New community center in Gonzales to provide unique opportunities for youth

GONZALES, Calif. (KION) The Gonzales community is looking forward to May of 2022, which will mark the beginning of the process of clearing a designated area for its brand new community center.

The facility will cater to Gonzales's youth - which makes up more than 30% of the town's population. Gonzales Mayor Jose Rios says that the community center will provide a safe place for young citizens to collaborate, study, socialize and recreate.

Opportunities for extracurricular activities are especially important in smaller towns like Gonzales, community volunteer Emily Rios says, because kids in these communities are oftentimes deprived of the opportunities that may be available to them in larger cities - things like theater productions, which Rios coordinates within Gonzales. "You know, it's a great place to raise kids. But you're a bit landlocked; we are 20 minutes away from Salinas. There aren't really any other theater programs unless you drive your kids to Monterey or Salinas or somewhere else like that. So a lot of the kids miss out on these opportunities unless the city or the school district provides it," Rios said.

Theater is just one of the programs that will be made more readily available to Gonzales youth through the community center, which is scheduled to break ground next summer. "This is a big project. So 2024 is when we'll cut the ribbon and say, 'Come on in!'" said the Mayor.

In total, the cost of the project tops out at a hefty thirty million dollars - five million of which was provided by the state of California. The remainder is funded by Measure X - a Gonzales tax that it was unanimously decided would go toward the new community center.

According to both Rios and the Mayor, one of the largest advantages of the new facility is its proximity to La Gloria Elementary and Fairview Middle schools in Gonzales.