LAFAYETTE, La. — In a Monday night public meeting at St. Anthony's Catholic Church on Edison Street, many in the community let their voices be heard about the future of the former Truman Early Childhood Education Center building.
It's set to become a new community center. Click here to read our past story on this.
This meeting was all about what resources, ideas and recreational or educational activities the city wants to see at the building.
Back in January, the Truman Early Childhood Education Center, which was built in the 1950s on Clara Street, closed its doors, and the school relocated to its new facility on Willow Street.
Many community members gathered to discuss potential developments for the building, showcasing strong local interest in revitalizing the area.
Among the attendees was Anthony Lewis, a former student who emphasized the potential benefits of the new center.
“I was born and raised in the Truman area, so I think it would be an asset to our community to develop some positive things at that school and that area. There’s plenty of land for after-school activities and for older people in the community,” Lewis said.
Kevin Ardoin, whose children attended the school when it was open, said he's happy the building won't go to waste.
"Like anything else, it’s either going to turn into blight or turn into something that’s not going to impact the whole community. It’s like, the facility is there, we’ve got the space, we have the need, so why not use it for the good of the community?” he said.
Participants were invited to express their ideas for the center, writing suggestions that included the creation of green spaces and various program activities. When asked about his vision for the center, one attendee told KATC of his desire to include musical programming.
“So I would love to see a performing arts center," said Devon Norman. "A collaboration of things. I’m a singer and actor, so theater and music and, of course, having some type of music studio—a whole section full of studios."
Councilman Elroy Broussard, who helped host the event, emphasized the importance of community input in shaping the future of the former school.
“I’m certain they’ve got great ideas. We want a thousand different ideas for what we should do—from the ground up, to the bottom, to the top and even the color scheme. We don’t want it to go dormant. We don’t want it to start to deteriorate. We want to keep the history of Truman in Truman and part of Lafayette,” Broussard said.
Broussard also told KATC that, if you were unable to make it to the meeting, you could contact him at the Lafayette Consolidated Government to share your ideas and thoughts on the future of Truman.
