There was a time when Manteca — believe it or not — wanted more car washes and even more trucks.

Manteca, assuming every car wash that has been proposed is built, will end up with 22 car washes.

Back in 1991, the city had 42,000 people and six car washes.

Two were full service affairs, two were attached to gas stations, and two were self-serve.

The full service car washes were within two blocks of each other on East Yosemite Avenue.

Long before Clear Drop Car Wash owned by Hercules Vourakis at Cottage and Yosemite avenues set the standard for full service in Manteca and even before it was known by its prior name as Indy Car Wash, the first owner had a different idea about when  people wanted to wash cars.

While some people try to do it weekdays on their lunch hour you couldn’t at that location as they were closed from noon to 1 p.m.

Three of the proposed car washes are along Airport Way.

 One is a Quick Quack Car Wash on Atherton Drive just off of Airport Way.

Two others are proposed by the owners of the Lathrop-based Two Guys Food & Fuel — one at Lathrop Road and Airport Way and the other at Daniels Street and Airport Way. Both locations will also have — what else — but a gas station, convenience store, and fast food restaurants along with additional retail space.

People are rallying against

truck traffic now but . . .

Going  back a few more years — 1988 to be exact — and about half of Manteca seemed to be up in arms about the city turning down more truck traffic.

The argument was over jobs not truck traffic per se.

Now people tend to vilify truck traffic required to support jobs — especially around the Airport Way corridor, Lathrop Road, as well as Yosemite Avenue, Industrial Park Drive and South Main Street north of the freeway.

The fight was over Yellow Freight wanting to build a terminal on the southeast corner of the Main Street and 120 Bypsss interchange.

The council majority said “no” but offered Yellow Freight another location at Airport Way and the 120 Bypass. Yellow Freight then  said “no” and went to Tracy.

One can only imagine how even more messed up the 120 Bypass/99 interchange would have been with truck traffic merging into it over the past 30 or so years.

Yellow Freight went out of business earlier this year.

Council honors a man who

gave his life to help save a child

Tuesday’s Manteca City Council meeting was closed by Mayor Gary Singh in honor of Eddie Gerardo Cervantes Lora.

The 41-year-old Manteca man died last week after helping save a 5 year-old girl who was a passenger in a vehicle that left the road and went into the San Joaquin River at the approach to the Airport Way bridge.

He disappeared during efforts to save the woman driver.

The driver — who was eventually rescued by others — was taken in critical condition to an area hospital. She has since passed away.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com