Coppell Chronicle Vol. 2, No. 26
Schools Have Opened, Have Openings • Library’s Extended Hours Get Delayed • Developer Has Big Plans on Belt Line • Couple Wants to Build 8-Car Garage
Schools Have Opened, Have Openings
Coppell ISD began classes on Wednesday, but some students’ schedules are still in flux due to unfilled teacher positions.
New Tech High @ Coppell parents received a message from Principal Joseph Smith on Friday that said the district has openings in three areas: languages other than English, world history, and health sciences. These openings are affecting students at New Tech, Coppell High School, and the Coppell High School Ninth Grade Campus.
“The vacancies we have been unable to fill have been unprecedented in our district and are a result of the significant teacher shortages throughout the United States that you have likely seen in the news,” Smith wrote. “We are working incredibly hard with support from other campuses and Central Administration to get everything situated, and we so appreciate your patience and understanding as we work through these challenges.”
As they often do, people on social media overreacted to this news. In an attempt to tamp down the hysteria, Board of Trustees President David Caviness shared a link to Coppell ISD’s Human Resources Dashboard, which as of 11 o’clock this morning said there are 33 open positions in the district, including 13 jobs at administrative buildings. Among the 20 campus positions, according to the dashboard, are two teachers at CHS, one teacher at CHS9, and one teacher at New Tech; the only openings at the three middle schools are one teacher and one paraprofessional, both at West.
I’m not sure how to reconcile those numbers with some research I conducted on Saturday. Before our esteemed school board president made me aware of the dashboard, I decided to look into how many job openings had been posted since June 1. According to the openings listed on the district’s own website, Coppell Middle School West needs at least six teachers at the moment. The only high school openings posted since June 1 are for a world history teacher at New Tech and a math teacher at CHS.
I also looked into the number of openings at the three school districts to our west — Carroll ISD, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD, and Keller ISD — all of which have been making headlines lately for not-so-great reasons. This comparison is based on the teacher/paraprofessional/aide vacancies each district has posted since June 1, and the student body numbers are from the Texas Education Agency’s website:
Library’s Extended Hours Get Delayed
Do you remember the articles I wrote about patrons being able to access the Cozby Library and Community Commons after the staff has gone home? The most recent one was published in May; despite concerns from some City Council members, Director of Library Services Dennis Quinn said the “extended hours” would be launched in June.
It wasn’t until this weekend that I got around to listening to the June 9 meeting of the Coppell Library Advisory Board. Here’s what Quinn told the board then:
“We’ve put it on pause to pursue a couple of potential options for that service, in response to some of the discussions that we’ve had. I believe we’re getting close to a solution, and once we have a more concrete timeline for what the rollout will look like, we will provide you with an update.”
During that same June meeting, the Library Advisory Board approved changes to the guidelines for meeting rooms, conference rooms, and study rooms, and some of those changes address the extended hours. For example, this language was added to the guidelines:
“All persons must vacate the building at the end of the Library’s fully-staffed hours. Cardholders authorized for Extended Hours must first exit the building and authenticate at the kiosk in the front vestibule in order to re-enter the building.”
The extended hours were mentioned only in passing during the board’s Aug. 11 meeting, when this addition to the aforementioned guidelines was approved:
“In the interest of equitable availability, an individual, group, or organization may have no more than one approved reservation on the schedule at a time. In other words, a group with an approved reservation may not request an additional reservation until after the initial reservation is complete. The Library will not honor requests for ‘standing’ or recurring reservations.”
On a related note, I can report that the library is getting plenty of traffic during its fully staffed hours. For example, Quinn said the June kickoff party for the Summer Reading Challenge set a Cozby record with about 400 attendees, and the approximately 650 attendees at the challenge’s closing party on July 30 were also an all-time high for the library.
Developer Has Big Plans on Belt Line
When traffic starts freely flowing on South Belt Line Road again, we may have more reasons to stop along the way.
A company called Victory Real Estate Group plans to create 10 new properties on Belt Line, between Dividend Drive and Hackberry Road. The firm proposes to turn a 17-acre tract of undeveloped land into “The Victory Shops at Coppell,” which would feature a combination of retail stores, restaurants, and office buildings.
Two of the seven sites fronting Belt Line (the ones in green) will be fast-food restaurants, while four others (in blue) could be restaurants or retail stores. The seventh site will be a medical office building. Under the proposal considered by the Coppell Planning and Zoning Commission on Thursday, each of the restaurants could offer drive-thru service.
The east side of the development, which butts up against Coppell’s border with Cypress Waters, will feature a trio of office buildings. Moving from north to south, they will be one story, three stories, and two stories tall. The three-story building will have a daycare on its first floor; the two-story building will have a banquet hall on its second floor.
The property will be bisected by a linear park featuring a sidewalk, benches, and arbors. This park will lead to the SpringHill Suites hotel that is under construction on the property immediately to the south.
Although the hotel is being built by a different developer, Commission Chair Edmund Haas asked whether the Victory Shops’ design elements would match those of the SpringHill Suites, so the adjoining developments seem like one big, happy family. Bobby Mendoza, an executive vice president with Victory Real Estate Group, said that’s a possibility, although he’s not familiar with the hotel’s aesthetics.
“We’re trying to create a very modern look for the development and trying to stay with a tone that fits within the city,” Mendoza said. “So we’re open to some items, but we feel like we’ve really honed in on a pretty good, solid design there.”
The site plan calls for two of the three access points from Belt Line to have deceleration lanes. Haas asked whether those lanes could be established during the city’s reconstruction of Belt Line. Assistant Director of Public Works Mike Garza said that depends on how long it takes Victory’s crew to start turning dirt. The timing is favorable, he said, because the northbound lanes next to the Victory development will be among the final phases of the city’s project, which is scheduled to end next June.
“We would like to incorporate whatever improvements are going to be associated with this project with OUR project, so we don’t have to tear it up again,” Garza said, “but it depends on timing and how quickly they are willing to move forward.”
The commission recommended approval of the Victory proposal as presented. The City Council will have their say during a public hearing scheduled for Sept. 13.
One more thing: Also on Thursday, the commission approved a site plan for the vacant land across Southwestern Boulevard from Pinkerton Elementary School. ML Realty Partners intends to build three more warehouses to match the rest of its Park West development that spans the rest of Southwestern, all the way to Freeport Parkway.
Couple Wants to Build 8-Car Garage
When the City Council gets together on Sept. 13, they will conduct a public hearing regarding this house on Bethel Road:
The house, which was built in 1940, was purchased four years ago by Raymond and Virginia Larson, who live in the $1.5 million home next door. They plan to combine their properties, tear down the pictured house, and replace it with a 4,000-square-foot garage that will hold their collection of antique cars. Here’s the proposed floor plan:
They need the zoning changed because they want the garage to be 30 feet tall, which is more than twice the typical maximum for an accessory structure in Coppell. They also want it to have a washroom and a kitchenette, even though plumbing is not normally allowed in the city’s garages.
The request for plumbing made sense to Jim Walker, who made this observation during the commission’s work session: “If you’ve got a garage that big, and, you know, you’ve got some people over there, you don’t want them to have to go to the house to use the restroom.”
Fellow Commissioner Sue Blankenship got some laughs when she asked Walker, “That makes sense in your head?” His reply: “It does. It does. It’s part of the man-cave rules.”
The funniest part of Thursday’s meeting — from my perspective, at least — came courtesy of Virginia Larson. City planner Matt Steer told the commission that notices of the proposed zoning changes were sent to more than 100 neighbors, and the only response that was even remotely negative was a request for a temporary fence to obscure the construction process and to ensure that no debris ends up in the nearby creek. Here’s what Larson had to say about that neighbor, whom she did not name:
“They also have some things that they do that I’m not happy about having to see, but I don’t want to get into that. That’s a different issue.” When Commission Chair Edmund Haas asked a playful follow-up question, she added, “Well, I think skinny-dipping in your backyard and walking around naked is not allowed.”
OH, SNAP!
I wonder if this supposedly nudie neighbor will have anything to say during the Sept. 13 public hearing.
Chronicle Crumbs
• Let’s talk taxes: Coppell ISD trustees will vote on the district’s new budget and tax rate at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow. The Coppell City Council has scheduled a public hearing for its Tuesday meeting, but adoption of their budget and tax rate has been delayed until Sept. 13. Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD trustees will consider their budget and tax rate this Thursday. (CORRECTION: They did so on Aug. 18.) The Irving City Council won’t adopt their budget and tax rate until Sept. 15.
• Jan McDowell, who is the Democratic nominee for the 24th Congressional District for the third time in four cycles, has moved her campaign headquarters to the Createria Studios building in Old Town Coppell. An opening event has been scheduled for 4 p.m. on Aug. 28.
• I think I’m going to stop writing about Buy on Belt Line Bingo, because I keep having to correct myself. Two weeks ago, I told you I was informed when turning in my completed bingo card that all participants would get a $200 gift card. Yet the latest edition of the city’s newsletter says the $200 gift card is a grand prize. I’ve since been told that all participants get a smaller gift card, at an amount to be determined.
• An employee of the Petco next to Tom Thumb told my proofreader/wife/muse that the pet store’s days at that location are numbered.
• Because I’ve written about Little Free Libraries, Julie Vrla sent me a picture of her Girl Scout, Sabrina Vrla, with Austin Elementary librarian Julie McConnell. Sabrina, who is a freshman at New Tech, built this library for her Silver Award project, with assistance from her grandfather, dad, and Eagle Scout brother. It stands outside Sabrina’s old school, Austin, where Julie reports it was a big hit on Meet the Teacher Night.
Community Calendar
Coppell Cowboys football: The varsity team kicks off the regular season on Thursday with a road game against Sachse. The Cowboys’ home opener is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Sept. 2 against South Grand Prairie.
Lacrosse Round Up: The Coppell Lacrosse Association has scheduled a series of clinics for boys and girls of all ages, from kindergarten to 12th grade, at Lesley Field on Saturday.
Introduction to Mindfulness: Adults are invited to learn about the benefits of mindful meditation at 2 p.m. on Aug. 28 at the Cozby Library and Community Commons.
The Magic of Rob Lake: The acclaimed illusionist will perform twice on Aug. 28 — at 2 p.m. and at 6 p.m. — at the Coppell Arts Center.
Coppell Women’s Club: Musician and humorist Jackie Payne will share little-known stories behind familiar songs at 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 7 at Church of the Apostles.
Coppell Lions Club SPOT Screenings: Lions Club members will conduct preliminary vision screenings for children 6 months to 5 years old — and any child with special needs — at 11:45 a.m. on Sept. 10 at the Cozby Library and Community Commons.
Organize Your Life – Travel Workshop: An expert organizer will share tips on how to prepare and pack for your next trip at 2 p.m. on Sept. 10 at the Cozby Library and Community Commons.
Thanks, Dan, for all your efforts bringing us the hot news of our little corner of the universe! By the way, the Coppell Chess Club appears to be up and running (https://coppellchessclub.com)...maybe a little update? Thanks again!
I'm sad to read about the house on Bethel Road being torn down for a garage!! Reminds me of the Joni Mitchell song about putting up a parking lot. This is a very historical house that is being destroyed for the wealth of someone's collection. No one values beauty anymore in their natural settings. This is an example of greed and excess wealth. Coppell loses another valuable piece of property.