ANAHEIM : Closing of School Access Road Asked

Several residents of a neighborhood next to Esperanza High School have asked Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District trustees to permanently close a gate that separates an access road on campus from a street in the neighborhood.

Residents who live on Woodwind Lane and Post Street say students who use the access road to leave campus often drive recklessly though their neighborhood.

“It’s a nonstop problem” that starts when school lets out, said resident Mike Mendoza, whose house is next to the access road.

A sign posted on the gate indicates that it is to be closed on weekends and after 6:30 p.m. on school days. But Mendoza said the gate is rarely closed before late in the evening and is frequently open on weekends.

Esperanza Principal George Allen said that he plans to see that the posted closing times are enforced but that permanently closing the gate would be a violation of the city’s fire code. He acknowledged that coaches often open the gate for students coming to practice but said that there is no reason for students to use the access road because it does not lead to student parking lots.

Supt. James O. Fleming said he was unaware of the situation and would see if the school district can do something to improve the situation.

The access road starts at a cul-de-sac at the end of Post Road and runs along the south side of the high school, leading to outdoor basketball courts, the gymnasium and athletic fields.

Mendoza said several accidents have been caused by students driving through his neighborhood. He said his two young children were nearly struck by a car that made a sharp turn at the end of the access road and went over the curb onto the sidewalk where the children were playing.

Another resident, Walter Wildhagen, said his car was hit by a student’s car last month on Woodwind Lane.

“My car was less than 60 feet from the stop sign, and it was totaled,” Wildhagen told the school board. “We can’t tolerate this situation. Someone is going to get killed.”