Speaking of dog parks, there is a council adopted by the Manteca City Council — well, at least a previous council.

In 2007, the council adopted the northeast corner of the 52-acre Woodward Park for a dog park. The theory was there were stately sycamores in place for shade, grass, plus part of the fencing. The Parks and Recreation Commission in their master plan for Woodward Park adopted in the summer of 2007 tossed in a large shaded structure to bring the total cost for a dog park up to $250,261.

The dog park plan as adopted by the Parks and Recreation Commission calls for 24,000 square feet or a half acre for large dogs and 13,500 square feet or a third of an acre for small dogs with a double entry gate. Council directed staff to work on a proposal to place a $1 surcharge on dog licenses to help defray the estimated $15,000 annual park maintenance cost.

 It should be noted the current proposed site isn’t nearly as large.

A reader suggested the Manteca Golf Course Park fronting Union Road near the Parks and Recreation corporation yard. There are plenty of trees, nearby parking, and the grass isn’t used much at all. All it would need is fencing, benches, trash cans, and a water fountain for humans and dogs added.

It’s kind of an ironic suggestion as that was the first site suggested when the Dog owners Group of Manteca first started pushing for a dog park in 2001.

And for laughs, it should be noted the Woodward Park site wasn’t the first adopted location for a dog park. It was the grass area rest of the Manteca Senior Center by council action in 2003.

Perhaps that is why the council used the term “conceptual” site this time around. Who knows, maybe the third time is a charm?