Residents do not want charter school in their backyard on Hwy. 338

A group of residents who live on Revelation Drive, which is off of La. 338, are concerned about the possibility of Williams Scholar Academy temporarily moving portable buildings behind their homes.
On Wednesday, a handful of residents on Revelation Drive attended a police jury committee meeting to voice their worries to the police jury about the new school possibly rellocating behind their homes.
The residents told the police jurors that land on La. 338 is low and holds water.
Police Juror Mark Poché agrees with the residents.
“The property is a bowl,” Poché said. “If they elevate it, they could flood.”
The residents wanted to know if there was a way to stop the school from elevating the property, resulting in possible flooding to their homes.
The charter school is located south of Abbeville on the old Lighthouse Christian Academy campus. In addition, Williams Academy is in the early process of building a permanent school on Martin Luther King Drive in Abbeville.
Trieva Campbell is one of the homeowners who attended the police jury meeting. She has been living in her home for three years.
“Why don’t they move the temporary buildings where they will build the new school in Abbeville? That seems like a logical location,” said Campbell. “I do not want the land behind my house to build up because the water will flow on my property. My yard already holds water. It does not need more water.”
Campbell said if her house floods because of the school, she will not be happy.
“We do not want temporary buildings behind our homes,” she said. “I do not want to sound mean, but we moved to the country to avoid lots of traffic. A school is going to mean more traffic on La. 338. I do not want that.”
Police Jury attorney Paul Moresi III informed the homeowners that if the charter school completes all the permit paperwork to create a school, then there is nothing the police jury can do to stop them.
Frankie White owns the first house on the right on Revelation Drive. He poured a cement slab for a patio in the back of his house. The cement slab is about 15 feet from the property line, so he could be staring at a portable building when he walks outside to drink his coffee in the morning.
White also worries about flooding.
“If our house floods, then it will be the school’s fault,” said White. “Look what happened in Youngsville with the building of the school. Homes flooded. I do not want that to happen to our neighborhood.”
Ironically, Revelation Drive was developed north of Erath because of Hurricane Rita, which flooded all of Erath. As a result, many residents migrated north to escape flooding. Now, many of those residents fear the rise of water.
“Behind my house is a low area,” added White. “I have been building up my land over the years. I have invested a lot of money in dirt. Now, I am worried it won’t be enough.”
While flooding is largely why they do not want a school behind their house, the neighbors are also worried about the modular trailers being an “eyesore.”
“What happens if they leave the trailers?” White asked. “It is going to be an eyesore, but it will bring down the value of our property. The school will have to spend a lot of money to locate here on a temporary base.”
Williams Scholar Academy is scheduled to have a board meeting on Monday at the Vermilion Commerce Chamber Building on the La. 14 Bypass in Abbeville. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m., and residents from the neighborhood plan to attend the meeting.