After a court ruling struck down the city landmark designation for El Vado Motel in Albuquerque, the matter is back before the Landmarks and Urban Conservation Commission on July 11 on whether to make the historic Route 66 motel a city landmark to protect it from redevelopment.

A judge ruled that the commission didn’t adequately consider the economic impact of the landmarks decision. However, part of the blame needs to go to the owner himself. The economic data he provided to the commission was scant.

The court ruling basically sets back the clock to nearly two years ago, when El Vado was before the Landmarks Commission. At the time, the panel voted unanimously to give the motel the historical designation.

The key difference is that owner Richard Gonzales and the city are currently negotiating for a settlement. The mayor has made his stance clear, saying “we’ll condemn it and take it” so the motel can be preserved if a settlement can’t be reached.

With the landmarks meeting looming and new pressure from the National Trust for Historical Preservation, I wouldn’t be surprised if some sort of settlement is made before July 11.

To identify Route 66, the New Mexico Department of Transportation is painting Route 66 stencils directly on the road’s shoulder in the western part of the state, reports the Gallup Independent.

Delane Barros, spokeswoman for the state highway department, District 6, said 30 of the logos will be stenciled in using white paint this summer along the historic route. Nine will eventually go up in Gallup and six more between Milan and Grants.

These stencils not only will help travelers stay on-course, but they also will be theftproof. States have long had trouble keeping up the traditional metal signs at the side of the road because people steal them.

The Route 66 truck stop known as Twin Arrows outside of Flagstaff, Ariz., is abandoned and has been deteriorating for years. One of the two giant arrows stuck into the ground has shed its plywood tail. Garbage is littered all over the site.

The Arizona Daily Sun in Flagstaff reports that because the Valentine diner on site has historical value, some small hope remains that the site can be resurrected. The curios shop, however, has been too modified to qualify for a historical designation.

The article at least contains the memories of those who live near Twin Arrows and those who once ran it.

For now, that’s all Twin Arrows has.