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The Livingston Parish Literacy and Technology Center is a joint project between Southeastern Louisiana University and the Livingston Parish School Board. The 39,000 square foot center, located on a 24-acre School Board site between U.S. 190 and Burgess Avenue, offers family literacy programs and math, science, technology and environmental education for students. It was completed on April 20, 2005.
The center features a distance learning center; conference room; lecture hall; eight general use classrooms, two with compressed video capability; and two computer lab-classrooms.
Funding for the cooperative project came as a result of the settlement of a class action environmental law suit filed on behalf of more than 10,000 Livingston Parish residents. In the settlement of the suit (generally referred to as the "Combustion, Inc." case), more than $131 million were distributed to plaintiffs. In making his decisions regarding distribution of the settlement United States District Judge Richard T. Haik, Sr. of Lafayette-Opelousas Division of the Western District of Louisiana, searched for a way that the case could benefit the parish as a whole in addition to individual plaintiffs. He solicited proposals, and Southeastern- after consultation with the Livingston Parish School Board- came forward with the plan for the Literacy and Technology Center. Southeastern was awarded $4.5 million to help build and operate the center. The Livingston Parish School Board has allocated another $1 million for the project.