DeRidder to expand Serenity Park onto historic Sartor Building property

Published 11:53 am Wednesday, May 11, 2016

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">DER</span><span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">IDDER — Mayor Ron Roberts said Monday that Grace Church plans to expand Serenity Park onto the property of the historic Sartor Building, which burned in a fire last year.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">The proposed development will include a fountain, benches, tables and landscaping contributed by Grace Church, Roberts told the City Council.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“Our contribution will be the original brickwork that was salvaged from the building’s remains and $20,000,” he said.</span>

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<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">That money will come from funds left over from the reacquisition of the building last year. The building, previously owned by the Beauregard Sheriff’s Office, was acquired by the city and then sold to a private contractor for $30,000.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">When it burned down in January 2015, it was sold back to the city for $10,000.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Roberts called the agreement with Grace Church a “most generous offer” and said the development plans will require little, if any, action from the city. “We will retain ownership of everything,” he said.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Grace Church was also the force behind the transformation of the Delia Pawn Shop, which had been next to the Sartor Building, into Serenity Park at a cost of about $25,000.</span>

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