By LEONARD GRAY

LUTCHER – Delays have continued to plague the track resurfacing projects at St. James and Lutcher high schools and the latest deadline to finish both is Jan. 28.

A-1 Asphalt of New Orleans was awarded the contract in 2001, and the projects wiped out last year’s track seasons for the schools. Mechanical engineer Ted Beaullieu recently told the building committee of the St. James Parish School Board he hopes to see it done for this season. The contracts, at $308,000 per track, involve repairs and patching to the asphalt, resurfacing with polyurethane and repainting. They are 85 percent complete, Beaullieu said.

The building committee, in considering going out for bids for roof repairs to the Central Office in Lutcher also heard a host of other leaky roof problems across the system

Terry McCreary, director of operations and maintenance, told the committee there are roof problems at Gramercy, Romeville, Paulina, Fifth Ward, Sixth Ward and Vacherie elementary schools and at St. James High School.

None of the problems are interfering with school operations, he pointed out, but recalled one recent instance where a roof leak at Lutcher High School’s cafeteria resulted in shutting it down temporarily until the repairs were made.

In contacting the roofer who did that job, McCreary recalled he discovered the company had already gone out of business, and he ended up hiring a second roofer to make the repairs.

McCreary will work with finance director Jim Mitchell to set up a master plan to address the leaks.

In other matters, McCreary will be working with St. James Parish government toward addressing the parking lot drainage for the softball field at St. James High School, in the installation of culverts and catch-basins.

Also, the committee voted to recommend approval of the bid of Melancon’s Metal Roofing of Gonzales for the St. James High School agricultural building roof. The bid, lowest of three, was $20,490.

Also, a change order was approved on the conversion of Lutcher Junior High School to an elementary school, adding $10,561 to the job. The changes to the contract involve adding more doorways to satisfy state fire marshal regulations and adding rain gutters above the cafeteria doors.