Spring Break
Mexican Heritage Plaza gets grant
Yasuyo Nagata
Daily Staff Writer
The construction plan is still in progress, but Marcela Davison Aviles, the executive director of the plaza, said she hopes it will start within this year.
There aren't any visible problems with the 50,000-square-foot, 5-yearold plaza, however, in order to have a more convenient facility for the users, Davison Aviles said she decided to apply to the capital improvement program about three years ago.
The capital improvement program is about improving air conditioning and security systems, she said.
"We'll be restoring and upgrading the facilities with new construction. Specifi cally, we're going to build a rehearsal place," Davison Aviles said.
Davison Aviles also said climate control systems of the gallery and theater will be upgraded.
Currently, there is a nice gallery at the plaza, however, the gallery isn't qualified enough to exhibit expensive pieces of art because it doesn't have a good climate control system, Davison Aviles said.
"The gallery has to meet the standard that has been set by the American Museum Association for gallery exhibits," she said.
There are currently two security officers, said Pete Olvera, one of security guards. Olvera said security is good now, but if the gallery will have expensive exhibits after the remodeling, the plaza must have a high level of security as well.
Davison Aviles said she can't specifically estimate how long the construction will take since the plan is still in progress.
However, she said, "We're estimating that project will take several months - about six to nine months."
Besides the $1 million grant, Davison Aviles said several other organizations such as City of San Jose Redevelopment Agency and General Services Department, the City Manager and the plaza's elected officials will assist in the plaza's remodeling.
Those organizations will donate up to $50,000 in possible grants, but Davison Aviles said the facility would not receive more than that.
Restructuring the staff members and programs are also planned during the remodeling, Davison Aviles said.
The plaza faced budget cuts and Davison Aviles said half of the staff members need to leave the plaza during the construction.
Plaza users asked a lot of questions regarding remodeling, Davison Aviles said, but "People are very understanding."
Some people complain about the event program signs because the programs aren't very visible from the outside of the plaza and, because of the high wall, some people feel it's not inviting, said Michael Gary, the manager of fund development.
Building electronic signage might help to advertise to the community about what events the plaza has, Gary said.
During the construction, the activities will be reduced, but the educational programs will be continued, Davison Aviles said.
Also, if people want to rent the rooms for some purposes, it will still be available during construction, she said.
Maintaining the plaza is very important as well as rebuilding, Gary said.
"A lot of people have already put a lot of money into this place, so we have a responsibility to maintain it," Gary said.
Now, the Latino population is very large, and it is important to have the place where Latino people can express and share their culture and introduce Latinos who succeeded, Olvera said.
"We aren't only farm workers anymore. A lot of people work as professionals," Olvera said.
Compared to other minorities, Davison Aviles said she feels the Hispanic community is still underserved to express their art and culture.
Davison Aviles said that, for example, there is the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, and it has been there for a long time.
"A lot of attention is paid to the Asian community, but there is really nothing similar for the Latino community in San Francisco," Davison Aviles said.
"It is important to have a place where the Latino community can come and participate in art and their cultural community, but also people who are not Latino can come to learn about our heritage," Davison Aviles said.
The plaza was built by Latinos, "but everyone is welcome," Olvera said.
In fact, African American and Hawaiian festivals have recently been held at the plaza, Olvera said.
"Everybody is excited about upgrading.
It's a great opportunity for us to restore
the facility," Davison Aviles said.
Be the first to comment on this story