Friday, March 19, 2004
La Capilla chapel taking shape
By By Thomas J. Baird
Mar 19, 2004, 12:01 am
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Atop Chihuahua Hill, near the ruins of the short-lived 1885 chapel - torn down in 1914 - the new La Capilla is rapidly taking shape against the Silver City skyline.
Adobe masons from R.S. Masonry have worked feverishly this week to erect the one room replica chapel in the hope of completing their task by Saturday. Job foreman Ray Sytch of Holray Construction, who is overseeing the project, said Thursday he will soon be ready to complete the work with some beam and roof construction.
“It’s going all right,” Sytch said. “Everything seems to be coming together.”
Sytch said he was the lone bidder on the project, which he somewhat low-balled because he had a desire to be part of the project.
“I just thought it would be intriguing,” he said, agreeing there is a historical aspect to the chapel. “But I take pride in all my work.”
He plans to be completely finished with the chapel project by mid to late April - just in time for what La Capilla founding board member Joe Ray hopes will be a Cinco de Mayo celebration at the site - which is also slated to house a gazebo, a pavilion and a multipurpose park.
For Ray, seeing the chapel rise against the sky is a dream come true.
“For five years we worked on this,” Ray said Thursday, referring to the dream and the planning stage of the project. “It’s coming along nice, real, real good.”
The La Capilla project has forged ahead since a ground breaking ceremony in the spring of 2003, with Phase I of a six-month Youth Conservation Corps project having been completed last fall.
“We’re hoping the chapel will be up within a year, because the money is there and the lane is almost completed,” said board member Larry Godfrey at the time. “This was YCC money, but the legislative money will do the chapel.”
Indeed, the Legislature came through with tens of thousands of dollars for the project and the chapel construction time frame will far exceed Godfrey’s prior expectations.
Although the YCC and the local office of the state Juvenile Parole and Probation office (JPPO) was essential to the progress and success of the project in the early stages, legislative appropriations have been the key element for the chapel coming to fruition. The entire project is also being done in conjunction with the Town of Silver City.
“Our interest is kind of a cultural revival, a renaissance, too, and we feel strongly that Hispanic youth are losing their culture,” Godfrey said last fall. “I mean, we all are, but especially here it’s important for Hispanic youth.”
Loma Lane, a paved and rock-walled walking path which is 10 feet wide and about 300 feet in length, is one of the early focal points of the project. The old-fashioned walkway, which runs from a proposed parking lot off Arizona Street to the summit of Chihuahua Hill and the site of the new La Capilla chapel, will be accessible to the handicapped once finished.
La Pared, another key facet of the park, will be a large retaining wall to stabilize and ensure the stability of the eroded base of the hill. When complete, it will also serve as a means to exhibit features of local culture and history. Board member Earl Montoya also planned La Pared as a potential attraction for tourists.
Ray said Thursday that once the celebration of the La Capilla chapel project is over, he hopes the board will focus on construction of either the gazebo or the pavilion, which he believes could be started by this summer.
Thomas J. Baird can be reached at tbaird@scsun-news.com
By By Thomas J. Baird
Mar 19, 2004, 12:01 am
Email this article
Printer friendly page
Atop Chihuahua Hill, near the ruins of the short-lived 1885 chapel - torn down in 1914 - the new La Capilla is rapidly taking shape against the Silver City skyline.
Adobe masons from R.S. Masonry have worked feverishly this week to erect the one room replica chapel in the hope of completing their task by Saturday. Job foreman Ray Sytch of Holray Construction, who is overseeing the project, said Thursday he will soon be ready to complete the work with some beam and roof construction.
“It’s going all right,” Sytch said. “Everything seems to be coming together.”
Sytch said he was the lone bidder on the project, which he somewhat low-balled because he had a desire to be part of the project.
“I just thought it would be intriguing,” he said, agreeing there is a historical aspect to the chapel. “But I take pride in all my work.”
He plans to be completely finished with the chapel project by mid to late April - just in time for what La Capilla founding board member Joe Ray hopes will be a Cinco de Mayo celebration at the site - which is also slated to house a gazebo, a pavilion and a multipurpose park.
For Ray, seeing the chapel rise against the sky is a dream come true.
“For five years we worked on this,” Ray said Thursday, referring to the dream and the planning stage of the project. “It’s coming along nice, real, real good.”
The La Capilla project has forged ahead since a ground breaking ceremony in the spring of 2003, with Phase I of a six-month Youth Conservation Corps project having been completed last fall.
“We’re hoping the chapel will be up within a year, because the money is there and the lane is almost completed,” said board member Larry Godfrey at the time. “This was YCC money, but the legislative money will do the chapel.”
Indeed, the Legislature came through with tens of thousands of dollars for the project and the chapel construction time frame will far exceed Godfrey’s prior expectations.
Although the YCC and the local office of the state Juvenile Parole and Probation office (JPPO) was essential to the progress and success of the project in the early stages, legislative appropriations have been the key element for the chapel coming to fruition. The entire project is also being done in conjunction with the Town of Silver City.
“Our interest is kind of a cultural revival, a renaissance, too, and we feel strongly that Hispanic youth are losing their culture,” Godfrey said last fall. “I mean, we all are, but especially here it’s important for Hispanic youth.”
Loma Lane, a paved and rock-walled walking path which is 10 feet wide and about 300 feet in length, is one of the early focal points of the project. The old-fashioned walkway, which runs from a proposed parking lot off Arizona Street to the summit of Chihuahua Hill and the site of the new La Capilla chapel, will be accessible to the handicapped once finished.
La Pared, another key facet of the park, will be a large retaining wall to stabilize and ensure the stability of the eroded base of the hill. When complete, it will also serve as a means to exhibit features of local culture and history. Board member Earl Montoya also planned La Pared as a potential attraction for tourists.
Ray said Thursday that once the celebration of the La Capilla chapel project is over, he hopes the board will focus on construction of either the gazebo or the pavilion, which he believes could be started by this summer.
Thomas J. Baird can be reached at tbaird@scsun-news.com
Welcome to La Capilla Board
Russ & Hope Kinter
Russ & Hope Kinter
Saturday, March 13, 2004
The La Capilla (chapel) serves as the centerpiece for Silver City's La Capilla Park - a 21 acre heritage park. This blog will serve as a public record of the board meetings minutes and as an archive of other thoughts/documents related to the development/running of the park. A archive of many of the documents mentioned as part of this blog can also be accessed at http://www.topica.com/lists/capilla/read
