Construction recently began on South Polk Elementary in Leesville, La. The $21 million, 98,000-square foot project, which will serve military families of Fort Polk, began after a three-year collaborative process that included federal, state, and local efforts to secure funding for the building that will replace a school of the same name on the base, according to the Town Talk.
Area leaders announced in July 2012 that $20 million in funding had been secured for the new school. Of that, $16 million will come from the federal government, and the state of Louisiana and Vernon Parish School District each will contribute $1 million to the project. In addition, the school district will contribute $2 million in in-kind construction services.
The school will be able to accommodate 1,000 students, the majority of which are expected to be military dependents. The one-story building will be larger and more technologically advanced than the existing South Polk Elementary, officials have said.
Tudor Construction Incorporated of Alexandria started clearing the property to prepare for the project, which is expected to take about two years. Alexandria architect firm Yeager Watson & Associates designed the new school.
