Tusayan seems to be in the weeds lately. Despite incorporation, despite the fact the town has hired an employee to maintain town facilities, visitors and townsfolk alike have been greeted with weeds and deteriorating landscaping in public rights of way.

The town seems to have found time and $2,000 to hire consultants to tell the town to change its name, something that the residents are rejecting. Meanwhile, watering systems that are supposed to water trees and shrubs in rights of way aren’t working and weeds are popping up.

Resident Julie Aldaz broached the topic at a June meeting of the Tusayan town Council. She said, “The weeds and stuff are horrible. The roundabout around the monument sign is just awful.” She added, “It is a reflection of the town and it’s just not looking good.”

Mayor Greg Bryan says the landscaping is ADOT’s responsibility, not the Town’s. That may be the case but the town has the resources to do the job and it has lots of money to spend on consultants, such as the $2,000 to look at changing the town’s name.

Former Mayor Pete Shearer noted the irony in comments he made to the Town Council. He said, “We have been getting a lot of complaints from tourists, co-workers, and the community about the state of Tusayan’s visual appearance. I think that if you are going to give $2,000, you should give it to ADOT because they are still in charge of it (maintaining the right of way) and improve the visual look of Tusayan and not spending it on something that is not in the best interest of the town in my opinion.”