JENNINGS — The Jeff Davis Parish School Board finalized plans Tuesday to purchase land for a new elementary school and to sale the former Ward Elementary School.

The School Board announced the official purchase of just over 20 acres of land for $119,000 from the Donald property.

The property, located on the west side of LA 26 south, will soon be home to a new $25.4 million elementary school. The school will consolidate the current James Ward Elementary and Jennings Elementary School and be designed for 1,300 pre-kindergarten through sixth grade students.

The School Board has been working on the purchase since voters approved a $29.5 million bond issue and a separate half-cents sales tax to fund the project in March.

Superintendent Kirk Credeur said he expects paperwork for the sale to be finalized by the end of the month with the School Board taking ownership of the property.

The School Board will maintain maintenance on the property once the sale is complete. A temporary culvert will be installed to allow access to the property, he said.

The district’s next step will be sell the bonds in August and complete plans for the project.

“We are excited that we are moving forward with this project,” Credeur said. “We are hoping by this time next year we will break ground.”

Bids for the project could be received in March with construction likely to begin next spring. School officials hope to have the project completed by April 2022.

The School Board also finalized the sale of the old Ward Elementary School property to the Southwest Louisiana Development Center represented by Dr. Charles Achane.

“We have finalized the deal and are moving forward to transfer the property to Dr. Achane,” Credeur said.

The board will cancel it’s $20,000 a year insurance coverage for the property as soon as the papers are signed.

The board entered into a lease agreement with the center last August.

Under the new agreement, Southwest Louisiana Development Center agreed to buy the property, which included he old school building, on Wilbert Rochelle Avenue for $55,000.

Achane agreed to pay $1,456 in 34 equal payments for a total of $49,500 with the last payment due June 1. The last two payments have already been received, Credeur said.

Both parties will execute an act of sale with payment of $1 plus any outstanding payments, including interest, before June 30.

James Ward Elementary closed its doors and relocated to the former Northside school campus on Shankland Avenue in 2005 after a new Jennings High School was built and Jennings Elementary School moved into what was the old Jennings High.

New Elementary School graphic