Another building, a multi-purpose center for Loreauville, will cost about $760,000, making $1 million in new buildings for recreation and social events in Iberia Parish.
“Wow,” said David Laszczak, who jogs five days a week in the little park in Lydia. He said the park is not used that often on a year-round basis.
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Iberia Parish Councilman Roger Duncan said the state gave the money for the two Lydia pavilions in two separate funding requests, and the parish had to use the money or lose it. Tammy Trahan, with the Iberia Parish Recreation Department, said Tuesday that she was surprised the parish is getting two buildings in Weeks Park.
One pavilion will be 80 by 125 feet, and the second will be 80 by 150 feet. Soil borings for the smaller one were done last week and soon work will start.
“They tell us what we can use it for,” Trahan said. “It’s not like we can take it (grant money) and use it somewhere else.”
The smaller pavilion is costing $120,000, the larger one $170,000.
Duncan said Tuesday he worked with Rep. Troy Hebert, D-Jeanerette, to get the money for the two pavilions. Duncan said he was aware two would be built in his district.
“So, if they (state) are going to give it to us, we’re taking it,” Duncan said. “I could probably find a different way to use the money, but if they’re going to give us $300,000, we’re not going to fight the state. It’s hard enough to get money from them as it is.”
As far as the trees, he said Blaine Meche, director of the Recreation Department, did not want to cut down any. Meche was out in the field all day Tuesday and couldn’t return a phone call.
“I know Blaine said he didn’t want to cut the trees down, and I agree with him because I don’t like to cut down trees, either,” Duncan said. “But the pavilions will be used. We’re not going to build them just to look at them. You know the old saying: ‘If you build it, they will come.’ ”
The Lydia Cancer Association Cajun Food Festival could use the pavilions, for example. Duncan said he’d like to see some basketball goals because “there’s nothing to do in the park except play baseball.”
The pavilions will go along with a $760,000, soon-to-be-built, multi-purpose community center a few miles away in Loreauville.
That project had been delayed from last year because of the wording in state documents, District 9 Parish Councilman Glenn Romero said Tuesday. He said he talked to engineer Mark Berard and the project is on target.
“We’re probably going to have to get the state to give us an extension because part of it will have to be spent by June,” Romero said. “But we also had a problem because the money from the state was dedicated to the village of Loreauville, so we had to get the state to rededicate it to the parish. We’ve done that already.”
Some of the money for the Loreauville building, however, is parish money. The Iberia Parish Finance Committee had already approved taking $150,000 from the parish’s Royalty Fund Budget to help pay for the center. The state has contributed about $380,000, but the money had fallen short to get the $760,000 building going — so the parish freed up some Royalty Fund money. The state allocated $30,000 for planning, $160,000 in cash money in 2006’s appropriations bill and another $190,000 approved by the Bond Commission.
Also, the Recreation District in Iberia is chipping in another $150,000, and about $80,000 will be contributed by the Public Works Department, which will provide some work.
Trahan said the parish has plans to replace some trees around the pavilions, some of which were damaged after Hurricane Rita in 2005. Laszczak remains leery of the spending and the cutting of trees he said were healthy.
“I’m not a tree hugger,” he said. “I’m just looking at what’s right and what’s wrong. And this appears to be wrong.”
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