9th Grade Academy Could Begin Construction in June

Since completion of the $55 million Central School Complex on Sullivan Road, the Central school system has continued to move forward with new projects to improve existing facilities and prepare for the future.

The next major project will be construction of a new 9th Grade Academy on the campus of Central High School.  Supt. Mike Faulk said he hopes construction on that project can begin in June.  Two contractors have been in a legal battle to decide who was the low bidder for construction of the new school.  Bouquet & LeBlanc bid $5.25 million for the project, while Cangelosi Ward bid $5.272 million.  However, Cangelosi alleged that Bouquet did not file all of the required legal documents necessary to make the bid valid.  The matter is now before Dis

trict Judge Wilson Fields.  In order to resolve the controversy rapidly, the issue has been set for arbitration beginning on May 22.  The judge, the school board, and the two contractors have agreed to accept the decision of the arbitrator, which will have to be rendered within 48 hours.

Faulk said he does not expect the legal battle to delay construction, which is supposed to be complete by June 2015, in time for the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year.

The 9th Grade Academy has been in existence for four years and currently uses a portion of the high school. The Central High Class of 2014 was the first class to start in the 9th Grade Academy.

Other important projects are:

• Completing the driveway in front of Central High School.  About one-third of it was completed last summer.

• Constructing parking facilities behind the bleachers at Wildcat Stadium.  The work will include improved drainage, setting up a base, and building parking.  The school board is planning to advertise this project for bids on Friday.

• Demolition of most of the old Central Middle School on the corner of Hooper and Sullivan roads.

This Saturday and Sunday, the L-shaped administration building at the old CMS will be open for tours for anyone who would like to take a look at the old facility.

The tours will be given from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day.  The L-shaped building is one of the few buildings that is not slated for demolition.

The old auditorium was condemned in the 1980’s but never torn down by the East Baton Rouge School System.  Many of the other buildings have asbestos or other problems that make them impractical to repair.

A demolition contractor who was awarded the project will start work next week.  Under the contract, he has 240 days to complete the demolition.  He has estimated being able to finish it in 150 to 175 days.

Finally, the Louisiana Legislature has approved SB433 by Sen. Bodi White (R-Central), which provides for the transfer of the old Greenwell Springs Hospital from the State of Louisiana to the Central Community School Board.  The transfer includes the buildings and about 150 acres of land.

Supt. Faulk said the school board is considering entering into a cooperative agreement with BREC for the development of a portion of the property with an historic site, a recreational area, and nature trails.

The school board has discussed the possibility of someday, perhaps 10 years or more in the future, building a new high school on the site, Faulk said.

The Greenwell Springs Hospital property is the site of 10 natural springs that were used by Native Americans from time immemorial because of the water’s medicinal properties.

In the 1850’s, the land was purchased by Robert Greenwell, and the springs became known as “Mr. Greenwell’s springs.”  Later, the general area became known as Greenwell Springs.

Robert Greenwell sold the property, and the new owner built a popular resort, which included a hotel, in the late 1850’s.  Tourists came from far and wide, and there were numerous stage coaches each day on a scheduled basis from Baton Rouge to Greenwell Springs.

Many people from Baton Rouge and New Orleans would come in the warm months to enjoy the curative effects of the springs and to swim in the cool waters and enjoy white sand of the Amite River.

The water was bottled and shipped throughout the country.

The Civil War was cruel to the resort.  At one point, Gen. John Breckenridge, the former Vice President and in 1862 a Confederate general, rested his soldiers there on their way to the Battle of Baton Rouge.  After the battle, both Union and Confederate soldiers were treated in the Greenwell Springs Hotel, which was converted to a hospital.

Later in the war, most of the buildings were torn down to supply wood for construction of homes in Baton Rouge, which had been destroyed by the Union.  The hotel burned in a fire.

Central residents have talked for years about making the site into a Civil War historic park.  Now the Central school board will decide the future of the property.