By LEONARD GRAY-Staff Reporter

HAHNVILLE – A leading St. Charles Parish citizen is hoping a push is made toward establishing a parish “activity center” at the foot of the Hale Boggs Bridge in Luling.

However, Parish President Albert Laque expressed his own doubt anything will be done, at least until January when the fall elections are passed and the next term of office commences.

Back in April, Councilman G. “Ram” Ramchandran was expected to start the ball rolling to appoint a new committee to oversee the development. However, the matter was dropped.

Since then, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Edward A. Dufresne Jr., a lifelong Luling resident, is launching a new push to get the project rolling once more.

Already, St. Charles Parish has a site – a 34-acre tract valued at $1.8 million, located behind the school board central office conditionally donated by Dufresne. It is located across the road from the Raymond K. Smith Middle School, now under construction on Sugarland Parkway and due to be completed in August 2004.

The site already has a paved road to it, along with water, sewer and electrical lines and only awaits the funding to move the project off dead center.

Dufresne said this week such an activity center could play host to proms, high school graduations and the St. Charles Expo, among other activities. “You’ll find more and more uses as time goes by,” he added, and said, “We just have to get it moving in the right direction.”

Among those other uses, he continued, could be a permanent home for the parish Parks and Recreation Department and possibly house other government offices now contributing to the cramped conditions at the parish courthouse in Hahnville.

Another benefit, Dufresne said, could be providing additional parking for functions at R.K. Smith Middle School, as well as a facility for major school-related activities such as science fairs.

Dufresne emphasized the proposed facility would not have to come into being all at once, but developed over a period of time, as needs develop and funding comes to hand.

Laque established the first civic center committee late in his first term of office, chaired by then-Councilman Clay Faucheux and later by Patrick Yoes, but little was accomplished, according to Yoes, and the committee died. The second committee was established in 1993, chaired by Carole Schonberg, and delivered the study in March 1996, showing not only a need for such a center, but also that a majority of the people favored it.

At the same time, the state legislative delegation pushed successfully for funds to be included on the Capital Outlay Bill, but the low priority funds still linger, unused.

In November 2000, Laque opened negotiations with Dufresne for the property donation, and Dufresne followed through in January 2001, with certain stipulations.

One of those is the property be used for the public good, meaning the parish cannot turn around and sell the site for some commercial or industrial venture.

The other condition is that the center, when it is built, be named for Judge Dufresne’s late father, Edward A. “Big Eddie” Dufresne, who bought Esperanza Plantation in 1937.

The facility could host everything from dance recitals and community theatre to festivals, special events and conventions.

But Laque said this week, “I doubt seriously anything will get off before the election.”