Jose DeLeon, facilities manager for the building formerly known as the Nampa Hispanic Cultural Center, is guiding the new center through a period of transition, which begins with a new name.
The Nampa City Council, which now owns the center, voted Monday to rename the center the Idaho Hispanic Community Center.
DeLeon said in a phone interview that the name sums up the center’s original intentions — to be a place for educational advancement and cultural expression for Idaho’s Latino community — and where he hopes to guide it in the years to come.
In July 2023, the city of Nampa took over operations of the Hispanic Cultural Center from the Hispanic Cultural Center Foundation after a series of complaints from some of the building’s tenants and members of the Latino community who said the building had “fallen into disrepair.”
Mayor Debbie Kling and the city named DeLeon to manage the center on Jan. 30, 2023. Since then, DeLeon has addressed the long list of infrastructure improvements needed at the building, which opened in 2003. DeLeon was the director of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of programming for two years.
DeLeon said the building needed plumbing and tile improvements, new paint, a new HVAC system and roof. So far, most of the improvements have been made, he said, but the roof project is ongoing.
Construction occurred while the center remained open to the community, DeLeon said.
“One of the things I wanted to get off the ground right away and move forward with was the feeling that people could come in and actually use the center as a rental space for community gatherings and gatherings and that kind of thing,” DeLeon said.
Since February, the city has hosted Idaho Community Council events, quinceaneras, first communions, political fundraisers and is a polling place for early primary voting.
DeLeon has big plans for the center — he hopes to bring computers for people to use, organize cooking classes and possible art exhibits.
And, he said, he wants to make sure all Nampa residents feel welcome downtown.
“The Hispanic (Community Center) is poised to become a vital institution within our community, promoting intercultural understanding, appreciation and unity while celebrating the vibrant tapestry of Hispanic culture through diverse programming,” DeLeon said.
DeLeon said he was looking forward to hosting the 208 Night Market downtown, which will be a large market with local vendors serving food from across the Latino community. He said the first market will be at 7:30pm on Saturday, May 17.
The new name came from weeks of work by the Nampa Community and Cultural Advisory Group. DeLeon said the group started with 47 name suggestions and had to narrow it down to just one.
DeLeon said the cultural advisory group is made up of about 18 Nampa residents who are Latino.
“The new name allows us to brand and market the center and fulfill its intent to improve the quality of life for all people, as well as recognize, celebrate and preserve Hispanic heritage, culture and values,” said Dan Puga, president of the advisory group, in a press release.
The Nampa City Council approved the new name at a meeting Monday with a vote of 5-1; Councilman Dale Reynolds was the only dissenting vote.
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