The exclusive negotiating agreement with a private sector concern interested in leasing Library Park to create a food court using mostly refurbished truck containers and some food trucks expired Tuesday.
City Manager Toni Lundgren said there is one last meeting planned to determine if the endeavor is feasible as proposed with the biggest issue being financing.
If that doesn’t make the case for the city to go with the food court concept, the city will start exploring other options.
Mayor Gary Singh said the council has made it a priority to find ways to not just encourage more community use of the park that started to drop off after a $1.4 million renovation and expansion was completed in 2012 when homeless numbers started to rise in Manteca.
Because homeless were hanging out in Library Park and nearby Wilson Park in growing numbers, people who attended events at Library Park perceived it as not being safe and less inviting with the homeless around.
It is why the weekly farmers market that had operated on Thursday evenings along with live music and food vendors eventually pulled out. Attendance numbers were dropping with many of those asked why they weren’t attending citing the homeless.
Lundgren pointed out the issue of homeless congregating with camping gear and such in the park has been significantly reduced.
That is attributed to the city:
*using community resource officers to work with the homeless to get them off the street while addressing quality of life issues the homeless create.
*establishment of an emergency shelter and services at 555 Industrial Park Drive.
*aggressive efforts by city park crews to clean the park early each morning.
*police enforcing park curfews regardless of an individual’s shelter status.
*the city taking advantage of a Supreme Court ruling that allows them to enforce city anti-camping laws.
Lundgren said the city invested money to upgrade the park to use it as an enhanced community gathering place that would also serve as a catalyst to spur more activity in downtown.
The food court with much of the park secured with wrought iron fencing and roughly two dozen food container conversions serving as restaurant kitchens based on the Container Park concept in Las Vegas was the result of a request for proposals to lease all or part of Library Park the city issued more than a year ago. The vision was to include entertainment and small events to attract people.
It is not clear whether the city would seek more proposals or do something in-house to increase the use of Library Park to benefit for the community and downtown.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
