The Manteca Transit Center is now the coolest place in town.
Especially on a hot, hot day.
That’s the current designated cooling area for the City of Manteca. According to Dave Marques, who is the Battalion Chief for the Manteca Fire Department, the Transit Center at 220 Moffat Blvd. will be used rather than the Manteca Senior Center, which was undergoing work to the air condition system.
With temperatures soaring in triple digits – forecast for the coming days is 107 degrees or higher through Thursday – Marques is thankful to have the availability of the Transit Center. Part of the reason for that is the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The Senior Center is usually booked,” he said.
Ken Sanders is enjoying the new spread.
He’s a longtime volunteer with Community Emergency Response Team, which was affiliated with the Manteca Police Department up until the past five or six years ago.
The fire department took over CERT and Marques, for one, is thrilled to have Sanders and company aboard.
“We were tasked with running the cooling / warming center and Ken stepped up,” he said.
Sanders has been involved with CERT for 15 years. He quickly found the new cooling area to his liking.
“(The Transit Center) is a better location. It’s centrally located for those who use it,” said Sanders, who would see a handful or fewer people at a time during these hot, hot days at the Senior Center.
The cooling center is open from 1 to 9 p.m. from now through the better part of next week. Sanders reported 13 people used it the first day it opened which was Thursday.
On Friday, he had about a half dozen relaxing inside the spacious conference room with the room temperature set at 72 degrees.
Sanders and others follow certain COVID-19 protocols – hand washing, masks, rubber gloves, social distancing, etc. – while wiping down all chairs and tables in the area once a person departs.
Bottled water and other cooling items are also available at the front station.
Marques said that cooling center signage will be put up outside the Transit Center to help folks locate the entrance to the place.
In order to get the word out, he’s noted that the City is using social media (Facebook, Instagram) and other online services.
The forecast calls for the heat wave to peak at 109 degrees on Monday with 100 degree weather expected through next Saturday. The overnight lows will not drop 70 to 76 degrees until next Thursday.
