Wednesday, May 14, 2008

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ASCENSION

Ascension eyes new site for school

By JOHN COLVIN
Advocate River parishes bureau
Published: May 8, 2008 - Page: 1B - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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DARROW — Faced with an impending deadline to start construction, school officials are investigating a different location for a primary school in southern Ascension Parish.

The school district had planned to use a 10-acre site in the proposed Orange Grove subdivision off La. 22 in Sorrento for the school. Now, the system is exploring a 24-acre site outside Darrow.

School officials doubt the Orange Grove location would be a suitable location for the new school, particularly whether it could be made ready in time for the school’s targeted opening date in 2010.

“We won’t have access to Louisiana 22,” said Jeff Parent, supervisor of maintenance, during Tuesday’s Strategic Planning Committee meeting. “We will be surrounded by land that we don’t own.”

Orange Grove developers have offered to donate land in the middle of the neighborhood to the School Board, building houses around the school. However, subdivision construction, in the planning stage since 2006, has been delayed indefinitely.

Last month, Tony Bull, chief operating officer of Renaissance Development Group LLC, told committee members that project planners are facing issues with assuring a reliable source of water and other factors that have postponed the 135-acre, 349-lot development.

Bull could not say when construction may start. Previously, legal entanglements also delayed work.

If the school was built in Orange Grove, the district would be relying on the developers to build roads to the school and to provide access to utilities.

Otherwise, the district would be responsible for building a road and arranging utility access, likely exceeding the project’s budget, if the subdivision construction is delayed too long, said Johnnie Balfantz, spokesman for Ascension Parish schools.

The alternate site borders La. 22, providing direct access to the state highway.

In order to open for the 2010-11 school year as planned, a site decision needs to be made within the next two to three months, Parent said. Estimated construction time is about 20 months and another six months would be needed for preparation.

Following Tuesday’s committee meeting, the entire School Board approved seeking an appraisal on the new 24-acre site. District officials hope the appraisal would be completed within two weeks.

The primary school will be the sixth in the district’s school restructuring plan adopted after parish voters approved a $69 million bond issue proposition in 2005.


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Lied to
Thursday, May 08, 2008
6:02 AM

Let 'em build it where ever. They will lie to the residents about who gets to go there, and when its convienient they will make sure the Gonzales Power Mongers kids get taken care of when its redistricted. Beware newcomers to Ascension Parish, you don't count , you just pay for everything. Thanks School Board---or Good Ole Boy Board.

Lied to too
Thursday, May 08, 2008
6:44 AM

Your right Lied to, it is all about money and who has power. It always been that way. I built a house 10years ago in Ascension suppose to have been in ST Amant District before I finished the house it was in EA's district. Look at Pelican Point, Their in St Amant district, they got to drive by EA to get to St. Amant. Money Talks!

Ticked off
Thursday, May 08, 2008
7:32 AM

Yes, BEWARE, they will do what they want, and money does talk, it is POLITICS too. We live off of 621 not even a mile from Dutchtown High and was just included in the new redistricting to go to EA. I am sure it is a good school, that is besides the point, when we live less than a mile from Dutchtown, and residents that live off of Hwy 44 and Hwy 42 meet lines to Airline highway way more than two miles from me and have to pass my subdivision to get to Dutchtown get to stay in Dutchtown School. That is bullcrap. It already takes my child leaving at 6:30 in the morning to ride to school to get to Dutchtown Middle and High I hate to see what time they will leave to get to East Ascencion High. It will be just like Baton Rouge bus situation LONG LONG rides. But I guess that is a price one has to pay for not being able to afford a 250,000-400,000 home our children get punished.

Lies keep adding up
Thursday, May 08, 2008
9:08 AM

Over 10 years ago, I relocated from Baton Rouge due to the bussing issues that I experienced while growing up. I built a house in the Dutchtown School District because I had always heard great things about it. Now, I have to send my kids to EA when Dutchtown HS is approximately 2 miles from my house. I have to worry that my brand new drivers will be dodging cars down Airline Highway instead of a straight shot down Highway 73 to Dutchtown. Where's the logic?

Getting tired of hearing it
Thursday, May 08, 2008
12:34 PM

To ALL of you newcomers I have been living in Gonzales "ALL MY LIFE" (41 YEARS). I am a graduate of EA. And I am tired of hearing you complaining. We have had to make TONS of adjustments do to all the newcomers our lives have changed tremendously. I have not complained one bit but now I am tired of you complaining if you are not happy here I am sure you can find a beautiful home where ever you came from. Leave or quit complaining this is OUR home.

Lied to
Thursday, May 08, 2008
3:33 PM

Hey, "Getting Tired of Hearing It"---One simple suggestion for you---PAY YOUR OWN WAY. We pay for your kids to get a free ride on our labor. You have better roads, you have better police protection, you have better fire protection. All because WE, the newcomers, that brought prosperity to your backwoods inbred parish. We leave, you starve. Perhaps you make a choice? We don't need you.

Getting tire of hearing it
Thursday, May 08, 2008
4:23 PM

Hey, Lied to, you have paid absolutely NOTHING for me. We made it WAY before you came here and will make it when you leave. I don't understand why would you live here if you feel we are backwoods inbred people. If we were this bad why are you here???? Everyone has a choice.

INBRED
Thursday, May 08, 2008
4:44 PM

If we are so backwoods and inbred why did you move here? Is it because we have better school systems, less crime, more since of community. Our police & volunteer fire depts. were just fine before you moved here with your hoodlum, ill mannered, rampaging children. Our roads were fine for our small communities, until you brought your gas hog suv"s & hummers. E.A. high has grauated some of the best college students in the state.TAKE YOUR MONEY AND GO BACK TO WHERE EVER YOU COME FROM, WE DONE NEED PEOPLE LIKE YOU IN OUR PARISH. A life long resident & graduate of E.A high

Getting tired of hearing it
Thursday, May 08, 2008
5:38 PM

Way to go Inbred! Couldn't have said it better myself..

Dutchtown Mom
Thursday, May 08, 2008
10:46 PM

I dont know where or why this inbred business has come about but I have been here 10 years, yes we moved here for the schools. All of the schools are good in this parish, I cant or wont argue that. The parish has just gotten worse in about the last three to four years. I live off of 621 and I'll bet they have put up 20-40 subdivisons that will still feed into Dutchtown High between here and the boundary lines of 42 & 44. The only beef I have about this situation is that #1) THEY STILL KEEP BUILDING subdivision on top of subdivision out this way and #2) I just dont think it is fair that I live not even a mile from Dutchtown High and my children will now have to go to EA when children live 7-8 miles or more away and will have to pass my subdivision but get to go to Dutchtown High

Dutchtown Mom
Thursday, May 08, 2008
10:46 PM

inbred
Friday, May 09, 2008
11:54 AM

You moved here 10 years ago, my great - great grandparents are buried in prairieville cemetary. How do you thing we feel having our children moved from school to school because of new comers. All of the schools in east ascension are good schools, if this is a race issue then we don't need that in our schools are our parish, we in ascension have come a long way and still have far to go in race relations. If you have a problem with E.A. then get involved with the school, are find another parish to move to. All of this moving to a certain area for a certain school is what happened to Baton Rouge. we do not want forced bussing for our children, but that is what it is coming to. It takes all kinds to make the world go round. Ignorence breeds fear & violence.

irritated with all of it
Friday, May 09, 2008
5:43 PM

Seriously, the kids will be fine and we will all learn to live with the inconvenience. It's going to be hard for a little while, but we will survive, b/c that's what we do here! We are a community and we will continue to support Ascension Parish no matter what! I will have two kids in two different schools...attempting to spread ourselves thin with two booster clubs, and Friday night lights in two different stadiums that my taxes paid for long before the bulk of the people from B.R. and beyond paid for or arrived here, but we will do it! The worse part about this is that those of us that have been life long residents continue to have to deal with changes that we and our council allowed to happen without long term planning...and all of this poison that the seemingly new residents of Ascension Parish are spouting are only hurting the few kids from Dutchtown Middle that are forced onto EAHS, without the majority of their friends.They will be viewed as the kids whose parents are viewed as racist and hating EAHS. Let it go and start looking at the positive instead of continuing to make it harder for the children it effects...relax in your home where you bought to escape the problems you brought from Baton Rouge!

It's All About Money
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
7:09 AM

Yes, I'm one of those who move to the East bank to send my children to better schools. I paid much more than my house is actually worth to be in a "subdivision" and to send my child to St. Amant. (which generates more money for the parish--which will eventually go into the school system) If it wasn't in one of the best school districts, I would be paying more money to send my child to private school. All schools on the East bank are considered top rated but if you look at the number of kids total in a school what each school offer athletically (Dutchtown like other large schools has a lot of talented players on the bench, because of the number of talented kids in the school), and the overall academics of a school some school better suite a family more than others. To say we are all one parish, East bank schools still have more benefits than west bank schools. I might not be a graduate from E.A. who still had more benefits than those of us who graduated from Donaldsonville High School the original DHS.