The pavilion canopy project at Bouligny Plaza is still underway, with completion to be expected after a change order was made in the project.

Architect Paul Allain said at a city council meeting last month that the interior of the new pavilion, which had been a restroom for people to use at Bouligny Plaza, had been demolished.

The structure had masonry walls that were impacted by years of use, and Allain said some of the original drawings had different information than what was found on the job site, including metal panels.

Some of the structural walls that recess into the building were also found, with four of them lining up on the parking lot side. On the backside there were brick and concrete blocks removed which exposed a cavity.

“It’s a structural wall and needs to be sealed off for structural reasons,” Allain said. “It also looks horrible aesthetically.”

The change order did not require buying new brick, but rather restitching some of the brick already used. Allain said no other surprises for the project were expected.

“We’re past all those issues and we were under budget,” he said. “We were $27,000 under budget so this brings us to $23,000.”

The pavilion is slated to be converted into a tourist center for newcomers to the city. Panels will be installed giving information about New Iberia culture and history, as well as places to visit.

Mayor Freddie DeCourt said it will also be possible for the pavilion to be converted into a ticket stand, which would allow Bouligny Plaza to play host to ticketed events in the future.

“Now that it’s open you can see how it’s the gateway to the whole plaza area,” DeCourt said. “It’s going to tell our story. I think we’ll be able to customize it for our community and we’ll be able to do some fun stuff with it.”