2025
Harris oversaw the delivery of the City of Gonzales Community Center Complex, the City’s largest vertical construction project to date, with a total Phase 1 construction value of approximately $28 million. The project was delivered through a Design-Build partnership on a 3.5-acre City-owned site and was planned in two phases. Harris provided comprehensive program and construction management services for Phase 1, which established the foundation for a multi-generational civic campus supporting learning, creativity, and community connection.
Phase 1 included construction of Building A, a 10,000-square-foot facility housing the new Monterey County Free Libraries Gonzales Branch, a Teen Innovation Center and Lounge, and City of Gonzales office space, along with extensive site improvements. These improvements included a central courtyard with an outdoor amphitheater, new driveway and parking facilities, electric vehicle charging stations, landscaping, and pedestrian-oriented gathering spaces. Designed as part of a two-building “C-shaped” campus, the project created a seamless connection between the surrounding residential neighborhood and adjacent Gonzales Unified School District elementary, middle, and high school campuses.
Core Elements
As the City’s first major vertical civic facility of this scale, the project presented unique challenges related to funding, procurement, and regulatory compliance. Harris actively managed these complexities while supporting the City through evolving federal requirements tied to project financing.
Key elements of Harris’ scope included:
- Oversight of Design-Build delivery for Phase 1, including Building A and all supporting sitework
- Coordination with the City, Design-Build team, Monterey County Free Libraries, and utility providers
- Management of Build America, Buy America Act (BABAA) compliance associated with a $9.8 million USDA loan, including applicable De Minimis, Small Grants, and Minor Components waivers
- Tracking and documentation of domestic material sourcing to meet BABAA thresholds amid limited U.S.-manufactured material availability
- Support for contractors and subcontractors navigating BABAA certification and compliance processes
- Adaptation of compliance strategies in response to evolving USDA guidance
- Oversight of long-lead procurement items, including main switchgear with a 60-week lead time
- Coordination with PG&E that resulted in permanent power installation ahead of schedule
Despite procurement and regulatory challenges, Harris supported successful coordination of permanent power, with switchgear ordered in June 2024, delivered in July 2025, and permanent power established in August 2025—approximately one month earlier than anticipated.
Beyond the Blueprints
The Gonzales Community Center represented more than a single facility—it established a model for future civic development in Gonzales. Harris’ work on the project helped the City navigate federal funding requirements, complex procurement environments, and first-of-their-kind compliance obligations, while delivering a highly visible community asset. The processes, documentation, and lessons learned through Phase 1 directly informed Phase 2, which included a planned Community Hall pending additional funding, and future City-led capital improvement initiatives. The Gonzales Community Center was the recipient of the 2026 Public Works Project of the Year Award in the Structures category by the American Public Works Association (APWA) Monterey Bay Chapter.
