EPSB considers lease, discusses timber sale

The Evangeline Parish School Board agreed to consider a lease agreement with the Town of Basile during its meeting Wednesday, April 2.
Basile Mayor Berline Sonnier requested that the school board allow the town to lease the old W.W. Stewart Elementary property to be used for a town playground. The board agreed to have a lease agreement created, the details of which will be presented to the board at a later date for final approval.
The board also learned it has netted approximately $650,000 in a timber sale initiated last year, with another $238,000 still left to be cut. Chief Financial Officer Amy Lafleur, who presented this information at the request of the board, said the cutting was halted during the winter months and this additional $238,000 worth of timber should be cut between now and October.
In other business, the school board recognized the Ville Platte High School girls’ basketball team for finishing as District 3A runners up at the state championship game.
They also recognized the Bayou Chicot Elementary Junior High softball team, who also finished as state runners up.
Finally, the board learned of Isac Calderon, a sophomore at Ville Platte High School, who earned third place in word processing at the Louisiana Future Business Leaders of America state conference and will be competing at the national level in Nashville, Tennessee. As per parish policy, Superintendent Toni Hamlin informed the board that the parish will contribute $200 to help with the cost of Calderon attending this function.