ORANGE : 6 Crossing Guards Positions Eliminated
Still trying to close a $2.1-million budget deficit, the City Council unanimously voted to eliminate six crossing guards--a move that will save about $36,000 a year.
City officials said the positions are no longer necessary because six intersections have failed to meet criteria for crossing guards. To qualify for a guard, an intersection must have moderate to heavy traffic and be used by at least 20 elementary school children within an hour either before or after school.
Some of the intersections that will lose crossing guards were used by less than 10 elementary students, according to a city survey.
The intersections that will be affected are: Chapman Avenue and South Esplanade Street, Chapman and Hewes Street, Chapman and Rancho Santiago Boulevard, North Cambridge Street and Meats Avenue, Chapman and Lewis Street, and Taft Avenue and North Shaffer Street.
Councilman Fred L. Barrera said that if the number of elementary school children increases at any of the intersections, a crossing guard will be reinstated.
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