Harlan Kirgan
Weather is blamed for slow construction progress at Eunice Elementary.
Claudia Blanchard, school system director of operations, said, “We are proceeding in Eunice. As all of you know, the weather has not been kind”
Blanchard updated the St. Landry Parish School Board’s Buildings, Lands and Sites Committee at a meeting Monday in Opelousas.
There are two buildings receiving repairs at the campus.
One building is a classroom building damaged by a fire in August 2018. Blanchard said work has started on installing roof trusses on that building and that project may be completed by the end of May.
Interior work at the the building cannot start until the roof work is completed, she said.
The other project is at the administration building that was flooded in December 2018.
Blanchard said about two-thirds of the administration building’s roof has been removed, but progress has been slowed by rain.
Work progress may improve with summer arriving, she said.
Portable restrooms brought to the campus after the administration building flooded have been removed, she said.
“We are making progress. It is just slow. It is going to be very very close if we can be back in our buildings by August,” she said.
Work at the school has been slowed by weather, but also by other factors.
In March, the School Board approved change orders for a roof replacement project initially approved in August 2018. The change orders included additional structure support and removal replacement of the administration building roof.
In a budget report, the School Board has received $486,279 in insurance proceeds to pay for the fire damage that occurred on Aug. 14, 2018.
In other Buildings, Lands and Sites Committee business:
— Restroom renovations totaling $232,501 were approved for Grolee, Northeast, Park Vista, South Street schools in Opelousas and Lawtell Elmentary.
— The committee voted against LED lighting projects at Grolee, Northeast, South Street and East elementary schools. The project would have cost $151,321 after a $15,822 rebate from Cleco.
Committee decisions are subject to full Board votes.