The next restaurant that could locate in Manteca might just be a head turner.
Bass Pro Shops is evaluating the possiblity of adding a restaurant to its Promenade Shops at Orchard Valley store. A seafood restaurant — the firm’s Islamorada Fish Company — had been originally proposed but Bass Pro opted to drop it when final plans were submitted for the Manteca store that opened in October 2008.
The possibility of a restaurant in Manteca comes on the heels of Bass Pro Shops opening stores in San Jose and in Rocklin just east of Roseville on the Interstate 80 corridor
Bass Pro’s only other California store in Rancho Cucamonga has an Islamorada’s Fish Co. restaurant.
Other restaurants that Bass Pro operates in conjunction with their stores are Hemmingway’s Blue Water Café, White River Fish House, Blue Fin Lounge, Zane Grey Long Key Lounge, Uncle Buck’s Grill, Uncle Buck’s Brewery & Steakhouse, and Uncle Buck’s Fish Bowl & Grill.

Lower speed limit
for part of Woodward
Tired of speeding traffic on Woodward Avenue between Airport Way and Union Road?
At Manteca Mayor Steve DeBrum’s request, the Public Works Department did a speed survey and came up with results that will allow them in the coming months to legally lower the speed limit from 45 mph to 40 mph.
The advent of more homes with driveways on Woodward Avenue got most people to take their foot off the gas and drive as if they are going through a neighborhood. A few, however, pushed the envelope often going as fast as 55 mph.
Because the radar caught enough going closer to 40 mph to make it the 85th percentile speed, the city can legally lower the speed rate and still use radar to ticket those with lead foots.
Public Works Director Mark Houghton said the speed change will come back to the council in the coming months.

Get ready for the
State of Manteca
Sometime in the coming 12 months, Manteca may have its first ever State of the City event.
Manteca Mayor Steve DeBrum wants staff to plan such an event so residents and business people can have the opportunity to hear first-hand what the city is up to, the city’s vision, what has been accomplished, and challenges facing the community.
Cities such as Turlock and Tracy often tie the State of the City address in with a breakfast or lunch.
Tracy conducts its State of the City address at the Grand Theatre. The appropriate locale in Manteca likely would be the Transit Station.
Speaking of the state of the city, DeBrum during Thursday’s budget workshop noted that – as far as he was concerned — the top three issues facing the city are, in descending order, public safety, the homeless and potholes.

Mayor: Limit council
members on One
Voice trip to two
In the who-is-minding-the-store department: Mayor Steve DeBrum on Thursday made a pitch for the Manteca City Council to develop a policy restricting the number of council members that could attend future San Joaquin County One Voice lobbying trips to Washington, D.C., to just two council members.
DeBrum argued it wasn’t good public policy  to force the cancellation of a regularly scheduled council meeting in April when all five council members — including himself — jetted off to DC. It takes at least three council members to conduct a meeting. This was the first year more than two council members have participated in the trip.
The mayor conceded there was a benefit to city’s residents for council members to have direct face-to-face time with federal staff that crafts regulations that can prove expensive to Manteca residents such as flood insurance to point out issues. But he added the axing of budget earmarks limits the money that cities such as Manteca can seek.

Manteca’s new
city clerk starts
Wednesday was the first day on the job for Lisa Blackmon.
Blackmon is Manteca’s new city clerk. She replaced Joan Tilton who retired after 36 years with the city including her last 32 years as city clerk.
Her previous post was a deputy city clerk for the City of Napa.
Blackmon, her  husband and two sons, ages  5 and  13,  have already moved to the  City of Manteca.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com