NAMPA, Idaho — Monday morning, the Hispanic Cultural Center of Idaho leadership team was evicted, allowing the City of Nampa to take over the facility.
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On Friday, a coalition of community members, groups, and leaders gathered in city hall to present their ideas and hopes for the future of the center.
“As the founder of the center I spend hours years working on this project and I left my resources and my health in the building and it just saddens me over the years that the center has fallen in disrepair,” says Ana Maria Schachtell, founder of Hispanic Cultural Center of Idaho.
This week has been emotional for Schactell, as she was there when the Center opened and now the board eviction. However, she’s very hopeful for the future of the Center and its leadership.
"One of our things in our mission is to celebrate our culture, our art, our history, but also to create pride and leadership in the community. The only way we can develop leadership is opening the doors to the new talent," says Schachtell.
When Schachtell created the center, she also created a steering committee. Lisa Sanchez, former Boise City Council member, was on the committee as well, and the group collaborated and shared their ideas for the center.
"I think there were some folks, when the building was built, they felt like their work was done and I don't think there was a long-term plan in place of what happens after the building is built. What are the next five, ten, 20, 30, 50, years of this cultural center," says Sanchez.
The center itself remains open, now in the hands of the city, until a new board can be created and future changes set into motion.
And that's exactly what most of the community says is needed. Change.
Sanchez says, "This is a really important time for a place like the Hispanic Cultural Center of Idaho to be a place where we can cultivate that knowledge of who are, where we came from, and where we’re going. And to make sure to pass that along to the coming generations."
On Wednesday, July 19 at 5:30 pm, the city of Nampa invites the community to the culture center to participate in a think tank, giving people the opportunity to share their thoughts, ideas, and plans for the future of the center.
