After a decision to approve funds to repair the air conditioning unit at the Sugar Cane Festival Building, members of the Iberia Parish Council’s Finance Committee talked about the future of the building on Parkview Drive.

New Iberia Mayor Pro Tem Ricky Gonsoulin, a former parish councilman himself, addressed the Finance Committee Wednesday night to talk about the state of the building and its importance to the city and parish. Gonsoulin said he’s heard from some that the facility is not worth repairing and doesn’t generate enough a year in revenue.

“Sometimes government operates things that are not profitable, it’s about quality of life,” Gonsoulin said. “Who wants to have their kids dance in New Iberia all year long and not have a facility to practice in? You want to send them to Youngsville to practice? I don’t.”

“Let’s have a long-term solution and if we don’t have one, let’s look at all options to maybe renovate or move it to some other partner that can fix it.”

Aaron Snay with Paige’s Dance Studio also addressed the council. Snay said the dance school has used the Sugar Cane Festival for more than 22 years, and the building has been pivotal for the close to 10,000 students who showcase their performances throughout the year.

“We run a strange business where basically our business relies on the future of this building,” Snay said. “We don’t have any options, especially for a school of our size.”

Snay said Paige’s Dance Studio has students that come all the way from Morgan City, Lafayette and Maurice because the Sugar Cane Festival Building is the only facility in the area that suits their needs besides the Hymen Center in Lafayette.

“It’s not just about the rental money for our performances, when they come here they are getting lunch and dinner in New Iberia,” Snay said. “I don’t believe (the building) is not profitable, we’re not trying to make it profitable.

“There’s other things you can do,” he added. “You can have concerts, comedians, but to do that you need to have it in some kind of condition that people are going to want to rent.”

The council voted to approve the $35,000 needed to repair an air conditioning unit at the Sugar Cane Festival Building that has been broken for several months. Some of the council members like James Trahan and Warren Gachassin, as well as Parish President Larry Richard, assisted in getting a rental unit in May until repairs could be made.

“We as a government, we need to do what we have to do,” Councilman Brian Napier said. “We need to take care of that building.”

Trahan also mentioned that parish government had been in talks with the City of New Iberia to possibly sell the building to the city.

“That’s a second option for the parish council and the city council to decide,” Trahan said.

Councilman Marcus Broussard said that option might be the correct one if the city has a plan for the future of the building.

“We don’t really have a plan to do anything with it,” Broussard said. “I think we got bigger fish to be frying, so maybe allowing the city to take it over if they have a plan (would be good).”

Councilwoman Natalie Broussard added that the building is critical for the Louisiana Sugar Cane Festival, and keeping that festival in Iberia Parish is crucial for the local economy.

“The Sugar Cane Festival is made up of several different parishes and if we were to lose the it, that would have a huge detrimental impact to our community,” Broussard said.