Lafourche OKs $1M for ailing hospital
December 19, 2012Unthinkable tragedy a reminder for all of us
December 19, 2012
The first elevated school in Terrebonne Parish is going up, 10 feet above sea level to be exact, and is slated to open in the fall of 2014, bringing an end to 10 years of flooding woes for Grand Caillou Middle School.
“Building this school is such a positive feeling,” Terrebonne School Superintendent Philip Martin said. “The area deserves this building. We will have a school for generations to come.”
Martin was one of many school district employees, school board members, employees from the Merlin Group, the new school’s architects, and community members at last Tuesday’s groundbreaking ceremony at 2161 Grand Caillou Road in Houma.
“We hope it is the first of many more elevated schools in the parish, and this will be the parish’s first new school since 1987,” Martin said.
The new, two-story school will feature 57,953 of total conditioned space and 15,630 of total student covered area. There will be 14,900- square-foot general classrooms, a 1,559-square-foot band room, a 1,139-square-foot computer lab and library and an 8,183-square-foot cafetorium and stage area. In addition to all the space for the students, the building will also have a 3,700 square-foot kitchen and food preparation area, 3,863 square feet in administration areas and 9,545 square feet of service areas.
The $15 million dollar project is being funded by the school board and interest-free bonds that the school board was eligible to apply for.
“We received no hurricane-related funds for the building, no money from FEMA,” Martin said. “We pursued and pursued, relentlessly, to get help from FEMA. We just want equal treatment as the schools in Orleans and St. Bernard Parish received. They flooded once and got $2 billion to rebuild their school infrastructure. We wanted them to treat us like they treat everybody else. St. Bernard Parish alone got $800 million from FEMA.”
In the last 10 years, Grand Caillou Middle, located along Bayou Grand Caillou, has flooded five times during passing tropical storms and hurricanes.
“All this flooding has been disruptive to the education process,” Martin said. “The school has taken on as much as five feet of water and was built in the 1930s. It’s long overdue to be replaced.”
The new school will be located 10.2 miles up the bayou from the current school and behind the Thompson Road levee. In addition to the elevation, walls that will withstand 150 mph winds will also protect the school. The school will sit on 17 acres of land donated by the Walter Land Company, and the large tract of land will leave plenty of room for future expansion of the school. The Louisiana Department of Transportation will also help traffic flow near the school by expanding the roadway to four lanes in front of the new building.
“We have been pushing for this day since the first time the school flooded,” said school board member Roger Dehart. “It’s a long day coming.”
“This is a great day for us,” said fellow school board member Hayes Badeaux. “This will be an outstanding building. Without the support of the school board, this would not have happened. This is a giant leap forward.”
“It’s great to see the new school becoming a reality,” said Grand Calliou Elementary Principal Cindy Gray. “It’s a vision coming to life.”
Terrebonne Parish School Board President L.P. Bordelon and school board Superintendent Philip Martin speak at the groudbreaking ceremony for the new Grand Calliou Middle School. The new school will be the first elevated school in Terrebonne Parish.
