COA seniors’
art, creations display planned at Capitol
BY MELINDA RAWLS HOWELL
Contributing writer
The artwork of two groups of East Feliciana Council on Aging seniors — paintings and a quilt will be on display in the Louisiana Capitol Rotunda along with other arts and crafts from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 29.
The paintings are the creations of a group from the Clinton painting class, according to their teacher, Caroline Harrell. The class is held at the center on Wednesdays after lunch. Some of the students’ paintings have previously been displayed at a COA show or been featured at either Landmark or Feliciana banks in Clinton with an “artist of the month” chosen, Harrell said. Harrell has dubbed the seven students she has been teaching
for about two years now her “Rising Stars,” she said. The Capitol show will give others the opportunity to see and admire their paintings. The quilt displayed is the product of another creative group. The quilting group, usually of about five or six participants, was started by Shekinah Muhammad, of Clinton, with Douglas Campbell, of Ethel, soon becoming another leader, according to COA Director Cyndi McManus. They meet on Wednesday mornings at the center in Clinton. Campbell made a quilting frame for the group to use, McManus said. There will also be a field trip on meeting day for a group of COA seniors. They are going to view the displays and have lunch at the Capitol.
PROVIDED PHOTO
Henrietta ‘Mama Retta’ Goudeaux, of Ethel, won first place with her Easter bonnet in the COA party competition.
The Easter bunny, aka Rah Rah Robinson, sports dreadlocks at the East Feliciana Council on Aging Easter Party on April 17 at the Jackson site. He greets Sam Rayford, of Jackson, and Thelma Aranyosi, of Clinton, who were on a bean-bagbaseball team.
PHOTOS BY MELINDA RAWLS HOWELL
Winners in the Council on Aging Easter hat competition are from the left third place, Loretta Sherrouse, of Norwood; second place, Doris Daigle; and Henrietta Goudeaux’s first place hat modeled by Mary Thomas, of Ethel.
Ray and Pat Mabry, of Slaughter, have nachos served before lunch at the COA Easter party
PLAQUE
Margaret Jones unveiled a memorial plaque at the entrance to West Feliciana Parish Middle School, where he was its first principal
The School Board later met in the school’s library, where its agenda included a resolution honoring Lemoine, who began his education career as a high school teacher and coach in 1974.
The plaque and resolution noted his service as assistant principal and principal of
West Feliciana High School and his later role as principal when the middle school grades were moved from the high school campus to a new facility
Mike Clark, a long-time colleague of Lemoine, recalled that Lemoine began as a science teacher in the junior high” as the seventh and eighth grades were then called
“He developed a love, concern and compassion for kids at that level,” Clark said, adding that Lemoine and colleague Steve Comfort began to make sure that seventh and eighth graders had a special
place in the larger seventh12th grade atmosphere.
They got separate physical education classes and lunch periods for those students and “got teachers who really wanted to teach seventh and eighth graders,” Clark said.
When Lemoine became the high school’s principal, he continued to look after the emotional, physical and educational needs of the middle school students,” Clark said, and his service as the first middle school principal was “a natural thing.”
“This middle school was his crowning achievement,” Clark said.
Family members attending the unveiling of a plaque memorializing the
Al Lemoine, from left, are his son,
Sale of public land related to $2.5B data center stirs controversy
BY AIDAN MCCAHILL
Staff writer
A $2.5 billion data center planned in West Feliciana Parish has the enthusiastic backing of local officials, but the related sale of a piece of public land brokered by the parish president — has intensified an ongoing political battle.
Tensions have built for years between some members of the West Feliciana Port Commission and Parish President Kenny Havard, who wants to dissolve the nine-member group tasked with overseeing Mississippi River commerce in the parish Now some port commissioners claim Havard cost the parish’s taxpayers millions of dollars by arranging the sale of surplus government land to a firm with ties to Port Commission
President Andrew Grezaffi They say the company then sold the land for more than 20 times what the parish received.
Havard and Grezaffi deny the property resold for that much more than the parish got, though they say the price is confidential by agreement, part of a private business deal not involving the government
They contend their accusers are creating controversy in an attempt to cling to power Though Grezaffi is president of the port commission, he’s also advocating for its disbandment.
At Havard’s urging, the West Feliciana Parish Council on April 14 voted to support a bill in the state Legislature to abolish the Port Commission During that meeting, a port commissioner spoke out against that move — and repeated his earlier criticism of the land sale
“I can promise you there is an investigation to be had,” said David Jewell, a new commissioner
The sale At issue is a 107-acre lot in an industrial park near the southern end of the parish. Next to a paper mill, the property has railroad and river access, and fronts La. 964. It is traversed by natural gas and transmission power lines and is a few miles from River Bend Nuclear Power Plant, making it suitable for energy-intensive businesses.
In 2017, the property and surrounding area was certified by the state as a development-ready site, a step used to market it to industry. Former Parish President Kevin Couhig said in a recent interview that during his tenure, the parish worked for over a year to get the site certified.
”I remember thinking when we approached this project it would be one of the best industrial sites in the Gulf South. The utilities, resources, geology, it was isolated,” he said In 2018, under Couhig’s tenure the parish council declared 86 of the lot’s 107 acres surplus. The rest was tagged as surplus in 2022, according to clerk of court records.
Havard said in a recent interview that when he took office as parish president in 2018, he immediately began trying to market the lot but went years without luck.
“I told people for years, we needed to get out of the damn real estate business and get it in private hands to make money because the government doesn’t do anything but spend money,” he said.
In 2022, the lot was valued at a range of $4,000 and $10,000 an acre, says Rebecca Rothschild, who conducted the appraisal
Havard began touting plans for a major development there 18 months ago.
”More than 30 permanent jobs, less than 100,” he said at an October 2023 Parish Council meeting. “No smokestacks — none of that kind of stuff. It’s going to be a pretty green deal for us.”
A few days later, the parish sold the land for $500,000 to M/V Industrial, a Lafayette-based firm headed by Morgan “Chip” Vosburg.
This February, M/V Industrial bought over 600 acres of surrounding property for tens of millions of dollars On the same day it sold the newly acquired property — along with the 107 acres in the industrial site — to Hut 8, a North American energy infrastructure and Bitcoin mining company, public records show Hut 8 has not disclosed the price. In Louisiana, public disclosure of real estate sales prices is not mandated.
”This cash sale is made and accepted for adequate and sufficient consideration, recitation of which is omitted at the request of the Purchaser and Seller,” reads the bill of sale between M/V Industrial and Hut 8.
The criticism
Jewell and other port commissioners say Havard undersold the property and that Grezaffi used his position to profit off the deal.
At a public Port Commission meeting in March, Jewell claimed he heard rumors that M/V Industrial sold the formerly parish-owned 107-acre parcel to Hut 8 for “upwards of $12 million.”
In a recent interview, Lauren Field, another port commissioner, said she thinks Havard cut a questionable deal.
“I just find it very unjust that he would deprive the West Feliciana taxpayers of $11 million,” Field said.
When asked about the $11 million, Grezaffi said: “We can’t disclose what it was sold for, but I can tell you it was not close to that. They’re going to be disappointed if they knew.”
Havard said Vosburg approached him about buying the land in August 2023. The two didn’t know each other, said Havard, though he’d heard everything Vosburg “touches turns to gold.”
“They told me they were going to market it to an AI data center and Bitcoin. I said, what the hell is Bitcoin?” Havard recalled.
He negotiated the deal for the parish to sell the 107-acre lot to M/V Industrial in October 2023 for $4,672 per acre, he said, the lower end of its valuation.
Though the Parish Council did approve the sale, Field said, there was little discussion of it during the meeting.
“The Parish Council in 2023 authorized him without any question to sell that property,” Field said.
M/V Industrial also bought acreage surrounding the lot from multiple landowners, including an in-law of Field’s, before selling most of it to Hut 8.
“My husband’s family owned the adjacent property,” said Field. “They sold for nowhere near what the parish sold for.” In three transactions, M/V Industrial bought surrounding land for an average of $14,642 an acre, public sales documents show, before selling it to Hut 8 for an undisclosed amount Richard Sykes, a local developer and Port Commission member, said the price the parish gave M/V Industrial seems low especially for a highpotential property already zoned for
industrial and commercial use.
“It’s unheard of to sell for $4,600 in the parish,” said Sykes who opposes Havard’s push to dissolve the body
But Rothschild, the appraiser, said that despite the state certification, factors such as the site’s terrain and distance from major interstates and the Mississippi didn’t make it as attractive as other riverfront industrial zoned sites in Louisiana.
”Until very recently, is was a lessthan-desirable lot,” she said. “People were not buying it, even though it was being marketed.”
It was only after the AI market began to rapidly develop that buyers saw its potential to supply energy, she said.
Shortly after the sale to M/V Industrial, Havard and Vosburg said, they began to court the next potential buyers.
The two interviewed “four to five” tech firms, including SustainHash and Bitdeer Technologies, before deciding on Hut 8 because it agreed to pay industrial taxes, Harvard said. As part of the deal, Vosburg says, Hut 8 contracted with M/V industrial to buy up surrounding property needed for the facility
“This is done all the time,” Vosburg said. “It’s very common in development in oil and gas.”
Commission president’s role
Grezaffi, port commission president since 2013, says he is a childhood friend of Vosburg’s but had no involvement in the initial dealings with M/V Industrial.
Grezaffi said he discussed the matter with the state ethics board and decided to initially stay out of the deal Even if he did take part, there’d be no conflict of interest because the Port Commission had no authority over the property, he said.
“I could have had something to do with the property, but I knew there could be some controversy so I had nothing to do with the initial conversation,” Grezaffi said. “I never spoke to Kenny about it.”
Grezaffi said he became more involved a year later as the Hut 8 deal grew near His holding company, Cedars Management LLC, became a member of M/V Industrial in August 2024, state records show
“My role was keeping the train on the tracks,” he said.
Field still sees a problem with Grezaffi’s involvement.
“He was a port commission officer and knew about a land deal,” she said.
Two additional limited liability corporations — STB Investments and Pointe Coupee ll were registered a few months before the sale of the property to Hut 8. State records show Vosburg and Grezaffi with ownership interest in those companies.
Grezaffi says those LLCs were created for other potential, smaller projects.
Despite the political maneuvering, both sides say they don’t want to jeopardize the project. Havard says it could create 1,500 construction jobs and at least 300 permanent ones.
“This is great for the parish, but it’s even better for the state it’s going to create a whole new industry,” Havard said.
”To me, this has turned out exactly how I hoped it would happen,” Couhig said.
Reporter James Minton contributed to this story
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Art show and ball planned
Arts for All is holding A Beaux Arts Ball and Art Show on May 17-18 at Market Hall, St. Francisville.
The ball is from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on May 17. Music is by Konspiracy Whimsical formal attire or costume are encouraged. Refreshments provided. Entry is $20 for members. Nonmember entry is $40 and includes a membership.
The art show is themed “There are Place I Remember.” Entry fee is $25. Fee waived for members.
Deliver art work at 2 p.m. May 16. Saturday and Sunday the show reception will be from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. An artist talk and People’s Choice Award will be at 2:30 p.m.
Sunday For information, contact Kelly Ward at (225) 7212253 or kllwrd21@gmail. com.
East Feliciana Alumni Day
The East Feliciana Unified Alumni Association’s annual Alumni Day is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 26.
The event will have games and other fun as well as free food. It will be at the East Feliciana Unified Alumni Center, 10600 Rouchon Road, Clinton. Anyone who attended any school in the East Feliciana Public School System is eligible to join. New members are welcome.
The Alumni Association provides assistance with maintenance, landscaping, scholarships and other projects in East Feliciana public schools. The alumni also support the athletic programs by sending student athletes to camps, providing meals and purchasing equipment, among other things.
Tax election planning
The East Feliciana Parish Police Jury will hold a meeting at 6 p.m. May 5 in the East Feliciana Parish Police Jury Meeting Room, 12064 Marston Street, Clinton.
The Police Jury plans to consider adopting a resolution ordering and calling an election to authorize the levy of an ad valorem tax. In a Facebook post, the police jury said this is not a new tax.
Vacation Bible school
The St. Francisville United Methodist Church is hosting “Road Trip, on the Go With God” as its vacation Bible school June 23 to 26. It will be from 9 a.m. to
noon at 9866 Royal St. It will have Bible stories, crafts, music, recreation, snacks and interactive storytelling. Visit https://tinyurl. com/57hprkcw for information and contact information for registration.
Wildflower fest sponsors
The deadline is approaching for sponsorship of the Feliciana Wildflower Project and Festival. The organization is looking for new sponsors who want to be featured on official festival T-shirts, banners and other media. Submit completed sponsorship forms and payment by May 1. Visit https://tinyurl.com/ bdfyx67a for forms and information.
Angola Rodeo coming The Spring Angola Rodeo at Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola is April 26-27. Gates will open at 8 a.m., and the rodeo will start at 2 p.m. All tickets are $20 per person. Ages 2 and under are free if they sit in a lap. No refunds or exchanges allowed. Call (225) 655-2030 or (225) 6552607 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. or visit 0f472fe.netsolhost.com/tickets.
4-H fundraiser set East Feliciana 4-H’s Shotgun Fundraiser begins at 9 a.m. May 31 at Riverside Sporting Clays, 52400 La. 16, in Denham Springs. Sign-in starts at 7:30 a.m. Visit east-feliciana-4-hfoundation.square.site to register
Library sets art contest Audubon Regional Library is holding its annual Design Discovery contest for 18 and under Participants should turn in a library-themed art piece by July 15. The winner will be featured on the library’s website for a year, and the winning design will be the new library card for a year Contact your branch for guidelines and a template. Home and garden event
The Feliciana Master Gardeners and St. Francisville Beautiful will hold the St. Francisville Home & Garden Stroll on May 10. Proceeds from the open house, garden tours and afternoon workshops go to 4-H scholarships, school gardens and other community projects.
Send news and events for East and West Feliciana parishes to extra@ theadvocate.com by noon Friday or call (225) 3880731.
PHOTO BY JAMES MINTON
late educator
Rod; daughter, Margaret Anne Pruitt; his wife, JoAnne Lemoine; and his daughter JoEllen Daniel. The plaque is installed at the entrance to West Feliciana Middle School, where Lemoine was the first principal.
rendering of the a proposed $2.5 billion data center in West Feliciana Parish. Hut 8 plans to build it off La. 964 on the southern end of the parish.
BY JAMES MINTON Contributing writer
The West Feliciana School Board unveiled a proposal April 15 to possibly move the school system’s central office staff into the historic Julius Freyhan High School building next door
The Freyhan building, the parish’s first high school, is being renovated with state capital outlay funds procured by nonprofit Julius Freyhan Foundation. The work is expected to be completed next month, according to a timeline presented at the board meeting
Eventually, if the move is carried out, the board would demolish the current office building and increase the green space and parking area, Superintendent Hollis Milton said
The old school is linked through an agreement with the foundation and parish government to the nearby Temple Sinai, a former Jewish synagogue donated to the parish by a Presbyterian church organization.
Although the plans are tentative, the board voted to spend an additional $62,415 to build three interior walls on the first floor of the twostory building, which could form rooms for the superintendent’s office, a conference area and space for sales tax collection personnel.
Other school board personnel would be dispersed throughout the building’s first floor and basement, and board meetings could be held on the top floor, which will be accessible by an outside elevator structure.
Community events also would be held on the second floor, said Lee Hammer, supervisor of school ancillary services.
Milton said he envisions having a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the renova-
tion and tours during the town’s Walker Percy Weekend, Sept. 19-20. Due to financial constraints, only 30% of the building’s basement was renovated in the current project, but Milton said the design phase for finishing the basement is underway, with a possible bid letting set for the fall and construction starting in January Looking ahead, Milton said central office staff could perhaps move into the building by July 2026. At one time, the Julius Freyhan school had a “stadium” on the side of the bluff on which the school office is located, and, although the school board does not own the property, the idea is being floated to build an amphitheater there.
“It would bring an overall “wow” factor to the entire site and be a crown jewel for our town and parish,” Milton said in a presentation to the board. On another matter, the board voted to dissolve its Pecan Grove Committee, which
