Proyecto Comunitario Cerro Plano:
RioChante Centro Cultural aims to expand to other communities, starting off with one in Cerro Plano. We are working towards opening a community center in Cerro Plano, a centralized area, in an abandoned pizza shop that burned down years ago. The building is currently an unsafe place that is still utilized by the youth and community members as a gathering location. As a community we are currently attempting to secure the property using bars and doors so that work can be done without worrying about the area being vandalized again. Rio Chante is an example of the community’s need for a community center and the plausibility of turning this abandoned building in Cerro Plano into a viable community center.
La Historia
Proyecto Comunitario Cerro Plano was a very popular high end pizzeria named Johnny’s Pizzaria. It doubled as a restaurant downstairs and a social area upstairs and was a prominent building to the community and locals alike. In 2016 there was an electrical fire that destroyed the second floor, which was mostly made of wood, and the internals of the rest of the building. Fortunately the mostly concrete structure of the first floor and the bar remained intact. The building is still privately owned but abandoned. In [DATE] RioChante recognized the community need for a cultural center in Cerro Plano and began the Proyecto Comunitario initiative. Since then members of the community, such as the RioChante organization and local students from Santa Elena, have intermittently spent time cleaning up, painting the walls and clearing debris.
The Current State
Although the building is still abandoned, unfurnished and unsecure, the community has still been using it as a gathering point. Local women have been gathering to do zumba on the roof once a week, artists from other cities and local artists have had shows open to the public there and the youth gather inside to skate multiple times. The building is still privately owned but RioChante has been in communication with the owner and hopes to turn it into a viable community center before the bank takes the property back. As RioChante actively works to clean up and secure the area they are also working with an Engineering school in Massachusetts, Worcester Polytechnic Institute(WPI). Four students spent 8 weeks from January 2023- March 2023 in Monteverde, producing computed aided design models of the building and what it could look like with the help of the community. They also engaged with the community and brought more awareness to the Proyecto Comunitario Cerro Plano initiative.
Mission Vision
RioChante, with the help of the community and others, aims to create a safe, engaging, and multi-functional space for the local community, especially the youth, to gather in the centralized location of Cerro Plano. Using the 3D model the WPI students created, they engaged with the community to find out what exactly the community would like to see in the future of their community center. The images to the right show the models with the modifications suggested by the community:
How Can you Help
Support from the local community is greatly appreciated and helpful for this initiative. We are currently in need of donations, whether it be monetarily, building material, your time or your voice. To the left is a QR code to a Proyecto Comunitario Cerro Plano whatsapp group chat. Your involvement is greatly appreciated! [Cerro plano groupchat link]
Riochante 