Manteca High — arguably the least secure high school campus in the Manteca Unified district before modernization work started two years ago under Measure M — is poised to become even safer.
The next phase of work using Measure A bond proceeds starting in 2023 plus a project to renovate the football stadium will complete efforts to place wrought-iron fencing — and in some areas a masonry wall — around the perimeter of the 102-year-old campus.
It will reduce the number of entry points to the campus by more than half down to four.
It also will eliminate the ease in which the homeless in the past have cut through cyclone fencing to take shortcuts to reach sleeping/camping spots they staked out along the eastern side of the campus near Lincoln Park. In the past they have also been able to use such access to sleep on and under the bleachers and even on roofs of classrooms.
And to address the vexing problem of student safety going to and from school as well as speeding on Moffat Boulevard, the district may explore the possibility of a traffic signal at the Sherman Avenue and Moffat Boulevard intersection with the City of Manteca as well as the San Joaquin Rail Commission.
The opportunity for a signal arises from a project the rail commission is pursing in the coming year to add parking for 150 plus vehicles at the Manteca transit station for the start of ACE train passenger service in 2023. That parking lot expansion will be directly across from Manteca High.
The main entrance and exit could tie into Sherman Avenue.
Thanks to a one-way student drop-off system now in place, cars and buses entering the school parking lot and drop-off via Buffalo Way (Garfield Avenue) use Sherman Avenue to turn left or right onto Moffat Boulevard
Both Sherman Avenue and Garfield Avenue intersect with Moffat at a severe angle. As such, it reduces the visibility for vehicles turning left or right onto Moffat.
Aarons Bowers, the district’s Director of Facilities & Operations, said he’d like to float the idea with the city and rail commission.
The city made similar arrangements years ago when the current student parking lot was redone at East Union High to align with Sprague Street where it meets Union Road. The parking lot entrance/exit was realigned to allow Lancer Way to tie into the traffic signals.
Traffic from commuter trains, school departure and after-school events such as basketball and football games are expected to overlap adding to safety concerns along Moffat Boulevard.
Moffat Boulevard is also the longest stretch of a key street — arterial, connector or otherwise — in the center of the city without a controlled intersection.
As such speeds along the mile of Moffat between Main Street and Spreckels Avenue often exceed the posted 45 mph speed limit.
The city is exploring options such as a three-way stop at Powers Avenue.
They are working with the district to possibly modify the Sherman and Garfield intersections with roundabouts or stop signs as well as perhaps eliminate street parking by the high school to avoid creating safety hazards with parents picking up students.
Bowers noted an option especially with signals at Sherman, would be to physically force a right turn onto Moffat from Garfield.
Wrought iron fencing, though more expensive than chain link, lasts longer and is significantly more difficult to breach.
The district is installing wrought iron fencing along with brick pillars ever so often to dress up the aesthetics and to mirror the campus look.
They dropped the idea of masonry walls along the street side of the campus to allow police and other passing by to see onto the campus.
As the same time, they have gone with low level landscaping to eliminate the creation of hiding places.
It is why they nixed a masonry wall to hide the trash compactor installed at the corner of Sherman and Moffat. Had they done that they would have created a chance that the homeless could somehow breach that area and hide from view.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
