The Verde Village Community Connection held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Verde Villages’ renovated Community Hall, located at 4855 Broken Saddle Drive in Verde Village Unit 5, on Wednesday, May 28.
VVCC President Aislinn Maldonado said that the renovation, which included new floors, walls and doors, cost $25,000 out of the group’s annual budget of $40,000. She said that she felt something had to be done about the terracotta walls and yellow lights.
The COVID-19 pandemic response “did a great job of dividing us and I wanted a safe place for people to gettogether, to connect and live in friendship and community,” Maldonado said, calling the renovations an investment in the heart of the small community.
“This is by far the most progressive leap forward this organization has had in quite some time. The passion and dedication of the volunteers is the most remarkable part of this endeavor. We envision this space as a place where people can connect, celebrate, learn and grow together.”
Last year, the VVCC Community Hall hosted over 50 events, including parties, business meetings, a local homeschooling group and hula classes as well as VVCC events such as meetings, dinners and a variety show.
Maldonado said she envisioned the space would continue to be used for weddings, birthdays, quinceañeras and some jiujitsu classes in the hall over the summer.
VVCC’s annual luau is also scheduled for the end of June.“ Nobody wants to host things in their homes anymore, it’s so stressful and hard,” Maldonado said. Verde Valley Chamber of Commerce Director of Member Services Jamie Burrus, a Cornville resident, said that she knew many people who had used the space in the past for events and approved of the renovations.“
This is a really nice space and now that it’s refreshed it looks great,” Burrus said. Maldonado said pricing to rent the space can be negotiated with VVCC depending on the renters’ budgets.
