Cypress Cove in on track for completion in October and furniture moved in over the following four to six weeks. By December, students from D.S. Perkins Elementary School are expected to transfer to the new school on Currie Drive, according to Calcasieu Parish School Board president Joe Andrepont, one of three Board members who will have students in their district eventually attending the new school.
"The school will not be open [on August 18]. We had right at 60 rain days that set us back a lot, when much of the construction was outside," Andrepont said.
"On top of that, we were having to delay some of the brick work because of a freeze warning last winter."
Cypress Cove is set to receive the entire student body of D.S. Perkins, as well as students from Vincent Settlement and Frasch Elementary, though only D.S. Perkins' students and staff will make the move in December.
"The reason D.S. Perkins will be moved is because there will not be any disruption. They are moving all the students to the school entirely," Andrepont said.
"We certainly don't want to uproot Vincent Settlement and Frasch because it would mean new classrooms and new teachers. Perkins' students will have the same classrooms and the same teachers, just a new school."
Cypress Cove is the product of years of surveys and negotiations, after it was determined that a new school in the Sulphur area was needed.
Building Cypress Cove was part of a $37.5 million bond issue, one that schools all over Sulphur used for additions and capital improvements, according to Andrepont. The bond passed in 2007 with a 66 percent approval rate.
Andrepont credits the citizens of the Sulphur/Carlyss area for their vision.
"It speaks well of the voters of Sulphur that they always are voting for children," he said.
Andrepont said that Currie Drive wasn't the only site they checked to place the new school.
"Before we decided to go south, we looked at north of Sulphur. Even though there are a number of houses up there, that's not where the growth in the parish is," he said.
"We looked at the Claiborne/Houston River area but saw that wasn't feasible."
Andrepont said that over 13 locations were studied before deciding on the Carlyss area.
Currie Drive is just off of Carlyss Road, itself connected to Highway 27. Some parents have expressed concerns over the bus ride that their students would have to make.
Andrepont said that he feels the bus ride is not an issue.
"We feel like a 10 to 12 minute bus ride is reasonable, compared to other parts of the parish with a much longer than 10 minute bus ride," he said.
Overall, Andrepont said he was excited for this new school.
"This is the first elementary school built in the Sulphur area since 1968," he said.
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Cypress Cove in on track for completion in October and furniture moved in over the following four to six weeks. By December, students from D.S. Perkins Elementary School are expected to transfer to the new school on Currie Drive, according to Calcasieu Parish School Board president Joe Andrepont, one of three Board members who will have students in their district eventually attending the new school.
"The school will not be open [on August 18]. We had right at 60 rain days that set us back a lot, when much of the construction was outside," Andrepont said.
"On top of that, we were having to delay some of the brick work because of a freeze warning last winter."
Cypress Cove is set to receive the entire student body of D.S. Perkins, as well as students from Vincent Settlement and Frasch Elementary, though only D.S. Perkins' students and staff will make the move in December.
"The reason D.S. Perkins will be moved is because there will not be any disruption. They are moving all the students to the school entirely," Andrepont said.
"We certainly don't want to uproot Vincent Settlement and Frasch because it would mean new classrooms and new teachers. Perkins' students will have the same classrooms and the same teachers, just a new school."
Cypress Cove is the product of years of surveys and negotiations, after it was determined that a new school in the Sulphur area was needed.
Building Cypress Cove was part of a $37.5 million bond issue, one that schools all over Sulphur used for additions and capital improvements, according to Andrepont. The bond passed in 2007 with a 66 percent approval rate.
Andrepont credits the citizens of the Sulphur/Carlyss area for their vision.
"It speaks well of the voters of Sulphur that they always are voting for children," he said.
Andrepont said that Currie Drive wasn't the only site they checked to place the new school.
"Before we decided to go south, we looked at north of Sulphur. Even though there are a number of houses up there, that's not where the growth in the parish is," he said.
"We looked at the Claiborne/Houston River area but saw that wasn't feasible."
Andrepont said that over 13 locations were studied before deciding on the Carlyss area.
Currie Drive is just off of Carlyss Road, itself connected to Highway 27. Some parents have expressed concerns over the bus ride that their students would have to make.
Andrepont said that he feels the bus ride is not an issue.
"We feel like a 10 to 12 minute bus ride is reasonable, compared to other parts of the parish with a much longer than 10 minute bus ride," he said.
Overall, Andrepont said he was excited for this new school.
"This is the first elementary school built in the Sulphur area since 1968," he said.
