Not yet ‘for sale,’ but church drawing interest

Although “for sale” signs have yet to be posted near the historical St. Anthony of Padua Church in Luling, talk of the building becoming available for purchase has sparked interest from local residents.

“We’ve received several calls from people who are interested in purchasing the property, most wanting to know when it will actually go up for sale,” said Patrick O’Malley, the school’s administrator of ancillary services. “And the board and I are moving forward to see that that happens soon.”

Last month, O’Malley recommended that the school district sell the property, stating that he is in the final stages of making that happen.

“There have been no other plans to do anything else with the building,” O’Malley said. “I’m currently in the process of drafting the final sale advertisement, which I hope to present to the School Board at the June 16 committee meeting.”

A recent appraisal indicates that the “highest and best use for the church is as a small commercial proprietary” and values the property at $170,000.

Yet, because of the church’s historical significance to the parish, the St. Charles Museum and Historical Association is focused on saving and restoring the building.

“The School Board is required to sell the building by a sealed-bid auction,” O’Malley said. “And we’re also going to include stipulations that require the purchaser to maintain the building’s historical significance.”

As of now, selling the building is what lies ahead. A final decision will be made after all necessary legal documents regarding marketing the property for sale have been drawn up and approved by the board.

“We’re not going to sell the building to someone who’s going to tear it down,” Superintendent Rodney Lafon said. “We’re going to make sure that whoever buys it has intentions to maintain its historical importance.”