ALACHUA COUNTY, FL - Alachua County Public Works reminds drivers about school bus safety. The penalty for failure to stop for a school bus is $200, and if a second offense is committed within five years, the person’s license will be suspended for up to one year. The penalty for passing a school bus on the side that children enter and exit when the school bus displays a stop signal is $400, and if a second offense is committed within five years, the person’s license can be suspended for up to two years.

• Motorists are required to stop when approaching a school bus that is stopped with its red lights flashing and stop arms extended (See the different situations in the diagram).
• All drivers moving in either direction on a two-way street must stop for a school bus displaying a stop signal and must remain stopped until the road is clear of children, and the school bus stop arm is withdrawn (see diagram, TWO-LANE).
• On a highway divided by a paved median, all drivers moving in either direction must stop for a school bus displaying a stop signal and remain stopped until the road is clear of children and the school bus stop arm is withdrawn. (see diagram, MULTI-LANE).
• The only time traffic approaching an oncoming school bus does not need to stop is if there is a raised barrier such as a concrete divider or at least five feet of unpaved space separating the lanes of traffic (see diagram, DIVIDED HIGHWAY).
• On a highway divided by a raised barrier or an unpaved median at least five feet wide, drivers moving in the opposite direction do not have to stop for the bus (painted lines or pavement markings are not considered barriers). However, these motorists should slow down and watch for students loading or unloading from the bus (see diagram, DIVIDED HIGHWAY).

#     #     #

Email editor@

alachuatoday.com

ALACHUA COUNTY ‒ School starts Aug. 10, and Alachua County Public Schools is urging parents to register new students now. Schools are open this week and next week to help parents register their children.

The advice is aimed at the families of students who will be entering an Alachua County public school for the first time, such as kindergarteners, students who’ve just moved into the district or those entering an ACPS school from a private, charter or home school option. Students who have moved or will be moving to a new school zone within the district also need to register at their new school.

“Families can get through the registration process much more quickly if they do it sooner rather than later,” said the district’s director of communications Jackie Johnson. “The lines at school offices tend to get longer the closer we get to the first day of school.”

Other disadvantages of late registration for students include delays in starting class and fewer course options, particularly in middle and high schools. District and school staff are hoping to reduce the last-minute registrations that make preparations for the upcoming school year more difficult. Without accurate information on the number of students who will be attending a school, what grades they’re in and what courses and services they’ll need, scheduling is much more complicated.

If a child will be entering an Alachua County Public School for the first time, parents should go to www.sbac.edu/enrollment and complete the online registration form. They will then need to take required documents to their zoned school, including the child’s birth certificate, two proofs of primary residence, proof of a recent physical and proof of immunizations.

The Alachua County Health Department is offering free school immunizations and $35 school physicals seven days a week. Interested families should call 352-334-7910 to make an appointment.

Those who’ve moved to a different school zone within the county will just need to take two proofs of the new residence to the school.

Parents who aren’t sure which school their child is zoned for or who need more information can visit the enrollment webpage, contact the district’s zoning office at 352-955-7700 or email zoning@gm.sbac.edu

#     #     #

Email editor@

alachuatoday.com

WALDO – A proposed road project in Waldo has created a stir among residents. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) held a community meeting on Thursday, July 20, at Waldo City Square to discuss State Road 24 northbound through the City of Waldo, starting at Northeast 141^st Drive. At that point the road would transition to a single lane by putting a turn lane into Northeast 141^st Drive. This would essentially end the right lane and make it one lane in the center of the two original lanes.

The project cost is $23.4 million, which covers the entire road project from Gainesville to Waldo, starting at the south entrance of the Gainesville Airport and ending in Waldo where State Road 24 and Highway 301 merge. FDOT’s anticipated completion date is in 2024.

Due to a request from the City of Waldo to slow down traffic and add a bike path from Gainesville through Waldo, FDOT engineers proposed to reduce SR 24 travel lanes, starting west of Northeast 141^st Drive to U.S. 301, from two eastbound lanes to one lane, adding pedestrian crossings and a parking/bicycle lane. Residents asking to slow down traffic also believe the change will encourage economic development in the downtown area.

While FDOT’s proposed changes may help accomplish that goal, there are significant issues with each of the proposed changes discussed. Traffic at certain times of the day is particularly heavy on the two existing lanes. Some residents expressed concern that narrowing the roadway to one lane would bottleneck traffic. Also of concern was parking in the area. If the parking lane is used as a bicycle lane, parking would be reduced in the downtown area.

Adding a turn lane in the area of Northeast 141^st Drive, which connects U.S. 301 to Waldo Road, could be helpful in disbursing traffic. But local residents in that area are against the additional traffic that would run through their neighborhood to connect on the small side street to State Road 301.

“Citizens expressed valid concerns,” said City Manager Kim Worley. While some residents want traffic slowed, others fear congested traffic and lack of parking may adversely impact downtown business owners and residents. “It’s difficult to know what is best because there are pros and cons to every option,” she said.

Residents suggested a traffic light, but FDOT is not likely to approve that option said Worley. Some citizens were concerned about the $23.4 million price tag for the project, but Worley said that FDOT is going to spend that amount on resurfacing and striping the roadway whether the road remains as is or whether the proposed changes are made.

FDOT accepted comments on the project until the end of July. FDOT Engineer David Tyler was not available to comment on other suggestions that may have been made online.

#     #     #

Email cwalker@

alachuatoday.com

PALATKA, Fla., Aug. 2, 2023 — Now entering the eighth year of its Blue School Grant program, the St. Johns River Water Management District, with full support of its Governing Board, is offering up to $60,000 in grants for education projects that enrich student knowledge of Florida’s water resources through hands-on learning. The application period runs Aug. 1–Sept. 15 and is available to K–12 teachers within the District’s 18-county area.

“This is such a meaningful program, and I’m honored to play a small role in teaching kids how to be good stewards of the environment,” said St. Johns River Water Management District Education and Outreach Coordinator Laura La Beur. “We've made some exciting changes to the Blue School Grant program this year, including increasing the funding by $40,000. Last year we were able to help over a dozen teachers educate students on the importance of water conservation, and with this increased funding, we will be able to reach even more students across our 18-county service area.”

To date, the District has funded 89 water resource education projects with a total of over $125,000 awarded to local schools.

Through the District’s Blue School Grant program, up to $3,000 per school may be awarded to educators working with grades K–12 to enhance student knowledge of Florida’s water resources. The application is intentionally created to be quick and easy, keeping in mind the challenging workload we know all teachers face. The District aims to support teachers by enhancing current lesson plans to create a bigger impact for students studying water resources in any subject area. Public and charter teachers within the District’s boundaries are eligible to apply.

Examples of previous successful grant applications include:

• Service-learning projects where middle and high school students partnered to study water quality
• Water quality comparison of stormwater ponds on campus
• Conversion of traditional irrigation to micro-irrigation in school landscape
• Water conservation awareness posters and videos

Teachers receiving grants will be notified in late October.

Information about criteria and deadlines, and the online application can be found at www.sjrwmd.com/education/blue-school or contact Laura La Beur at LLaBeur@sjrwmd.com or 321-473-1339.

#     #     #

Email editor@

alachuatoday.com