Ground is breaking Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 10 a.m. for Manteca’s sixth fire station.

The new station expected to cost more than $12 million is being built on the northwest corner of Woodward Avenue and Joshua Street — a location that is roughly central to the southwest portion of Manteca.

The ceremonial turning of the dirt will be a week after the Wednesday, Oct. 7, groundbreaking for the new $92 million police station in the 600 block of South Main Street. That groundbreaking is also at 10 a.m.

Never has Manteca in its 108-year history moved forward with constructing two new municipal facilities concurrently.

Nor has it spent that much on city facilities at one time with the expectation of the last major wastewater treatment plant upgrade and expansion.

The effort was made possible by passage of the three-quarter cent Measure Q sales tax in November 2024 that voters authorized for 20 years.

The city, thanks to an AA bond rating, is preparing to issue bonds tied to Measure Q that will cover a large chunk of the cost of the two public safety facilities plus one or two recreation amenities.

The city is looking at the possibility of building a community center and a new swimming pool.

The Measure Q funds are being wedded with growth fees. The bond will have an 18-year repayment period to tie in with the end of the Measure Q sales tax.

Measure Q has already allowed the city to hire the nine firefighters that will eventually staff the station.

They are now running calls into the southwest area of Manteca as well as elsewhere in the city as the second engine company housed at the Union Road station.

The new fire station will help bring upwards of 3,000 homes into the targeted 5 minute response time once an engine leaves a station and arrives on scene.

The five-minute target allows for the best possible outcome in medical emergencies as well as a window urban fire agencies aim for to prevent structure fires from causing extensive damage.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com