Press Releases
City of Gonzales is Holding a Groundbreaking Ceremony for Phase One of the Dennis & Janice Caprara Community Center
Congresswoman Lofgren, Senator Caballero, and Supervisor Alejo are scheduled to speak
On Saturday, April 27, 2024 at 1:00pm the City of Gonzales is holding a groundbreaking ceremony for Phase 1 of the Dennis & Janice Caprara Community Center Complex.
The groundbreaking will be held at Gabilan Court and 5th Street. Elected officials including Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, Senator Anna Caballero, and Supervisor Luis Alejo will speak at the ceremony along with Gonzales city leadership, staff, and members of the Gonzales Youth Council. The Gonzales High School band will also perform.
The Dennis & Janice Caprara Community Center Complex will be constructed on a city-owned parcel just east of Fairview Middle School. The entire project is being built in two phases by the design/build team of Otto Construction and WRNS Studio. Phase 1 includes the library, Taylor Farms Teen Innovation Center, restrooms, staff office, courtyard with amphitheater, and parking lot with landscaping. Phase 2 includes the community hall, fitness center, meeting rooms, and a commercial kitchen. Construction for phase 1 is scheduled to begin in May 2024 and be completed in December 2025.
The estimated budget for the entire project is $34.8 million. The city has the funding to build phase 1, which includes Measure X sales tax funds, $1.8 million from Monterey County for the library and $5 million Senator Anna Caballero secured for the teen center. Since 2022 the city has been actively engaged in a $10 million dollar capital campaign to raise money for the project. To date the city has raised over $6.6 million dollars in pledges and donations.
About City of Gonzales
The city of Gonzales, California is located in Monterey County. The quaint and culturally diverse community of approximately 9,000 people is in the heart of the Salinas Valley’s agricultural and wine region. Gonzales is an established regional leader in agricultural-technology and innovation, environmental awareness and sustainable practices. Gonzales is home to companies such as HealthySoil, which manufactures products to improve agricultural crop production; Converted Organics, a natural fertilizer company; Taylor Farms, a fresh vegetable production facility, Mann Packing/Del Monte Fresh, a leading supplier of fresh cut vegetables; Ramsay Highlander, an innovator, designer and manufacturer of technologically-advanced harvesting equipment; Papé Equipment Handling, Braga Fresh, Green Valley Farm Supply, Tessemae’s, American Bioscience, Caraccioli Cellars, and Constellation Brands, an international producer and marketer of beer, wine and spirits.