Lake Charles Charter Foundation continues search for property to build school
Last Modified: Tuesday, October 30, 2012 10:07 PM
By Eric Cormier / American Press
Officials with the Lake Charles Charter Foundation are continuing their search for property to build a K-8 school in the southern part of the city.
Gene Thibodeaux, the foundation’s president, told the American Press that even though there have been setbacks in establishing a new school facility in the Nelson and Ham Reid roads area, “those have not deterred the educational agency’s resolve and its objective of providing additional choices for the students of Calcasieu Parish.”
The parish Planning and Zoning Board voted 7-3 against the foundation earlier this month after residents argued that the proposed facility would lead to traffic congestion in their neighborhood.
“The school will be built, but in city limits,” Thibodeaux said. “We have a potential location in the same vicinity of where we initially wanted to be on Nelson and Ham Reid roads.”
Foundation officials want to build a 65,000-square-foot school to accommodate 860 students.
“There have been substantial discussions with a realty representative for us to purchase property within city limits,” Thibodeaux said. “We are very interested in building in south Lake Charles.”
Thibodeaux said the goal is to construct another charter school facility for the start of the 2013 school year.
“In the unlikely event that the facility’s construction isn’t completed by August 2013, we have the temporary school building that has had $1 million in upgrades that is adequate for students until work is finalized.”
The temporary facility houses grades K-7. The new school, which opened at the start of the 2012-2013 school year, houses K-6.
Posted By: HOLLY GRANGER-PARENT OF STUDENT @ SWCC On: 11/2/2012
Title: SHOOL SHOULD BE BUILT ON NELSON RD
I DON'T SEE WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. YOU HAVE PRIEN LAKE ELEM. THAT CAUSES TONS OF TRAFFIC. IF THEY BUILT A ROAD LIKE ST. JOHN ELEM. THERE SHOULD BE NO ISSUES WITH TRAFFIC. SEEMS TO ME LIKE IT IS MORE THAN JUST A TRAFFIC ISSUE.. BECAUSE THERE IS A EASY SOLUTION TO FIX THE TRAFFIC PROBLEM. THERE ARE PLENTY OF SCHOOLS THAT CAUSE TRAFFIC ISSUES. SCHOOLS LIKE CYPRESS COVE,ST. JOHN ELEM. HAVE LONG DRIVEWAYS TO PULL INTO TO STOP TRAFFIC ISSUES. THIS SCHOOL COULD BE BUILT WITH NO TRAFFIC PROBLEMS!! SO MY QUESTION IS WHAT IS THE REAL ISSUES THAT ARE GOING ON. THE PIECE OF PROPERTY THAT CHARTER SCHOOLS WANT TO BUY IS BIG ENOUGH TO BUILD A DRIVEWAY THAT WOULD ACCOMIDATE THE SCHOOL TRAFFIC.
Get Social With Us!
+Share