Abbeville Mayor rips police jury over condition of Hibernia bank building

Abbeville Mayor Roslyn White spoke candidly about the condition of the old Hibernia Bank Building.
The Police Jury has owned the building for over 20 years and has made minimal repairs in the past six years.
Following an inspection report from David Hamer of Vermilion Architects, LLC, Councilman Brady Broussard asked Hamer if he was surprised by what he found.
“I was surprised by the neglect of the building,” said Hamer to the Abbeville council. “Some of the issues could have been mitigated easier, had it been maintained.
Mayor White expressed strong criticism of the landlord’s maintenance of the building, stating to the audience “This is how your tax dollars have been spent over the last 20 years. So, when you complain about us (Abbeville government) not being good stewards, at least the City of Abbeville is taking care of the properties it owns. This (upkeep of the building should be criminal.”
The Vermilion Parish Police Jury is expected to transfer ownership of the old Hibernia Bank Building and the old downtown library to the City of Abbeville at Wednesday’s meeting. In exchange, the city will allow the Sheriff’s Department to remain in the old Hibernia building at no cost.
An independent inspection by Vermilion Architects determined that Abbeville must invest at least $610,000 to make the building suitable for occupancy. This includes replacing all exterior windows and frames, repairing exterior stucco and stabilizing the foundation, and replacing two 12-ton air conditioning units.
If you also include optional repairs, up to 1 million.
An additional $700,000 could allow the city to fully renovate the building, including new air conditioning units and comprehensive repairs.
The total estimated renovation cost is $1.7 million, with the building’s current appraised value is around $500,000.
Mayor White stated she has contacted local legislators to make them aware of the situation and let them know we will seek help with funding from Baton Rouge for the building’s repairs.
The city council voted 3-1 to accept the police jury’s offer to transfer ownership of the two buildings. Councilwoman Terry Broussard abstained due to her employment with the police jury. The deal was Brady Broussard Jr., Tony Hardy, and Carlton Campbell.
Councilman Francis Plaisance, who has consistently opposed acquiring the old bank building, voted against the measure and explained his reasoning.
“You know the old saying, ‘You can’t judge a book by its cover.’ This is what I feel about this building,” Plaisance said. “There have been many problems with this building, and that is why the police jury has been trying to get rid of it for a long time.
“You know why? They did not want to pay $200,000 to demolish it. So, now they want to give it to us. Why would we want a building they do not want?”
Councilman Broussard explained that acquiring the old bank building would allow the city to consolidate government offices currently located in separate buildings.
“Why would we not consolidate into a single building and sell the smaller buildings that we have outgrown?” Broussard said. “That is why I support this.”