Ascension Catholic schools progress on multi-purpose facility project

The Ascension Catholic schools are preparing to break ground in Donaldsonville and build a multi-purpose facility on its campus. Business Manager and Development Director, Troy LeBoeuf said this “Cover the Court” project has been in the making for the past five years and that by August construction should begin.

LeBoeuf said he was hoping to get the project going this month, but it took longer than he expected to get it going. He’s hoping to get everything approved by at the latest June and he said he anticipates the contract will be in place by the upcoming school year. He said maybe a year from now have it up, “that’s my goal.”

“We’re real excited about it,” LeBoeuf said about the multi-purpose facility.

LeBoeuf and the schools have been raising money to fund the upcoming facility. The magic number to reach was set at $350,000 and donors have been very helpful in giving to the project.

LeBoeuf said to be safe from the start they needed to get close to $350,000 to satisfy everything needed to do in this project. Right now, they have raised somewhere in between $300,000 and $325,000 with all the donations.

The multi-purpose facility will be 4,300 square feet. LeBoeuf described it as a “wide-open building,” because it will have neither bleachers nor restrooms, but will have a court and goals and it will have air conditioning and heating systems. Restrooms will be built outside of the building.

LeBoeuf ran into a bump when he took the project to the Diocese review boards. It was nothing unsolvable, he just had to stress to them that the building is not a gym, it’s a multi-purpose facility to service pre-k through sixth grade physical education (P.E.) departments and after school program, which he said is very successful.

“Explaining that was frustrating at times, but finally I got the point across,” LeBoeuf said. “This is something that is needed at Ascension Catholic.”

He made his point and he need was heard and agreed with by probably the most important or the one who matters – at least when it comes to saying yes or no to the project.

The Diocesan School Board Superintendent, Dr. Melanie B. Verges liked the idea of the facility and LeBoeuf said she is all for the project and she felt like it was “much needed.”

Another meeting with the review board is Jan. 10 and LeBoeuf said more questions should be answered and the project should be progressing.

LeBoeuf wants to reach out to the Ascension Catholic alumni to help push the project forward. He has a problem though. Contacting them all.

“The alumni base is very successful worldwide,” LeBoeuf said, “but a lot of addresses we have of them are old.”

He’s reaching out to them anyway he can to find current addresses to keep them updated on what’s going on at their alma mater.

“I guess email is the best way to get in touch with a lot of these folks.”