State plans $4.7 million construction project at Acadiana Center for Youth

The State of Louisiana is advancing plans for new staff residences and a training and multipurpose building at the Acadiana Center for Youth in Bunkie, a project that carried an estimated construction cost of $4.7 million during the state's architectural planning process.

The proposed development would add staff housing and a building designated for training and other uses at the state-operated juvenile justice facility, located at 1536 Bordelon Road.

According to records from the Louisiana Division of Administration's Office of Facility Planning and Control, the project was included in the state's March 2025 architectural selection process.

The Louisiana Architects Selection Board selected Ballard CLC Inc. of Alexandria as the design firm for the project during its March 19, 2025, meeting.

State records listed an anticipated construction cost of $4.7 million at that time. The amount represents a planning estimate and does not necessarily reflect the final construction cost or an awarded contract.

A public bid notice supplied to the newspaper schedules a pre-bid conference for Monday, Nov. 16, at 2 p.m. at the Acadiana Center for Youth.

According to that notice, sealed bids are scheduled to be accepted until Wednesday, Dec. 2, at 2 p.m., when they would be publicly opened in Baton Rouge.

The planned improvements represent another proposed investment in the Acadiana Center for Youth campus, which operates under the Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice.

While the project identifies staff residences and a training and multipurpose building, available planning records do not establish the number of residences to be constructed or the anticipated construction completion date.

The project remains in the planning and procurement stages, and a construction contract award has not been confirmed.

Additional information about the scope, final cost and construction schedule is expected as the state advances the project.