Recreation & Community Services is the last Manteca municipal department that provides direct services to city residents that is still operating with staff levels lower than before the start of the Great Recession in 2008.

It is why city driven community events and recreation programming is not as brisk as in Tracy, a city of comparable size and growth challenges.

Manteca today as it approaches  94,000 residents has five full time dedicated to recreation programming. That compares to seven when Manteca had a population of 66,000 some 17 years ago.

Manteca — based on the park masterplan adopted in 2018 — also lacks adequate facilities for more robust recreation offerings.

Among the deficiencies are:

*another major community park of at least 50 acres to accommodate more multi-use playing fields and other recreational pursuits.

*a community center for recreational programming for classes running the gamut from dance and music to art as well as for us by community-based hobby-style interest groups.

*an aquatics center.

Addressing city’s old & new park facilities 

The next big thing in park facilities being done on the city’s dime is purchasing land for — and initial development of — a new community park in north Manteca just past Del Webb along Union Road.

But at the same time Manteca is looking at investing in existing community park facilities to help meet the growing demand.

It is why the development of capital improvement plans for existing facilities along with strategies to implement them is among municipal goals in the fiscal year starting July 1.

The city will look at aging recreation families such as Woodward Community Park, Northgate Community Park, Lincoln Community Park, the tennis center along Union Road  as well as the golf clubhouse to address needs.

An example is upgrading the multi-use playing field at Northgate to help take pressure off of Woodward Park as noted by Brandy Clark, the city’s Recreation & Community Services Manager.

Northgate Park is where the city’s first sensory playground designed for use by autistic children and others is planned.

Partial funding has already been identified using pass through federal American Recovery Program Act funds.

Woodward Park is where the city will start construction this year of a large interactive water play feature along with new restrooms.

Basketball court lighting is also being added.

That said, the park has other areas that could be developed with recreational facilities, which is what a capital improvement plan would address.

In the past,  there had been talk of possibly adding tennis courts, a small amphitheater with stage, and even baseball fields to Woodward Park.

Lincoln, by far the smallest of the city’s three existing community parks, has a lighted baseball diamond, larger playground area, group picnic shelter, and a swimming pool.

Adding additional recreational facilities on the 5 acre site would be limited.

But there are issues related to existing facilities including Lincoln Pool.

Lincoln Pool that presents a dilemma of sort the city needs to deal with sooner or later.

A study connected with the masterplan noted wear and tear issues will need to be addressed. At the same time, it’s footprint is inadequate for modern-day swim programming.

An aquatics center, should it happen, is a long way off.

The  study indicated that an aquatics center alone might not be adequate to address desired aquatics programming based on Manteca’s growth.

Keeping the pool operational and safe until an aquatics center is built is an issue.

But what is the Lincoln Pool’s role, if any, in city recreational programming if an aquatics center is built?

It is one of the reasons why the capital improvement plan for aging facilities will be tied into the city master plan for new facilities.

Recreation events in the coming months

Music on Maple will be returning to downtown this year.

There will also be movies in the park events.

The park palooza is being shifted to September to take advantage of cooler weather in order to increase attendance.

Food trucks will be at all of the events.

The city will not be having a farmers market for the second year downtown.

That said, Clark is hoping the start of the community garden adjacent to the Center Street tennis courts will create synergy to be able to bring the farmers market back to downtown.

Clark also noted the city is working on a mural project for the side of the container box places north of the tennis courts for use by the non-profit operating the community garden.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com