By KERI CHAMPION

Staff Reporter

RESERVE- The St. John Parish School Board recently voted unanimously to approve a resolution allowing for the advertisements of bids for the construction of new elementary school on the Elvina Plantation property.

The bid calls for estimates for construction up to $10 million for the new school, including the $700,000 already spent on the land. Board Member Matthew Ory also offered an alternative to the bids other than for just school construction, stating that he would like to see bids that included plans for renovation of the plantation home that will remain on the property.

Architect Alton Darby provided the board with renderings of the proposed school that include a proposed meeting room with a raised platform and microphones that would accommodate board meetings in LaPlace. The semicircular platform and microphones would be built in the new school library located in the center of the building and could also be used as reading tables in the library.

Darby will also be drawing up plans for proposed renovation to the plantation home.

There will be three classrooms for every grade K-8, three extra classrooms, three special education rooms and multi-purpose room that can be used for band or choir practice or for school gatherings among other things.

The school would ideally house up to 750 students, with a maximum of 800, who would be required to relocate from Lake Pontchartrain Elementary, LaPlace Elementary and East. St. John Elementary.

The new construction will require the board to redistrict current school attendance boundary lines. In response to the need for new boundaries, the board also voted to accept bids for services for redistricting with the stipulation that the companies must have prior experience with dealing with the judicial requirements of creating the new lines.

The previous proposal was to contact the South Central Planning and Zoning Commission before they decided to advertise for bids.

When the zones are redrawn, Johnny Owens, who is in charge of transportation for the school system, will present a new plan of his own for transportation routes at each school.