More changes are happening at the former Hispanic Cultural Center of Idaho.
Starting with a new name.
The facility will now be called the Idaho Hispanic Community Center. Facilities Manager Jose DeLeon said the name was picked out of 47 submissions and narrowed down by the newly formed Nampa Community & Cultural Advisory Group.
DeLeon talked about the importance of adding the word “community” to the name.
“We wanted to make sure that we maintain a consistency within our community, not only with the identity of the building but also to build upon something that was a little bit more expansive. That’s why we added the word community,” he said. “…(the name was picked to) kind of reflect not only the mission of the building but also what we intended to use the building for — to be able to kind of create the community, not only the goodwill, but also the programming that’s going to go in the building.”
Last July, BoiseDev reported that the City of Nampa took possession of the building — kicking out the Canyon County non-profit, the Hispanic Cultural Center of Idaho. The city took this court action after winning a lawsuit against the HCCI over concerns about the center’s operations.
In December, a new chapter for the facility began. The Nampa City Council signed a lease agreement to give the nonprofit Idaho Hispanic Foundation office space in the cultural center. During this same meeting, council members decided that a committee would be formed to determine how the building should operate.
With the advisory group now meeting, a name picked out, and projects and events planned, the center at 315 Stampede Drive is back in business.
Projects, events, and the future
One of those projects is the 208 Night Market which specializes in food. DeLeon said it’s Hispanic and Latino inspired, but it will be diverse with offerings from tacos to barbecue.
The market located in the building’s east parking lot will be open every Friday night from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. It will launch on Saturday, May 18.
“That is something that hasn’t been hasn’t really been done, hasn’t been launched,” DeLeon said. “And so, one it reflects obviously the heritage of the building, but it also gives another opportunity for people who want to do a little bit more nightlife in the area and just go out, and eat and have fun, that kind of thing.”
The center is bustling with life with quinceañeras booked for the summer, the Community Council of Idaho using the building for outreach for migrant seasonal farmworkers, computer classes are starting soon, the Columbian consulate stayed for a couple of days to process Visa IDs, and more.
As for other projects, DeLeon said they are working to get the kitchen certified for commercial use, they are adding more retail space, including a Mexican coffee shop that will operate full time, and there is a community resource center in the approval process phase.
“Those are the kinds of the field that we’re going for, the atmosphere, that we want to put forward to the community, that it is available for use, it is available for diverse uses, whether it’s small business, whether it’s individual family resources,” he said “… So anything that can benefit our communities is exactly what we’re working on…. (It’s) kind of a simultaneous push working on all these projects. So it’s going to take a little time to kind of flesh everything out, but I think that we’re headed in the right direction.”
