2016-0114 Special City Commission Meeting

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Summary Minutes:Special City Commission Meeting January 14,2016 City of Sunny Isles Beach,Florida within our purview, and Commissioner Aelion is right about Collins Avenue, we have no leverage over FDOT to make them change the signalization but we can put the three-way stops in if we want to. Chief Maas said for those of you who may not have been on the Commission at the time,the signalization was changed in the very first year, about 18 months after the school was first started. It had to be extended because in those first several months it was absolute gridlock, and finally FDOT came out and extended the timing east. He doesn't know if we would get that benefit again because as you know FDOT's concern is moving the traffic north and south on Collins Avenue. Commissioner Levin said one of the things she had brought up was whether or not we have any leverage with FDOT to get them to change anything for us on Collins Avenue with regard to the signalization. One of the proposals was for the 6 through 8 graders to start school at 7:40 a.m., is that unusual? Mr. Rothore said no, that is not unusual. As he had indicated that this time was selected after we had a detailed discussion with the Miami-Dade County School Board. They provided us with a list of elementary schools, middle schools, etc. for all of the Miami-Dade County area out of which we looked at different middle schools and there were options starting at 7:20 a.m. and at 7:40 a.m., and so that is how we picked that time. Commissioner Levin asked how SRTS work? Ms.Hasbun said we are looking into that,she does not know the details exactly but it is a combination of a program within the School Board and FDOT, and the MPO,and so all of these agencies work together to create certain improvements to an area surrounding school that would allow for kids and parents to walk their kids to school. Commissioner Levin asked if they actually devise the plan and give money? Ms. Hasbun said yes, they do work on plans and grants for these improvements. Commissioner Levin said we have classes starting and ending with the day beginning at a certain time and it ends at a certain time. What are the lag times before and after the times that the classes begin and end because if we are thinking of staggering it,we will still get left over traffic from before-hand. Is it really helping at all? Mr. Rothore said it does help because in Scenario 1 as he had indicated in his presentation, one option is that everybody shows up for school, kindergarten all the way to 8th grade, and you have an absolute nightmare or gridlock. The better option is to stagger them and then provide like a 30-minute or 40-minute arrival staggered difference,and at the same time for departure also. And so we are looking at the best possible option that is out there. Of course the worst option is that everybody shows up and out of that option, the better option is that you stagger them. Commissioner Levin said if the later people are starting to show up before classes begin,are they going to merge with the outgoing traffic of the people that have just been dropped off? Is it part of what you look at? Mr. Rothore said from a traffic study perspective,and it is all reasonable assumptions of course that we typically use and apply. For other studies that he has done, the assumption is if your departure time is 1:50 or 2:20,there is no reason for you to be there at 12:50 or 1:00. You can probably be five or ten minutes early, or five or ten minutes late and then maybe 5% or 10% traffic that kind of merge with other grades but if there is a certain time and everybody is getting out, let's say 1:50, and the next one is 2:20 and the next one is 3:05, from a realistic point of view it will be happening at a separate 7