Radio Bilingüe, the national radio network based in Fresno, will move into the old Central Valley Cheese building. With a planned $10 million renovation, the station group plans to transform the location into a public media and cultural center.

“This will be a place that (will meet our) needs, sustaining our local, state and national programing into the future and to be a welcoming space for Latino families and opportunity for training youth in the art of radio,” Radio Bilingüe founder and executive director Hugo Morales said at a Thursday afternoon news conference at the site.

The 12,000-square-foot building — located in the South Tower neighborhood at the corner of Belmont and Roosevelt avenues — has been vacant since the early 1990s.

The facility will serve as Radio Bilingüe’s new home, as well as a town hall space and cultural center, officials said.

Producers Dairy owns the building. CEO Scott Shehadey said his company will donate the facility and contribute funds for the renovation.

“We are excited to see this project move forward and excited to see how it’s going to benefit the local community,” Shehadey said. He said the company is still determining how much it will contribute to the project.

Taxpayers to Help Fund

Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula, D-Fresno, secured $2 million in state taxpayer funds. More may come from the city of Fresno.

“It’s for community. So it’ll improve their building. And I think it’ll also increase the value of the communities that live here,” Arambula’s district director Maria Lemus told GV Wire.

The nonprofit California Endowment will also contribute $1 million, Morales said.

Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias said the city is investing $5 million to improve landscaping in the Belmont corridor. More could come to Radio Bilingüe, in the same manner the city has contributed to other museums and cultural centers. Money could come from Measure P, the sales tax dedicated to parks and community facilities.

“We’ve also made significant investments in organizations that provide cultural arts activities that enrich the city. And we intend to continue doing that,” Arias said.

Arias estimated it could take one year to complete environmental assessments, and one year to construct.

City Said No on Expanding in 2018

In 2018, the Fresno City Council put the brakes on a plan for Producers Dairy to demolish the building and use it for a 24-hour truck operation. Neighbors complained about the potential environmental impacts.

Some trucks remain parked at the Central Valley Cheese parking lot.

Shehadey says they are still looking where to relocate those vehicles.

“We’ve been searching for a long-term parking solution for quite a long time. And so we’re working through what that’s going to be. But in the meantime, we’ve been looking at what could this property become. And so we’re excited about this partnership,” he said.