St. Martinville site of new Evangeline Campus stalled in Baton Rouge

Final approval of a St. Martinville site for the new Evangeline Campus of South Louisiana Community College (SLCC) was removed from the agenda of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) Board of Supervisors in Baton Rouge last Wednesday.
Quintin Taylor, LCTCS executive director of Media Relations, told Teche News that the LCTCS Facilities Corporation “was just not prepared to bring it before the board.”
Taylor said the Facilities Corporation, a non-profit organization created by the Legislature, is still doing “due diligence” on the selection of a proposal made by the City of St. Martinville to build the new $9.2 million school on land donated by the Levert family.
He could not say when the corporation’s recommendation will be brought before the board.
Another 60 days for due diligence remains after the board approves a site selection, Taylor said,
The delay is not unusual, Taylor said, and he cautioned against “reading too much into it.”
On April 17, the LCTCS Facilities Corporation selected the Levert site, a sugarcane field across Moore Avenue from the International Trade Center (the old Martin Mills). An announcement of the selection was made by SLCC.
There were two other proposals, one at the International Trade Center and the other in Breaux Bridge on property owned by Pellerin Life Insurance Company near the new St. Martin School Board headquarters.
According to the Facilities Corporation’s official request for land (RFL), qualified proposals would be determined by the following criteria:
•Visibility of the property from the street, the amount of frontage, and places to put up signs announcing the presence of the school.
•Accessibility, including nearby major thoroughfares, proximity to public schools, and a surrounding residential population.
•Size and configuration: a minimum of nine acres with utilities readily available.
•Suitability, meaning current condition of the property and proximity of businesses to serve students.
•Value of the donation, factoring in any costs to LCTCS for pre-construction development.
The LCTCS Facilities Corporation is a non-profit organization formed in 2008 to oversee some $173 million in college projects authorized under Act 391 of the 2007 legislative session. Its members are Stephen C. Smith (president) of Schriever, Lambert C. Boissiere Jr. of New Orleans, U. Gene Thibodeaux of Lake Charles, and Billy Wayne Montgomery of Bossier City.
Meanwhile, an “open house” with free food and music is on for this evening (Wednesday, May 21, 5-7 p.m.) at the existing Evangeline Campus, 600 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. in St. Martinville. There will be information on programs and courses offered, with career advisors on hand.