Manteca's downtown has big potential
Big potential for downtown Manteca
Power washing is done several times a year on pavers that haven't been power washed for 20 years.
Downtown is no longer filled with homeless people living in one huge flophouse.
As city park crews work with community service officers, homeless people sleeping in downtown spots at 2 a.m. are barely visible after sunrise.
As for trash, it's the same.
The string of lights wrapped around the decorative poles and strung across the 100 block of Maple Avenue have given downtown a different feel at night.
Public art continues to flourish with more murals on the way.
It's also possible to see things that seem hopeless. The Sycamore Arms, a two-story structure on North Yosemite and Sycamore Avenues, is closed and fire damaged.
Using the tools in its code enforcement box, the city has been improving the building for a long time. Being a legal matter, it takes time. There is a light at the end of the tunnel because they committed to a solution and started grunt work.
They are also rethinking public spaces. A change of perception, an increase in downtown traffic, and a focus on reality rather than fantasy are the goals.
A dog park would be a great use for Manteca Wilson Park, which has been primarily used by the homeless over the years.
The Library Park gazebo put in place just over a decade ago as a new and better version of the gazebo Antone Raymus gifted to the community that served as the site of countless summer concerts, other events and even weddings is being moved to another park where it can fulfil its potentials.
The homeless who have commandeered it from day one as a hangout are being kept from having a gathering place in downtown which protects them from the elements. This topic can be discussed in many columns.
There is no doubt that having a gazebo for concerts and such within 50 feet of railroad tracks that have at least four dozen trains rumbling by every 24 hours at 50 mph or more was never a brilliant idea.
As part of the city's effort to bring people to the Manteca park, the private sector is being employed.
It is beneficial to homeless proof a city, such as the city did when it secured the library courtyard with wrought iron fencing to the end overnight encampments.
In the daytime, patrons can sit outside in shade and enjoy fresh air in the courtyard.
With this week's vote, those who have invested time and money into making a living in downtown are closer to banding together to make the central district more secure and inviting.
The outcome may be an ongoing website that tells the world about what the downtown offers and what it offers to visitors just like many other downtowns do.
In the end, downtown is most problematic because it is telling the wrong story.
Its not Pleasanton. Its Manteca.
And while it is not the center of all things Manteca as it was a century ago or the main retail hub as it was during the 1960s and 1970s before the advent of Kmart and then Walmart and Target, it is still very much alive.
Many locals come from Manteca, San Jose, Tracy, and Stockton to attend special concerts at The Veranda, to eat Sunday breakfast al fresco at Franks, or to meet friends at Brethren Brewing.
The process of dying has never been more exciting.
Neither The Bulletin nor 209 Multimedia are responsible for the opinions expressed in this column. You can reach him at dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
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