Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Parents press Piedmont council for crossing guard at Wildwood/Requa; council orders targeted assessment
Summary
Several residents urged the council to fund an additional crossing guard at the Wildwood/Requa intersection during public comment; staff described recent red‑curbing and sight‑line work and recommended a third‑party site assessment and targeted enforcement, which council asked staff to schedule for the start of the school year and to coordinate with the school district.
Three residents — Nellie Thornton, Alastair Thornton and Georgina Russell — spoke during public comment about safety concerns at the Wildwood and Requa intersection during school drop‑off. Nellie Thornton said the intersection is unusual, often crowded and hard to negotiate with young children, and asked the city to "consider adding an additional crossing guard at the intersection of Wildwood and Rekwa." She told council that the estimated cost for a crossing guard is about $25,000.
Public Works Director Dana Gonzales and Police Chief Jeremy Bowers described steps already taken (red curbing, sightline improvements and speed surveys) and said the city assigns patrol assets during drop‑off but cannot be at every site daily. Chief Bowers outlined a multi‑step approach — education, targeted enforcement and then citations if behaviors don't change — and said the crossing‑guard vendor will perform a site assessment; staff noted the existing crossing‑guard contract covers eight locations at roughly $23,000 per location with some school‑district cost‑sharing. The council directed staff to pursue a focused third‑party assessment of the Wildwood/Requa location timed with the new school year, coordinate with the school district and return with options and costs.
