It was a pleasant spring day on March 25, 1939 when more than a thousand people gathered in downtown Manteca in the 100 block of North Maple Avenue.

The impacts of the Great Depression still lingered, but the crowd was upbeat and positive about downtown’s future.

They were there to celebrate the dedication of Manteca’s first — and only — post office built from the ground up.

It was a stunning Mediterranean-style building erected at a cost of $80,000.

Dignitaries speaking that day predicted the building would accommodate Manteca’s needs for a hundred years before any addition would be needed.

The missed the mark by 72 years.

A 7,000 square foot addition plus a 3,000 square-foot basement was added in 1967.

It was dedicated in 1967 with 400 people in the attendance.

The Post Office is no longer a source of pride, either civic or from the government’s viewpoint.

The landscaping has been toast for years.

And given the incredibly shrinking mission of the Postal Service, such a now cavernous space will eventually be questionable at best.

The Postal Service already sends Manteca carriers to the Stockton regional facility in Arch Road to get mail for their routes.

Street mail boxes that once were staples of neighborhoods and commercial areas have been disappearing faster than $99 48-inch TV screens during a Black Friday sale at Walmart.

Up until recently, there were four mail drop boxes in close proximity to the Post Office positioned so letters could be dropped off primarily by rolling down your car window.

Now there is just one curb-side box left on the south side of Center Street.

Ironically, the predictions made in 1939 are ending up being prophetic.

The original space now would more than handle Manteca’s brick and mortar postage needs in 2039, assuming the Postal Service hasn’t completely rethought the need to engage customers in person by then.

What brings up the rise and fall of the Manteca main post office is the reality what the space the federal government now has at 165 North Maple will soon be a candidate for downsizing.

Even if a physical presence is still needed and justified in 2039, the long-term cost of maintaining excess square footage not to mention heating needs and cooling costs to the degree that now exists would define government waste.

There’s a good chance the postal annex in the Manteca Industrial Park will be adequate, if not more than enough, going forward.

It is why it might pay Manteca to be a tad pro-active in the post office building’s future.

The location in the 100 block of Maple Avenue that clearly is on its way of being well-established as the place for outdoor community gatherings and events can’t be overlooked.

The logistics issues it would help ease for the Manteca Recreation & Community Services is something to consider.

So is the fact it’s an iconic building that might be able to be transformed into an effective place to stage recreation classes and programs.

As an added bonus, there is a good-sized parking lot that could be converted to other recreation-related uses.

And it is adjacent to Wilson Park that is across from the library plus Library Park.

It is also within a half a block of the Center Street tennis court and adjoining community garden along with a vacant city-owned parcel where the Scout Hut once stood.

The downtown city annex is also around the corner from the post office.

Almost all of the mentioned city-owned properties are tied into recreation and community services, including the library.

Dealing with the federal government can be interesting, let alone in the current atmosphere.

That said, maybe Manteca can take the initiative.

The city could propose an arrangement that keeps the postal services in a smaller footprint at 165 Maple Ave.

There is a precedent.

Before the current post office was built, Manteca’s postal services were housed on the ground floor of the Old City Hall.

So, you might ask, why should Manteca get ahead of the game instead of waiting for the Postal Services to pull the plug or figuratively, and literally, make a move?

The best outcome possible outcome for the community, the city, and even the Postal Service is what could be at stake.

No one wants to see the Post Office close downtown.

It is fairly clear, though, that is where things are headed.

Cost saving initiatives are crucial to the Post Office.

If downsizing the space needed to continue to stay downtown makes the location viable, it would be a win for everyone.

Keep in mind there are a lot of “ifs”, including whether a transformation is do-able.

The idea deserves to be explored.

If it looks like something that would benefit all parties, then the city could entertain working with Congressman Josh Harder to see if the Postal Service is open to exploring the possibilities.

If that is the case, then the time for serious vetting would be next.

The building is iconic.

If it can continue to function as a well visited place that is a source of community pride and do so in a highly functional manner to meet community needs, it would be a positive development.

Getting ahead of what is likely inevitable would allow such a possibility be vetted now when the city might be in the best position to consider it.

It won’t be when the doors close on the Post Office and Manteca is committed to another path.

Again, don’t misread this as a call to close the Post Office or advocating its demise.

It’s about not ignoring the Postal Service’s transformation while making sure of the best possible outcome for downtown and the community of Manteca as a whole.

 This column is the opinion of editor, Dennis Wyatt, and does not necessarily represent the opinions of The Bulletin or 209 Multimedia. He can be reached at dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com