November, it had turned down a similar request for the clinic to be located on Herdner Street because of neighborhood opposition. The commission last week denied Louis Her- nauer's request for an R-A (rural-agricultural) zoning change to R-3 (mulU-family residential). Gene Berry, a broker, represented Her- nauer at the hearing. The request was turned down because the commission didn't want to "spot zone" property. Commissioner John Hlmes pushed to have the entire area surrounding the parcel changed to the R-3 zone, though town planner Allen Vigil disagreed strongly with that recommendation.

Berry has 20 days to appeal the decision. Ber- naur hopes to put professional offices In the front of the property and apartments to the.rear. The R-3 classification allows for residential apartments under the code. The property Is bounded by Cruz Alta Road on the south, Gusdorf's on the west, the city limits on the east and the Rio Fernando to the north. The Joint Powers Authority granted a zoning change In Canon to Cipriano Medina and Sons at a meeting Thursday, June 25.

The property was changed to a partial C-l (neighborhood commercial) for the nearly 300-foot frontage and M-2 (heavy industrial) for the rest of the parcel to the rear of the frontage. Medina had taken his request to the EZC twice, but no action was taken by the commission until last week. INEM July July July only KING OF THE MOUNTAIN When you're the (attest, someone always wants you to ptovt It. Starring COMING IN JULY! "TAKE THIS JOB AND SHOVE IT" "NIGHT HAWKS" Sylvester Stallone "CANNONBALL RUN" ROLLER EXPRESS SKATING RINK GAME ROOM TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY Session Time Price 1 3p.m.to5p.m. $1.50 2 5p.m.

to 7 p.m. $1.00 3 6p.m.to8p.m. $1.50 4 7p.m.to9p.m. $2.00 5 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

$2.00 Addn'l Sessions $1.00 $1.00 Taos Council to vote on gross receipts tax YOUR SKATES OR OURS NO REFUNDS Additional Sessions to be paid In advance. Located In Rancho Park Mall across Irom Friday Motors. Call 758-2252 or 756-0101 for group and private parly rates. Wreckage Eli Hererra, 26, of Ranches de Taos suffered a broken left forearm, broken left forefinger with lacerations and a few scrapes and bruises when his Town test well to be analyzed EleutoMaestas motorcycle struck a pickup Sunday (June 28) at about 10:47 p.m. Kenneth E.

Green of Los Alamos, was uninjured in the crash. Green was cited for failure to yield. The Taos Town Council Is expected to pass an ordinance picking up one- quarter percent in gross receipts taxes dropped by the state during the last legislative session. A public meeting is scheduled for Monday (July 6) at Coronado Center at As of Wednesday (July 1), consumers in Taos began paying one-half of one percent less in gross receipts taxes than they had been paying since 1978. The legislature voted to repeal .25 percent of the tax collected by municipalities since that year.

The lawmakers also voted to drop the state's .26 percent off the total for a net reduction in gross receipt taxes In Taos of .50 percent. The new tax schedule as of Wednesday means Taos merchants are charging 4.25 percent for the tax from the previous 4.75 percent, until Jan. 1. The legislation passed by the state allows municipalities to pick up the 25 percent dropped by the state, If desired. The additional one-quarter percent charge, If passed by the Council, cannot be collected until Jan.

1, however. The public has 30 days after the hearing to appeal the ordinance (if passed), by petition of at least five percent of the registered voters in the last municipal election. If there Is no opposition, the town can begin collecting the tax Jan. 1. The town should know sometime this week whether It can expect to get Its annual allocation of San Juna-Chama water from an area near Los Cordovas.

Carlos Miranda, town administrator, said an analysis of a test well recently drilled on the Tomas Martinez property is expected to show whether or not there Is enough water in the area to drill other wells for Taos 1 allocation of 400 acre-feet from the San Juan-Chama Diversion Project in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. The test well was drilled several weeks ago. After going about 530 feet below the surface, the town pumped water from the well but could get only about 30 gallons per minute to the surface. The minimum to allow the well to be used for town water is 400 gallons' per minute and the town had hoped to see the well produce closer to 700 gallons. Mayor Phil Lovato said town engineer Doug Sayre is still convinced the area will eventually provide the necessary water.

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