By DAVID VITRANO

News Editor

LAPLACE—One of the last hurdles to opening Emily C. Watkins School has finally been removed—literally.

Elvina Plantation, which stood near the front of the property, was moved piece-by-piece to Convent recently.

According to Anthony Marino, a worker for Mayeaux’s AC and Heating, the structure was cut into five pieces and carted away on the backs of 18-wheelers.

He said that although the process had actually started before Hurricane Gustav, the actual moving of the structure was completed rather quickly.

He also noted that the original plan was to move it on barges, but the proper permits could not be secured.

The house, which had been the subject of an extended bidding process, was finally purchased for $5,555.55. According to Lloyd LeBlanc, attorney for the St. John Parish School board, only one bid was received for the structure.

Although the cost of the actual building was low, the cost for moving it was not. That price tag was estimated at about $175,000.

The Hymel family, who own Hymel’s Restaurant in Convent, purchased the plantation house.

Elvina Plantation was built in 1898 by Jules Pastureau, who also built the original St. Joan of Arc Church among other notable edifices in the region.

The fate of the historic structure has been the object of much debate since the school board purchased the site in early 2007.