Old Rene Rost gym will be torn down

KAPLAN — It sounds like the days are numbered for the old Rene Rost Middle School gym in Kaplan.
The Vermilion Parish School Board has plans to tear down the damaged structure.
At Thursday night’s school board meeting, the board members learned that to bring the 75-year-old-plus gym up to operating condition, it will cost just under $2 million to repair a gym that does not have air conditioning.
While fixing the roof of the old gym due to hurricane damage, which the insurance is covering for $500,000, the contractors discovered that the walls had significant termite damage.
Repair work was halted to obtain a cost estimate for repairing or replacing the walls in the old gym.  The school board members learned it would cost $1.4 million to replace the walls in the gym, which taxpayers would have to pay.
So, the total repair cost would be $1.9 million for a gym that does not have air conditioning.
School board member Dr. David Dupuis, who was once the principal at Rene Rost Middle School, said the old gym has a history with Kaplan. He did his best to try and save the gym.
“You can not replace this gym,” Dr. Dupuis said. “It is part of the community.  Youth organizations utilize the gym. To repair it is well worth it.”
A few years ago, the school board constructed a new gym adjacent to the old one, and as a result, the school now rarely uses the old gym for school events. Before the new Kaplan High School was constructed, Rene Rost Middle School served as the original Kaplan High School.
School Board member Dale Stelly attended the old Kaplan High School and remembers having PE classes in the old gym. Despite the good memories, he can not see spending a lot of money to repair the old gym.
“All said and done, it’s $2 million,” said Stelly.
Stelly said he has heard complaints from Kaplan residents that the old gym is an “eye sore.”
Kaplan school board member Gregg Meaux agreed with Stelly.
“I reached out to some friends about repairing the gym,” said Meaux. “They do not support spending $2 million. I do not think it is worth spending that kind of money.”
After the board voted not to spend an $2 million to repair the old gym, board member David Dupuis said, “Now we have to pay to demolish it.”
The school board will look into the cost of demolishing the old gym.