DONALDSONVILLE • DUTCHTOWN • GEISMAR • GONZALES • PRAIRIEVILLE • ST. AMANT
THE ASCENSION
AD DVOCA VOCATE T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M
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W e d n e s d ay, s e p t e m b e r 4, 2024
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Shell wants to move into ‘buffer zone’ of plantation Darlene Denstorff AROUND ASCENSION
Clear bag rules coming to parish football games It does not matter if you are attending a middle school, freshman, junior varsity or varsity football game at area stadium, only clear purses will be allowed. James E. LeBlanc, of the St. Amant Booster Club, announced on his social media last week that all schools are enforcing the clear-bag-only policy this season. Outside food and drinks also will not be allowed in stadiums. “I’m trying to prevent someone parking far away and making it all the way to the gate, then having to return to their vehicle,” LeBlanc said.
BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT Staff writer
Shell Chemical Co., owner of the Ashland-Belle Helene Plantation in Geismar, conducted a major restoration of the structure about a decade ago. Now it seeks to remove the property’s historical site designation overlay, saying it has no intention of operating on the historic site but wants to move into the buffer around it. In the coming weeks, the Ascension Parish Council will have the final say. Described in its National Register of Historic Places nomination form as a “superior example” of a peripheral plantation house, the building on La. 3251 was constructed by Duncan Kenner in 1841. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
not much over, but a little bit over, the 500-foot buffer zone.” “We still have strict obligations to maintain the historic setting of the area … We spent millions restoring the building, and it’s our intention to maintain the property,” he added. “The removal of the historic overlay would just allow us to get a little bit closer than we might otherwise have if it was still there.” When Shell bought the property, the purchase agreement required it to maintain the building’s physical structure and facade. Shell went further in 2015, completing a major restoration to the interior STAFF PHOTO BY JAVIER GALLEGOS and exteriors so it could use the The Ashland-Belle Helene Plantation as seen on Aug. 21. building for meetings and company functions. Jim Blanchard, an architectural At a recent zoning commission company was planning a major meeting, Shell Environmental expansion and had a “need for ä See SHELL, page 4G Manager Kevin Poché stated the scope for work that’s going to be
Insurance to be topic of talk Louisiana Deputy Commissioner of Insurance Ron C. Henderson will be the speaker at the Sept. 12 Ascension GOP Roundtable, sponsored by Ascension Republican Women. The roundtable starts at 11:30 a.m. at the Clarion Inn, 1500 W. La. 30 in Gonzales.
ä See AROUND, page 4G
Troy LeBoeuf ASCENSION SPORTS
Ascension Christian Lions play with heavy heart Coach Rohan Davey is starting his second season as the Ascension Christian Lions head football coach, and it’s a season filled with optimism and excitement diminished some with the loss of their beloved principal, Dustin Bagwell, who died Aug. 27. “The reason I came here is because of Dustin Bagwell, we spoke for three months before I made the decision to accept the position,” Davey said. “He was such a man of faith, he has changed the culture here.” Everything he touched turned into something positive, just a tragic loss for our school and my prayers are for his family,” Davey said. The Lions opened the season with a 19-12 victory over
ä See LEBOEUF, page 2G
STAFF PHOTO BY JAVIER GALLEGOS
Seniors slow dance Aug. 30 during the Ascension Parish Government’s Game Day Sock Hop at Lamar-Dixon Expo Center.
Ascension Sock Hop celebrates football season with a game day theme ä More photos. PAGE 3G More than 600 people came ready to dance Friday during the Dixon Expo Center, dancing to Ascension Parish Government’s Game Day Sock Hop at the Lamar- Steve Broussard and the Night
Live oak removal stirs debate on tree protection Gonzales weighs steps to keep landscape BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT
of a city landmark. Now city officials say they are looking into new laws to help proAfter two large live oak trees tect the trees. One of the oaks had been regiswere cut down last week in Gonzales, some residents voiced dismay tered with the Louisiana Live Oak over what they saw as the removal Society since 1997, when it was
Staff writer
measured with a 100-foot canopy and girth of more than 16 feet. The society’s chair estimated that it had been “well over 100 years old.” The 1.95-acre site in Gonzales, which used to house a Piccadilly restaurant, was purchased in 2020 for $250,000 by Vince Diez Properties Inc., according to the Ascen-
HOME EQUITY RENOVATE
Train’s performance covering oldies hits. Many sported the colors of their favorite sports team.
GENERATE
sion Parish Assessor’s database. The company did not respond to a request for comment Thursday. The removal of the trees, which stood at the former site of the Piccadilly restaurant, exposed the tensions of a rapidly changing
ä See LIVE OAK, page 4G
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