Orem's changing the guards. The crossing guard will be eliminated at 1600 North for Windsor and Northridge Elementary students, but one will be added at 800 East and Center Street for Cascade Elementary pupils.

Alpine School District changed the boundaries between Windsor and Northridge, said Richard Manning, Orem director of public works. That relieves Orem of its responsibility to provide a guard at 1600 North because theoretically no student would need to cross the road, Manning said.However, 16 students who now live outside the Northridge boundaries will still attend Northridge to stay in special programs such as the Spanish immersion, he said.

Legally, Orem has a responsibility to provide a guard when more than 10 students cross a city street to school. However, when students choose to attend schools outside of their designated boundaries, the parents take on the responsibility of getting them to the school, he said.

At the same time, there is a pressing need for a crossing guard at 800 East and Center Street for the more than 100 children who will attend Cascade Elementary.

That will involve setting a 20- mph speed zone, along with the flashing lights, within a very short distance from the intersection's signal lights.

It will cost the city $9,900 to provide the guard and the lights. The money will be pulled from the council's contingency funds this year, said Manning.

"Are we setting a precedent for providing this?" asked Mayor Stella Welsh. "I have no problem with the safety issue and the question that it's needed, but are we by providing a crossing guard and lights making it so the school doesn't feel a need to provide a bus?"

Councilman Kelvin Clayton, who also works for Alpine School District, said the city needs to wait a little and "really look at the numbers" before it provides the guard at 800 East or keeps the guard at 1600 North.

"This is premature," he said. "I think we have to be very careful when putting both traffic-control devices and guards and lights."

Clayton said children need to be taught to cope with their environment and not depend on city protection.

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"I think we have to spend more of our time in teaching lifelong concepts because at one time or another, they have to do that alone," said Clayton.

After the council vote to drop the guard between Windsor and Northridge, Councilman Stephen Sandstrom asked the staff to be certain to inform the 16 North-ridge students of the change.

"We don't want them coming expecting there to be a guard and there's none," said Sandstrom.

The vote to add a guard at 800 East and Center Street, following the state guidelines on distance from the intersection, was unanimous.

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