VENTURA : Street May Be Closed Part of School Day
The Ventura Unified School District is working with city officials on a plan to close for part of each school day a portion of Poli Street that cuts through the Ventura High School campus.
Under the proposal, a quarter-mile section of the street, between Catalina Street and Seaward Avenue, would be closed during the school lunch period, from about 12:15 to 1:30 p.m., officials said.
Parents, teachers and school officials have long contended that Poli is a safety hazard to students, who must cross the heavily traveled street to get to classes on the other side of campus.
Students from other schools and neighborhood youths often cruise Poli during lunch or before and after school, sometimes driving recklessly or shouting and flashing gang signals, school officials have said.
Closing the street would require that gates be installed on Poli at Seaward and Catalina. School officials would close the gates during lunch, said Supt. Cesare Caldarelli Jr. The district would have to pay for the gates, he said.
The gates would cost between $5,000 and $10,000, said Nazir Lalani, the city’s transportation engineer.
The city is awaiting confirmation from school officials that the district would pay for the gates, Lalani said.
If the plan is approved, the closure could begin by next school year, Lalani said.
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