Talk isn’t cheap.

Especially when the City of Manteca does the talking.

Two cases in point:

*The $8 million plus to essentially build a public edifice at 220 Moffat Boulevard primarily to house a handful of city employees.

*The $1.2 million plus apparently wasted on expanding and upgrading Library Park.

To be fair to the current council and municipal administration, neither was done on their watch nor was the initial years of dismal follow through their doing.

But they are city facilities that are still underwhelming under used and that is on them.

First, a bit of background.

All an ACE train needs is a ticket kiosk, passenger platform, bus drop off zone and parking.

City leaders knew that 17 years ago when they started planning for a transit center.

The push was to create a community space in a building that would set the stage for the future of downtown and the community.

The community room with kitchen was designed for “community use.”

Apparently operating on the premise of build it and they will come; the city has done next to nothing to make sure the space is used effectively to bring the community together.

They are great at planning city staff meetings and such in it from time-to-time. And there are occasional rentals.

But the vision called for it to function as a downtown gathering place — a small community center, if you will.

It is anything but.

It does house the Manteca Transit offices.

What it doesn’t do is live up to its promise.

It stands as the most imposing building downtown.

It’s community room and the high profile mini-plaza in front has zero-community programming.

No recreation programs. No cultural endeavors. Nothing.

Library Park isn’t much better.

The only organized community use these days is when the Pumpkin Fair and Watermelon Festival are taking place.

The bandstand gazebo that is bigger and better than the one it replaced — the one the late Antone Raymus donated to the city — plus has amphitheater style seating, isn’t used for low-key community concerts or other endeavors.

The rest of the park had significantly more community use when Manteca had 60,000 residents as opposed to now when the city is on the cusp of 100,000 people.

Don’t blame the homeless for this one.

The city deserves credit for getting that issue under control when it comes to Library Park.

And in the last few years under the current city administration, the city has actually pressure washed the paver crosswalks, sidewalks, and such in downtown and Library Park

No longer are  red brick paver crosswalks the color of asphalt because the city for almost 15 years left the cleaning up to Mother Nature when it rained.

If you want a clue to why this is happening, drive over to 295 Cherry Lane that has been the home of the city’s Manteca Recreation & Community Services Division since last year.

A few years back when Miranda Lutzow was among those that passed through the revolving door of the city manager’s office, the city yanked department level status for parks and recreation.

The city has since grown other departments in a bid to keep up with growth, but not arguably the most people contact intensive “division” in the city that oversees recreation and community services.

Call it for what it is. Parks and recreation has been downsized by the simple act it hasn’t grown and lacks the same status of other city functions.

To be clear, having a department head per se instead of a division manager doesn’t magically change things.

But it speaks volumes as to why the community function of the transit center and Library Park’s historic status as a community gathering spot is embarrassingly non-existence.

In the city’s defense, if you want to call it that, they are talking a good game about a community center and even — don’t hold your breath — a new library.

First, they included a community center in the nexus for growth fees as a $10 million with the “placeholder” of a potential location being on Moffat Boulevard next to the existing Moffat Community Center that has been leased to the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Then there was talk about doing a combined community center-performing arts center-library next to where it looks like they are going to finally build a new police station on South Main Street. The  police station replacement is coming after city leaders 23 years ago first declared it as woefully inadequate and even unsafe for the men and women who out their lives on the line daily.

Now, the Boys & Girls Club appears to be the answer for a “community center.”

The facility might be somewhat under-utilized but the city’s interest in partnering should be to save and expand a much needed youth drop-in center and not become the “interim” answer for a community center.

Do not misunderstand. The city, if they get involved, should maximize the use of the facility but only after its function as a youth drop in center with its set of unique resources and programs the city doesn’t have has been maximized.

It also begs the question if the city is less than enthusiastic about working with the school district to access gyms, swimming pools, and other school facilities to expand recreation offerings and is in the need for space for programs, then why aren’t they fully utilizing the transit center and Library Park?

Library Park is also right next to the library with its McFall Room that recreational programs can be scheduled around library activities.

The fact the library is a recreation function as well as a place to learn wouldn’t be lost on a parks and recreation department head, but then again the city has made sure there isn’t one.

If indeed the city needs its own community center per se, then they need to work toward it earnestly now and not look for interim solutions that historically in Manteca when it comes to the library and recreation needs other than sports fields either go nowhere or becoming permanent.

The new water play feature at Woodward Park, cricket fields, more sports fields,  sensory playground, and even a new skate park are nice additions.

But it does nothing to address the cultural, the repertoire of art disciplines, the learning opportunities and other such aspects of recreation that Manteca has done the absolute bare minimum to pursue.

Ans while office space isn’t an indication of a city function or importance, not having the manpower to step up community events and recreation endeavors when Manteca is growing by 1,500 to 2,000 people a year speaks volumes.

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