LAUREL TO THE CITY OF MANTECA for efforts so far at addressing issues at Library Park in downtown Manteca.
For months homeless had stockpiled their belongings in the park while those that use the homeless as cover have been committing criminal acts such as selling and using drugs in the open.
A couple of undercover operations ordered by Police Chief Jodie Estarziau seem to have effectively cut down the drug activity. Meanwhile the ongoing effort the city launched 11 months ago to help the homeless while at the same time addressing illegal issues involving quality of life laws that all of us are required to follow has significantly improved park conditions.
Signs have been posted making everyone aware whether they are teens, families, or the homeless the rules for park use including the prohibition of alcoholic beverages, the hours the park is open, and state law that makes it illegal to smoke within a certain distance of the playgrounds. The rules are being enforced.
The first two weekly Tuesday Market & Music events staged by the Manteca Chamber of Commerce have been pleasant family affairs at Library Park. In recent weeks more parents have been bringing their children to the park to use the playgrounds.
The people now using the park whether they have a home or not aren’t using it as their personal pigsty and aren’t engaging in wholesale illegal behavior. That’s not to say there aren’t problems still but they have receded significantly.
As for those who are offended that the homeless are hanging out at nearby Wilson Park, get over it. They have as much a right under the laws of this land to be there as anyone else. That said they still have to comply with the law which most do.
The city by its unique approach of deploying a community resource officer has created an atmosphere of cooperation of the homeless with police that has made the progress to date possible.
Nobody is coddling lawbreakers. Those in need of help are being connected with resources. Will the city’s effort eliminate homelessness and its accompanying community issues? No. Is it improving them? Yes.
DART TO THE CITY OF MANTECA for dropping the ball on the little things that matter at Library Park that was designed as the primary gathering place for community activities in downtown.
Warm weather has returned as well as a significant step up in organized activities such as the farmers market. That’s all the more reason why drinking fountains should work properly especially given the $1.2 million taxpayers paid to upgrade and expand the park.
On Thursday the drinking fountains by the playground were in less than optimum condition. The lower drinking fountain wasn’t working at all. You could get a drink of water from the higher fountain but it wasn’t draining.
It’s a safe bet the city is in need of additional parks maintenance workers. With all of the parks the city has added in the last 10 years and the fact we are out of the recession, you’d think the city would be trying to restore parks maintenance positions cut when revenues plunged.
Perhaps the City Council when they adopt the budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 might try to squeeze $80,000 out for another parks maintenance worker.
Before they buy into the argument it would throw the budget out of whack, they need to ask whether having a general reserve less than 25 percent or $8,614,238 is more fiscally responsible or having an $8,534,238 reserve and making an effort to maintain city facilities that are now in place and reduce the risk of expensive costs down the road.
An $8.6 million reserve makes no sense if the city can’t fix a drinking fountain in a park.