By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Mantecas $9.5M wish list
City seeks stimulus funds, other federal money
WATER1-6-20-09
Manteca is seeking federal funds to go toward sewer trunk pipeline replacement and to install a cogen facility at the wastewater treatment plant. - photo by Bulletin file photo

Manteca may ask Uncle Sam for $9.5 million.

The City Council tonight is being asked to consider adopting a list of five projects that the Washington, D.C.-based lobbying firm of Van Scoyoc Associates will work on with the goal of obtaining stimulus funds or other federal monies.

Manteca has already secured $5.6 million in federal stimulus funds.

The five projects include asking for:
•$1 million toward the $2 million cost for a cogen facility at the wastewater treatment plant. It will harness digester gas to produce electricity in order to reduce the overall electrical demand of the plant.
•$2.5 million for planning and preliminary engineering for the $150 million Austin Road replacement interchange on Highway 99.
•$1 million toward the $2.5 million funding to complete the gap in Atherton Drive between Union Road and Airport Way.
•$1.5 million a year for three years toward the $10 million project that will replace 10,000 feet of deteriorating trunk sewer in the central part of the city that serves most Manteca residents.
•$250,000 to $500,000 for drug/gang intervention and enforcement funding.

Manteca is receiving at least $5.6 million in federal stimulus funds.

The money already approved to flow to Manteca as part of President Obama’s American Recovery Act includes:
• $586,200 to replace the city’s existing street lights with high-efficiency induction lamps. Once they are in place, the new lights will save the general fund $150,000 in annual PG&E costs. Factor in three anticipated PG&E rate increases over the next 10 months and that leaves enough savings to pay the salary and benefits of one police officer each year.
•$900,000 to go toward the $2.9 million project to build the four-lane gap missing on Atherton Drive between South Main Street and a point west of Wellington Avenue.
•$957,000 to pay for the rehabilitation of portions nine streets.
•$1.4 million to hire four additional police officers for three years. This actually ended up reducing the number of police officers that had to be laid off to 12.
•$1.3 million in transit funds including $380,000 to go toward environmental studies for the proposed transit station at Moffat at Main, $100,000 for an additional fixed route bus, $130,00 for the lease of the new Manteca Transit facility, and $40,000 for marketing, branding and signage.

That comes to $83.58 for every one of Manteca’s 67,000 residents.

The first stimulus project to go forward was for the rehabilitation of the nine streets.

The City Council awarded the low bid of $957,900 to George Reed Inc. to do the work.

The streets being resurfaced are portions of Union Road, Alameda Street, North Street, Mission Ridge Drive, Wawona Street, Winters Drive, Hoyt Lane, Northgate Drive and Button Avenue.

The project involves isolated pavement repairs followed by placement of a rubberized asphalt overlay.

The overlay is similar to the surface that was placed on Center Street from the railroad tracks to Union Road and Cottage Avenue from Yosemite Avenue to the Highway 99 overpass.

It uses recycled tires and has a life just as long – if not longer – than asphalt. It also costs less plus the city could be eligible for recycling diversion credits for the use of tires in the resurfacing material.

The council meets at 7 p.m. at the Civic Center, 1001 W. Center St.