The Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System questions the UL Horse Farm Deal.
Last Wednesday, Dec. 7, The Independent Weekly wrote an editorial calling for UL Lafayette President Ray Authement to abandon the current UL horse farm land-swap deal and seek new options for expanding the campus. In our editorial, we noted the inequities in appraisals on the properties involved; potential environmental problems and liability issues for the university; and reported the discovery of a troubling lease arrangement that allows Girard Park Drive land owner Jimmy Davidson to remain on the property for up to two years after the university acquires it.
Later that day on Dec. 7, the Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System, which approved the now-contentious UL land swap in August, sent a letter from the board's legal counsel to Baton Rouge attorney Linda Law Clark. Lawyer Clark is paid by the board to work with universities to ensure their legal issues comply with the UL System's policies and procedures. That letter follows as a PDF file.
The Independent Weekly has been asking these questions for two months now. Why didn't the Board of Supervisors ask them before it approved the deal back in August?