By JIM BUTLER

The Rapides Parish School Board will accept bids until August 25  for the lease of 435 acres near Deville.

East of LA 115 and about a mile or two south of LA 28,  the property is near, if not adjacent to, Dewey Wills WMA, lying west of Big Saline Bayou.

The entire locale, stretching from Catahoula Lake on the north to Saline Lake on the south to Larto Lake on the east is one of the state’s premier hunting and fishing areas.

The acreage for lease is on the 16th section of the survey township in which it lies.

Under federal (enacted in 1785) and state law the 16th section of each township is reserved for the maintenance and promotion of public schools.

Some sections have actually been used for school facilities. Many others are used to supplement school systems’ revenue streams.

A section (one-mile square) contains 640 acres. A traditional township (six miles square) contains 36 sections.

Because of its topography, it is not out of the ordinary in Louisiana to have more than 100 sections in some townships, with the sections having various shapes, sizes, and acreages.

Bids on the Rapides lease must be submitted on specific forms, available at the School Board Purchasing Department, 619 Sixth Street and must be received by 11 a.m. on the 25th.

Bids on forms other than the board ones will not be accepted.

Specifications and forms can also be requested by email to purchasingdept@rpsb.us, or by sending a written request to P. O. Box 7117, Alexandria, Louisiana 71306. A plat is provided with the specs and forms. Specifications and bid forms are also available at www.centralbidding.com; fees may be associated with the use of this site, according to board officials.

The precise property location is Section 16, T5NR3E.