PC agrees to St. Luke District termination

The St. Martin Parish Council last week agreed to dissolve the St. Luke Hospital District it has overseen jointly with St. Landry Parish since 1963.
The hospital district was centered in Arnaudville and extended into portions of both parishes. But St. Luke’s Hospital shut its doors in 1990 and the vacant building has deteriorated over the years.
An Arnaudville group led by Mavis Arnaud Frugé, director of the Jacques Arnaud French Studies Collective, and members of NuNu’s Art and Culture Collective have spent eight years seeking ways to acquire the building as a home for a French-immersion educational and cultural program. The St. Landry Parish Council voted to dissolve the partnership district last month.
Questions about the future of the building still exist, such as whether or not St. Landry Parish’s share of the divided tax accounts can legally be used for the costly renovations needed. St. Landry authorities appear somewhat lukewarm in their enthusiasm for the building’s use as a non-medical facility.
Arnaudville, the most prevalently French-speaking community in Acadiana, is considered by many the appropriate site for the French immersion program. Use of the St. Luke’s building as a location for the school has garnered considerable local support. For the past few meetings of the St. Martin council, supporters have filled half of the meeting room. They responded to last week’s vote, which brought them one step closer to their goal, with vigorous applause.
Frugé told the Teche News that many obstacles still exist, however. She expects renovations to take at least a year, and has said the group will not be daunted if they miss out on the St. Luke facility. Other possible venues in Arnaudville are also being considered.
After the vote, the happy Frugé thanked the council and Parish President Guy Cormier, saying their handling of the complicated issue has been exemplary.

In other business, the council approved a zoning change for a single location on Choppy Cade Road to allow operation of a home-based internet sales business.
Also, approved was an Act of Acceptance to Teche Construction Co. for the completion of improvements at the former Martin Mills water treatment plant, now owned by the parish.
The March 21 Administrative/Finance committee meeting will be held at St. Martin Hospital in Breaux Bridge at 5 p.m.
Finally, Cormier told the council that work would begin soon to replace the dilapidated wooden Fournet Road bridge off Leed-Champagne Road between St. Martinville and Parks. Residents of the three homes served by the bridge have been unable to use it for anything other than foot traffic for the past few months.
The lowest bid for replacement was $215,000, but Cormier said the contractor may be able to move a concrete bridge the company already owns into place at a considerable savings.