Central Louisiana Red Cross Building

As the American Red Cross nears a century of service to Central Louisiana, we face unique challenges and opportunities. The need for Red Cross has grown rapidly over the past several years, forcing us to relocate from the building originally constructed more than 35 years ago when we served only Rapides Parish to a leased building. We currently borrow space to store adequate supplies for disaster response and classrooms for training. Since 1998, the Central Louisiana Red Cross has been seeking a building that would provide adequate space to store disaster relief supplies, areas for volunteers to work, classroom space for training, and a disaster response center to meet the needs of our 9 Central Louisiana parishes.

Because of the daunting need for Red Cross services, this search has been especially challenging. Finally, after years of work by the Board of Directors, partners, volunteers, and staff, Red Cross has begun the preliminary steps to rehablitate the Cotton Brothers/Continental Trailways Building. This plan will meet the critical needs of the Red Cross, eliminate a monthly lease expense, cost less than new construction, locate the Red Cross in an area with easy access to I-49 and several highways, and save one of the 10 most endangered buildings in Louisiana.

Cornerstones of Support

Canadian Red Cross $958,629

Martin Foundation $25,000

Huie Dellmon Foundation $100,000

Coughlin Saunders Foundation $150,000

Rotary of Alexandria $3,000

GAEDA $150,000

In 2006, the Central Louisiana Chapter of the American Red Cross received a gift of $958,629 from the Canadian Red Cross specifically designated to support the construction of an American Red Cross chapter headquarters in Central Louisiana. The American Red Cross is grateful for the generosity and support of the Canadian Red Cross and Canadian business leader, Frank Stronach, founder and chairman of auto parts giant Magna International. In response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, the Canadian Red Cross graciously collected funds from Canadians, Canadian corporations and various levels of Canadian government. The Canadian Red Cross provided more than $20 million, the shipment of disaster supplies and over 220 trained disaster responders to assist the American Red Cross with immediate disaster relief efforts in the hurricane affected areas.

In the process of looking at existing real estate and buildings, the Red Cross reviewed many sites and buildings and began developing a building plan. Preliminary estimates indicated the acquisition and renovation of a building or construction would exceed $2 million. Then, in November 2007, Leann met with Rhonda Reap-Curiel and Steve Ayres about the 425 Bolton Avenue property.

By raising $500,000 to partner with the Canadian gift, Central Louisiana is able to fully fund the rehabilitation of the building and eliminate the current monthly lease expense. Based on lease cost projections, we will have saved $500,000 in lease expenses during the first 10 years in the building. From the beginning, The Board of Directors was committed to raising this money specifically for the building without utilizing funds from donations for annual programs and services and found the support needed through cornerstone gifts from Coughlin-Saunders, Martin Foundation, Huie-Dellmon, and GAEDA.

The first step of the project required a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment which was conducted by URS. The ESA revealed concerns including asbestos in some remaining roof materials, lead in paint remnants, bird feces, and possible contaminants in the soil. The Phase I ESA recommended that a full Phase II ESA be conducted to further investigate the site. Preliminary estimates of the cost for a Phase II ranged from $25,000 to $60,000, a prohibitive amount. In February, we learned that the Red Cross might be eligible for the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality's Targeted Brownfields Assistance program. Duane Wilson, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, believed the project to be a strong candidate for TBA; however, the State did not have an active program contract. Wilson put us in touch Dorothy Crawford with the regional office of the Environmental Protection Agency. Dorothy expedited the application process for the TBA program and gained approval for the EPA to fully fund the Phase II ESA. Additionally, by completing the Phase II study and complying with any recommendations, the Red Cross will be recognized as a Bonafide Prospective Purchaser and will be protected by existing laws

The Phase II report conducted through an Army Corps of Engineers contract with GEC under the supervision of Nick Sims and Jennifer Lindquist was shared with the Board of Directors and the Red Cross Office of Risk Management. The Phase II focused on the findings in a 1998 Phase II and did not include soil and ground water samples from inside the building. Because of the plan to rehabilitate the building, the initial Phase II recommended further assessment for impact on enclosed space. Again, Dorothy Crawford expedited approval for the additional testing. The testing revealed that the facility was safe for habitation as a commercial building.

As soon as permits were approved, the renovation process began. In August 2009, the Board of Directors held their Strategic Planning Retreat in the unfinished building and in November 2009, the Red Cross premier fundraiser, the Talk of the Town, was held in the building's near-completion warehouse giving donors the opportunity to tour the renovation project. As renovation of the exterior, warehouse and first floor nears completion, the Board continues to seek funds to renovate the second floor to serve as meeting space for Red Cross, partners, and the public.