Input Needed for Blue Hole Improvements

[RonFrank]

I'll give this some thought, but right off the bat on thing I think they are planning which IMO is going to make it a hassle to dive is the fact one will have to carry junk through the indoor facilities before entering the staging area to dive.

I would rather have a pay at the gate drive up entrance vs. paying at an indoor facility, and than having to transport gear through a building to setup outside the hole.

 

[Divedoggie]

What Ron said!

 

[DandyDon]

What Ron said!

Yep totally - hate that one.

 

[roakey]

I'll third what Ron said. Bring city council to the proposed parking area, saddle each one of them up with double 104s and tell 'em to walk to the 'hole.

Then ask them if that's any way to treat customers. I feel that the walking distance is the single most important problem for them to address, given the current proposed layout (through the store).

Roak

 

[mrlipis]

I am not sure what the current proposed plan is, but how about building some bench style tank holders, just like on a dive boat. You could put 4 or 5 rows of 10 tank holders and benches back to back. That would accommodate 80 to 100 divers. As it is, everyone spreads the tarps and eats up all the space. Secondly, remove the barricades and build a deck with some cover. You could even cascade it up the N.E. side of the area.

My biggest pet peeve however, is the locals attitude. I don't think they realize who is buttering their bread. The service in that town is non existent.

I second the idea of Stella running a concession. She doesn't fill that many tanks and would have plenty of time to run a snack bar, even if it was just drinks, hot dogs and sandwiches.

Bruce

 

[DandyDon]

I am not sure what the current proposed plan is, but how about building some bench style tank holders, just like on a dive boat. You could put 4 or 5 rows of 10 tank holders and benches back to back. That would accommodate 80 to 100 divers. As it is, everyone spreads the tarps and eats up all the space. Secondly, remove the barricades and build a deck with some cover. You could even cascade it up the N.E. side of the area.

Interesting idea on the tank racks. I dunno...?

They left the barricades there after using them in hole cleaning I think, to keep cars from parking on the edge of the concrete - which they did. I never thot about sun cover; I'm usually more interested in soaking up sunlight when I get out chilled. I'm afraid it sounds like something certain shops will just try to hog like they do with the front row spaces - the ones with their tarps edge to edge trying to imply blocked shot cuts to the hole - that I walk across.

My biggest pet peeve however, is the locals attitude. I don't think they realize who is buttering their bread. The service in that town is non existent.

Doubt that's going to change. They've been seeing visitors come and go since before the vast majority were born.

Rt.66 was established in 1926. From various sites..

Most of the travel on Route 66 was East-to-West, especially during the migrations of the Great Depression – the 'Dust Bowl' Era – and of World War II and the post-war boom. The route thus officially begins on Adams Street in Chicago, Ilinois and wends its way along 2,448 miles and thru eight states to terminate at the bluffs in Santa Monica, California overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Although Route 66 already crossed New Mexico, it seemed to be in no great hurry. From 1926 through 1937, when you headed "west" on the route, you turned north near Santa Rosa, made your way through Santa Fe and then turned south toward Albuquerque via Fourth Street. But, in 1937, Route 66 straightened out and headed directly west across the state, cutting 107 miles from the journey. The realignment let motorists run from Tucumcari straight to Grants, bringing them right down Albuquerque's Central Avenue from Tijeras Canyon to Nine Mile Hill. With this the only paved road crossing New Mexico, development began to spread east and west along its shoulders.

Founded in 1865, the town began as nothing more than a large Spanish Rancho, and was called Aqua Negro Chiquita. Sometime around 1890, it took a new name honoring a chapel built by Don Celso Baco who named it for his wife and Saint Rose of Lima, the first canonized Saint of the “New World.” Guadalupe County was created by the territorial legislature in 1891 with Puerto de Luna as the county seat. Santa Rosa remained a minor community until the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad steamed into town in 1901, then became an important transportation hub of the area. Just two years later, Santa Rosa became the Guadalupe County seat.

When Route 66 was completed through Santa Rosa in 1930, transportation services again increased in the city. During the days of early Route 66, after travelers had tired of the long, hot, dusty miles, Santa Rosa became known as a welcome and well-known oasis in the desert. Travelers arrived in Santa Rosa to eat, rest, and perform car repairs, if necessary, at the many motels, cafes and service stations that lined the highway.

The old road ran into town past the 81-foot-deep Blue Hole and Park Lake, a motorist campground and source of water during the Depression. Scenes in Rudolfo Anaya's award-winning novel, Bless Me, and John Steinbeck's, Grapes of Wrath, took place on Route 66 at the Pecos River Bridge.

In 1940, when Steinbeck’s epic novel, Grapes of Wrath, was made into a movie, director John Ford used Santa Rosa for the memorable train scene, where Tom Joad (Henry Fonda) watches a freight train steam over the Pecos River railroad bridge, into the sunset.

We're a commodity. They'll build ball parks to attract tournaments and "improvements" at the Hole to increase revenue - but don't expect appreciation.

 

[ABQdiver]

I'll third what Ron said. Bring city council to the proposed parking area, saddle each one of them up with double 104s and tell 'em to walk to the 'hole.

Then ask them if that's any way to treat customers. I feel that the walking distance is the single most important problem for them to address, given the current proposed layout (through the store).

Roak

Way to cut through the BS Rodger!! I LOVE that idea!

 

[wve]

Two things everyone needs to keep in mind:

1) The Blue Hole belongs to the city of Santa Rosa (I think), so they should have access.
2) All of us visitors bring in significant $$ to the motels, restaurants and gas stations in town besides the weekly and annual permits.

That said, the city should try to make the Blue Hole a great diving experience, and divers should try to let the locals enjoy their swimming hole.

So what if, instead of building a fancy building, the city dug a 25-30 ft hole over where they are doing dirt work now? Like a swimming pool, it could have a shallow end and a deeper end. Water would come from the Hole, flow through the pool, then on downstream. It wouldn't require maintenance like a public pool, and the current should keep it fairly clear.

This would provide an area where instructors could take their Open Water classes to demonstrate their skills. This would take a lot of pressure off the upper 25 ft in the Hole where locals apparently want to jump and swim. It would also decrease traffic at the stairway and giant stride platform. Later, the classes could come over to the Hole in smaller groups to work on buoyancy and just swimming around. When they do that, they will also spread out vertically so that it would not be so congested at 25 feet where the platforms are.

I kind of enjoy watching the local kids having fun and jumping into the water, but I don't relish the thought of one of them landing on me and breaking my neck.

They like to jump from the ledge on the north end. Could that area be roped off? Jumpers would be restricted to jumping inside the rope, and divers would know to surface outside the rope. It wouldn't have to be a big area because they can't jump out that far away from the cliff.

Those two things, plus paving the parking lot, would take care of the biggest problems at the Blue Hole. It would make it a more attractive site with little maintenance expense.

As for showers and food, people can shower at home or at the motel. They can eat in town or bring snacks. Changing areas in addition to the toilet facilities would be a bonus.

Lately the BH has been very busy. On one weekend recently we counted 38 divers in the water at the surface. No telling how many were under water, and there were probably another 25-30 sitting around between dives. At other times, however, there have only been three of us there.

Because of such extreme variability in attendance, a dive shop might have a hard time making it. But in addition to selling air, Stella (or whoever) might be able to increase her profit selling certain "save a dive" items and souvenir t-shirts. I also like the idea of permits being sold on-site.

I wonder whether their plans are already cast, but perhaps not. I really do not like the idea of forcing everyone through a bottleneck with all the gear and stuff we have to deal with. If they want to capture permit fees, put someone at the front gate. Heck, then you could even charge non-swimmers.

Keep us posted on what you learn, and thanks for throwing this out here for discussion!

 

[ABQdiver]

Two things everyone needs to keep in mind:

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[RonFrank]

It would help to get some idea of the scope of what we are discussing. I think a lot of these decisions have been made, or that is how it was presented to me.

For example I suggested that they put an access gate at the entrance rather than walking though a store, but that decision has been made, or that is the last thing I heard ..... this IS Santa Rosa, they change their minds a lot.

Kevin, can you answer the first question I asked above? If they are starting this process of how to flow traffic, and what is needed again with diver input, that is great. I'm not sure that is the case however.

Has the construction started? Any good progress been made? I've not been down there for a few months.