IBERIA PARISH (NEW IBERIA) — During an executive committee meeting last Wednesday, members of the Iberia Parish Council took steps to transfer the Louisiana Sugar Cane Festival building to the New Iberia City Council.
"We're not in a shape right now to spend that kind of money on the building," said District 8 Councilman Brock Pellerin, who introduced the agenda item.
Pellerin emphasized that the building serves as a vital community space, hosting events such as Mardi Gras pageants and dance recitals. "It gets used beyond just the Sugar Cane Festival; that's just the title we have for it," he added.
Concerns about the building's maintenance have been raised in the past. In July, Aaron Snay, a manager at Paige's Dance Studio in New Iberia, voiced worries over issues like broken A/C units and flooding during recitals.
"I'd like to either work with them to develop a plan to get it where it needs to be, or they should look at turning it over to someone that does have a plan," Snay said.
Parish President Larry Richard confirmed that the council is indeed working to create a more efficient approach, and said a surveyor will be evaluating the building very soon. "One of the ways to do that is to work in conjunction with the city," he stated."We're certainly moving in the right direction."
Pellerin noted that while "the wheels on this project are moving," there are still legal details to finalize.
"The city attorney and our attorney are going back and forth trying to make it work. There's a discrepancy with the right of way for the Veterans building, which we need to resolve before handing it over to the city."
The full Iberia Parish Council will vote on the final approval during their next meeting in October.
