Talk turned to action Wednesday as the Lafayette Parish School Board voted unanimously to move forward with the building of a new high school in Youngsville.
Wednesday’s action also included additional measures to deal with the rising population on the southern end of Lafayette Parish, including approval for expansion plans of Plantation Elementary, Katharine Drexel Elementary and Milton Elementary schools.
According to this report by The Advocate, the estimated cost for the expansions and the new high school is $94 million, and will be funded through “phased bond sales over the next few years.”
The new high school, estimated to cost about $65 million, will be located on 600 acres of school system-owned property located at the intersection of South Larriviere Road and Chemin Metairie, and will not include outdoor sports facilities. It will likely take about three years before the new school is open for students.
In the meantime, the board’s action Wednesday will open the advertising process for an architect, and discussions will likely get underway soon on the types of programming to be offered at the new high school. The city of Youngsville has also committed itself to providing about $750,000 worth of water and sewerage infrastructure to the new facility.