Willow Glen Resident

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News Briefs

Zanotto's may still
open in old market

Zanotto's is inching closer to moving into the Bird Avenue storefront formerly occupied by Albertsons.

Zanotto's Downtown Market co-owner Troy Tibbils said the store is in negotiations with the property owner, Asset Management Group. Tibbils originally hoped Zanotto's would move into the store quickly, and upgrade the building as business progressed. Now, however, the aging space will require nearly six months of upgrades before the store can open for business.

Optimistically, Tibbils hopes to secure a lease by March 1, and open the store by fall. Worst case scenario, he said, is Zanotto's will not receive the lease or will be unable afford the renovations.

"The good news is, if it gets done, it will be first class," Tibbils said.

Tibbils envisions replacing the sales floor and giving it a new look. Copper thefts since Albertsons' closure have impaired the store's air conditioning system, he said, causing $150,000 in damage.

Despite the wait, Tibbils said he regularly receives emails from Willow Glen residents anxious to have a Zanotto's in the neighborhood. "It's what keeps us rolling," Tibbils said.

Crossing guards are
still absent, no funds

Walking to school shouldn't be risky, but across San Jose, 18 schools that the city has earmarked for crossing guards over the past two years still don't have them, because of budget cuts.

Last summer, the San Jose Police Department--which trains and pays San Jose's crossing guards--was forced to lay off two crossing guard supervisors. This left two staff members to oversee all 186 guards in San Jose, said Sgt. Jim Roach, head of the department's School Safety and Education Unit.

Until more supervisors are hired, some schools will have to wait, Roach said.

"The city cuts our coordinators' positions, and then they tell us to hire more guards," Roach said. "It's just not possible."

Roach said it costs $8,000 to fund each crossing guard annually. The safety unit's annual budget is typically about $2 million, he added.

During the interim, some schools have been using volunteers.

To be granted a city-funded guard, schools must score 120 points or higher on a state-standardized formula. The higher the number, the greater the need; calculations are based on several factors, including traffic patterns, accident history and size of intersection.

The School Pedestrian Safety Committee is the deciding factor in which schools ultimately get a crossing guard.

"There's a dozen different factors in that formula," said Russ Taft, school safety manager for the San Jose Department of Transportation, "but no formula can cover every variable. That's why we have the committee."