Politics & Government
Crossing Guards Will Be Placed By Quarry Beach Entrance On Route 31
City Council unanimously approved a contract with a contractor to provide crossing guards at Route 31 and Union Street through Aug. 13.
BATAVIA, IL — Crossing guards will be placed at Route 31 and Union Avenue in an effort to make the busy thoroughfare safer after two bicyclists were hit in May.
Batavia City Council unanimously approved on June 20 a contract with Andy Frain Services to provide certified crossing guards during Harold Hall Quarry Beach hours through Aug. 13.
The contract does not currently extend beyond this season — but has the possibility to — because City Administrator Laura Newman said she's "hoping that construction on the road diet will be in place starting in April of next year."
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A resolution notes the contractor will work while the beach is open and in the 30 minutes before and after. Quarry Beach, at 400 S. Water St., operates from noon to 7 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday and from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
The city can adjust the contract on a day-to-day basis, which means crossing guards won't work on days the beach is closed for inclement weather.
Find out what's happening in Bataviafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Crossing guards will be paid $26.72 per hour and $40.08 per hour on holidays.
In addition to crossing guards, crosswalks and stop bars along Route 31 will be repainted, City Administrator Laura Newman said at the meeting. A contractor on the job is scheduled to complete the work in July.
On May 23, a woman on a bike exited Les Arends Forest Preserve to cross Batavia Avenue when a minivan crashed into her. Emily White died three days later, according to her obituary and a GoFundMe page created for her family.
About a week later, on May 31, a GMC SUV crashed into a teenage boy who was crossing Batavia Avenue while biking west on Union Avenue, Patch reported.
"Everybody understands the tragedies that have occurred and the need for us to get on with this as quickly as we can, so I'm optimistic that we're going to be able to put this together," the mayor said at the June 13 Committee of the Whole meeting. "We got the ingredients in the room here that should hopefully make it go."
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