Board wants to sell church, but doesn’t want its legacy lost

With nearly six months of discussion behind them, St. Charles Parish School Board members have come to an unofficial agreement regarding the future of the original St. Anthony of Padua Church in Luling – sell it.

“The building is no longer needed by the school district and therefore, it is no longer practical to maintain the building due to its age and condition,” said Patrick O’Malley, the schools’ administrator of ancillary services. “For these reasons, I believe it is in the best interest of the district to sell this property.”

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.

“A member of the community has expressed interest in purchasing the building and property for use as a restaurant,” O’Malley said. “Through discussions with representatives of the historical society, I have learned that they too are aware of the interest expressed to purchase the property and understand that this may be the best opportunity to preserve the building.”

School Board member John Smith has also voiced his worry, stating that he wants to know what concerns the historical society has.

“I think that before we make a final agreement on this, we hear the historical society’s concerns regarding the church,” Smith said. “The building is important to the community and whoever purchases the property should know of its significance.”

While Smith and his fellow board members agree that it’s time to sell the church, they also coincide with the notion that all legal documents related to the selling of the property include steps to restore the building.

“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.”

As of now, selling the building is only a recommendation by O’Malley to the board. 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.