Jose Nuno is a family guy.

The Manteca councilman and his wife Gabriela have an 11 year-old son and a 9 year-old daughter.

As such, they have become avid users of city parks and recreation amenities.

Nuno is encouraging residents to “rediscover Manteca,” by exploring the city’s 70 and counting parks and recreational offerings.

And he might have added the words “and explore Manteca’s new neighborhoods.”

Thanks to directions elected leaders gave to municipal staff shortly after Nuno was elected to the council in 2018, the city ditched the cookie cutter approach to parks developed in new neighborhoods.

It’s not just that parks were becoming redundant, but they weren’t being fully unitized for what they were intended for — to encourage people to be active and to bring people together.

The basic open grassy area plus playground plus backstop plus trees formula has limited appeal.

And given the idea behind parks is much more than simply being eye candy, the city wasn’t necessary effectively serving the parks and recreation needs of its 90,000 and growing residents.
Nuno likes making the round of the community to see the results of decisions he has made as a council member.

One recent trip took him to North Main Park in the just completed North Main Commons on the southeast corner of North Main Street and Northgate Drive.

You can drive to the park by using neighborhood streets off the eastern extension of Northgate Drive.

The park can also be accessed on foot or bicycle directly from Main Street along a landscaped linear extension that serves as a buffer to an adjoining storage facility

It is on that extension Nunes came across a series of outdoor exercise stations.

“I tried them out,” Nunes said. “They were nice.”

The curving sidewalk the exercise equipment was found along brought him to an attraction that has brought families from other areas to the park — an outdoor cornhole court.

Although they weren’t there during Nuno’s visit, the family that lives in a neighborhood off of Daniels Street more than two miles away will toss their cornhole bean bags into the car, grab a to go lunch at a restaurant, and enjoy the fresh air while having low-key fun at North Main Park.
Unlike most other parks in neighborhoods, North Main Park has a mini-shade structure over picnic tables.

It also has playground equipment complete with rubber surfacing. There is, of course, the grassy basin that has dual use as a storm retention basin in inclement weather when the park is not in use .

The Nuno family that lives north of Lathrop Road likes going to Tara Park in southwest Manteca south of Woodward Avenue to take advantage of amenities there that include a disc golf course.

The councilman noted the city’s Tidewater Bike Way is an effective 3.4-mile linear park used by walkers, bicyclists, and others.

The city is in the process of making a number of additions to existing parks such as a water play feature at Woodward Park, a cricket field at Doxey Park as well as installing solar lighting for the pickleball/tennis courts on Center Street as well as basketball courts at Woodward Park.

Plans are also moving forward a plan to build a second skate park at the BMX track on Spreckels Avenue.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com