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Tangipahoa Parish plans removal of six district-owned modular buildings; Kentwood projects paused pending funding and structural repairs
Summary
District staff said six district‑owned modular units will be removed or relocated by September; leased modulars remain a budget and maintenance problem. Kentwood project is on hold pending funding—staff said ESSER funds are no longer available—and the main Kentwood building has structural and drainage issues under review.
Charlie Kirkland, a district facilities staff member, reported to the committee that the district owns six modular buildings scheduled for removal or relocation, and outlined a plan to remove most by the end of September.
“We've got six total,” Charlie Kirkland said, listing locations the district intends to clear: Hammond Westside (one unit to be removed), D.C. Reeves (two‑classroom unit to be removed), Woodland Park (unit to be moved to Tucker), LaPlace/Loranger teacher’s lounge unit (to be removed), and Kentwood (nurse’s office unit to be removed). The district will swap a replacement unit to Tucker where the existing unit is beyond repair.
Board members discussed the costs and complications of leased modular classrooms, noting some leased units are deteriorating and costly to maintain. Staff said replacing leased units or swapping in newer units can be expensive because electrical and site work must be redone; staff recommended accelerating Phase 2 construction where feasible to eliminate leased units.
Jeff, a district staff member, said the Kentwood High School athletic/athletic-related project that had an estimated price of $2.5 million when approved is now projected at about $2.9 million and that ESSER funding referenced in the earlier approval is not available for the same purpose now. “We just need to come back to the board with that one to get approval,” Jeff said, asking the board for guidance on how to fund the increased cost.
Separately, staff said Kentwood’s main building shows basement water intrusion and structural deflection in a boys’ bathroom. An engineering report has been completed and staff said they would email the report to board members; staff also said unresolved items include tying sump pumps into electrical and investigating a possibly ruptured drain pipe under the slab, which may require a separate project and funding.
District staff and board members agreed to accelerate removal of district-owned portables where feasible, to investigate lease alternatives before contracts renew, and to return to the board with proposed funding options for the Kentwood work and quotes for the structural repairs.
