Groundbreakings held for projects at 5 District 62 schools in Alexandria
"We're gonna flip some dirt around here," said Rapides Parish Schools Superintendent Jeff Powell Thursday at Martin Park Elementary School at just one of five groundbreakings the district observed for projects from the $100 million District 62 bond.
District 62 encompasses schools within the city limits of Alexandria. The schools comprise three feeder systems into high schools in town — Alexandria Senior, Bolton and Peabody Magnet high schools.
In addition to Martin Park, golden shovels and hard hats were used at D.F. Huddle Elementary, Peabody Magnet High, Alma Redwine Elementary and Acadian Elementary schools Thursday.
Voters passed the bond in April 2022, and some projects already have been started. But Thursday marked the first formal groundbreaking ceremonies for some phases of projects.
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At Huddle, portable classroom buildings are being replaced with an 8,200-square-foot classroom addition. Martin Park, Acadian and Alma Redwine are getting new and updated playground equipment.
Martin Park also is getting more restrooms, some interior renovations and exterior lighting upgrades. In addition, Alma Redwine is receiving some interior renovations, as is Acadian, along with repairs to windows, some exterior improvements and better traffic accessibility.
All campuses are getting security upgrades and digital signs through the bond.
At Peabody Magnet, the athletic track is being resurfaced and increased to eight lanes. The 5,200-square-foot fieldhouse and the gymnasium also are being renovated. The football field received new turf.
Martin Park Principal Tracy Vorrice said the improvements will help her students.
"It's amazing to see all these additions happening," she said. "And I would like to thank all of our community supporters and community stakeholders for voting for that opportunity for the additional updates of all the schools in Alexandria."
District 62 isn't the only one working on bond projects in the district. The District 11 bond is funding improvements for Tioga-area schools, while the District 57 bond is funding projects at two schools, Carter C. Raymond and Caroline Dormon junior high schools.
Keep track of all the bond projects' progress at rpsb.us/bonds.
This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: 'Flip some dirt': Improvement projects begin at 5 Alexandria schools
