PORT ALLEN — The new Cohn Elementary School will hold its open house Sept. 2, but students and teachers will walk into classrooms without permanent cabinetry after a manufacturing delay pushed millwork back two to three weeks past the start of school.
Facilities Supervisor Chad Fontenot told the West Baton Rouge Parish School Board on Wednesday, July 15, that Milton Womack, the general contractor on the project, placed the cabinet order on time. But the manufacturer’s rollout of a new AI-based ordering system caused a software failure that stalled production.
Temporary cabinets will be installed before school starts Aug. 6. The contractor plans to install the permanent millwork in afternoons and on weekends once the pieces arrive…