Manteca hit a milestone three month ago when the city completed its 63rd park facility.
Charles O. Palmer Jr. Memorial Park — named in honor of the first Manteca resident to die in the Global War on Terror — was installed as part of the Oleander Estates project where Raymus Homes is building the Raceway collection in southwest Manteca.
It includes separate tots and children’s playground areas, a half basketball court, picnic tables, benches, security lighting and an expansive lighting area.
It is one of a growing number of new neighborhood parks where nearby homeowners and not the city general fund will foot the bill for ongoing maintenance. It is included in a community facilities district along with upkeep for sound walls and common landscaping maintenance.
Palmer Memorial Park solidifies Manteca’s position as the “park leader” among Northern San Joaquin Valley communities. Manteca has 63 parks or one for every 1,142 residents. That compares to Modesto with 75 parks or one park for every 2,720 residents and Stockton with 66 parks or one park per every 4,378 residents.
Modesto with 204,000 residents has two golf courses in addition to 500 plus acres of park turf and eight lighted ballfields. Manteca with 72,000 residents has one golf course, 400 plus acres of park turf and 15 lighted ballfields (including soccer fields) plus an indoor soccer arena.
One of Manteca’s lighted baseball fields — Morezone Field — is undergoing a rehab project and is being reconfigured for youth baseball play such as at the senior division level for the community’s three Little League organizations.
The city is currently installing exercise stations at Woodward Park.
Manteca is also preparing to renovate the group picnic area at Lincoln Park. It will include a new shade structure, concrete flooring, and lighting, drinking foundations and Americans with Disabilities Act improvements to the restrooms.
Other projects getting underway this year is new playground equipment for Doxey, Yosemite, and Crestwood parks. Work will start in March. New play features will include slides, climbers, interactive panels, spinning rides, and other features. It will also entail additional picnic tables, benches, and security lighting.
