The Manteca water tower has a new competitor when it comes to prominence on the downtown skyline — Manteca High.
Aerial views of the central district no longer are dominated by the 130-foot water tower on Wetmore Street that hasn’t held an ounce of H2O for more than 15 years due to earthquake safety concerns.
The 2-story, 32-classroom and media center structure now under construction along Sherman Avenue three blocks to the northeast of the water tower as the drone flies, may not be as tall.
The massive 67,000 square-foot structure, though, with its 45-foot height definitely is contending with the water tower to dominate the central Manteca landscape from the sky.
The classroom building/media center project that also includes a new student quad is part of ongoing Measure A bond projects that are transforming the 106 year-old Manteca High campus.
It is targeted for completion in July of 2027.
It is one of 11 Measure A projects that will be under construction or completed this summer.
Measure A work that will be completed this summer at Manteca High includes:
*Theatrical lighting upgrades.
*Parking lot and site improvements on the northwest corner of the campus near the office.
*Paging system alterations.
Bond work elsewhere in the district includes:
*16 classrooms will be completed at Nile Garden School, associated portables removed and site improvements made.
*The renovation phases for Brock Elliott and Joshua Cowell modernization projects start this month and are targeted for completion by December.
*The Chardonnay asphalt project will take place this month at Cowell School.
*Multipurpose buildings at Brock Elliott and Joshua Cowell School are on track to be completed in July.
*The Carnegie Street nutritional education services warehouse building project in the Manteca Industrial Park is expected to be completed later this year.
*ELOP relocatable classrooms at Brock Elliott will be in place by the end of July.
*Structural repairs are underway at George Komure Elementary School through July.
Future MHS work
The next phase of the Manteca High’s makeover may address the administration building remodel and conversion of the existing library into at arts education complex.
The questions to be answered before the next phase gets underway is whether to keep two classroom wings and relocate some of the portable classrooms brought in during the current construction work.
The current work required the demolition of classroom wings, some of which dated back to 1947.
Work that would be tackled in a later phase including the expansion/remodel of the cafeteria.
The district would also like to remove portables by the existing tennis courts as well as the courts for additional parking.
New tennis courts may also be built.
Future East Union work
The next phase of the $260 million Measure A school bond work at East Union High will include a new small gym and the creation of an “athletic entrance” to the campus that first opened in 1966.
The work will also include a re-do of the swimming pool that is currently not being used as well as demolishing the current small gym.
The mechanical apparatus for the pool will be relocated to allow the creation of an enhanced entrance to the main gym.
The “athletic entrance” will also address student drop-off traffic flow issues.
It will involve extending a driveway from Northgate Drive to connect with the faculty parking lot.
As such, it will improve on campus traffic flow as well as bolster traffic safety along Northgate Drive.
The next phase is also expected to put the administration offices and attendance in the same building.
The work will be financed with the state’s match of modernization work the district has completed including the two-story classroom structure along Union Road that replaced aging portables.
The state has approved a $28 million reimbursement for the East Union work.
That money, when Manteca Unified receives it, will fund the next round of work at the EU campus.
The state has up to five years to reimburse the district.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
