Manteca kids will have one of the coolest — if not the coolest — interactive water play feature to be found in a Northern San Joaquin Valley city park when warm weather returns.
Work is expected to be completed on the large interactive water play feature with original design elements to provide the feel of frolicking in a stream complete with water fall, water trail, and water tunnel.
That is in addition to typical water play features as well as an outdoor shower and a swing set.
It will include extensive landscaping with a liberal use of rocks, a pebble beach, and plenty of shaded, benches for adults to keep an eye on kids.
The over $3 million project also includes two new restroom complexes at Woodward Park that will also meet the growing demand from soccer tournament play. The restrooms closest to the water play feature will have individual bathrooms with their own door to serve as changing rooms.
And there is a good chance within a year of the Woodward Park interactive water play feature being completed, two more will be operating in Manteca.
One is part of the super-sized neighborhood park Quarterra is creating with the 818-home project now in the infrastructure phase on the northeast corner of the Main Street and Atherton intersection, kitty corner from the new Save Mart supermarket is under construction.
It is being built — along with other upgraded park amenities — 100 percent on the developer’s dime. And like all neighborhood parks, anyone in the community will be able to access it.
The other is at the Promenade Shops at Orchard Valley that center owner Grupe announced during the State of the City program in March that they will put in place
How splash pad is being funded
The initial funding for the splash pad came from. $2.5 million in leftover COVID federal relief funds.
Each council member in 2024 earmarked $450,000 allocated to them. Mayor Gary Singh designated how another $700,000 would be spent.
Mayor Singh and former Councilman Jose Nuno got the ball rolling for the water play feature by setting aside $595,000 in the one-time funds.
The balance of the splash pad cost is coming from park growth fees.
The bulk of the nearly $14 million in COVID funds the city received went toward addressing pandemic related expenses and to backfill sales tax losses during the mandatory shutdown.
Some was used as “hazard” pay for frontline city employees who had to stay on the job such as police, fire, solid waste workers, street and parks crews, as well as those involved with keeping the waste and wastewater system running and maintained.
The city used money it didn’t need to zero out pandemic related costs to make health upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant, replace dilapidated street equipment, and replace several aging police vehicles.
The idea behind having council members earmark a certain percentage of the remaining COVID funds to an active project either in construction or in the process of breaking ground before the federal government clawed back whatever cities didn’t spend by the end of 2025 was to address one-time amenity projects.
Councilman Charlie Halford committed most of the $450,000 he had to earmark to license plate readers that have played a key role in helping police arrest a number of suspects in felony crimes.
Councilman Dave Breitenbucher funded things such as lights at the Center Street tennis court and repaving West Yosemite Avenue in downtown Manteca.
Projects identified by Councilman Mike Morowit included the cricket pitch at Doxey Park, the community garden on Center Street, and a sensory playground now going through the vetting process for Northgate Park.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
