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Home My WebLink AboutItem 04 - School Zone Timing ITEM MEMO TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL FROM: BRUNO RUMBELOW, CITY MANAGER\` MEETING DATE: AUGUST 4, 2009 SUBJECT: SCHOOL ZONE TIMING CHANGES RECOMMENDATION: City Council consider adopting an ordinance establishing new school zone timings to match the new Grapevine Colleyville Independent School District (GCISD) bell schedule and take any necessary action. BACKGROUND: The GCISD recently changed their bell schedules. Starting this fall, elementary schools will start and close 15 minutes earlier (than current timings). Middle schools will start and close 15 minutes later. High schools will start 15 minutes later and end 17 minutes later. The table below shows the current and future bell schedules. Grade Level Current Bell Schedule 2009-10 Bell Schedule Kindergarten 8:00 AM.-2:15 PM. 7:45 AM. to 2:00 PM. Grades 1-5 8:00 AM.-3:00 PM. 7:45 AM. to 2:45 PM. • Middle Schools 6-8 7:55 AM.-3:10 PM. 8:10 AM. to 3:25 PM. High Schools 9-12 8:30 AM.-3:38 PM. 8:45 AM. to 3:55 PM. The GCISD has indicated a desire to have school zones start 30 minutes before and end 15 minutes after the school opening bell; start 15 minutes before and end 30 minutes after the school closing bell. The cities of Colleyville and Euless have agreed to this schedule. If Grapevine implements this schedule, all our elementary schools (except Heritage Elementary School) will have school zones as shown in the table below School Zone (K-5) AM PM Existing 7:30 AM — 8:30 AM 2:15 PM to 3:30 PM Proposed 7:15 AM -8:15 AM 1:45 PM to 3:15 PM The duration of the morning school zone will remain the same but the afternoon school zone duration will increase by an additional 15 minutes. This is mainly due to the different release times for kindergarten and grades 1-5. July 28,2009(10:26AM) The existing and proposed school zone timings for the Grapevine Middle School are as follows. Grapevine Middle School AM PM Existing 7:00 AM — 8:30 AM 2:30 PM to 3:45 PM Proposed 7:40 AM -8:25 AM 3:10 PM to 3:55 PM The proposed school zone will actually decrease the school zone duration by 35 minutes in the morning and 45 minutes in the afternoon. On Heritage Avenue, there are three schools, Heritage Elementary School, Heritage Middle School and Colleyville Heritage High School. The middle school and high school are in Colleyville and the elementary school is in Grapevine. There is currently no school zone for the high school and none is proposed. In order to accommodate the elementary and middle schools and GCISD's new policy, the timings will be as follows. Heritage School Zone AM PM Existing 7:30 AM — 8:30 AM 2:15 PM to 3:30 PM Proposed 7:15 AM — 8:25 AM 1:45 PM to 3:55 PM This will increase the duration of the school zone in the morning by 10 minutes and by 55 minutes in the afternoon. Staff has coordinated with the City of Colleyville staff on the school zone timings on Heritage Avenue and on Pool Road (for Glenhope Elementary School in Colleyville) to ensure that our timings are consistent. The State also recently passed a law prohibiting handheld use of cell phones within school zones and requires all school zones be signed accordingly. When the school zone signs are replaced with this project, Staff will install signs indicating this prohibition also. Of course, the enforcement of the ban rests with our police department who will begin on the opening day of school on August 24th Staff recommends approval. RC/rc 0:\agenda\04012008\school zone timing changes.doc July 29,2009(1:26PM) DV �� ti ORDINANCE NO. CjQ ,t1`" AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GRAPEVINE, TEXAS, AMENDING THE GRAPEVINE CODE OF ORDINANCES, CHAPTER 23 TRAFFIC, SECTION 23-27 SAME--SCHEDULES OF ADDITIONAL SCHOOL ZONES, ALTERING THE PRIMA FACIE SPEED LIMITS ESTABLISHED FOR VEHICLES UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF SECTIONS 167 AND 169 OF ARTICLE XIX, R.C.S. 6701 d, UNIFORM ACT REGULATING TRAFFIC ON HIGHWAYS, UPON THE BASIS OF AN ENGINEERING AND TRAFFIC INVESTIGATION UPON CERTAIN STREETS AND HIGHWAYS, OR PARTS THEREOF, WITHIN THE CORPORATE LIMITS OF THE CITY OF GRAPEVINE AS SET OUT IN THE ORDINANCE; AUTHORIZING THE ERECTION OF TRAFFIC REGULATION SIGNS; REPEALING CONFLICTING ORDINANCES; PROVIDING A PENALTY OF FINE NOT TO EXCEED THE SUM OF FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($500.00) FOR EACH OFFENSE AND A SEPARATE OFFENSE SHALL BE DEEMED COMMITTED EACH DAY DURING OR ON WHICH AN OFFENSE OCCURS OR , CONTINUES; PROVIDING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE; DECLARING AN EMERGENCY AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE WHEREAS, Sections 167 and 169 of Article XIX, R.C.S. 6701 d, Uniform Act Regulating Traffic on Highways, provide that whenever the governing body of the City shall determine upon the basis of an engineering and traffic investigation that any prima facie speed therein set forth is greater or less than is reasonable or safe under the conditions found to exist at any intersection or other place or upon any part of a street or highway, with the City taking into consideration the width and condition of the pavement and other circumstances on such portion of said street or highway, as well as the usual traffic thereon, said governing body may determine and declare a reasonable and safe prima facie speed limit thereat or thereon by the passage of an ordinance, which shall be effective when appropriate signs giving notice thereof are erected at such intersection or other place or part of the street or highway. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GRAPEVINE, TEXAS: Section 1. That Chapter 23 Traffic, Section 23-27 Speed Limits--Schedules of additional school zones, of the Grapevine Code of Ordinances, is hereby amended by amending the paragraph of subsection (a) to read as follows: "(a) The city manager shall have 20 mile per hour speed limit signs installed in the designated school zones listed below, which are hereby designated 20 mile per hour zones during the times herein stated. The signs shall indicate that the 20 mile per hour speed limit will be in effect on school days during the hours of 7:15 a.m. through 8:15 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. through 3:15 p.m." Section 2. That Chapter 23 Traffic, Section 23-27 (a) Speed Limits--Schedules of additional school zones, of the Grapevine Code of Ordinances, is hereby amended by removing the following location: "Heritage Avenue from the Colleyville-Grapevine city limits line northward 1,000 feet." Section 3. That Chapter 23 Traffic, Section 23-27 Speed Limits--Schedules of additional school zones, of the Grapevine Code of Ordinances, is hereby amended by amending the paragraph of subsection (c) to read as follows: "(c) The city manager shall have 20 miles per hour speed limit signs installed in the designated school zones listed below, which are hereby designated 20 miles per hour zones during the times herein stated. The signs shall indicate that the 20 mile per hour speed limit will be in effect on school days during the hours of 7:40 a.m. through 8:25 a.m. and 3:10 p.m. through 3:55 p.m." Section 4. That Chapter 23 Traffic, Section 23-27 Speed Limits--Schedules of additional school zones, of the Grapevine Code of Ordinances, is hereby amended by adding a new subsection (d) to read as follows: "(d) The city manager shall have 20 miles per hour speed limit signs installed in the designated school zones listed below, which are hereby designated 20 miles per hour zones during the times herein stated. The signs shall indicate that the 20 mile per hour speed limit will be in effect on school days during the hours of 7:15 a.m. through 8:25 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. through 3:55 p.m. Heritage Avenue from the Colleyville-Grapevine city limits northward 1,000 feet." Section 5. That the City Manager, or his agent, is hereby authorized to have the proper traffic signs erected, constructed, and placed at such points along said highways, streets or alleys, or portions thereof under construction, maintenance, or repair, so that travelers will be reasonably notified of said traffic regulations. Section 6. That all ordinances or any parts thereof in conflict with the terms of this ordinance shall be and hereby are deemed repealed and of no force or effect ORD. NO. 2 provided, however, that the ordinance or ordinances under which the cases currently filed and pending in the Municipal Court of the City of Grapevine, Texas shall be deemed repealed only when all such cases filed and pending under such ordinance or ordinances have been disposed of by a final conviction or a finding of not guilty, nolo contendere, or dismissal. Section 7. That any person, firm or corporation violating any of the provisions of this ordinance shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction in the Municipal Court, shall be fined in an amount not to exceed the sum of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) for each offense and a separate offense shall be deemed committed each day during or on which an offense occurs or continues. Section 8. That if any section, article, paragraph, sentence, clause, phrase or word in the ordinance, or application thereto any person or circumstance is held invalid or unconstitutional by a Court of competent jurisdiction, such holding shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this ordinance; and the City Council hereby declares it would have passed such remaining portions of this ordinance despite such invalidity, which remaining portions shall remain in full force and effect. Section 9. That the fact that the present ordinances and regulations of the City of Grapevine, Texas do not adequately regulate the traffic within the City creates an emergency and the preservation of the public health, safety, and welfare requires that this ordinance take effect immediately from and after the date of its passage. ,. PASSED AND APPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GRAPEVINE, TEXAS on this the 4th day of August, 2009. APPROVED: ATTEST: ORD. NO. 3 APPROVED AS TO FORM: ORD. NO. 4