Downtown Manteca has lots of potential

Big potential for downtown Manteca

 

We are power washing pavers and such several times a year that have not been power washed for 20 years.

 

In recent years, downtown has become one gigantic flophouse for homeless people.

 

Manteca City park crews along with community service officers are becoming increasingly successful in eliminating traces of the homeless. Those who remain at 2 a.m. sleeping in downtown spots are quickly removed after sunset.

 

Likewise, trash is no exception.

 

Lights strung across Maple Avenue as well as around the decorative street light poles have given downtown a different atmosphere at night.

 

More public art will be added to the murals in the near future.

 

You also see things that seem hopeless. Sycamore Arms, a two-story building on Yosemite and Sycamore that is devastated by fire.

 

It has taken the city years to improve the building using the tools available in its code enforcement toolbox. Due to the fact that it is a legal process, it takes time. In the end, however, they started the grunt work and committed to a solution.

 

Rethinking public places is also part of the process. Changing perception, drawing more people downtown, and focusing on reality instead of fantasy are all the goals.

 

It is possible to repurpose Wilson Park as a dog park for the most part, instead of having it used for homeless people and little else.

 

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.

 

Yes, this is being done so that the homeless who have commandeered it from the start will not have a protected gathering spot in downtown. Various columns can be written about the advantages and disadvantages of such an action.

 

In truth, having a gazebo for concerts and such within 50 feet of the tracks where more than 4 dozen trains rumble past at 50 mph or more every hour was never an excellent idea.

 

For the Manteca park to attract more visitors, the city is partnering with the private sector.

 

Choosing to eliminate overnight encampments in the library courtyard by securing it with wrought iron fencing can have positive collateral effects.

 

As well as providing fresh air in the afternoon, the courtyard now has outdoor seating where patrons can read under the shade.

 

It is now time for those who dedicate their lives to earning a living downtown to pitch in and form a united front to make the central district a more inviting and secure place.

 

In addition, the outcome may be the creation and ongoing maintenance of a website like many other downtowns have, which tells the world about the offerings and activities that take place there.

 

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 call this home, especially those from San Jose, Tracy, Stockton and Manteca who spend $30 for specialized cultural concerts at The Veranda, those eating Sunday breakfast alfresco at Franks, or those meeting with friends at Brethren Brewing.

 

There has never been a more lively death.

 

The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect those of 209 Multimedia or The Bulletin. At dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com, you can reach him

High Quality Fence
https://highqualityfence.com/
(209) 815-9015

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