“The bad was the storm itself, the ugly was what she left us with, and the good is what will come of it,” said Gasaway, of Gasaway-Gasaway-Bankston, the Hammond firm that designed the plans.
School Board Superintendent Gayle Sloan agreed, calling the new complex one of the “silver linings” the storm left behind.
 An artist'€™s rendering of the proposed Robert C. Brooks Educational Complex, which will house the Slidell Pathways School, the Talented Arts program, and adult education classes, and a host of other amenities. (Image courtesy of Gasaway-Gasaway-Bankston) |
The plans will go before the School Board for final approval sometime in May, and although any changes must be approved by FEMA, Sloan anticipates the agency will foot the bill for most, if not all, of the approximately $12.5 million it will cost to build the facility.
She hopes to bid out the construction job by the end of the summer, with a projected opening in fall 2010.
The 37,581-square-foot complex will be made up of two buildings, one of which will be home to adult education programs, as well as meeting and training rooms to be utilized by the School Board.
Another will house the Talented Arts program and the Slidell Pathways School and will feature 18 classrooms, a multi-purpose room and a full-size basketball court.
“The design is so functional and so aesthetically pleasing at the same time,” said Pathways Principal Jackie Landry, whose school has been operating out of portable classrooms on the Alton Elementary School campus. “It will be exciting to have all the programs together again.”
Each building will have a separate entrance and parking area, and plans call for the complex to be outfitted with cutting-edge technology and ecologically friendly materials. According to Gasaway, the roof will be able to withstand 120 mph winds and should be able to serve as a shelter in the event of an emergency.
Robert C. Brooks Jr. served the school system for nearly 30 years as a teacher and principal, and the building was dedicated to him in 2004.
Now living in Leesville, Brooks is celebrating his 104th birthday today, and many predict he will still be alive and well when the new complex is dedicated in 2010.
Brooks’ grandson attended the meeting, as did several members of the STJHS faculty. Many had attended school in the old building when it was St. Tammany High School. Brooks was the principal there for decades and was remembered fondly.
“He always said, ‘never go into battle with a dull axe’,” said Stanley “Hut” Jones, a STJHS physical education teacher.
“It was hard to see them tear that old building down, but this new one is going to be beautiful.”
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Comments
a. hayes wrote on Feb 9, 2010 3:26 PM:
I have photos of the Ole' school main building and other structures. Does anyone have information for this period. "
Elvira Thomas wrote on May 8, 2008 11:33 AM:
Ethel Aultman Route wrote on Apr 21, 2008 10:53 AM:
Mr. Robert C. Brooks, Jr. loved, encouraged, and disciplined many of us. We are very excited to see this education complex dedicated in his name. When I say we, I'm referring to my mother,Rosia Jones Aultman; daughter, Yolanda Route Riley and many other
family members, friends, and schoolmates who attended St.Tammany High and Junior High school. In closing, this is true, there is no place like home. "Wildcats forever" "