Manteca’s Ben Cantu has an idea he plans to pitch to his council colleagues: naming a stretch of Garfield Avenue that starts at Moffat Boulevard and will end in a roundabout near the new gym as “Buffalo Way”.

He believes it will be the perfect touch to help celebrate Manteca High’s centennial next year.

It might just get a little traction. Cantu is a Manteca High graduate as is Councilman Dave Breitenbucher who is bit younger. Cantu and Breitenbucher have other things in common including the fact they can say they have lived in the same house. Breitenbucher now lives in the Powers Tract home on Yolo Street that Cantu grew up in and lived in when he attended Manteca High.

Not only is he a 1969 alumnus but he is also the only one of Manteca’s directly elected mayors — voters started selecting the mayor in 1980 that graduated from Manteca High or even attended Manteca Unified schools.

Renaming the segment of Garfield Avenue as “Buffalo Way” would be doable as there are no other addresses along the segment. Precession Automotive that can be accessed from the segment has a Moffat Boulevard address.

Making Cantu’s suggestion all the much sweeter is that the segment of Garfield Avenue once the current modernization and campus expansion is compeleted will serve as the main entrance for students and all after-school activities.  It leads to the roundabout that will have the new gym on one side, the existing big gym a short walk up a planned prominade for the segment to Garfield Avenue the city has abandoned to allow the campus expansion and increased security to be put in place, and the football stadium and baseball field along with what will be the new softball field on the other side.

Cantu noted there is a protocol the city has that would need to be followed whether the moniker “way” could be used.

There is already a Lancers Way at the student parking lot entrance to East Union High directly across from Sprague Street. The city even placed a “Lancers Way” sign on the traffic signal arm.

In Lathrop, the city named the public streets accessing Lathrop High as Spartan Way.

Although Cantu didn’t suggest it, the city could place the name of all of the high school mascots on city streets. Thomas Street could be easily renamed “Timberwolves Way” to mark Sierra High’s 25th anniversary school year.

That’s because the only address on Thomas Street is Sierra High that could easily phase out stationery and other items with the address on it so they could be located at 1700 Timberwolves Way.

The odds are the boosters group at Manteca High would be willing to spring for the new street sign at Moffat and “Buffalo Way” as would the Sierra High boosters for the three street signs that would need to be changed from Thomas Street to Timberwolves Way. 

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com