Doere talks cost of new force

The New Iberia City Council approved repairs to several city buildings at Tuesday’s meeting

Renovations to the Martin Luther King Jr. Center at West End Park are planned. City Council members approved already budgeted funds to fix some of the more problematic areas of the building.

“When you look on the teen side, it’s not even usable,” New Iberia Mayor Freddie DeCourt said at the meeting. 

“There are barrels and roof leaks, so we can’t rent it for income and worst of all the community can’t use it.”

After a bid is awarded, there will be three new air conditioning units installed to replace the current one, as well repairs to the ceiling of the center. Other fixes will include parts of the gymnasium and the addition of a stove for the kitchen.

“Those things need to be done because it’s such a utilized facility,” DeCourt said. “We’re trying to move on it as fast as we can.”

Funds also were approved for repairs to the old New Iberia fire station building located at City Park. The mayor said that walls that were put in to add smaller rooms to the building will be torn down to give the building an open space for activities like yoga.

Some of the sheet rock and wallpaper in the building also will be taken out to expose the brick of the building.

“It’s a historic building. It was a fire station,” DeCourt said. “Let’s make it look like a fire station.”

There also will be some roof repairs in store for the Bayou Teche Museum. The council passed a new resolution approving $4,990 for repairs to the museum’s roof.

“We own the museum building. We’re responsible for the infrastructure,” DeCourt said. “It’s leaking right over the George Rodrigue studio every time it rains. We’ve got to do something.”

All resolutions passed unanimously.