Recently there was a property tax passed for the schools in Vinton. While there was a list of the projects for each school, there wasn’t a cost attached to each one. Can you get that please?

Yes.

How officials plan to spend the proceeds of the $10 million bond issue that Vinton voters — who will see a 16-mill increase in property taxes — approved in April, according to a list provided by the Calcasieu Parish school system:

Vinton Elementary

Play court pavilion — $275,000.

Covered unloading area at school front — $220,000.

Multipurpose building with restrooms (including demolition of existing gym) — $1.75 million.

Reroofing — $150,700.

Paved parking — $160,000.

Drainage — $25,000.

Contingencies — $258,070.

Vinton Middle

Student center pavilion — $240,000.

Front classroom building upgrades — $389,664.

Band room wing upgrades — $363,540.

Conversion of north building resource area to art room — $143,000.

Canopy upgrades — $119,350.

Roofing — $546,935.

Paved parking — $76,920.

Drainage — $25,000.

Contingencies — $190,441.

Vinton High

A 350-foot baseball field and a 200-foot softball field, including concession stands, scorekeeper, restrooms, lighting, public address system, bleachers, fencing,

drainage, utilities and paved parking, along with the necessary clearing, dirt work and hydroseed — $1.89 million.

Dressing room renovations and AC work in secondary gym — $395,000.

Reinforcement of aluminum mullions of two-story classroom building’s second-floor window wall — $60,000.

Replacement of lockers on two-story building’s first floor — $40,000.

Seating upgrades and exterior signs for gym — $46,000.

Reroofing — $341,510.

Contingencies — $277,251.

Additional costs

Architect and engineering fees — $479,003.

Land preparation and wetland mitigation — $200,000.

Bond issuance fees — $80,000.

Technology wiring and equipment, including furniture and other supplies — $1,257,616.

School system officials said bid prices and changes in project scope could cause some of the above estimates to vary from the actual costs.

Online: www.cpsb.org.

Cataracts common part of aging

What causes cataracts? How can you tell when you have cataracts? And is there any way to remove cataracts without surgery?

They can form after eye surgery or eye surgery, and they sometimes develop after a person has been exposed to radiation. But cataracts are mostly a byproduct of aging.

Symptoms of a cataract, as listed on the website of the National Eye Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health:

Cloudy or blurry vision.

Colors seem faded.

Glare. Headlights, lamps, or sunlight may appear too bright. A halo may appear around lights.

Poor night vision.

Double vision or multiple images in one eye. (This symptom may clear as the cataract gets larger.)

Frequent prescription changes in your eyeglasses or contact lenses.

“The symptoms of early cataract may be improved with new eyeglasses, brighter lighting, anti-glare sunglasses, or magnifying lenses,” reads the website.

“If these measures do not help, surgery is the only effective treatment. Surgery involves removing the cloudy lens and replacing it with an artificial lens.”

For more information, consult an eye doctor.

Online: www.nei.nih.gov/health/cataract.

The Informer answers questions from readers each Sunday, Monday and Wednesday. It is researched and written by Andrew Perzo, an American Press staff writer. To ask a question, call 494-4098, press 5 and leave voice mail, or email informer@americanpress.comvinton water tower town of vinton(American Press Archives)