The Iberia Parish Council voted to approve funding for the creation of an evacuation center in Iberia Parish during Wednesday’s meeting.

Parish President Larry Richard said $2.7 million from parish coffers will be used to match a $13 million state grant for the creation of the facility that will be located at the Acadiana Fairgrounds.

The project, Richard said, has been in the works for years and will allow for a designated emergency center in the case of major disaster events like hurricanes.

“Iberia Parish doesn’t have a place people to go post-hurricane or for any type of emergency,” Richard said. “This is so we can have a place where they can quarantine and things of that nature.”

When Councilman Scott Saunier asked how the facility would be able to maintain funding for continuing and maintenance and operations, Richard said the parish would be letting go of the parish-owned Sugar Cane Festival Building, which would be operated by the City of New Iberia instead.

“We’re going to use funds from the Sugar Cane Festival Building and use it to maintain the evacuation center,” Richard said.

Richard said the plan was made after consulting Mayor Freddie DeCourt, and would allow the parish to continually maintain an evacuation center.

The creation of a facility to house people after disaster events is essential, the parish president said.

The only facility used for evacuation events in the past has been the Cyr-Gates Community Center at City Park, which has been used for several major hurricane events.

“This is something we truly need in the parish,” Richard said.

In other business, Parish Councilman Scott Ransonet once again tabled the approval of funding to repair a damaged bridge on Vida Shaw Road.

The issue has been repeatedly put off by the council due to continued considertoin on where the funds will come from in order to fully repair the bridge, which has been closed to one lane for several months.

“It’s not COVID that will kill me, it’s this bridge,” Ransonet joked at the meeting.

The councilman made a motion to indefinitely table the item in order to have additional discussions with experts to create a plan on funding the repair of the bridge. The motion passed unanimously.