La Guancha Recreational and Cultural Complex
Encyclopedia
The Complejo Recreational y Cultural La Guancha (English: La Guancha Recreational and Cultural Complex) is a sector located in barrio Playa
in Ponce, Puerto Rico
with family recreational and cultural facilities that opened on June 23, 1998. The highlight of the complex is La Guancha Boardwalk, which is flanked by a beach, an observation tower, an amphitheater, and 24 open-air kiosks. It was developed during the administration of Mayor Rafael Cordero Santiago
.
built close to the easternmost shore of barrio Playa across Ponce Yacht Club
. The romantic area was frequented by families and sweetheart
s alike, especially on weekends, for relaxion and bonding
. During the administration of Mayor Cordero, however, a number of facilities were added to the La Guancha area at a cost of over $18 million, developing it into a new recreational complex.
Seven new facilities were added to the exiting boardwalk area:
This project complemented the recently inaugurated tourist pier in the nearby Port of Ponce, and which saw an investment of $4 million.
, 6.5 million in the purchase of over 27 acres (109,265.2 m²) of land, $8.0 million in the construction of the project, $0.2 million for the bidding process, and $0.3 million for the upgrade of PR-12 (Avenida Santiago de los Caballeros) as infrastructure
leading to the new complex.
Playa (Ponce)
La Playa de Ponce, Ponce Playa, La Playa, or simply Playa, is one of the thirty-one barrios that comprise the municipality of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Along with Bucaná, Canas, Vayas, and Capitanejo, Playa is one of the municipality's five coastal barrios...
in Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Ponce is both a city and a municipality in the southern part of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government.The city of Ponce, the fourth most populated in Puerto Rico, and the most populated outside of the San Juan metropolitan area, is named for Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the...
with family recreational and cultural facilities that opened on June 23, 1998. The highlight of the complex is La Guancha Boardwalk, which is flanked by a beach, an observation tower, an amphitheater, and 24 open-air kiosks. It was developed during the administration of Mayor Rafael Cordero Santiago
Rafael Cordero Santiago
Rafael Cordero Santiago – better known as Churumba – was the Mayor of Ponce, Puerto Rico from 1989 to 2004. Many considered him as a synonym of Ponce, being baptized as the Greatest Lion in reference to the city's nickname of The Lion City of Ponce...
.
History
Originally La Guancha consisted of a road alongside a dikeLevee
A levee, levée, dike , embankment, floodbank or stopbank is an elongated naturally occurring ridge or artificially constructed fill or wall, which regulates water levels...
built close to the easternmost shore of barrio Playa across Ponce Yacht Club
Club Náutico de Ponce
The Club Náutico de Ponce is a sports complex located in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The club is located on Isla de Gatas , near the La Guancha recreational and cultural area, and next to the Port of Ponce....
. The romantic area was frequented by families and sweetheart
Term of endearment
A term of endearment is a word or phrase used to address and/or describe a person, animal or inanimate object for which the speaker feels love or affection...
s alike, especially on weekends, for relaxion and bonding
Human bonding
Human bonding is the process of development of a close, interpersonal relationship. It most commonly takes place between family members or friends, but can also develop among groups such as sporting teams and whenever people spend time together...
. During the administration of Mayor Cordero, however, a number of facilities were added to the La Guancha area at a cost of over $18 million, developing it into a new recreational complex.
Facilities
- The Dr. Enrique "Coco" VicensEnrique A. VicénsEnrique "Coco" Alberto Vicéns Sastre was born in Ciales, Puerto Rico. His brother was Juan "Pachín" Vicéns. He was a senator-at-large in the Puerto Rico State Legislature from 1973 until 1978. He is a member of Phi Sigma Alpha fraternity. He played for the Leones de Ponce basketball team.By 1952...
Recreational and Cultural Center (Spanish: Centro Recreativo y Cultural Enrique Vicéns), which consists of an open-air amphitheater for concert-type facilities and seating some 30,000 spectators. - A rides and amusement park area, intended for the celebration of Patron Saint's Day Festivals, fairs, and similar festivities
- The Jose Angel Zayas Colon Children's Park, with over 40 games for the youngters, plus the (Julio and Geraldo) Chamorro-Franceschini Brothers Park, with facilities for the handicapped
- Several parking areas with parking for some 900 vehicles, and distributed throughgout the complex
- A majestic fountain, as its main axis, displaying the city's Coat-of-arms and its iconic lionLionThe lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
- A multi-use building providing facilities for the Ponce Municipal Police, medical emergencies and ambulance, and other related agencies
- A nourished beach areaBeach nourishmentBeach nourishment— also referred to as beach replenishment—describes a process by which sediment lost through longshore drift or erosion is replaced from sources outside of the eroding beach...
with over 10,000 cubic meters of new sand that replenished and built up the previous beach area, and including five beach volleyballBeach volleyballBeach volleyball, or sand volleyball, is an Olympic team sport played by two teams of two players on a sand court divided by a net.Like volleyball, the object of the game is to send the ball over the net in order to ground it on the opponent’s court, and to prevent the same effort by the opponent....
courts, gazeboGazeboA gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal, that may be built, in parks, gardens, and spacious public areas. Gazebos are freestanding or attached to a garden wall, roofed, and open on all sides; they provide shade, shelter, ornamental features in a landscape, and a place to rest...
s, access ramps to the Caribbean SeaCaribbean SeaThe Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
, and associated illumination.
This project complemented the recently inaugurated tourist pier in the nearby Port of Ponce, and which saw an investment of $4 million.
Funding
The Complex was developed by the Department of Community and Economic Development of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce at a cost of $18.6 million. The breakdown of the cost included $3.6 million in the acquisition of the Paseo Tablado La GuanchaPaseo Tablado La Guancha
The La Guancha Boardwalk is a boardwalk in the La Guancha sector of the La Playa barrio in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico, facing the Caribbean Sea and built under the administration of Rafael Cordero Santiago, Mayor of Ponce from 1989 to 2004, at a cost of 2.6 million dollars. It was inaugurated...
, 6.5 million in the purchase of over 27 acres (109,265.2 m²) of land, $8.0 million in the construction of the project, $0.2 million for the bidding process, and $0.3 million for the upgrade of PR-12 (Avenida Santiago de los Caballeros) as infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
leading to the new complex.