There won’t be any restrooms in neighborhood parks in Manteca.
The Manteca City Council during a mid-year budget adjustment squashed the proposal Tuesday after staff outlined the cost, the extensive vandalism that occurs at existing community park restrooms, and a long list of other municipal parks and recreation needs that are not being met.
The price for placing a pre-fabricated concrete restroom such as the ones in place at Woodward Park would cost between $240,000 and $330,000. The actual cost would depend upon whether it was one or two stalls and if it had solar power or hard wired electricity for lighting and how far water and sewer lines needed to be extended.
Each restroom would have an annual maintenance cost of $15,000 to $25,000.
Parks & Recreation Director Kevin Fant explained the cost reflected routine upkeep of the restrooms with the exact cost tough to pin down as it is directly related to vandalism.
Fant said existing community park restrooms such as the ones at Woodward, Northgate, Lincoln, and Library parks often have extensive damage when city crews check them on Mondays after weekend use. That includes partitions being damaged, toilet bowls being smashed, and holes punched in walls.
Fant noted “it is extremely rare” for cities to locate restrooms in neighborhood parks as most are located so there is one within a quarter of a mile of all homes.
Councilman Gary Singh had asked the staff to explore the costs and bring it before the council after he was approached by some constituents who indicated elderly relatives and others often were faced with challenging situations when they are using parks and need to go to the bathroom.
Fant noted there is a long list of pressing needs that staff would like to see available funds go to such as resurfacing problematic basketball courts at neighborhood parks, needed upgrades at Northgate Park, and completing master planned items at Woodward Park that includes tennis courts and developing the storm retention basin into uses such as baseball fields and a large amphitheater with a raised area in the middle for a concession stand.
Additional expenditures
get OK from council
The council also approved additional expenditures.
They included:
*spending $34,750 for three months of salary of an additional police officer who would start work in April. The position, funded from the half cent public safety tax, would be included in the fiscal year budget starting July 1 at an annual cost of $130,000.
*spending $220,736 as the first of a number of years to cover the terms of an overtime holiday pay settlement with Manteca firefighters. The city and firefighters had agreed to pay holiday pay over a 12-month period instead of in the pay period occurred. The state ended up saying under state labor laws how the holiday pay was structured was not legal and was considered a bonus under labor regulations. That means a $4 per hour payment for holidays worked under time the memorandum of understanding as the two parties originally agreed to that had the once a month holiday pay plan is due firefighters. It will take a number of years to fulfill the terms of the holiday pay overtime settlement.
*spending $442,500 for a front loader solid waste truck and $458,500 side loader solid waste truck to replace existing vehicles. They will be powered by compressed natural gas the municipal wastewater treatment plant will start producing in roughly six months from the food waste to fuel program.
*setting aside $7,500 so all five council members can attend a cannabis conference if they so desire. The cost is $1,500 per person.
*setting aside $10,500 so all five council members can attend the One Voice lobbying trip to Washington, D.C., if they so desire. The cost is $3,500 per person.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
