Manteca is in the hunt for up to eight gateway signs to let people know when they have entered into the city while at the same time creating a “brand”.

What the signs will look like or even cost is anyone’s guess for right now. It may become a little clearer after the Jan. 7 deadline for firms submit their proposals on how they would help Manteca design either standard monument signs or secondary minor gateway signs with a vertical orientation.

The actual request for proposals does not put a dollar limit on how much the city is willing to spend. Instead it is asking for proposals to include an estimate for design services for two versions for major and minor gateway signs plus samples of previous work.

The city would like to see the signs dovetail into the 46 wayfaring signs in deep blue, burgundy and white that were installed around Manteca early this year to help direct visitors to various attractions.

The eight primary gateway sign locations include one each on Airport Way, Union Road, and Main street just north of the 120 Bypass;  one facing eastbound Yosemite Avenue traffic at the tracks by the ACE station, one facing eastbound Louise Avenue traffic across form the Manteca Unified School District office complex, one facing eastbound Lathrop Road traffic at a point  east of Airport Way, one facing westbound Yosemite Avenue traffic west of the Highway 99 interchange, and one on North Main Street south of Northgate Drive.

Alternative locations include Main Street at Lathrop Road and near Main Street at Moffat Boulevard.

The city has one “gateway” monument sign in place already that reads “Manteca” facing southbound Highway 99 traffic as part of the Lathrop Road interchange. Caltrans restricts the design and how “busy” the wording can be of such signs within their right-of-way to minimize driver distractions.

Manteca will have the opportunity for two more such signs — one at the McKinley Avenue interchange for eastbound 120 Bypass and one for northbound Highway 99 at Austin Road when new interchanges are completed at those locations.

During an April council meeting, Mayor Ben Cantu was dismissive of a staff proposal to spend $6,125 on the gateway designs that back then were envisioned to be similar in design and construction to the 46 wayfaring signs secured by spending $51,900.

“. . .  those little signs there might work great in Ripon and it might work great in Lathrop but in a community of 82,000 that’s trying to project a little bit of wealth and a little bit of good quality of life, I’m afraid that doesn’t do it.” Cantu said in April.

Cantu said the city needed to spend some money for signs at six or seven locations.

“I’m not talking about $7,000,” Cantu said in April. “I’m talking about some money for a substantial sign that says welcome to Manteca. I’m not in favor of doing any of this unless we do it right.”

Cantu made it clear he didn’t want to do what Ripon or Lathrop has done.

“This is Manteca, this is not Ripon, this is not Lathrop,” Cantu said. “If you’re going to do a sign and then you want it to stand out make it stand out saying this is our town.  That little blue sign is going to get lost. You’re not going to see it.”

 Cantu said the similar sign that Lathrop has to what municipal staff was proposing earlier this year doesn’t do Manteca’s neighboring city justice.

“When I drive off of I-5 into Lathrop and I see that little tiny sign at that intersection I hope someday that some truck rolls right over it,” Cantu said at the time. “It doesn’t reflect the quality of that community,”

The council ended up directing staff to return at a future date with cost estimates on the larger signs that led to the issuance of requests for proposals in November.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecablletin.com