The City of Gonzales will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for phase one of its community center on Saturday, April 27.
The Dennis & Janice Caprara Community Center Complex is 23,000-square-foot project. It will be built on city-owned property at Gavilan Court and Fifth Street near Fairview Middle School. The space will include a teen innovation center and amphitheater, a Monterey County Free Libraries branch (the library will relocate from Gonzales Shopping Center) and more.
The second phase of the project includes a community hall, meeting rooms, fitness center and commercial kitchen.
Otto Construction and WRNS Studio will be in charge of construction and design.
The project has an estimated cost of $35 million. The city has enough funds for phase one including $5 million from state funds, $1.8 million from the county, and a $10 million capital campaign (the city has raised $6.6 million so far).
The groundbreaking ceremony will include elected officials from the federal, state and local levels including Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, Senator Anna Caballero and Supervisor Luis Alejo and members of Gonzales Youth Council. The ceremony begins at 1pm.
Phase 1's construction will begin in May and is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.