Bayou Community Academy Charter School Breaks Ground on New Campus in Thibodaux
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When Bayou Community Academy broke ground on its new school complex earlier this year, it did so in the face of driving rain. Yet, families gathered at the Warren J. Harang Auditorium in Thibodaux, where members of the board were able to symbolically kick off construction on a new, 70,000 square foot building.
“Oh, I remember that day, well,” says Dr. Melanie Becnel, CEO of Bayou Community Academy.
“This project has been years in the making, and it means so much to the community,” says Becnel. “I am honored to be a part of BCA, and I sure felt privileged on the day we had the ground-breaking ceremony because we got to celebrate the kickoff to the construction at our new school complex.”
BCA operates as a Type 1 charter school in Lafourche Parish, with an enrollment of 492 students in grades Pre-K to 8th. BCA’s mission is to serve the community of Thibodaux, LA by offering a comprehensive curriculum and a range of extracurricular activities for students.
At BCA, … Community is in the Name
Community involvement is central to its mission, and that’s why it is part of the BCA name — “the concept is to have a true sense of local identity, and to bring children into a learning environment that puts a focus on them being a part of something of value to our local community,” said Becnel.
With a dedicated faculty and staff, the academy aims to provide a nurturing environment where students can excel academically and develop essential life skills.
Local Firms Working Together
The new BCA complex was designed by Duplantis Design Group (DDG), of Thibodaux. Thompson Construction, of Thibodaux, will serve as general contractor, and B&B Underground Utility Services, Inc., of Houma is providing site prep and drainage installation.
According to Joseph D. Sonier, President / Director of B&B Underground, “This project really is a team project with a community spirit behind it. Thompson contacted us to provide all civil site prep, such as subsurface storm drain work, domestic water mains, fire water mains, and sewer and gas utilities, and they are working closely with DDG.”
QSM supplied B&B with drainage pipe, pre-cast drainage, and sewer structures for this job.
“We had to get the storm drain installed ASAP,” says Sonier. “Once we had built the main entrance driveway on site, we worked closely with QSM and Steven Gros, who was able to deliver pipe and geo-fabric within one week.
“This was a key element, and it’s also what is great about working with QSM,” says Sonier. “Because this allowed Thompson Construction to get on site to install test piles, and no time was lost.”
DDG conducted interviews during the planning and design phase with BCA executive committees, staff, and scholars, and it produced a comprehensive building plan for Bayou Community Academy’s new campus, which will include more than 20 new classrooms, a cafeteria, a gymnasium, administrative offices, a library, and lab space.
DDG will oversee construction administration throughout the project, and Thompson will manage the project, as well as build the to the exact specifications. Total cost of construction is $20 million. The project is slated for completion in 2025.
Funding, Federal Involvement & Local Vision
Funding was provided by broad community support, the USDA Rural Development Grant program, and Synergy Bank, a local community bank with strong roots in Thibodaux.
Becnel says, “even though this project had been a long time coming, … it is important to know Sandy Holloway was instrumental in the founding, she and the board really brought this school to fruition, and they are the reason BCA has been able to embark on this comprehensive design plan to build the new school complex.”
And, just like Synergy Bank, … which was founded by members of the local community, for members of the local community, so too was BCA founded.
It is, in Becnel’s words, “a school founded by members of the local community, for members of the local community, with a strong sense of purpose and place.”
QSM is thankful to be working with B&B Underground, Thompson Construction, The Duplantis Design Group, and The Bayou Community Academy on this project.
Says, QSM’s Gros, “it brings me joy to be a part of projects that are in the town where my family and I live. Especially a project like this one, where you see the community working together to build a better school, that local children will benefit from.”
DDG is a well-known local civil engineering and architecture firm headquartered in Thibodaux. It has offices across Louisiana, and also in Houston and Mobile. DDG has a reputation for broad vision, and expert focus when it comes to design projects with requirements unique to soil and land conditions across the Gulf South states.
Thompson Construction, LLC is a general contracting and construction management firm that specializes in commercial construction, with a particular expertise in delivering turn-key construction projects. Since its inception in 1958, this family-run company has strived to establish a reputation for efficiency, quality, and reliability.
B&B Underground Utility Services, Inc. works closely with contractors such as Thompson, and civil engineering firms such as DDG to provide reliable, site-prep and utility services on a wide range of projects throughout the Houma-Thibodaux & South Louisiana area.
QSM provides innovative and cost-effective infrastructure solutions. It works closely with contractors, engineers, and architects to provide quality solutions to civil engineering problems such as stormwater management, drainage, erosion control, water treatment, wastewater treatment, and more.
For more information about this, or any other projects. Call 855-469-2015.