Basketball courts, playgrounds, more at Ascension Parish sheriff’s new, unique substation – The Advocate

DONALDSONVILLE Outdoor basketball courts a full court and two half-courts will be ready soon and two playgrounds are expected to be built in time for summer at the new Ascension Parish sheriff's family-friendly substation in Donaldsonville, deputies say.

Under an intergovernmental agreement with the Ascension Parish School Board, the Sheriff's Office has opened the substation in what was once an adult education building on the former campus of West Ascension Elementary School, which opened in 1966 and closed in 2005.

Two other elementary schools, Lowery Elementary and Donaldsonville Elementary, now serve schoolchildren in the Donaldsonville area.

Deputies have been working out of the new substation on Maginnis Street for several months now.

The Sheriff's Office provides law enforcement for the city, which hasn't had a police force since the 1980s.

Inside the building, in addition to office space for deputies, there's a conference room where deputies hope to offer a variety of programs for children. There, youngsters will be able to sit and read a book if they'd like, or they can step across the hall to a vending machine room and get a soda.

But the Sheriff's Office wanted the substation to be more than a satellite office. The substation, in fact, offers a new park for the city.

The deputies will continue to work out of the offices they have in Donaldsonville City Hall on Railroad Avenue, which is where people who have been arrested or who are being questioned about a crime will continue to be taken by deputies, Deputy Chief Bobby Webre said.

There won't be any of that type of activity at the new substation. There won't even be a "most wanted" poster on the wall, he said.

"Whatever we can do that will let the citizens, kids and deputies interact in a positive way" is the vision that Sheriff Jeff Wiley has for the substation, Webre said.

Across the country, "we're seeing more of a divide between law enforcement and the community," Webre said. "Instead of stepping back, let's step further out into the community."

The new substation has taken shape over two years, said Lt. Kyle Hanna, who is overseeing the project.

The 1,900-square-foot building itself was in good shape, but some plumbing work needed to be done, a parking lot poured and the new basketball courts put in, Hanna said.

The basketball goals, which will get their nets soon, can be adjusted for height, he said.

Deputy Delacey Joseph, who played basketball at Tulane University and now coaches a local girls basketball team, in addition to her work as a deputy, helped design the courts and will bring basketball workshops there, Webre said.

LSU students, all biological engineering majors involved with the university's Community Playground Project headed by professor Marybeth Lima, are helping design and will provide the volunteer labor to build two playgrounds near the basketball courts, Webre said.

Bleachers will go up near the courts, where people will be able to sit under the shade of a large live oak tree. A new pavilion nearby also offers shade.

The next projects for the park include fencing and public restrooms.

Capt. Darryl Smith, who leads the Sheriff's Office west side patrol, said, "There was nothing in this area when I grew up here.

"There was nothing equivalent, 20-something years ago. This is forever. It's a perfect family setup."

Follow Ellyn Couvillion on Twitter, @EllynCouvillion.

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Basketball courts, playgrounds, more at Ascension Parish sheriff's new, unique substation - The Advocate