Tangipahoa Parish officials review school facility upgrades; Greenville Park paving quote tops $318,000

Tangipahoa Parish school officials reviewed recent and planned capital-outlay work across district campuses during the Feb. 3 capital outlay meeting, including parishwide bathroom renovations, new playgrounds, security upgrades and athletic-field maintenance. Staff also reported a low paving quote of $318,000 for a planned paving project at Greenville Park and discussed alternatives to reduce costs.

At the start of the facility update, Charlie Kirkland told the board the district is carrying out parishwide restroom updates that include new flooring, painting and epoxy sealing to make facilities cleaner and easier to maintain. Kirkland said larger flooring jobs are being contracted out while painting and smaller repairs are handled by in-house maintenance staff.

“We're doing almost everyone in the parish that needs it,” Kirkland said, describing work at schools including Sumner, Roselyn Montessori and Loranger High School. He described a stainless-steel-style panel solution so staff can unscrew panels to access plumbing and repair fixtures with minimal downtime rather than tearing out walls.

The board praised the work. “Everywhere I go, I'm hearing from the principals about what's getting done,” Presiding Official Mister McNeely said, commending maintenance staff and noting visible progress across campuses in the last quarter.

A facilities presenter identified in the meeting as Mister Reese summarized completed projects over the past three to four months: “We've installed new playground equipment, did lots of painting, there were several security projects, several tree removal projects, digital signs, canopies...and we've even installed new basketball courts at some of our schools.” Reese also said the district has contracted LA Turf to perform annual maintenance on baseball and softball fields going forward.

Board members questioned athletic-field costs as they consider potential lease arrangements with nearby Ponchatoula. Reese said the most extensive field overhauls — cited at Loranger and Amy — ran roughly $20,000 each, while some fields required only $5,000–$7,000 in annual upkeep.

The meeting also focused on paving at Greenville Park, where staff said the low bid from RWB Contracting was $318,000; a higher bid approached $500,000. Reese said the area being considered totals about 55,000 square feet and staff estimated roughly $300,000 to pave the bus circle and nearby side areas. He told the board the contractor quote included soil sampling and site investigation.

Board members and staff discussed alternatives to asphalt — including limestone or concrete — noting that base preparation and soil work drive a large share of the cost and that concrete can sometimes be less expensive once base work is considered. Reese said staff will check other options, including whether parish road crews could provide some services to reduce contractor cost.

Other work reported included security upgrades such as six-foot perimeter fencing and automatic car-pickup gates with intercom pedestals at several schools, storage buildings for athletics at Sumner High, and localized tree removal to reduce hazards. The presenter said lockers for Hammond High were being shipped and expected around Feb. 9 with installation and floor work scheduled afterward.

Safety equipment ordered previously — hand-held metal detectors — were delivered in early January and staff are completing training on the devices. On gymnasium bleachers, staff warned that aging motors and debris beneath the bleachers have caused failures; the board discussed a phased approach to replacing motors and equipment across campuses.

No formal motions or votes were taken on funding or contracts during the meeting. With no further business, the presiding official adjourned the capital outlay meeting.

What’s next: Staff said they will return with additional cost comparisons and options for Greenville Park paving and will continue scheduling locker installations, bleacher repairs and remaining security upgrades.