THOUSAND OAKS : Panel Asked to Hire 3rd Crossing Guard

A month after authorizing $4,200 for two elementary school crossing guards, the Thousand Oaks City Council on Tuesday will consider hiring a third guard to direct traffic on the Ventura Freeway off-ramp at Rancho Conejo Boulevard.

City Public Works Director John Clement has recommended spending $4,200 to hire a crossing guard for students walking to Manzanita Elementary School.

The vehicle traffic at the intersection is intense enough to merit a crossing guard under both city and state standards, Clement said. By one count, 668 cars drove off the ramp at Rancho Conejo Boulevard in the morning and 303 in the afternoon.

The intersection also handles heavy pedestrian traffic, with 16 to 23 students walking to school each morning and afternoon.

Thousand Oaks last month agreed to pick up the tab for two guards at Madrona Elementary School, after Ventura County supervisors cut the crossing guard program in unincorporated areas. But council members limited the city’s expenditure to $4,200--only enough to fund the Madrona guards for six months.

The proposal under consideration Tuesday would fund a Manzanita guard for the entire school year. The council is scheduled to discuss the issue at 5:15 p.m.