Shannon cost is an issue for Morgan City, School Board

CENTERVILLE — Shannon Elementary is a beautiful landmark in Morgan City, but at what cost? And who pays for it?
Morgan City Mayor Frank “Boo” Grizzaffi attended Thursday’s St. Mary Parish School Board meeting to discuss just that. Grizzaffi discussed considerations for a cooperative endeavor agreement between the school board and the Morgan City government for the use of Shannon Elementary’s gym.
The board closed Shannon in 2015 as a cost-cutting measure in response to declining enrollment.
Currently, the gym is used for various recreational events, including some during Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival. The Morgan City Recreation Department also uses it for Biddy Basketball and to host a summer camp.
Local law enforcement agencies have used the building for trainings as well. Schools are able to utilize it for things such as the annual finance park and bus parking.
The gym is the part of the school that is used, but to cool it, you have to cool the whole area. Mayor Grizzaffi pointed out that this is an expensive bill.
He said it can cost in the “mid-$20,000 range annually to use the building.” Currently, the School Board covers the cost. Morgan City does not have a tax in place for recreation. The city also does not have a civic center or gymnasium, so the value of the school board’s asset is recognized.
Grizzaffi told the board that he originally “felt the city would stay out of that matter” but that the “expense is recognized.”
It was acknowledged that the building is a beautiful landmark positioned at the base of the bridge offering a welcoming appearance to the city as people enter. Grizzaffi gave his praise to the School Board for the good job it does with maintaining the building and the area belonging to it.
“I wish we could cool just the gym,” Grizzaffi went on to say.
There may be a “permanent solution down the road” but right now the only answer is a temporary one, and the city would like to continue using it. The only solution as of last night was to work on it: “Hash out a deal for numbers” and have an agreement before the city’s budget cycle.
In a separate item on the board’s agenda, insurance consultant James Perez provided the members with an update on the United Healthcare Wellness Program. Health care renewal proposals will be available at the next board meeting, but Perez explained that United Healthcare is presenting a wellness program to its members soon.
Sam Atkinson will be going to St. Mary Parish schools and informing members of United Healthcare of programs that they are eligible to participate in, creating what he calls “a culture of health.” These programs offer wellness challenges that can help members do things such as lose weight and quit smoking.
During an item on the agenda being discussed about technology, Kevin Derise was able to provide some information and an update on the recent cyber attack issue that caused St. Mary Parish to go offline to perform security protocols.
The move followed reports that four Louisiana school systems, mostly in north Louisiana, were the targets of hacking attempts. Officials said the St. Mary system was not successfully hacked.
Derise told the board that this wasn’t a small attack, this was predators and the state had to get help from homeland security and put all parishes on high alert.
“The state came with six remediation steps, and step one was to take down the internet. We went through the steps,” Derise said. “Luckily we were pretty quick at it.
“As of today, I think, there were only three districts that haven’t gone through the steps. As soon as they do, the state should remove the emergency.”
From here, Derise said, it will be a matter of preventing the users clicking on an unsafe link or opening an unsafe page.
After completing all the state’s precautions, now “we are trying to protect ourselves, from ourselves,” he said.