Pros and cons of proposed St. Louis move aired
Published 9:03 pm Friday, February 12, 2021
- Photo Credit
John Guidroz
Dozens of people showed up at Our Lady Queen of Heaven Catholic Church Thursday to hear about the possibility of moving the hurricane-damaged St. Louis Catholic High School from its Bank Street location to MorganField Development.
Several St. Louis High graduates whose children attend the school today said moving the campus would hurt property values in downtown Lake Charles and would destroy the school’s historical significance.
Jared Watson is part of an ad hoc committee tasked to study the process of rebuilding St. Louis High School after Hurricanes Laura and Delta. He said building a new school at MorganField is cheaper than rebuilding the existing campus. The MorganField property is “closer to shovel-ready,” and it wouldn’t face construction delays anticipated at the Bank Street location, he said.
“You’ve got delays when it comes to parking for those that want to build on Bank Street,” he said. “Where are the laydown yards?”
The MorganField site also has more than 30 acres of available land, compared to the nearly 15 usable acres at the school’s current site, Watson said.
Mary Ann Moses, who also serves on the ad hoc committee, said a 2019 Strategic Vision Vitality Report on the school was used as guidance on the current site, and for consideration on an alternate site. A new location was considered to offer students a “campus environment” that offered more space for activities, she said.
“We know there’s lots to think about,” she said. “Our vision was for 25-50 years from now.”
Response
Paige Spencer said St. Louis High School’s current location was one of the main reasons she and her husband purchased a home in a nearby neighborhood seven years ago. She said a neighbor informed her of the potential to move the school.
“My first thought was, ‘Not this too.’ This news came as one more loss among many; one more blow to our property and our plans and our vision for our future,” she said.
Sarah Canup voiced concerns about the MorganField site being more than 3 miles away from Lake Charles Memorial Hospital and Christus Ochsner St. Patrick Hospital, compared to just over 1 mile at the Bank Street location. Canup said her husband died on the way to the hospital.
“Three times the difference in a medical emergency if you’re waiting for an ambulance to come could be the difference in one of our students, faculty or someone we love not making it,” she said.
Canup also said the MorganField site would pose challenges for students currently walking to the Bank Street campus.
“I want us to be inclusive and not leave people behind,” she said. “Are we considering buses for students who may not have a way to get there?”
Twila Sterling-Guillory spoke of the increased traffic students and parents may encounter while passing through other schools to get to the MorganField site. Moving the school would also cause issues for parents who have students at Immaculate Conception Cathedral School on Ryan Street.
Donald Brinkman said the committee should consider expanding its search criteria.
Rick Hickman
