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A group led by author Michael Wallis is negotiating with the city to construct a Route 66 center, city officials have confirmed.

Dennis Whitaker, a city planner, said Route 66 Alliance was the lone respondent to the city’s request for proposals but declined to provide details.

“Once the proposal has been fully vetted and if a contract is executed, the city will release the Route 66 proposal,” Whitaker said. “In the meantime, it is critical to the integrity and success of the evaluation and negotiation process that the details of the proposal under consideration be kept confidential. This is standard in any development proposal.”

Wallis’ name has become almost synonymous with Route 66. The author of more than a dozen books, he is perhaps best known for “Route 66: The Mother Road.”

He also gained fame as the voice of Sheriff in the “Cars” movies.

Wallis was not available for comment.

According to its Facebook page, Route 66 Alliance is a nonprofit “dedicated to the preservation, promotion, and enhancement of historic Route 66 — past, present, and future.”

Wallis is listed as a co-founder of the alliance.