There will be no dog wash kiosks at Woodward Park or the Civic Center dog park.

City Manager Toni Lundgren, who deep-sixed the idea, cited concerns about high maintenance demands that the kiosks that sell for roughly $40,000 apiece require.

“It’s similar to maintenance work that car washes require,” Lundgren said.

Having the units in city parks would consume an inordinate amount of time for park maintenance crews that are already stretched thin to handle and would take away from other pressing tasks.

Mayor Gary Singh — who along with then Councilman Jose Nuno in November 2023 opted to set aside a portion of their respective share of pass-through federal COVID relief funds to allocate — concurred with Lundgren’s decision.

Under the resolution adopted by the council 14 months ago, Lundgren was given the authority to transfer funds earmarked for various projects with the COVID money if a specific project wasn’t deemed feasible.

Lundgren committed the dog wash kiosk funds to a community garden project also tagged to receive COVID relief funding.

If she had not done so, the city would have had to return the money to the federal government if they did not go ahead with the dog wash project the council had committed to.

The city is working with the non-profit Urban Green Project to develop a community garden on a large swath of grass area along Sycamore Avenue on the west side of the Center Street tennis courts.

“It is a large grass area the city maintains that gets no use,” Lundgren said.

It also already has irrigation lines in place.

The addition of fencing and other improvements would allow the establishment of community garden plots.

Lundgren said there is also the possibility in the future that the community garden could be expanded onto the vacant parcel directly north of the tennis courts.

The city owns the land that  once had a building that was torn down in the early 1990s that was used as the community’s Scout Hut.

City will suggest new car wash

developers add pet washing kiosks

Manteca may still see dog wash kiosks that typically carry a $15 charge for 20 minutes.

Lundgren said the city’s community development staff will approach those that have car wash projects already proposed to consider adding a dog wash kiosk.

The kiosks have proven popular at Tractor Supply Stores in the Midwest as well as at urban locations throughout the country given the fact apartment dwellers have limited ability to wash dogs.

There are government agencies in California that have deployed them in parks — primarily beaches along the coast and SoCal hiking trails that allow dogs.

In such areas, owners wanting to clean their dogs up before returning home with them in their cars are the targeted customers.

Several apartment projects moving forward in Manteca will include dog wash areas for residents that aren’t as elaborate as the kiosks.

Singh was intrigued with the dog wash kiosk when he saw it at the International Shopping Center Conference in Las Vegas in May of 2023.

He thought it would be an ideal amenity for the growing number of Manteca residents that are dog owners.

Singh envisioned the revenue derived from the dog wash kiosks not only helping fund maintenance and power costs for the dog washes but would also help fund other recreational projects in the parks they are placed.

 But after Lundgren’s research, he agreed it wouldn’t be a wise acquisition for the city.

The closest All Paws Pet Wash locations to Manteca are San Jose, Rancho Cordova, Merced, and Fairfield.

 The All Paws Pet Wash kiosk are 8 by 13 feet with  climate controlled with air conditioning and heater.

A coin and bill acceptor is built into the kiosk with an optional credit card reader available. It can be accessorized with a treat-stocked vending machine to reward pets after a wash.

It includes a soap dispenser and fur dryer among other features.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com